Tuesday, March 31, 2015

How the Lord Used Us in March of 2015

Hello Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

I am glad that winter is over and spring is finally here. Now if the weather would just cooperate, we’d be fine. We had a wonderful month of ministry including: 4 MAD Live Events, a Walk thru the Bible Old Testament seminar, I spoke at a men’s Lenten Breakfast in CT, and Ron Woudenberg and I traveled to Florida to share Christ with the motorcyclists and others whom God connected us with at Daytona Bike Week. If you didn’t follow our travels to Bike Week on Facebook or the Blog on my website, I would encourage you to go to our website and read the daily ministry God allowed us to be a part of while we were there. We shared Christ and prayed for as many as 8 people in one day. I am sure it will bless your heart and encourage you if you take the time to read it. In March, we were blessed to be used of the Lord to see another 12 people come to a saving faith in Christ. Praise the Lord!!

Recently I have been helping a local school district in the morning before my ministry work begins, driving a school bus as they are very short on school bus drivers. I have been sharing Christ with a number of the drivers whom God has connected me with, as well as the Dispatcher. Everyone seemed very open to hear what I had to say. After the first day on the bus, I could see that the road salt was excessively packed all over the bus, and the mirrors and windows were difficult to see out of and use. So the next day I brought in some Windex and paper towels. I cleaned the windshield, side windows and mirrors and headed to the first school. As I drove up there I realized that the mirrors still needed some work. I parked behind several other school district vans that were parked in front of me in the school’s driveway loop and got out to clean the mirrors again. As I finished the mirrors on my bus, I believe the Holy Spirit prompted me to clean the van windows and mirrors in front of me. I went to the van in front of me, sprayed Windex on the driver’s outside mirror and window and began cleaning them. The lady driving the van got this look of shock, amazement and gratitude as I cleaned them for her. She smiled, rolled her window down, and thanked me profusely. Apparently, no one had ever done that for her before. I then cleaned the mirror and the window on the passenger side, and proceeded to the van in front of her and did the same thing. I then had the opportunity to share a Gospel of John with each of the drivers. One of the ladies has been seeing specialists in Reading because her breasts are full of lumps, and to top it off, she has a history of breast cancer in her family. The doctors said it was so serious that they couldn’t help her, and that she had to go to Hershey to see the specialists there. I told her I’d be praying for her and suggested she go to my church and have the folks in the prayer room anoint her with oil and pray for her. She said she would go and did. This past week she had her appointment with the Docs in Hershey and after much testing, they told her that they couldn’t find anything wrong with her! Praise God! I told her that God healed her body and he wants to heal her soul. We talked for 40 minutes and Cathy and I will be having dinner with her soon to talk further.

Here is one of the testimonies I received this month:

“Mr. Don - I want to thank you for the AWESOME presentation you brought to Spring Valley! I would like to share something with you. I took a couple of the gospel booklets and put them in my purse today I was at A.C. Moore and I got talking to the cashier and as I left out the doors the Lord reminded me of my booklet, so I talked myself into going back in the store. This was my first time I ever done this. I went back in the store and looked for the cashier I offered her a booklet to my surprise she gave me a hug and suggested we exchange phone numbers:))))) So thank you once again for impacting my life so I can share Jesus with the Lost!! God Bless you and may God continue to impact other believers thru your wonderful teaching to get out and spread the Great news!”

Smoky Mountains Motorcycle Adventure - We still have room for this June trip. Please contact us ASAP if you’re interested. It is $395 per person and more info is available on our website.

APRIL AND MAY SCHEDULE

• April 4 - MAD Live Event - Glendale Christian Lighthouse, Everett, MA

• April 11 - MAD Live Event - Woodland Hills Community Church, Columbia, SC

• April 18 - MAD Live Event - Campbell Alliance Church, Campbell, NY

• April 25 - Walk thru the Bible Old Testament seminar - St. Michael’s Church, Hamburg, PA

• May 2 - MAD Live Event - Hand in Hand Church, Elmira, NY

• May 16 - MAD Live Event - Mt. Zion Road Church of the Brethren, Lebanon, PA

• May 23 - MAD Live Event - Calvary Chapel E.F.C., Hegins, PA

• May 30 - MAD Live Event - SBC - Host church location TBD, Camden, SC

God has blessed us. Your faithful prayer and financial support make the ministry bookings and schedule possible. THANK YOU for your support.

PRAYER REQUESTS

In the 6 ½ year history of our ministry, we have never had a single month where we didn’t have at least one MAD Live Event scheduled on a Sunday. That all appears to be changing in 2015. For the first time, we don’t have ANY MAD Live Events on any Sundays in April, May or June of this year…and no events on Saturdays in June either! We need your help and prayers more than ever.

