Friday, July 31, 2015

Divine appointment on Cape Cod

I am on Cape Cod for a MAD Live Event tomorrow. The pastor of the church I'll be teaching in recommended a casual seafood restaurant for me to have dinner at. I wen to the restaurant and the way it's set up, you order at a counter, pay for your food, and they call your number when the order is up and ready. The main part of the restaurant had someone seated at every table. There' a door on a narrow side hallway that allows people parked behind the restaurant to park in the rear and enter the facility. In that narrow hallway were two tables for two. No one was seated there so I took the table closest to the main dining area of the restaurant, and waited for my number to be called. An older lady sat at the other table for two and she asked me to keep an eye on her two grandchildren (ages 8 and 9(, who insisted they could get all of the food by themselves. I keep an eye on them and updated her as their order were coming out. She asked me if I was from the area and I told her I was from PA. She asked if I was on vacation and I told her that I was on the Cape to teach tomorrow. She asked me what I teach....open door! I got up and went over to her table and explained what I would be teaching and gave her the Gospel of John that I had in my packet. This woman was SO grateful for me sharing it with her and I included my phone number if she had questions. She repeatedly thanked me for sharing ti with her and told me she'd think about what I shared. She was truly excited! PTL!!!

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Last day at KB

We finished up our last day at KB, and it was just what we needed for exposure. Many people came by the booth after attending the mini MAD seminar that I did and we got one booking at the table and the likelihood of 4-5 more. I am grateful that after many years, we were able to come and share our ministry. We shared the Gospel with some people who clearly did not know Christ and I look forward to going back next year...Lord willing.

Friday, July 24, 2015

Another great day at Kingdom Bound

Today we had 80+ people attend our seminar at Kingdom Bound. We received lots of positive feedback at the end. A lady came up to me today and told me she was at the seminar yesterday and put what she learned into practice with a man who accidentally "bumped" into her. He was very vocal about his opposition to things of God, but the lady was used of the Lord to change his entire demeanor, and he gave her some things she could pray about with him! So she prayed with him and shared the Gospel. Awesome! PTL!! She told me that she brought her daughters to hear the seminar, and they were almost late getting here, so she told them they would have to run to the pavilion so they wouldn't miss any of it. They did make it on time. I praise the Lord for a number of bookings that will be scheduled soon.

Ron and I also had a nice conversation with a woman who has worked in NY's max security prison for 27 years teaching inmates how to pass the GED exam. After some brief conversation, we both realized she was not a believer, and we shared the Gospel with her, laid hands on her shoulder and prayed for her. Her name is LouAnn.

I look forward to the final day tomorrow. No seminars for me but Lord willing I'll meet some people who can get us into their church. Thanks for your prayers!

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Kingdom Bound update

I had a GREAT day at Kingdom Bound today. Initially we had a bad space for our booth but we were able to move it to a better location. Thus, the traffic flow was greatly improved. I had a 15 minute interview with Terese Main from Family Life about the teaching we do this morning. The 1 hour seminar that I did in the afternoon was absolutely packed. Ron was counting the people and gave up after breaking 100. It looked to me like it could have been as many as 200. People were lined up afterwards to ask question and share how God had used the content to impact their lives. We also got a number of great leads for trainings as a result.

I want to thank Ron Woudenberg and Steve Sandle (both Board Members) for coming to help me out at KB. They were a HUGE help. We look forward to tomorrow's seminar and interaction with the people at our booth.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

I'm not born again....I'm a Baptist

Tonight we went out to dinner with our son, daughter-in-law and 2 grandkids. We had a short wait for a table, so my family sat on the benches in the lobby of the restaurant. I sat on one by myself as the other benches were now full. A lady came in with her adult daughter and granddaughter. They were told they'd have a very short wait. They walked over to the bench I was sitting on and I stood up and offered them my seat. The older said, "Thank you, but if I sit down, I won't be able to get back up." I smiled and said I'd beguiled to help her get up. She smiled, thanked me and sat down. A few minutes later the hostess called their name, and as I was standing next to the bench, I reached out and she grasped my hand and I pulled her to her feet. She thanked me and I told her to yell when she wanted to leave the restaurant, and I'd come help her get up (with a smile). She laughed and went with the hostess.

