Practicando Mi Español

Yeah, that’s probably not right, but I wanted to share something that happened this week while in our home town. As you know, no missionary waits until he gets to the field to be a soul winner. Instead we seek every opportunity we can to be one now. I had one of those great opportunities this weekend.

Saturday we went to my family’s annual Christmas gathering. It was Zachary’s nap-time, so we went for a drive. I was also looking for yard sales, just for fun and happened to see one with the exact toy we were going to buy Zachary for Christmas. We stopped and I bought it, and while there spoke to a lady completely in Spanish. Now, if you know me, I am NOT fluent by any means, but do know some. I was able to learn that her kids had visited our church, and invited them to come for our “Big Day” we have every year before Christmas, and gave them a bilingual Gospel tract. They live about 25 miles from the church, so I thought “They’ll never come…” Well, they did! The kids, mom, and some friends all came this morning, and I was so excited. It was great to know that even if we are not great at something, God can use that in ways we never though possibl0e if we will just try. IT also taught me, yet again, to never doubt what God can do. It sure makes me want to hurry up and REALLY learn Spanish! What doors can he open then?

Tomorrow I will be posting some pictures from the “Big Day,” One of my favorite Sundays of the year.

The Surgery is over!

Just like that five hours has passed and the surgery is over. Zachary did just fine and is in recovery now. We are waiting to see him now. He will be in ICU for at least tonight and then in a regular room for another 3-4 days. His eyes will be swollen shut today and maybe for a few days. The surgeons said that everything went very well, and that his condition was definitely getting worse and that there was most likely pressure on his brain already. They also said he will be “lumpy bumpy” for a while, maybe even a few years, while he heals completely. Praise the Lord for his hand in this whole ordeal. Please continue to pray for us as we try to be the best most loving parents possible this week. So far, God has given us a great peace through the whole process, and we know He will continue to do so as we help Zachary recover. Thank you all who prayed and are praying! We will update you and send pics as we get settled in.

Fishers of Men

We…or I…am in Sedgwick, Maine. This is one of the most beautiful places in all the World this time of year because of the leaves changing.And in case you were wondering, yes, I did take that picture. We are near the Eggemoggin Reach (a fishing harbor and sailing hot spot.) The word means “fish wares.” That’s why the church took the name, representing fishers of men.  They are doing a great job here in a small town and have a wonderful group of Christians.
I am staying in the Pastor’s home. They have a wonderful family and have really made me feel at home. We had a great service last night as well, with a lot of response and questions about our ministry and family. I was able to use my brand new projector, and it was awesome! I am so glad God provided for that need.
I will be leaving today to visit my aunt and uncle and hopefully grandma in Lewiston-Auburn, ME. I only get to see them when I come up here so I am pretty excited. Sunday O will be in New York, so please pray for safety in my travels.

Zachary is OK

The tubes are in and everyone is home. Thanks for your prayers this morning. He has yet another infection when he went in today, but they cleaned all that up and were able to finish everything. Kristen is doing OK too. Here is a picture of him before the surgery. Poor kid, he hates to be messed with, so I bet this was fun. Thanks again for your prayers.

Zachary’s Ears

Today Zachary is getting tubes in his ears. I know this is mainly routine, but it is still surgery so please pray for him and my wife as I am almost 1500 miles from home in Maine right now. I will let you know how everything went tomorrow.

Pulling An All-Nighter

I made it up to New England the other day to visit several churches in this area. I am traveling by myself so it makes the trip go faster but I already miss Kristen and my kids. But I felt right at home when I got to Tabernacle Baptist Church in Litchfield, NH.
They started with a great meal from, of all places, Cracker Barrel (southern food even way up here!). We had a great meeting both on Saturday and on Sunday. I preached on Sunday morning. The church had a great spirit and treated me so well.

Then I heard the teens were having a lock in on Sunday night and for some strange reason I decided I wanted to go. We had a blast! 27 people staying up all night playing games, hiding in the dark, playing floor hockey, and having so much fun made me feel younger again. And yes, I could still keep up with all of them, thanks to my good friend Mr. Mountain Dew. They have a great group of young people and a wonderful youth pastor. I had a great time, and it was definitely a different end to a missions conference.

The Best Church Ever

I know each of you read that title and think of your own church, right? Well so do I and this week we have been a part of their missions conference. We have heard great preaching from Pastor Scott Caudill of Canaan Baptist Church and President of MWBM and also from Bro. Ellison, church planter to US Hispanics. I was able to preach in Childrens Church today as well as teach the 1st grade Sunday School class. This is something I noticed today as I was working with children really for the first time since I have had kids: you have to fight the urge to spank kids when they will not sit down or listen…that thought never crossed my mind before. Kristen felt the same way today when she was teaching the Kindergarten class. Oh well, it was still fun, and we had one kid saved in Church this morning!

I am leaving on Thursday for New England by myself. Please pray for wisdom as I decide to fly, drive, or some of both.

What a Great Sunday!

The conference came to a wonderful close last night at Bible Baptist. We almost hated to see it end. Here were some of the highlights of the day:

• I was able to ride the bus and lead singing and preaching there

• I preached in Children’s Church.

• The faith promise was taken up, and increased by about 30%! WOW!

• Several people in the church have decided to get involved in faith promise for the first time, and I look forward to seeing how God will show them how great it really can be.

• The church took all four missionaries on for support! WOW again!

Thank you Bible Baptist for a truly memorable conference. We look forward to partnering with you for years come.

What’s Under those Tablecloths?

We have been having a great time here at Bible Baptist. Rarely do we find a church with such a heart for missionaries. Don’t get me wrong, we love all the churches we go to, but we could tell this church has been praying for us as soon as we got here. They know us all by name, and they were very familiar with us. They have treated us so well, including a trip to the Columbus Zoo, great meals, and gift bags. But Saturday we witnessed something we have NEVER seen before.

We had a great day of soul winning, pizza, and an international dinner (or as I said today, the UN on a plate, ha-ha). We walked to the service tonight we saw five tables front of the church all covered with colorful table cloths. We had a great service as evangelist Bro. Smith preached. Then they had all of us come up front and told us this was a gift from the church to each of the missionaries. Christmas came early for the Spear family! There was clothing, a leather jacket for me, diapers, gift cards, and so much more. WOW! We of course started crying, completely overwhelmed by God’s goodness to us through these wonderful people. We don’t deserve any of this but it was amazing. We are going to try to get some sleep and get ready for Sunday’s services! We pray that God will move tomorrow as the church makes its decision on faith promise for the year.

Back on the Road and Update on Zachary

We made it back out on the road this week after a two week “staycation.” As you know, the surgery was scheduled for Sep. 9th, but got postponed since Zachary had an ear infection and fever. So, we tried to enjoy our hiatus from travel. We enjoyed seeing family and even getting to preach at my home church. We even had time to finish moving into our apartment.

Wednesday we left for Grove City, OH to be a part of the conference at Bible Baptist Church. The funny thing is we were actually supposed to come here last year, but Kristen was busy having Zachary…I had to remember how to pack the van, and try not to leave anything (or anyone) at home. We made it safely and had a great service tonight! This is a wonderful church and we look forward to the rest of the conference. It is so nice to show up and hear “we have been praying for you, and we are so glad to have you here!” It warms your heart and helps you remember that in all the travels, headaches, and even the occasional derailment from your plans, you are never in this alone. What a privilege to serve the Lord!

One last note: Zachary’s surgery has been scheduled for October 28th. We were hoping for sooner, but it will have to work. Also, he is going to have tubes put in his ears to stop this ear infection problem sometime before that. Please pray for our little boy. We know you already are and we appreciate it so much!