• ***For our 2015 schedule to fill (see above)

• ***We have now had radio spots running on Word FM since the beginning of February. We just received our second phone call as a result of the spots. Praise God! We humbly ask that you make a daily commitment to pray for the success of the Non-profit radio spots. These represent our biggest opportunity for exposure. Please pray that the spots generate phone calls and MAD Live Event bookings.

• We ask for continued prayers for good health and safety as we travel and minister, and that hearts will be open to the Holy Spirit.

Love in Christ,

Cathy and Don

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Men's Breakfast Speaker today in CT

I had a wonderful time with the 120 some men at the Woodstock Men's Lentel Breakfast this morning. I shared a message and challenge to them and two young men - I am guessing in their early 20's, stood up at the end indicating they had surrendered their lives to Christ today. Wow!

When I was finished speaking, I went over and hugged the one guy and welcomed him to the family of God. I then went over to the other man and he was fighting tears. We hugged and he cried on my shoulder, thanking me for coming and sharing with them. I also welcomed him to the family.

Men stayed for 1-2 hours afterwards talking with me and asking questions. They blessed me immensely. I made the 5 1/2 hour ride home safely, even though the first 2/3 of it was in a New England snow squall. It looks like the church will be inviting me back to do a MAD Live Event sometime in the near future. All glory to God.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Bus update

I continued to water the seed that I planted in Donna's heart yesterday. I didn't have time to speak with her today. However, today a new driver named Mark will be taking over the run I have been helping the school district with. I had a number of spiritual discussions with him and in the process shared the Gospel. He also too a Gospel of John to read and thanked me for it. Praise the Lord!

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Walk thru the Bible Old Testament Seminar in Allentown today

Walk thru the Bible Old Testament Seminar today in Allentown at Grace Community Church. Without a doubt this was the loudest and one of the most fun groups I have done this with. Check out the full 77 people, places, events, and geography of the OT with hand motions, all done in chronological order - from creation to Christ in less than 3 minutes. If you'd like me to come and teach one at your church, please contact me.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Update

As of this morning, Donna is half way through the booklet. I watered the seed again today and gave her my card. I told her to call me with any questions that come up. Will follow up on Monday.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

She's not there yet

I followed with Donna today at the bus yard. She was reading the booklet but hasn't finished it yet. She had some questions and I watered the seed I had planted yesterday. More follow up tomorrow. Keep praying for her.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Divine Appointment at the Bus Garage

I have been helping a local school district driving a school bus for them in the mornings as they are desperate for drivers. The run I have is one no one wants. I drive the “troubled teens” to a special county school where I can’t let them off the bus until and escort comes out. As they enter the school they pass through a metal detector and then are “wanded” to be sure they have no weapons. I was doing my pre-trip bus check when the lady named Donna, who drives the bus parked next to me, asked if I wanted her to check my brake lights and back up lights. I said, “sure”. After checking the lights I exited the bus and we talked. She asked me how I liked driving these kids to school and I told her it really wasn’t that big of a deal. I told her that the other day one of the teens got on the bus and he wreaked of marijuana. When the escort at the school came out to get the kids he immediately smelled it and asked me which student it was, and I told him. The student hasn’t been on the bus since. I was told he had to meet with his probation officer for a drug test and that he may be locked up now. Donna told me that she has never smelled marijuana and has no idea what it smells like. I described it as best I could and then she said that when here kids were growing up, she doubts they ever used drugs, but they probably drank. I told her that I had never smoked, drank, or taken drugs. She said, “Wow, so you’ll live forever!” Open door….I told her that everyone was going to live forever, the only question was where we will be spending eternity. She asked if that meant that we would be “coming back to life?” I explained what was going to happen and shared the Gospel with her using the Way of the Master questions. Donna told me that her fiancĂ©e died 6 months ago and that she has not been able to move on with her life since then. I explained how Jesus could change all of that and gave her a copy of “One Second After You Die” and she thanked me repeatedly and said she would read it and get back to me with questions. Donna then made the comment that we must have met for a reason. I told her that God brought me to the school district and had me drive the bus parked next to hers so we could meet. God wants Donna in Heaven with Him when she dies. I look forward to following up with her tomorrow morning. Pray for Donna!

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Home!

