Easter disappointment

We have not been in TN for most Sundays as we have been traveling to minister, and since our move we have only been to church twice. Today we attended a large church in the area for one of the Easter services and walked out very disappointed and empty. The church was packed for the first service this morning. The worship team did a great job leading songs of praise that Christ had been raised from the dead and that the tomb was empty. We had communion, which they do every week here. The Pastor read a passage of Scripture, then read a list of things about the Resurrection. They took the offering, we sang again, and to my amazement, mentioned the service was about to end and if anyone wanted Jesus to save them, they should come forward. I was stunned! No Preaching of the Word! No Gospel presentation on one of the two days of the year when people feel the need to attend church. No explanation of how to be saved…NOTHING! The service was over in 45 minutes. I felt so empty. I hurt for those who needed to hear the plan of salvation and experience the conviction of the Holy Spirit…the drawing of the Father, and it didn’t happen. What a waste. This was our first experience in a local church in the Bible belt, and it left a lot to be desired. I will try to get into this church to present the MAD Live Event, but this church will not be our church home. We want to hear the Word preached, with passion and conviction by a Holy Spirit filled man.

MAD Live Event completed at Zarephath Christian Church

Yesterday I did my 3rd MAD Live Event at Zarephath Christian Church in NJ. We had a small group of about 21. I only got 14 evaluation forms back but I am praising God for 6 new followers of Christ who were born again at the training! I then had a meeting with the head of the Lehigh Valley Pastoral Ministerium called "Share the Power". They will be celebrating 25 years as an organization and asked me to bring the message at their celebration dinner. Praise the Lord!

MAD Live Event in Warren County, NJ

I completed a MAD Live Event at the Chapel of Warren County, NJ today. We had 50 people attend and 3 people gave their lives to Christ! Praise God!! Tomorrow is another one in Zarephath, NJ.

Daytona 2016 is on the books. Glad to be home

Yesterday I completed MAD Live Event # 460 in Fort Pierce. We had 33 people attend and we are so excited that 2 people gave their lives to Christ! One of them is a retired Marine and current FHP Investigator.

We then headed north, dodging the storms, arriving at a hotel in Southern GA late last night. We went right through Jacksonville late last night to get to the hotel, and we were blessed with NO traffic! Had we done what was planned we would have had to drive through there during rush hour.

We got up this morning and rode 250 miles to West Columbia to trailer the bikes for the last leg. We arrived safely home before the rain hit. We are grateful to the Lord for His safety and for all of the lives we were able to impact for eternity. We shared the Gospel with some servers on the way home. Thanks so much for your prayers.

Headed to Port St. Lucie for the night

Today before leaving Daytona, we had a great time of fellowship with Wild Bill for America and several of his friends at Jakob's Well in Daytona. We headed south to meet some old friends of mine, Paul and Ellen and had lunch with them at the Cracker Barrel in Sanford. We were seated next to a couple who had their heads bowed and the lady was asking a blessing on the meal. When she finished I started and conversation with them and found out they are brothers and sisters in the Lord. I showed them the Gospel of John I was leaving for our server after we prayed for her request. They loved it. They finished their meal and said how nice it was to meet us and that they loved what we were doing, said good-bye. and left. When we were ready to leave our waitress told us that the couple had paid for all 5 of our meals! That has never happened to any of us before! Paul had planned on buying our lunches, but now all he had to do was leave a tip. So he left $30 for the waitress.

We then headed to the Indian dealer in Orlando because I needed a new clutch lever for my bike. Part of mine had been snapped off as it was being transported in the trailer. The Parts Manager at the dealer was a nice guy named James. I had spoken with him several times on the phone before arriving at the dealership. They put the new lever on for me for free and I thanked them profusely. I then approached James and told him that I believe that my clutch lever broke because God wanted me to meet him so I could share His plan of salvation with him. He seemed surprised smile emoticon and listened to what I shared. I gave him Gospel of John and explained what it was and he agreed to read it. I wrote my phone number in the front in case he had any questions.

We arrived in Port St. Lucie and are enjoying the fellowship of Bruce and Kim, who have housed us a number of times in the past. Tomorrow will be my 360th MAD Live Event and then we'll head home. Please pray as there at=re thunderstorms forecast and we can't ride in them. Thanks!

Day 3 at Daytona Bike Week

We had another beautiful day at Bike Week. We prayed for a waitress at breakfast and at dineer. Charlie and Dave had shared the Gospel with a vendor named John several years ago. We visited his booth today as Charlie wanted to purchase a replacement Marine logo emblem for his bike. I had the opportunity to water the seed that was planted several years ago.

While standing in line to test drive an Indian motorcycle, God arranged for me to be next to two guys from Binghamton, NY. We had a nice conversation and I was able to share the Gospel with them and give each of them a Gospel of John to reinforce what was shared.