As I sat across the restaurant from her I felt like I needed to share Christ with her. So I got up and went across the restaurant to find them. She saw me coming and smiled. I asked if she had a whistle to blow to get my attention when she wanted to leave. She laughed. I introduced myself and asked if I could share something with her. She said that would be fine. I asked her what she believed spiritually and she told me she was a Baptist. I asked her if she was born again and she said, "No. I am a baptist." !!!!! I handed her a "One Second After You Die" booklet and told her she needed to be a "born again Baptist". I then explained what the booklet was about and offered it to her as a gift if she would read it. She said she definitely would read it and I told her it was nice meeting her and went back to my table.

"I'm not born again....I am a Baptist".....pricelss!

Friday, July 10, 2015

Men's Retreat in Dunlap, TN

We had our first night of the Ewtonville Baptist Men's retreat at Charlie York's in Dunlap, TN tonite. We sang some praises to our God and I shared a message. Tomorrow Charlie will share a spiritual leadership message and I will share one called, "You are what you eat." We are trusting God to work in men's hearts.

My heart's full of praise

This came this morning. Ron called me last night and said there were about 40 testimonies at the campfire (which was held in the building due to rain – they had a video of a campfire playing). If any of the teen wanted to share a testimony of what the Lord did in their lives this week, he made them come up front and give their testimonies with the microphone. He shared quite a few of them with me on the phone. As quiet and seemingly unresponsive these kids were, God was at work, touching hearts, lives and eternities, and I praise Him for allowing me to be a part of it.

Mr. Sunshine,

I just want to thank you so much for the tremendous impact you've had at our campus. I've never been so moved by any other speaker at Lamoka. And the campers have felt it too. At tonight's bonfire there were campers being saved on the spot. As I write this there are still campers giving their life to Christ right outside my window. It's amazing. So many of my camper friends turned their direction eastward toward God this week. It's fantastic what Jesus did through you this week.

You probably don't know me but my name's Alex and I was just a maintenance staffer while you were here. But I was deeply impacted by your sessions and can't wait to hear you speak again. Thanks again.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Praising God for what He did the morning at camp!

I finished the MAD Live Event this morning for the 80 teens plus staff at Lamoka Baptist Camp. I had a number of people come up afterwards and comment how the Lord had used it to impact their lives. Praise the Lord! AND, according to the evaluations we received back 10 CAMPERS GAVE THEIR LIVES TO JESUS CHRIST THIS MORNING! Praise Him again! There's certainly great rejoicing in the presence of angels in Heaven today! Thank you Lord for allowing me to be a part of it!

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Be careful what you say to teens

Ron Woudenberg is the Chairman of the Board of our ministry, my Daytona riding buddy, and a dear friend. He and I have always joked that we are “twins”. Understand that I am 3 years older than him and he is 6’5” tall and I am 5’8”. Last night he introduced me to the teens at camp and told them that we were twins, and that I was born 3 years prematurely. Our “Mom” named us similar names because we were twins…Don and Ron. Obviously it was a joke, but you have to be careful what you say to teens. Two teen guys came up to Ron after the chapel service and told him how happy they were that Ron and his twin brother came to share with them. ☺ I guess we’ll have to set the record straight today.

Monday, July 6, 2015

MAD for Teen Week at Lamoka Baptist Camp

Completed first part of the MD Live Event for the high school students at Teen Week at Lamoka Baptist Camp in Tyrone, NY. We have about 130 students and counselors in attendance. Got some good feedback from a number of campers after part 1.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

How the Lord Used Us in June of 2015

Hello Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

We completed 3 MAD Live Events in June. We equipped 139 people to begin making a daily impact for Christ, and we were blessed to see that 8 people gave their lives to Christ at the Live Events. We praise God for using us this month!