We are safely home in PA, grateful to you for your prayers and to our Lord who kept us safe and provided many opportunities to share His love with others.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Heading north

We began our trek home today at 7:15 AM, stopping just north of Jacksonville for breakfast. We had a nice waitress named Heather who we prayed for. I forgot that I had left my phone in the saddlebag so I went out to get it. Guess what happened? Another Divine appointment at the Indian. A man walked up to me and started asking questions about the Indian. His name is Carter and he is from the UP of Michigan. He owns 4 Harleys and a Cobra sportscar. We talked about motorcycles for a bit and then I asked if I could share something with him. He said, "sure!". I pulled out a Gospel of John and explained what it was and that he would be dying someday and going to someplace for eternity. He said he expected it to happen sometime soon as he is 77 years old. Wow. We talked a little more about the Lord and he thanked me over and over again for the Gospel and said he would definitely read it and take the contents to heart. Praise the Lord!

Ron and I stopped in GA just before the SC line to get gas. Being the forecast north of us was for rain, we opted to don our rain gear in the safety of the convenience store parking lot. That's a whole lot better than doing it on the side of the highway. God is good, because as soon as we entered the highway from the on ramp the rain started. We were in and out of rain for the next 155 miles until we arrived at the Burnett household in West Columbia where the truck and trailer had been parked. Unfortunately. the family was going through a VERY nasty stomach bug and we thought it best not to spend the night there as planned. So we packed up the bikes and gear and headed north, arriving in Wytheville, VA for the night. Along the way we stopped for dinner and prayed for our waitress named Bri, leaving her a note in the front of the "One Second After You Die" booklet and a great tip.

Thanks for our prayer for safety. God definitely honored and answered them. We should be home tomorrow!

Friday, March 13, 2015

Ministry on our last day in Daytona

Ron and I went to C’s Waffles for breakfast again today. We had a waitress named Kathy. She looked familiar to us and Ron figured out who she was. She was our waitress a number of years ago at “It’s All Good” in Port Orange where we used to go for breakfast. She is now working at C’s. As soon as he said that I remembered her. We would go there every day for breakfast and we got a different waitress every day. As usual, we offered to pray for our waitresses and we left a Gospel of John for them with a nice note in the front. On our last day in the area, a waitress that we had before told us that Kathy was disappointed as she was the only one who hadn’t received a Gospel with a note written in front. So I pulled out another Gospel, wrote her a note, and approached her as she stood at the kitchen serving window. As I walked up to her she kind of smiled and I reiterated what was told to me. I presented her with the Gospel of John, and I told her that I wanted to pray for her as well. She stammered and said, “Right here….right now”? I said, “Yes. Right here and right now. How can I pray for you today?” She game me a request and I put my hand on her shoulder and prayer for her as she stood there. It seemed like every eye in the restaurant was on us. She hugged me and thanked me and we left.

Kathy remembered us when Ron mentioned the other restaurant and she was very glad to see us again. Today we prayed for her and this time I left her a “One Second After You Die” booklet with a nice note in the front.

Ron and I then headed to the Speedway to test drive some motorcycles. I got to share with a number of people as we waited for our turn to ride. One man was from southern NJ. He is a Catholic and his name is Wayne. As we talked, Ron saw an opening and turned the conversation and I finished it with him because of my background. I also spoke with a man named Mike.

As I was waiting for Ron to gas up at a Sunoco station on International Speedway Blvd, a nice Honda motorcycle pulled up and stopped next to me. It definitely had some custom work done on it. The lady got off of the passenger seat and commented on how much she liked my Indian. Her husband and I got into a discussion about the bike, and I asked their names. They were Mike and Janet Jackson. Yep…Janet Jackson. As we finished our motorcycle conversation, I pulled a Gospel of John out of my pocket and explained it to them. They said they attended a church in Georgia and I quickly just confirmed that they had indeed surrendered to Christ in repentance and faith. They affirmed that they had, so I took them at their word (after planting a quick seed) and I suggested they keep the Gospel and share it with someone they come in contact with.

I ended up back in the Scala Rider booth to have them help with some of the tech questions and issues I had been experiencing. After getting the problems resolved, I spoke with the two Mikes about the booklet I had given them, and encouraging them to read it and let me know if they had any questions. They both agreed that they would contact me after reading it.

We took my cousin by marriage and his wife out for dinner to thank them for letting us stay with them. We prayed for our server named Randy and his son who had just called him about the steel belts coming through his tire. Randy asked us to pray that they would arrive at the Firestone dealer safely. After we prayed, Randy stopped back, thanked us and told us his son had arrived at the Firestone dealership and was having the tire replaced. As we were eating, I saw a Sheriff’s Deputy walk in and get seated. I felt his urge to go and share the Gospel with him. As I approached his table, I saw him bow his head and ask a blessing on his meal. I waited until he had finished, introduced myself to him and told him I was coming over to share Christ with him. He smiled and said I was too late. He already was a follower of Jesus. We talked for a while about the frustrations and struggles he’s facing on the job and I went back to my table. Again, I felt the prompting to go and speak with him and this time I felt that I needed to pray for him. So I returned to his table and asked if I could pray for him. He smiled and agreed. I laid my hand on his shoulder, he bowed his head and I prayed God’s blessing and protection on him and his family and that God would grant him discernment and discretion as he deals with the dangerous situations he finds himself in. He thanked me and I left.