Later I was sitting under the tent at the Indian display and saw a lady with a cute little dog that looked kind of like our Schi-Poo “Buddy”. I asked her what kind of dog she was and she told me it was a Yorki-Poo named Suzanne. I saw another Yorki-Poo yesterday at the Advance Auto booth. I petted her dog as we talked and I showed her a photo of our dog. We ended up in a spiritual discussion and she told me that she reads “Our Daily Bread” every day. After more conversation, it was apparent that she did not have a personal relationship with Christ, so I shared the Gospel with her (Jo) and gave her a Gospel of John to read.

Ron and I were sitting at a table behind where our bikes were parked. I was looking at the license plates of the bikes and noticed the one closest to me was from NJ. A guy eventually came over to the bike and was gearing up to leave. I walked over and asked where he was from and he said, “Montclair”. For those who don’t know where that is, it is the town right next to where I was born and raised. I was also a police officer in cedar Grove, which also borders part of Upper Montclair. He was amazed at what a small world we live in and I asked where he was originally from, because he had a Spanish accent. He told me he was originally from Mexico and moved to NJ when his wife got an acting job on Broadway. His name was Luis and he was a stage manager for a theatre in NYC. I asked if he took mass transit to work and he told me he rides one of his 2 motorcycles to work almost every day!!! I suggest that was a little “nuts” and he laughed and said you get used to it and it is never a problem finding a place to park. I then asked if he was a Catholic and he told me he is an atheist. I asked if I could share something with him and he said yes. I pulled out a “One Second after You Die” booklet and shared the Gospel and what was in the booklet. He thanked me for it and said he would read it. Indeed….what a small world except, this is a beautiful example of a Divine appointment made by a sovereign God. PTL!!

Day 2 at Bike Week

Day 2 in Daytona is complete. We got to share the Gospel with a waitress named Sherry this morning.

We then head to Destination Daytona Harley Davidson to see what was there. I met Pete, who sells the Butt Buffer that is installed in the saddle of my bike. I had shared the Gospel with him 2 years ago in Daytona and it turned out that he lived in PA about 1/2 from my house. I traded my Harley in for the Indian 2 years ago and wanted a Butt Buffer installed in my new saddle. So I met him at his shop in Ephrata, PA and watered the seed I had previously planted. He seemed interested in what I shared so I gave him my set of Chip Ingram's "Why I Believe" CDs to listen to when he returned to Bike Week last year. He started to listen to them and got angry and turned it off. He returned them to me and said, "No thank you".

This past December when I sent out my monthly report, I accidentally sent it to him. He responded and told me to keep sending them as he enjoyed reading them! We spoke at length today and he kept thanking me for sending him my reports. we'll see what happens going forward.

I also got to share Christ with a salesman from Kuryakyn while we were at Destination. He listened and got very uncomfortable towards the end of the conversation. He did take the Gospel of John and I pray he reads it. Then it's up to the Father to draw him to Himself.

At dinner, we met Charlie York who rode his bike down 600 miles from TN today. We had a server named Joe, who is headed to the police academy soon to become a cop. We connected on police work, prayed for him, and gave him a Gospel of John with a nice personal note to read.

Ron also shared the Gospel with several people today.

Day 1 of Daytona Bike Week 2016

We had a great 1st day of ministry in Daytona. Ron and I spent the day at the speedway. For the first time since I started coming here, the speedway construction is complete and there are many, many vendors lined up outside the speedway. It took us a while to find places to park our bikes. As we parked, a man pulled up behind me and asked if he could park behind me. I told him that was fine as we would leave by pulling forward. We ended up in a conversation, and his name is Mark. He is a retired UPS driver from Kansas City. I asked if I could share something with him and he agreed. I shared the Gospel with him and gave him a Gospel of John to read. I asked if I could pray for him and he told me that would be great! I put my hand on his shoulder and prayed for him and for his salvation. He agreed to read the Gospel and he would call me if he had questions.

I then took a demo ride of the new Victory Octane. Wow! What a bike! As I exited the demo area, a young man with a Victory shirt came over to me to ask what I thought of the bike. His name was Jason and he was one of the Mechanical Engineers who designed and built the Octane. We talked about motorcycles for a while and I finally asked him what he believed. He said he was a Christian. I asked what kind of a Christian? He said, "A Catholic Christian." I told him that I was raised Catholic and shared my testimony with him. He told me that he went to Catholic schools his whole life. I asked him if he had ever heard the term "born again". He said he had never heard of it. I then asked,"If I told you that Jesus said that unless you are born again you can never see or enter the Kingdom of God, would that concern you? He said "Yes!!!!" I then gave him a Gospel of John and explained it was in John Chapter 3. I told him that he would find the exact same words from Jesus in his Bible if he looked. I shared the plan of salvation with him and asked if I could pray for him while we were standing there in the vendor area. He agreed and I placed my hand on his shoulder and prayed for his salvation. He took the Gospel and thanked me. I wrote my name and number in the front in case he had questions.

We also prayed for two waitresses, Lori and Heather today. I am excited about who we'll be connecting with tomorrow. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Daytona Bike Week

Church today and we're off to Columbia, SC for the night. Tomorrow Ron and I are on the motorcycles headed to Daytona Beach to share Christ with people. Prayers appreciated! Updates will come daily if at all possible.

