Travis Northcutt, Eddie Burdette, Jerry Whitmore, Eddie Turrentine, Rex Looney, Able Garcia, Mark Mast, Michael Mason, Johnny Tucker, Teddie Turrentien, Terry Rainey.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Introducing
Here is the team that lead the conference. (From Left to Right)
Travis Northcutt, Eddie Burdette, Jerry Whitmore, Eddie Turrentine, Rex Looney, Able Garcia, Mark Mast, Michael Mason, Johnny Tucker, Teddie Turrentien, Terry Rainey.
Travis Northcutt, Eddie Burdette, Jerry Whitmore, Eddie Turrentine, Rex Looney, Able Garcia, Mark Mast, Michael Mason, Johnny Tucker, Teddie Turrentien, Terry Rainey.
Before and After
Tico took us out for a wonderful meal the last night we were there as a thank you gift. They brought 5 things of meat for us to share. I believe there were 3 beef trays and 2 pork trays. Here is a before and after shot. Notice the name tag in the after shot. (You may have to double click the photo to enlarge it)
Buttermilk Mask
Brother Johnny told Mark unless he could say buttermilk 10 times without smiling he was lying about a story he was telling. You be the judge- Was he telling the truth?
My Little Friend
This little guy was brought by his parents to the conference. I met him in a break out session that Bro. Terry Rainey was leading. We played for a solid hour with a piece of candy wrapper and then again Thursday night. He was getting restless having to sit with his parents so I took him to the back of the room to play ball.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Day 2
Well, day two was a little easier. It only lasted 15 hours. Just kidding! Everyday has been wonderful and a blessing. From the time we wake up to the time we go to bed. God has moved in all the sessions and these pastors are so grateful for us being here.
I got some wrong information about the numbers. We did not have anywhere close to 400 here on Wednesday. There was a additional group that came in just for Wednesday, but it was only about 15. Before we set out on Tuesday we all agreed that God would have who He wanted to have here and we would not worry about the numbers.
Day two followed the same format as day one. Everyone had breakout sessions or preached during our main session. One blessing that day 2 held was a trip to visit an injured missionary. He is a Guatemalan man who worked with a mission group from back home. He was robbed and attempted to run away. While running, the robbers shot him in the back leaving him confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He is only 27 and has two children- one boy and one girl. His wife sells Bible covers and bags. So, instead of buying souvenirs from a shop we are all going to buy our stuff from her to give them financial support.
One of the best parts of this trip is the laughter. I am reminded of
Proverbs that reads, "A merry heart is like a medicine." These guys are a hoot and everyone has a great attitude, especially Mark Mast, a missionary from Canada. He has been locked in a bathroom and the object of countless practical jokes. But He has had a wonderful attitude about the whole thing and is a Godly man.
Yesterday at lunch I put some "green sauce" on my meal and that stuff lit me up! It was the hottest sauce I have ever had. I imagine is was hotter than "Wrath of God". We had a great time at supper last night. Paul and Christy Lethem, the missionaries here, made a roast and it was wonderful. It was capped off with warm blackberry cobbler and vanilla ice cream. (Man, this mission work is tough). God Bless
I got some wrong information about the numbers. We did not have anywhere close to 400 here on Wednesday. There was a additional group that came in just for Wednesday, but it was only about 15. Before we set out on Tuesday we all agreed that God would have who He wanted to have here and we would not worry about the numbers.
Day two followed the same format as day one. Everyone had breakout sessions or preached during our main session. One blessing that day 2 held was a trip to visit an injured missionary. He is a Guatemalan man who worked with a mission group from back home. He was robbed and attempted to run away. While running, the robbers shot him in the back leaving him confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He is only 27 and has two children- one boy and one girl. His wife sells Bible covers and bags. So, instead of buying souvenirs from a shop we are all going to buy our stuff from her to give them financial support.
One of the best parts of this trip is the laughter. I am reminded of
Proverbs that reads, "A merry heart is like a medicine." These guys are a hoot and everyone has a great attitude, especially Mark Mast, a missionary from Canada. He has been locked in a bathroom and the object of countless practical jokes. But He has had a wonderful attitude about the whole thing and is a Godly man.