As we reflect on what God had lined up for us down here, we are grateful for the privilege of serving Him. These trips always give us a “shot in the arm” and get us re-focused on what we’re here to do. The trip also gives me fresh new stories to share as I teach the M.A.D. Live event.

Tomorrow we’ll be heading back to Columbia ~ 400+ miles. I know God has additional Divine appointments planned for us as we travel north. We look forward to whom we’ll get to meet as we continue home. Please pray for safety and good weather for us.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Different day today

We had an interesting day today. Ron and I had breakfast together and prayed for Marisol, our waitress. We wrote her a nice note in the cover of the Gospel of John that we left her. Ron then headed an hour and a half away to Ocala to visit some old friends for lunch. I went to the Speedway vendor area. I found a nice spot on a corner and was able to get in the shade of a large tent for most of the morning. I sat with my Indian and as people came by and showed interest in the bike, we talked about it and I shared when the opportunity arose.

I was amazed at how many Christian ministries had a presence at the Speedway. I’ve never seen this many different organizations at Bike Week. There were a number of booths where they were pulling people in to share Christ with them. Some of these groups offered the opportunity to enter their names in a drawing for a new motorcycle if they listened to a 3 minute Gospel presentation. They would then pray for the people and turn them loose with some tracts. I spoke with a number of my brothers and sisters in the Lord who were there to minister and gave out quite a few business cards to these people who were from all over the southern US. Lord willing some new doors of ministry will open for us.

One pastor at a booth and I had a nice discussion and he told me what their goals were in terms of how many salvations they wanted to see at Bike Week. He asked me what my goal was and I told him that my goal was to be faithful to share Christ with the people God connected me with and to leave the results to Him. He kept pressuring me to give him a number and I told him that I had no number because it’s not up to me. I have no control over how many people give their lives to Christ…that was God’s job. Mine was simply to share the good news with the people I connected with and it was up to God to cause the growth. The conversation was disturbing. I don’t believe that all of the Christian organizations that were there to minister had the same mentality and plan, but this one sure did. I mentioned to the Pastor that no one ever got saved in the Bible by praying a prayer, and if that was his goal, then he was just creating false converts. He seemed surprised by what I said.

It was VERY hot and humid all morning, and at about 1:00 I needed a drink. So I got on the bike and rode over to Chick-fil-A for some refreshment. I spoke with a number of people inside and outside and met a group of Christian school students from Miami who were on their way to a competition in Jacksonville. I shared our ministry with two of the leaders and gave them my card. They expressed some interest in having me do some ministry at the school at some point in the future. Then my abdomen started to bother me and I knew I had to get back to the house as something I had eaten was not agreeing with me. I made it back just in time (sorry…I know…TMI) and felt like I should stay at the house for the afternoon because I still felt a little weird.

Ron called at 5:30 PM and said he was just leaving Ocala…time had gotten away from him, and he was headed back to Daytona. Judy and Keith had a nice meal for us for dinner and we are calling it a day. One more day tomorrow to see who we’ll get to share with. Thanks for your prayers!

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Today's ministry

This morning we went to C’s Waffles for breakfast and had the opportunity to pray for and share a Gospel of John with our waitress Alexis. When we went out to the bikes, a crowd of retirees appeared almost out of nowhere to look at the Indian and ask questions. My former good friend Ron offered to let them take my bike for a ride. Thanks pal....Ron passed out Gospels of John to many of them and we headed to the Indian dealership for an appointment to have my clutch adjusted.

We walked across the street to meet Pete from Butt Buffer. I had mailed him a 6 CD set by Chip Ingram called, “Why I Believe”. Pete told me he would listen to it on his ride from PA to Florida. I asked Pete if he had listened to them and sadly, he told me that he started to, but couldn’t listen past the first 5-6 minutes because he wanted nothing to do with what he heard. I spoke with him about giving them a chance before making a decision and he refused. Ron also tried to encourage him, but we made no progress. His eternity is in the Lord’s hands….nothing more we can do other than pray.

Ron and I walked among the vendors on Beach Street while the dealership worked on the bike and we met a nice entrepreneur named Bill, who was previewing an airbag product he had developed for protect motorcycles as they were being transported in trailers. We talked for quite awhile and I shared a Gospel of John with him and I asked if we could pray for him, his family, and the success of his business venture. He gladly agreed, so Ron and I laid hands on him and prayed for him. He was so grateful for what we did for him.