February 2016 Ministry Report

How The Lord Used Us In February of 2016

PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS:

56 Mulberry Bend

Jonesborough, TN 37659

Greetings in the powerful name of Jesus!

It’s been a crazy month, with moving 500 miles to TN, trying to get unpacked and settled, and still doing ministry work. We have been doing a LOT of driving this month as most of our ministry has been scheduled for the northeast. We’re getting to know Interstate 81 really well! We praise God for allowing us to complete 4 MAD Live Events and a speaking engagement at the Iron Sharpens Iron Men’s Conference in Fredericksburg, VA in February. God’s Holy Spirit is still busy convicting people of sin and drawing people to the Father through our efforts. We were blessed to see 5 people come to faith in Christ this past month. Praise God!

I had the privilege of speaking at the Iron Sharpens Iron Men's Conference in Fredericksburg, VA. It was extra special because my son was there to help me. About 600 men attended. Each of the 9 seminar speakers had 45 seconds to pitch their seminar, and the men got to decide which one they wanted to attend. Mine was entitled, "Nailing Your Colors to the Mast". I was assigned to the choir room and we had an overflow crowd. Every seat was filled, and John solicited help from one of the staff to get more chairs. They added 17 chairs to the front of the room and more people flowed in from two entrances. They sat on the floor all around me and into the hallways. I couldn't move forward, backward, left, or right because of all of the men. John counted 90 men in the room! Afterwards, a teenager came up to me and told me he had given his life to Jesus Christ at the seminar. Praise the Lord! The amazing thing about it was John spoke with him and he told John that he doesn't go to church. He was walking by the church and saw all of the cars on a Saturday and decided to walk in. He heard my pitch, chose to attend my seminar and got save!!! What an amazing God we serve!!!!

Some testimonies to bless and encourage you: “At a WV rest stop, I met Hector taking a break from the rain as he is riding a Honda Xr650r dual sport packed with all his belongings in garbage bags bungeed to the seat on his way to El Paso Texas. God talk and a prayer. I asked him if I could pray for him. He stood up and said that his cousin from Puerto Rico is a pastor and was just telling him he needed to get serious about a relationship with Christ. We talked about that and he said, "yes, please pray for me." So I Prayed with him that God would draw him to Himself and that Hector's life would be all centered on Christ as well as for his safety and provision all the way through the blizzard that is scheduled on his route. Hector is from Puerto Rico too. I talked to him about my visit there. I mentioned that I rode horse back while visiting there and he mentioned that he was a professional horse trainer. We connected in several ways. It was so cool. Prayer and big hug and we departed. I asked him if he had a bible as I was ready to give him a Gospel of John and he said, "yes, right in my bag." I said, "and now soaking wet?" "No, it is well protected." He had a Walmart rain suit with bread bags duct taped to his sneakers. My kind of guy! Add him to your prayers for the next couple of days.“

Here’s one more - “Each new session we loose, and gain players for our adult league ice hockey team. I began last spring by giving one Gospel of John to each team member, and telling them that I am committing to pray for them on a particular day each week. New members receive one each new session, and this reminds the others that they are still prayed for. This is written inside the cover: (Player's Name) Each session I commit to pray for the team. Every (day of week) I pray for you. Please let me know if there is something you would like me to pray about. I then put my telephone number and email address. No one has ever called or emailed with a request, but it is amazing what they mention in the way of needs while dressing for a game.”

2016 ULTIMATE ADVENTURE TRIP TO UTAH

We still need at least 3 more people for the 2016 trip. If you have interest in coming, I NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU NOW. Please contact me if interested.

MARCH and APRIL SCHEDULE

• March 6-12 - Daytona Bike Week with Pastor Ron Woudenberg and Charlie York

• March 13 - MAD Live Event - Bible Baptist Church of Fort Pierce, FL

• March 19 - MAD live Event - The Chapel at Warren Valley, Washington Twp, NJ

• March 20 - MAD Live Event - Zarephath Christian Church, Zarephath, NJ

• April 2 - MAD Live Event - Cape Community Church, Cape May Courthouse, NJ

• April 9 - MAD Live Event - Christ Chapel, Hickory, NC with “106.9 The Light” (Billy Graham’s Flagship Radio Station)

• April 16 – Speak at the first Iron Sharpens Iron Men’s Conference in Grand Rapids, MI

• April 23 – Walk thru the Bible Old Testament Seminar – Hand in Hand Church, Elmira, NY

• April 24 – MAD Live Event – Park United Methodist Church, Sinclairville, NY

• April 30 – Speak at the 25th Anniversary Dinner of “Share the Power”, the Lehigh Valley Pastoral Ministerium

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Please pray for us as we ride motorcycles to FL and minister to the people God connects us with. We covet the Lord’s safety, good weather and recognition of the Divine appointments he gives us.

• For God to fill our 2016 Schedule

Love in Christ,

Cathy and Don