Yesterday at lunch I put some "green sauce" on my meal and that stuff lit me up! It was the hottest sauce I have ever had. I imagine is was hotter than "Wrath of God". We had a great time at supper last night. Paul and Christy Lethem, the missionaries here, made a roast and it was wonderful. It was capped off with warm blackberry cobbler and vanilla ice cream. (Man, this mission work is tough). God Bless
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Day 1
Well after 16 hours day one is complete! It was a real blessing to be with these pastors. They are hungry to learn and become better men of God. They have no formal training and they soak up every word like a sponge.
It is a neat experience working with a translator. I was worried about it at first, but it has turned out to work well. We have to speak in complete sentences because Spanish can not translate broken sentences or thoughts. It gives us time to compose our thoughts or glance at our notes. I led 3 breakout sessions today on "Preparing and Delivering Sermons". The guys seem to really benefit and are certainly thankful for us being here.
One of the translators tonight had a hard time working with one of our pastors. The message was a great but the exchange between the two was hilarious. I took a 1 minute video of it. Classic!
I ate my first true Guatemalan meal today at the seminary. We had some rice, potatoes, and a piece of meat in some type of sauce. It was really good! We ate supper at a couple's home that is a large supporter of Grace Ministries. They have a beautiful home and upstairs is a t.v. projector that plays on a wall. The t.v. is the size of the wall. A couple of us kicked back in the recliners and watched ESPN 2College Football. (Man, this mission work is tough)
I have two more sessions tomorrow and then I preach on Thursday. Some of these pastors have traveled as far as Mexico and El Salvador. Another group of 15 will be here tomorrow. They are on a bus from the Guatemala/Mexico border. It will take them 10 hours to get here. When was the last time someone you knew drove 10 hours to learn about the Lord?
God Bless and I hope to post again tomorrow.
It is a neat experience working with a translator. I was worried about it at first, but it has turned out to work well. We have to speak in complete sentences because Spanish can not translate broken sentences or thoughts. It gives us time to compose our thoughts or glance at our notes. I led 3 breakout sessions today on "Preparing and Delivering Sermons". The guys seem to really benefit and are certainly thankful for us being here.
One of the translators tonight had a hard time working with one of our pastors. The message was a great but the exchange between the two was hilarious. I took a 1 minute video of it. Classic!
I ate my first true Guatemalan meal today at the seminary. We had some rice, potatoes, and a piece of meat in some type of sauce. It was really good! We ate supper at a couple's home that is a large supporter of Grace Ministries. They have a beautiful home and upstairs is a t.v. projector that plays on a wall. The t.v. is the size of the wall. A couple of us kicked back in the recliners and watched ESPN 2College Football. (Man, this mission work is tough)
I have two more sessions tomorrow and then I preach on Thursday. Some of these pastors have traveled as far as Mexico and El Salvador. Another group of 15 will be here tomorrow. They are on a bus from the Guatemala/Mexico border. It will take them 10 hours to get here. When was the last time someone you knew drove 10 hours to learn about the Lord?
God Bless and I hope to post again tomorrow.
Monday, October 6, 2008
So far, so good
We made it to Guatemala safely and after a long, bumpy, uphill, nauseating drive to the mission house, we arrived to our home-away-from-home. The weather is great and it is nice to be back here. The only thing missing is about 10 people from Oak Grove!!!!
The blessings have already started. Everyone arrived safely, on time and EVERYONE'S luggage arrived. A-men and glory to God! This place is beautiful and the weather is great! We have internet access, as you can tell. We are about to leave to go into Antigua and show some of the first timer's the tourist attractions. Then off to dig into a huge rib eye. Man, mission work is tough!
I am excited, nervous, and anxious about tomorrow. I will have 3 groups tomorrow and just found out that on Wednesday, instead of 100 pastors there will be 400 pastors here. Apparently they have ran a t.v. ad throughout the entire nation advertising a 1 day conference and it had all our pictures on it. (That may affect the number coming).