As we walked along I saw the booth of Michele Smith, the lady who hosted the TV program “American Thunder” for 10 years. This was by far my favorite motorcycle show on TV. There was no one else around and we talked for quite awhile. She was born and raised in Harrisburg, PA, and lived in LA doing modeling and hosting the show. When the show went off the air, she moved to Florida and has a lingerie line that she sells to make a living. She also does public appearances at motorcycle events around the country. I asked if I could share something with her and she said it was OK. So I gave her a “One Second After You Die” booklet, explained what it was about and she agreed to take it and read it.

When I went back to pick up the motorcycle, I had the opportunity to interact with several more people. I met a man named Rick from St. Louis. He and a friend rode 1,300 miles in two days to get to Daytona. On the way here, in Mississippi, his buddy was leading in the rain at about 60 MPH, when a large beagle crossed right in front of him. He hit the poor dog at almost 60 and went down on the bike. As the road was wet, he slide a long way, but only ended up with a little road rash and a slight cut on one finger. Talk about a miracle! Rick showed me pix of the bike and the crash scene. The Victory Vision motorcycle was clearly totaled as it flipped over and over, and Rick’s friend was upstairs signing papers for the purchase of a new Victory Cross Country Tour. Then I had a chance to speak with the mechanic who worked on my bike. He is from Columbia, NJ, right near the Delaware Water Gap! We talked for awhile and then Ron and I headed out and rode the scenic loop.

At dinner, we had a waitress named Nadia. We were able to share the Gospel and pray for her. While we were waiting for our meal, a VERY big man was escorted to a booth adjacent to our table. He looked at the menu and placed his order with Nadia. The Holy Spirit kept telling me to invite him to sit with us. So I did. He said he was waiting for a friend, so he thanked me and continued to wait. We continued to talk even though he wasn’t sitting right with us. His name is Greg and he is working on repainting the Capitol in Washington! He pulled out his phone and showed us some incredible photos that most people never get to see. He had photos he had taken from the roof of the Capital looking in different directions. He even had photos of the National Christmas Tree being put up and a shot of it all lit up at night. We had a great time speaking with him and I shared a Gospel of John with him before we left. I told Ron that there were a group of Israeli motorcycle riders sitting behind him. The one man had a shirt that had a set of wings on the back with the star of David in the middle. Above this is said, “The 13th Tribe”. Ron turned around and went over to them to speak with them. They told him they were the “lost” tribe.

God blessed us with another beautiful day to minister in. We are grateful to Him for his provision and blessing! Tomorrow Ron is headed to Ocala to meet with some old friends. I plan on parking my bike at the Speedway and sitting on it, expecting a large group of people to come and talk with me about the bike. Then I will talk about Jesus. Prayers appreciated!

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

A Better Day than yesterday!

I never thought we could top what the Lord let us do yesterday, but today it happened. We began our day by going to an old favorite breakfast place called, “It’s All Good!” We haven’t been there yet this year. We were greeted by a waitress named Dee, who originally was from Queens, NY. We have had her as a server many time over the years, so we have shared the Gospel with her and gave her Gospels of John in the past. We prayed for her again today and this time, I left the “One Second After You Die” booklet with a great tip after we prayed for her request.

As we headed north on Route 1, we passed Walker’s Honda, and Erik Buell’s tractor trailer display was set up in the parking lot. As Ron is a Buell owner, we couldn’t pass up stopping to see what they had on display. Ron ended up in a long conversation with the Eastern Regional Sales Manager, a man from New Hampshire. He shared the Gospel with him and gave him a Gospel of John. As we were getting ready to leave, a man named Steve came over to talk with me about my Indian. He was originally from Binghamton, NY and I ended up sharing the Gospel with him before we left for the Speedway.

We then went to the Speedway vendor area to walk through and see what we had missed from the day before. We pulled our bikes right into the vendor area as we did yesterday and walked around for a while. I needed to stop at the Scala Rider booth to get some remedial help in how to use the comm devices Ron and I had on our helmets so we could talk while riding. Then I discovered something! If I parked my bike and just sat on it, people came “from everywhere” to engage in a conversation about the Indian. First, a man named Steve came by and we talked about the bike. He is from Florida but has moved around quite working in the gambling industry before he retired. I saw an opening so I asked if I could ask him a personal question. He said, “sure”. I said, “Since you spent your entire career working in the gambling industry, are you going to gamble where you’ll spend eternity?” He said, “That doesn’t sound like a smart thing to do.” We then had a lengthy spiritual discussion. He was raised Catholic but gave up on the religion when he was very young. I took him through the “Way of the Master” 10 Commandment questions and he realized that he was going to stand guilty before God…if there was a God. Because he had doubts about God and the Bible, I gave him a “One Second After You Die” booklet and he said he would definitely read it. I asked if I could pray for him and he agreed. I placed my hand on his shoulder, and he put his arm on my back as I prayed. Steve then said that he believed that we met for a reason and I assured him that this was the case. We met because a sovereign God connected us because He wanted Steve in heaven with Him. Steve wanted my number and email address so I wrote it in the booklet.

Then a man named John came over to talk about the Indian. He didn’t own a motorcycle right now, but his friend just ordered an Indian like mine. He wanted to know how much I liked it and we talked motorcycles for a while. I asked if I could share something with him as his father walked over. His name is Jim. I shared the Gospel with both of them and gave each of them a Gospel of John to read.

I had parked the Indian right in front of the Scala Rider booth, and both men working the booth were named Mike. Mike (#1) helped me get the Scala Rider working with the bike and Ron came over as I spoke with both Mikes. God arranged so there were no distractions, and I asked if I could share something with them. We had a wonderful discussion about Christ and I gave them “One Second After You Die” booklets. They were very grateful and appreciated what we shared with them.

Ron and I then went north to Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona H-D, the world’s largest H-D dealership. We wandered around their campus and ended up in J&P’s Cycles store. My leg was bothering me so I found a bench to sit on while Ron shopped for a seat pad. I laid my helmet on the bench next to me and a lady came over and asked if she could sit on the bench. I apologized for leaving it on the bench and she sat down. I asked where she was from and she said, “San Antonio”. She and her husband and several others rode their bikes to Daytona for the first time. We talked about their trip and ours and then I asked if she went to church anywhere. She said they were Catholics and I shared my “hope story” with her and gave her a Gospel of John, which she thanked me for and said she would read. I sat there for quite awhile and wondered what happened to Ron. I went looking for him and he was speaking with a lady named Sue, who was selling the seat pads he was looking for. Apparently, according to Ron, God brought there at exactly the right moment as she said she was a practicing Catholic. I shared my “hope story” with her and this lady had an incredible personal story that I don’t have the time to write about here. But basically she was wondering why everyone in her family had died and left her here, and she was wondering why she was still here. We explained that God kept her here so she could meet Ron and me, because God wanted her in heaven with Him when she died. He sent us to tell her how to make that decision. We shared a Gospel of John with her and clearly spelled out the plan of salvation. I also gave her a YouTube video link to check out that would clearly explain what we had shared with her.

We then left and head back to Daytona, stopping at Chick-fil-A for dinner. We had a young lady named Kentrice serve us at the counter. We had a nice discussion with her and she was a sweetheart. We asked if we could pray for her and she told us she was a senior in high school and was studying very had for the upcoming SAT and ACT tests for college. We prayed for her, I wrote a nice note to her in a Gospel of John and brought it up to her at the counter. I explained what it was, and she was overwhelmed by what we had done for her. All of the girls behind the counter gathered around her and they read the note I wrote. After her coworkers moved away, she continued reading it as I watched from the table.

Praise God for an incredible day with beautiful weather and Divine appointments!

Monday, March 9, 2015

Thank you Lord! What a great day!

What a great day we had! I was exhausted last night after the long day we had and I was behind in my updates because the home we stayed in had no wifi. So I stayed up late to catch everyone up last night. I ended up “sleeping in” today until about 7:45 AM.

After showers, Ron and I headed out to breakfast. We had a very nice lady named Faye as our server and were blessed to be able to pray for her needs and share the love of Christ with her.

We then went to the Speedway and test drove the Indian Roadmaster. What a nice bike! We saw Brian, with whom I shared a “One Second After You Die” booklet yesterday, at the Indian demo ride area. I asked if he had read the booklet, and he said he had started it the night before, but fell asleep in the middle of it, as he too, was exhausted. He said he would read it through.

We then walked over to where we thought the tram was running. We couldn’t find it. I stopped to use the Porta-Jon (I know, TMI), and Ron said he was going over to check out the Moto Guzzi motorcycle display which was across the parking lot. I got out of the P-J and asked a passerby f he knew where the tram stop was. He told me he was looking for it too. We ended up in a nice conversation. His name is Mike, and this was his first trip to Bike Week. He is from Minnesota but winters in central Florida. I ended up sharing the gospel with Mike and giving him a Gospel of John to take and read. He glady took it and then I asked how I could pray for him. He asked me to pray for his daughter who was just diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. I then walked over to meet Ron and he was speaking with sales guy named Shane. I got involved in some of the conversation and was able to share my hope story and the Gospel with him. I gave him a Gospel of John and he said he would read it. We gave up on finding the tram, and walked back to our bikes to ride them to the other side of the speedway to walk through the vendor area. We got there and it was a zoo. I haven’ seen the speedway this packed with people and motorcycles in years. I followed Ron who rode his bike through the crowds and into the vendor area. He stopped in front of a vendor and parked his bike, and I parked mine there as well. As I got off the bike a man and a woman stopped to talk about the Indian I was riding. We had a nice conversation and I eventually turned it to a spiritual one. I shared the Gospel with Bob and Stephanie, who hail from southeastern Ohio. I gave them a Gospel of John, which they said they would read.

