2005-2009 Presentation

letter

September 2010

If the calendar has scribbles all over it, you know it was a busy summer. That is what we are supposed to do though—stay busy in the Lord's work—just be careful we do not just fill time or let it pass. You know how kids look forward to birthdays and special events. Rebekah said to Josiah, "Calendars go really fast." Her way of saying that time is going fast. Redeeming the time is so important—buy it for eternity.

Four great books I read these few months are: A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael (thanks to Pastor Pierpont for striking that interest); One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven by Mark Cahill (You cannot witness in heaven—do it NOW); When Wisdom Turns to Foolishness: Solomon, One Man's Journey Away from God by Dr. David Jeremiah; and last, but of course not least, Sunset on Summer ("That was over so fast.") by our own Pastor Ken Pierpont. I would love to give you a little book review on each of these and how they so much blessed and challenged me, but you will have to find them for yourself. When do I ever have time to read—when I am nursing our cute little Gideon who is now seven months old and scooting/starting to crawl.

In July we (mainly the kids) were able to help out at two churches' vacation Bible schools. It was great—get the unsaved to come to you so you can witness to them (same as camp). I was able to pray with three kids for salvation. I continue to pray that these kids will grow and continue on. It is God Who gives the increase—our job is to plant the seed. We continue witnessing and planting seed almost daily to our unsaved neighbors, Vladimir and Anna from Albania. She said, "Everyone ought to have lots of kids." (My house is happier and runs smoother than hers who has only two little girls—who run the house.) I said, "No, no. You have to be following the Bible on how to raise kids— not that ours are perfect at all. If you don't follow the Bible, you will probably end up with a lot of brats." I continue to pray for them.           

We also did some fun stuff together—tennis at the park, roller-skating one afternoon, and a lot of preparation for Ruth and Hannah to leave home, which is a huge step for us. If you have sent a child away for college you have an idea. If you have sent a child on a foreign mission trip you have an idea. Now double that all by two. It was very hectic and a bit stressful. They sent a box of books and belongings through a Filipino company, and it was supposed to take six weeks to get there. You guessed it, it has not yet arrived. Dan is going to get a tracking number and try to find out what happened to their box—all their books, clothes—160 lbs of stuff for two years. Ruth and Hannah left on August 6 and have arrived safely in Davau. They are busy working in the clinic, watching, doing pre-natals, giving tetanus shots, recording deliveries, and learning a lot. It is great to be able to talk with them on Skype.

We have made a mistake once again, concerning where to send funds, for those of you who want to help them financially. The organization doesn't have a secretary, so it cannot handle individual gifts that come in. If you do want to help them, please send your gift addressed to them to: 617 Mulberry St., Winston Salem, NC 27101. A friend there will get the funds to their account. Thanks a lot—and sorry for the mix-up! Thanks, too, for those of you who have already sent something!! It is greatly appreciated!!!

Another huge thing has been the National Bible Bee. We had six kids involved in that—learning lots of verses and doing an intense study of Colossians. The local contest was on August 28. Seth was the local winner for his division and has qualified for the Nationals on November 11-13 in Schaumburg, Illinois. We had other kids who won the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th places in their divisions at the local competition. We are very proud of them all and amazed at all the verses they learned. It was  very hard to stay focused. We are praying that Seth will WIN (1 Cor. 9:24). If you want more information on this you can look at www.BibleBee.org.

Pray for the tract ministry that God will convict and work in lives through the tracts. Seth has been going to the bus terminal in the lower part of town on Sunday afternoons and has been passing out tracts and witnessing. We have also found that the hospital is a great place to pass out tracts. Our job is to take the TIME to plant seed. God has to give the increase. Which chop cut down the tree?  Was it the first? Was it the last? No, it took them all together. It IS God's will that no one perish.

We had three new meetings this summer and are praying that some might take us on for support. We have loved our time in America and watching God's provision all along the way. By telling you, we can glorify our Father Who answers before we even ask. After one of the services, a LADY came up and asked me if we wanted a new generator. (They did not know that Dan had been looking for one on craigslist.) Sure, we needed one. Her six-year-old granddaughter had won a generator in a raffle, and they did not need it at all here in America. Praise the Lord we came home with a generator.

We are excited to be going back!  Except for visas, for now cost $150 each, we are ready to go.  Lord willing, we are leaving on November 17th.            

Thank you again for all your prayers and interest in us. We really appreciate YOU.

Pilgrims on the earth,

Dan and Joan, Ruth and Hannah, Seth, Lydia, Susanna, Isaiah, Stephen, Rebekah, Josiah, Joseph, Esther, and Gideon

 

Blog:  www.cuthbertsons.org                                    email:  cuthbertsons@gmail.com

Sent from:                                                         Serving with:                                                               Serving in:

Evangel Baptist Church                                    Baptist World Mission                                                01  BP 393, San Pédro 01

16994 Telegraph Rd.                                        P.O. Box 2149                                                            Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa

Taylor, MI  48180-5108                                    Decatur, AL  35602-2149                                           225-3471-0982

734-946-5680                                                    256-353-2221                                                             336-354-5592 (US #)