It's good to be around all these Alabama folks and talk about NOTHING but Alabama football! ROll Tide! It's good for everyone except the Clemson fans! I hope all is well back home! God Bless and check in often.
The blessings have already started. Everyone arrived safely, on time and EVERYONE'S luggage arrived. A-men and glory to God! This place is beautiful and the weather is great! We have internet access, as you can tell. We are about to leave to go into Antigua and show some of the first timer's the tourist attractions. Then off to dig into a huge rib eye. Man, mission work is tough!
I am excited, nervous, and anxious about tomorrow. I will have 3 groups tomorrow and just found out that on Wednesday, instead of 100 pastors there will be 400 pastors here. Apparently they have ran a t.v. ad throughout the entire nation advertising a 1 day conference and it had all our pictures on it. (That may affect the number coming).
It's good to be around all these Alabama folks and talk about NOTHING but Alabama football! ROll Tide! It's good for everyone except the Clemson fans! I hope all is well back home! God Bless and check in often.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Guatemala Trip off to a great start
This afternoon I drove down to Atlanta to spend the night with my in-laws and catch an early morning flight from Atlanta to Guatemala. While down here, I knew I wanted to check out some of the great churches in Atlanta. I settled on visiting First Baptist Woodstock which is a large church about 45 minutes from my in-laws. What made it even better is that I found out last week that my preaching hero, Dr. Jerry Vines, would be there.
When I FINALLY arrived at First Baptist Woodstock I couldn't believe how big the place was. First Baptist Woodstock is a great missions minded church and is the church where our current SBC President, Johnny Hunt, pastors. When I went inside I met up with Dr. Vines son, Jon. Jon and I had several e-mail conversations but had never met. We talked about the church, Dr. Vines, and of course, Alabama Football!
I made my way to the sanctuary and greeted Dr.Vines. He proceeded to tell me that his 94 year old mother passed away this morning. I was shocked to see him even there, much less able to function. I knew that the music was going to be a blessing, but it was an unexpected suprise. The Senior Adult choir sang tonight- all 60 of them. There were canes, walkers, and portable scooters everywhere on stage, but those people blew the roof off the place. It was such a blessing to see people in the "fourth quarter" of life serving the Lord.
Dr.Vines preached on the Wonderful Word of God. It was a typical Jerry Vines message-AMAZING! The amazing part was to see him so focused after losing his mother. I'm sure I couldn't have done it.
After the service I helped Jon at the CD/Book table Dr. Vines had set-up. It was neat to get to serve alongside Jon. He said something about me coming back in early November to work a conference they were hosting, but I told him I probably couldn't make it.
If tonight is any indication of the rest of this week, it will be amazing to see what God has in store.
P.S. If Mark preached longer than 30 minutes, don't blame me.
When I FINALLY arrived at First Baptist Woodstock I couldn't believe how big the place was. First Baptist Woodstock is a great missions minded church and is the church where our current SBC President, Johnny Hunt, pastors. When I went inside I met up with Dr. Vines son, Jon. Jon and I had several e-mail conversations but had never met. We talked about the church, Dr. Vines, and of course, Alabama Football!
I made my way to the sanctuary and greeted Dr.Vines. He proceeded to tell me that his 94 year old mother passed away this morning. I was shocked to see him even there, much less able to function. I knew that the music was going to be a blessing, but it was an unexpected suprise. The Senior Adult choir sang tonight- all 60 of them. There were canes, walkers, and portable scooters everywhere on stage, but those people blew the roof off the place. It was such a blessing to see people in the "fourth quarter" of life serving the Lord.
Dr.Vines preached on the Wonderful Word of God. It was a typical Jerry Vines message-AMAZING! The amazing part was to see him so focused after losing his mother. I'm sure I couldn't have done it.
After the service I helped Jon at the CD/Book table Dr. Vines had set-up. It was neat to get to serve alongside Jon. He said something about me coming back in early November to work a conference they were hosting, but I told him I probably couldn't make it.
If tonight is any indication of the rest of this week, it will be amazing to see what God has in store.
P.S. If Mark preached longer than 30 minutes, don't blame me.
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