I traveled to Horseheads New York and met Pastor Randy and his wife Helen for dinner the night before presenting the MAD live event in their church the next day. We had the opportunity to get a prayer request from our waitress named Tiffany and prayed for her request. At the table adjacent to us, I saw a man and a woman sitting with a young boy in a wheelchair. The young boy had no hair and had many scars across the top of his scalp. As clear as day, the Holy Spirit prompted me to go over and pray for the boy. I went over and introduced myself to them and told them that I was from PA and that the Holy Spirit had told me to pray for the boy. The lady gladly accepted my offer. She is his grandmother and told me that they had their grandson for the weekend and took him out to dinner. I asked the boy what his name was, and he replied “Dakota”. I asked how old he was and he said he was 12 years old. I asked if he was in 5th or 6th grade, and he said he was just finishing 5th grade. I questioned them what as to what he was suffering from. The grandmother mentioned some type of cancer that he had, which they thought was in remission. Something new had cropped up and now he needed to go for more tests. I went to lay my hand on his shoulder to pray and his grandmother quickly grasped his hand and asked him to hold mine, and I grabbed the grandfather’s hand and prayed for him. What came out of my mouth was a very bold prayer asking for healing and salvation. I ended the prayer “in Jesus’ name” and they thanked me. I told them I wanted to get something for Dakota from my car and they said they would wait for it. I came back with a “Bridge” tract and a Gospel of John for them to read. While I was outside, Pastor Randy told the grandparents that they’d be praying for his healing and invited them to church. They were so touched by the experience, that they said they would like to come and visit. Pastor Randy also invited Dakota to a carnival that they would be hosting and told him he would be honored if Dakota came as his special guest. They were excited! After they left, Helen told me that several waitresses who had witnessed what happened came up to the table one at a time and told them that we had impacted their lives by what we did. One waitress said she had worked there for 5 years and had never seen anything happen in the restaurant that was so beautiful and impacted her so much. Praise the Lord! What a great start to a full weekend of ministry!

Home sale update – we had accepted an offer on our home and the inspection was done with no issues. The last piece was the appraisal. Unfortunately, the appraisal came back too low – as the buyers had no down payment and were taking a loan for the full purchase price of the house. They are about $5,000 short of the money they need, so the sale will not happen. Although we are disappointed, we still know that our God is in control.

SMOKY MOUNTAINS MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURE

The trip was cancelled due to a number of factors. First, our daughter-in-law was due to deliver their first son on June 21st. There were some concerns about the health of the baby so they elected to induce her on Friday, the 12th. Saturday at about 2 PM she began to push and 40 minutes later Finley James Sunshine came into the world. He weighed in at 5 pounds 8 ounces and was 18” long. We are grateful to God for answered prayers in regards to the pregnancy, delivery, and health of Mom and baby.

Secondly, a local Pastor friend and his wife were in a serious motorcycle accident on Sunday, June 7th. As a result, Bryan’s wife Lynn went home to be with the Lord and Bryan is in the ICU at Reading Hospital. He has had multiple surgeries and had to have his left leg amputated above the knee. The Memorial Service for Lynn was held on Wednesday, June 17th, and all of the trip participants wanted to be there for the service. We ask for your continued prayers for Pastor Bryan and the families of those involved. The man who hit them had a BAC of .329, and it is his second DUI arrest.

The lodging in TN was pre-paid and the resort has been gracious to us and allowed us to have another set of dates at no additional cost. We are trying to reschedule. We will let you know ASAP! Thanks!

JULY & AUGUST SCHEDULES

• July 6-8 - Speak at Camp Lamoka Teen Camp Week

• July 10-11 - Speak at Men’s Retreat for Ewtonville Baptist Church, Dunlap, TN

• July 12 - Walk thru the Bible Old Testament seminar - Ewtonville Baptist Church, Dunlap, TN

• July 23-24 - Present a one hour MAD seminar on Thursday and Friday at Kingdom Bound, Darien Lake, NY - we are praying this exposure will help fill the schedule for the Fall and beyond

We are grateful to have the busiest August since we began the ministry.

• August 1 - MAD Live Event - Anglican Church of the Resurrection, Brewster, MA

• August 2 - MAD Live Event - Elm Street Baptist Church, Everett, MA

• August 9 - MAD Live Event - Connection Church - Canton, MI - Our first time in Michigan!

• August 16 - Shortened MAD Live Event for the leadership at Zarephath Bible Church, Zarephath, NJ

• August 18 - Preach at Surfside Services - Ocean Grove, NJ

• August 30 - MAD Live Event - Whitehall Bible Fellowship Church, Whitehall, PA

PRAYER REQUESTS

• ***For our 2015 schedule to fill

• 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.

• PRAISE – for the birth of our newest grandson Finley - that he and Mom are healthy

Love in Christ,

Cathy and Don