We then stopped at the Allstate Insurance booth and entered a free drawing for a chance to win a custom motorcycle. The ladies who take your info are employees of a marketing firm hire by Allstate to do this at Bike Week. After giving Jackie my info, I shared the Gospel with her and gave her a Gospel of John to read.

We went to dinner and had a waitress named Teri. We offered to pray for her and she gave us multiple prayer requests. We again shared the Gospel with her, left her a Gospel of John with a personal note in the front and a great tip. God answered our prayers and blessed us with a gorgeous, cloud free day – temps reached 87 degrees! (sorry – but you need to know what we’re experiencing for the Lord) We returned to my cousin’s home for the night, quite content with how the Lord used us today. I can’t wait to see who we’ll get to minister to tomorrow!

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Two More MAD Live Events done!

I did my 4th MAD Live Event at the Calvary Church in Jupiter on Saturday. I was blessed by the folks who attended and had a chance to minister to.

After completing the training in Jupiter Florida, Ron and I headed north to Mineola. On the way, my Indian motorcycle had some error codes related to a clutch sensor. We stopped and after restarting the motorcycle, they went away. We had some rain on the way up, but not too much. We arrived safely in Minneola and met Pastor Bob. He took us out to dinner at Sonny's Barbecue, and we had a waitress named Jennifer. We offered to pray for Jennifer and I filled out a Gospel of John with a personal note to her. I laid it on the bench next to me, and apparently it's slipped between the bench and the wall and I didn't realize it. So as we went to leave, I couldn't find the Gospel of John. I realized that it must've fallen between the bench and the wall. So I pulled out another Gospel of John and wrote her a second note. As we began to leave, Ron thought he could pull the booth away from the wall. He pulled it out and I was able to retrieve the original Gospel of John. We joked that at our next restaurant we would have to get a waitress named Jennifer, so we could use the Gospel of John that we wrote Jennifer’s name in. This morning Pastor Bob came by and took us out to breakfast at the Cracker Barrel. As we entered we were joking about asking for a waitress named Jennifer so we could share the already completed Gospel of John with her. As we walked up to the hostess station, guess what happened…the hostess’ name was Jennifer! The three of us laughed in amazement and I asked if she would be our waitress. She said “no” because she would be serving as the hostess today. We ended up with the waitress named Cindy and were able to get a prayer request from her and pray for her. As we prayed, the Lord laid it on my heart to go up and share the Gospel of John with Jennifer, the hostess. I explained the situation to her and she said “oh my, I was at church last night and there are some things going on in my life and I felt like I needed someone to pray for me, but I didn’t ask anyone to pray for me. And now you came in and offered to pray for me!” We talked about her faith, and she professed to be born again. She asked me to pray for an unspoken request, which we did. We are both amazed at how God connected the two of us today.

We then traveled to Minneola to do a Live Event that the Alliance Church. At 9:40 AM, while the leadership was praying for the event which started at 10, when an explosion occurred just outside the room we were in. It sounded like a transformer blew and the lights went out. We opened our eyes and commented how that was not good. I thought that for the first time I would be doing the training without any audio or visual or Powerpoint. We finished praying, went outside, and the electric company had just arrived...that fast in a Sunday? He looked at the pole and said it was juts a large fuse. He said he'd have it replaced in 5 minutes! At 10:03, the lights came back on! Wow! All praise to God that one teen gave his life to Christ at the training. Ron and I headed back to Daytona, stopped for dinner and had a great conversation with a sister in the Lord and server at the restaurant name Kayle. She is a senior in high school. We had great conversation with her and prayed for her request. Then we completed our trip to Daytona. I am whipped and it is time for bed!

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Friday's events

Yesterday we had the privilege of sharing Christ with our waitress at breakfast. As I sat outside putting on my rainsuit, a man named Brian approached me to talk about the Indian motorcycle. It turns out that he works for Indian and we had a nice discussion about the bikes and Bike Week. I ended up sharing a "One Second After You Die" booklet with him and then realized I misplaced my phone. As I looked for the phone in the motorcycle, Ron continued the conversation with Brian. As I searched my saddlebags for the phone, another man approached me in the paring lot to talk about the Indian. As I turned the conversation to Christ, he professed his faith in the Lord and we ended up in a nice time of fellowship.

We needed to stop at Cycle Gear so Ron Woudenberg​ could buy a new rain jacket, and we gassed the bikes up on the short ride to the store. Ron arrived a few minutes ahead of me and as I approached the place where he was parked, I saw he was having a conversation with a man about the Victory motorcycle Ron was riding, I got off the bike and Ron headed into the store. I continued the conversation with the man (named Bruce), and as I began to share the Gospel with him, he also indicated that he had been born again and attends a church not he beach every Sunday. He also told me that his wife and family were also followers of Jesus Christ. As the computers were "down" in the store and Ron was patiently waiting for them to come back "up", Bruce and I fellowshipped for some time. Ron finally gave up waiting on the computer and we left for Jupiter.

On the way down we met some good friends from previous trips, Bruce and Kim Herchenroder or lunch. We had some more fellowship over lunch and completed our trip to Jupiter.

Today we have a MAD Live Event in Jupiter, and then we'll be traveling north to Minneola for another MAD Live Event tomorrow. Continued prayers are appreciated as rain is expected today, Thank you!

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Safely in Florida! Divine appointments

We thank the Lord for safe travels to Florida. After close to 400 miles we are safely in Daytona Beach. The highest temperature that my info center thermometer registered was 91 degrees....yes 91. (sorry) As I was filling my tank in SC, a lady started a conversation with me at the pump about Bike Week. her name was Kim and I shared the Gospel with her and gave her a Gospel of John to read. She was very grateful for it! We stopped again for gas after crossing into Florida. Ron was hungry so we sat down in the convenience store/Subway. A man came up to me to talk about the Inidan motorcycle. His name was Jonas and he was from Ohio. His wife Jeanie had neck surgery in Florida 3 weeks ago and they were slowly making their way home. In the course of conversation I found out that he and his family are already followers of Jesus Christ and are involved in a Mennonite church at home. I asked Jeanie if I could pray for her and we gathered in a small circle, and Ron prayed for her, the family, and their travels home. I gave Jonas my card and told him what I do. Maybe God will open the doors for me to go to his church to teach! The photo is my Indian loaded with all of our gear for the trip.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Very cool Divine appointment from last night

Last night Cathy, Ron and I went out for dinner before we left for SC this morning. We had a server named Paul (not his real name). We offered to pray for him and he gave us a request. He stayed and bowed his head while I prayed for him and his request. Today I received this email from him:

"Hello Don, this evening you guys came into Texas Roadhouse and I had the pleasure of serving you. I wanted to thank you for the book and the prayer. Also, I wanted to ask for your help. You asked if there's anything else that I needed prayer for and at first I could not think of anything to say. Then it hit me. What I always have been praying for myself, my girlfriend. I personally have grown up Christian and have had a strong relationship with God. I have been saved and could not be happier. A year ago I met my girlfriend who truly made me a better person. Her family is catholic and they raised her catholic but she no longer believes. It troubles me everyday because I do not think she has been saved. She has such a loving heart but is hard headed when it comes to the things she believes in. She finds it hard that someone out there could "control her life". I always find myself praying for her and for strength to bring her to God but I really don't know what to do. Everytime there is bad weather for An example and she is driving I am scared that something bad could happen and ultimately I could never see her again. I guess what I am asking is for you to pray for her, and for me to have the strength to help her find God. I really appreciate the book, the prayer, and the tip tonight. I felt I had to reach out to you once I started reading the book and I really want her to read it too. Thanks again!" I sent him a response to the email and some additional info and we hope to keep in touch.

Praise God for another opportunity!

Day 1 complete - we are safely in West Columbia, SC

Ron and I made it safely to West Columbia, SC in the truck. 79 degrees was the highest temperature we experienced on our way down in SC (sorry for my friends up north!). Another Divine appointment....I stopped at the Charlotte Indian dealer and met the service manager who recently moved down to NC from Bally, PA near where I live! We also got to pray for our waitress Lynda tonight. The motorcycles and trailer are unloaded. We're organizing gear for tomorrow's 400+ mile trip to Daytona Beach. Praying for warm, dry weather and safety for our trip, and loads of Divine appointments so we can share the love of Christ!

Sunday, March 1, 2015

MAD Live Event - Galeton, PA

I completed a MAD Live Event in our old stomping grounds of the northern tier of PA today. I was at First Baptist Church. We had 93 people stay for the training and I praise God for 7 new followers of Jesus Christ!