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Duane and Pat Fishel at the Friendship Gathering in Tupelo.

*I’m writing this note at 11:45 PM on Friday night. In just a few hours I’ll be on my way to the SIM Missionary Village in Sebring, Florida. It’s a lovely spot established for missionaries who have returned to the States after 30 or 40 or 50 years on the mission field. I’m the speaker for their Bible conference that starts on Sunday afternoon.

*This is my third trip to the missionary village. When I am around these stalwart saints of God, I feel like I’m meeting royalty because these men and women have given so much, often in very difficult situations, for the sake of the gospel.

*Thursday night we had a wonderful “Friendship Gathering” here in Tupelo. Almost 40 people come to the home of Bert and Danna Duncan for a time of fellowship and explanation about Keep Believing Ministries. We presented a home version of the “Friendship Banquet” we had last October in Chicago. 

*Here is something that struck afterwards. We knew none of these people when we moved from Oak Park to Tupelo in 2005. But God has raised up all these friends in the last four years.

*Yesterday on the radio, during “Trivia Time” in the second hour, J. J. Jasper and I started singing “Pants on the Ground, Pants on the Ground, Lookin’ like a fool with your pants on the ground.” I think we caught Tim Wildmon totally by surprise. It was my first (and presumably my last) time to sing on the air. If you don’t know what this is all about, just Google “pants on the ground.”

*Colts over the Jets, Saints over the Vikings. Pretty sure about the first one, not sure about the second.

*Here’s a note Leah sent us on Tuesday: 

We just got back from listening to the baby’s heartbeat! 🙂  She picked it up right away, didn’t have to search around for it at all.  It sounded strong and healthy! 🙂  So fun!  Josh can do a good impression of what it sounded like which is good because I’m already forgetting!  It definitely makes it a little more “real” – that there’s actually another separate person inside me.  Pretty neat!
 
The midwife gave us a little tiny plastic baby that is about the size of the baby now so that was fun…fits in the palm of your hand.  And there was also a little card with some facts about it…the baby’s already sucking its thumb! 🙂

*Is that beautiful or what?

*And then this nice note from a pastor friend in Romania:

You and your KBM is live on my heart and in my prayers (on my prayer list for 2010,in every morning at 7 AM I have a nice prayer time,and you have a good place in this prayers)
Thank you again for your messages (this fact is a strong encouragement for my ministry)
God bless you,your family and your ministries
with more love in Jesus Christ
your brother from Romania

*That’s beautiful too. 

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Taken from my Skype phone call last night.

*Last night I spent an hour talking with Peter Wang in China via Skype. As you can tell from the picture, he was wearing a brand-new Keep Believing t-shirt that we sent over from the States. For over three years Peter has been preaching my sermons to the house church he pastors. Only he doesn’t just preach my sermons directly. He studies the sermon, studies the text, works through the outline, then he takes out the American illustration and puts in ones more suited for a Chinese context. They are really his sermons based on my sermons. So far he has produced around 200 sermons that way. Very soon we plan to begin posting the first of those sermons on the brand-new Keep Believing China section of our website.

*Peter also made a video testimony that will be incorporated into the video that we will be showing at the Keep Believing Friendship Banquet in Chicago on Thursday, October 1. Our emcee that evening will be Nancy Turner from WMBI-FM in Chicago. We’re expecting 200-300 to join us for the celebration. The banquet is free but you’ll need to make a reservation. If you’d like to receive an invitation, please send us an email with your name and address. 

*Lately we’ve been sending our large number of An Anchor for the Soul to various ministries. This week we’re sending out 10 cases (almost 1000 copies) to New Life Corrections Ministry in Aurora, IL. They meet with over 1500 different inmates every month in seven different jails and prisons.

*Nice note from Pastor Florin Botar in Romania:

Pastor Ray
I am so glad meet you in my life.Your wonderful messages it is a BIG bless for my soul and ministry-THANKS so much in dear Name of Lord Jesus.
I pray now for more 100 kids to VBS in this month(August) in my area(90% unbelievers)
You,your family and ministry have a special place in my prayers
Our dear God have for you a special bless
Pastor.florin Botar
*** your ministry it is a big encouragement for my ministry

*Received a note from a man in Nashville who is taking on a new challenge:

I am a preacher and have been since 1974 but have not pastored for a while now but we are taking on the challenge of a new church plant in a different city which will require us to sell our home and purchase another residence and totally relocate. Now that in itself is not so strange, preachers do that all the time but I just turned 63 yrs old. Some think I’m nuts or worse to undertake something like this at 63, but what do you do when the Lord puts a burden in your spirit and you can’t out run it or out live it?

 God bless this brother who instead of retiring is setting out on a new adventure for the Lord.

*When we visited the Bukidnon Fundamental Baptist Seminary in the Philippines last April, we learned that the seminary had only one computer, and it did not work. I mentioned in my report that the president didn’t even have a laptop. So a reader in Oklahoma contacted us and said he had just received some money from an estate and wanted to supply the funds for the laptop. He sent the check, we wired the money, and just this week we heard from Dr. Edwin Bicar, president of the seminary, that he was using his new laptop:

I wish to thank you again for the purchase of the laptop. It is now being used. To God be the Glory!!

*A friend who has been going through a hard time lately mentioned to me how much the prayers of others had meant. “Their prayers have helped us to keep believing.” He added that some people say, “I want to do something practical.” Then he said, “Nothing helps us more than knowing we’re being prayed for. That has made all the difference.” It’s good to bring over a meal, help with the kids, or run errands. Those things really do matter. But nothing matters more than prayer. It’s the most practical thing we can do for our friends.