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| On the road again. |
It has been an amazing adventure but like all adventures they
eventually need to come to an end, don't they? This furlough like the ones
before has been an exercise in faith from beginning and I am sure it will be
until the end. We left PR in pretty bad shape and unable to pay the bills for
the last two months we were there. We did not know where we would go, how we
would get there, or where we would sleep or what we would eat. We had some ideas though, and most
things turned out to be completely different than what we had thought they would.
The trip has been a mixture of mountain tops and valleys as most good journeys do.
The Lord led a man we had never met to give us a car to drive
throughout the course of this journey, fully insured, and it has ran great for
over 10,000 miles now. We have met more amazing people than I could name here,
and I have had the opportunity to preach two revivals, in two separate states
just days apart. Reports back say that they are continuing to impact the
communities they were in. The one in IL was the most
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| 20 min. before revival service begins |
attended they have had
there and several of the churches that participated are now seeing real growth.
Though several of the places we went cost us more to get to and stay for the
time we were there than was placed in our donation box, others took up love
offerings that made up the difference and kept us on the road headed to the
next one. There have been many unplanned Bible studies that came perfectly
timed and we have made new friendships that will continue to grow and flourish in
the years to come and we have had several opportunities to reunite with dear
friends we have not seen in years.
We have also had our fill of bumps
in the road as well. Sadly the Bible I have
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| So what are my choices? |
taught every Bible study, preached
every sermon with, each revival, and every church start since I was 14 was lost
on this journey after having been placed on the roof of the car while kids and materials
were being loaded from one church to the next. In truth each one of us
have lost more than one thing on the trip. It is to be expected really with all
there is to keep up with, the lack of sleep, and those endless miles something
is bound to get lost along the way. We
have also been battling illness. For three weeks we each had our time with the
flu, both congestive and stomach. Poor Jacob’s temp reached 103.7 and it prompted a
trip to urgent care. Since we do not have health insurance as we travel, medical
costs are typically high for us. Thankfully Jacob and all of us are back to our
healthy selves. May God grant us health and safety the rest of our time here.
Here it is now mid Jan. and we are wondering what is next,
longing to be back home in PR, we have not yet met our ministry’s fully funded
goal, we have spoke at most of the churches we have in the past, new opportunities
are not opening up like they did when we first arrived, and we have even lost existing
support as we have traveled (though new support has balanced that back out now). We are not that much further ahead in committed monthly support than when we
left PR.
Yesterday I was
feeling pretty discouraged as I thought on these things and also
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| Birthday surprise with friends |
from the response
I received from a church I had reached out to earlier in the day when I received
a text from my best friend. We have been
best friends since High School (20 years) and though we do not always get to
spend as much time together as we would like to visiting with each other and
our families or talking over the phone because of our schedules, we do seem to
know how the other is feeling just in the way the other will say hello. Having
not heard from me in a while he texted me with encouragement on the journey and
hope for a good and what he felt would be a well earned ending, even though he
knows that means we will be an ocean apart once again. His text came at just
the right moment with exactly what I needed. One of only a few times I have
seen Eph. 4:29 fulfilled to its fullest by others in my life:
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your
mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it
may give grace to those who hear.” ~Ephesians
4:29
His words surely fit the occasion of my
life at the moment and I am grateful both for my friends love and encouragement
and for the Lord’s leading and timing in our lives.
Those words reminded me of another
portion of scripture that are often needed and to easily forgotten:
“And let us not grow weary of doing good,
for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”~ Galatians 6:9
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| The journey continues. |
This coming
month will be our last month of furlough. I do not know yet where we will go,
who we will meet, what opportunities or challenges lay ahead but I do know with
the Lord and the love and support of our family and friends we will press on
being encouraged to not grow weary of doing good and looking for the time of
reaping of all that has been sewn.
Maybe things have not gone as you had
planned or working out quite the way you felt they would. If so let me say to
you with all confidence and with all the love I posses that God loves you and
has far better plans for your life than you or I can even imagine at this
moment and that this is my prayer for you,
…”that you may be filled with the
knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully
pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the
knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the of Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." Col.1:9-14
God Bless,
David
Ingram
New Day
Christian Ministry
Isa.43:18-21
PS. Any
church, Sunday School Class, or small group that you are a part of that would
like to have us come and share about this marvelous work the Lord has called us
to we would love to have the opportunity to come and share before we head back
and continue on with what the Lord has called us to.
Update: After writing this blog post we faced a very scary challenge later in the day. While I was on my way back from the store Heather called very upset explaining Jacob could not lift his head or craw and that he was in a lot of pain. Hannah had been playing with him, thinking she was entertaining him. She lifted him up about a foot and dropped him on to her air mattress thinking he would like it. We did not know how badly he was injured and was 40 minutes from the hospital which was the only place prepared to work with children in the area. When we arrived they looked him over thoroughly and decided that nothing was broken and that his muscles in his neck, back, and shoulders were strained. He has been bathed in prayer since we left for the hospital and we are grateful for all who have been in prayer for Jacob. He struggled to go to sleep and woke many times through the night. Today we are happy to say he has improved greatly though still recovering. He is able to sit up, hold up his head, and has crawled. He is still recovering and clinging close to Heather but we are encouraged by all of his improvements this morning.
For all of the information and to register for this year’s retreat visit:
