ARCHIVE GALLERY
May 2006
May 3, 2006
We had a wonderful Sunday! Pastor Tony Rea invited us to take the morning worship service to encourage his congregation at Community Christian Church in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Pastor Tony and his BEAUTIFUL wife, Therese, are dear friends of ours…from long ago and it was fantastic to spend the day with them. They are in a new auditorium that seats about twelve hundred, which is absolutely beautiful. Kennedie loved it because the seats remind her of movie theater chairs.
The congregation was very warm and welcoming and they have grown in heart and number over the years, which is so encouraging to us. God’s spirit descended on us like a dove, which makes leading worship a breeze. When the people join us in worshipping the Lord, our job is very easy. Direct all attention to the God of the universe and pour out our hearts.
Pastor Tony is so giving and his people have learned well…a very generous church they are, indeed. At the end of the service, Pastor Tony told all of the ladies to proceed to our CD table in the foyer and pick up their “FREE” Where You Are CD. The Church purchased a CD for every woman in attendance that wanted one. Is that unbelievable? What a unique way to bless a faithful congregation! Furthermore, it was a huge blessing for us. I love it when pastors think outside of the box. The Rea's are a living testimony to Malachi 3 and God’s faithfulness to “open the windows of heaven and pour out blessing.”
My folks and Blythe (dear friend of the family) came to the concert and ended up taking our kids out to dinner with Bill and Michelle Franzen. Bill, Shell, Caroline and Trevor are good friends that we do not see nearly enough. In fact, it is one of those friendships that you really wish you had more time to enjoy. They are just incredible people who love the Lord and live disciplined, purposed lives. They are a joy and encouragement to be around. After a wonderful dinner with Pastor Tony and Therese, Randy and I went to the Franzen's and met up with Kennedie and Kadison. We played there all afternoon and evening, not wanting to say goodbye.
It was a fabulous day and the Lord met with so many people who needed a special touch from Him. The testimonies of what the Lord did in the service were incredible and, again, we were just humbled to stand and watch Him work.
Thanks for your prayers! Please continue to pray about our upcoming trip to Jamaica. We just received our itinerary and it looks wonderful. If you would like more information about prayer and/or financial support, email us at concerts@randyandmarli.com.
Blessings!
Saturday night, we participated in Roger Campbell’s annual Spring Sing. Every year for the last decade or so, we have been blessed to join in the celebration of Roger and Pauline’s ministry. It is an evening filled with music and testimony and an offering is always taken to support their writing and speaking ministry. Roger has an obvious gift of evangelism and communicates so beautifully the plan of salvation. Area musicians come together and spend the evening leading worship and ministering to the congregants of numerous local churches. In all, 22 churches were represented and it was an honor and pleasure to take part.
Sunday morning, we sang at Waterford Oaks Community Church, in Waterford, MI. We have been there several times before and have grown to love Pastor Randy and Jan as well as their precious congregation. They have grown numerically and as it appears, will continue to do so! That is so exciting to us. The service went well, in spite of the late night/ early morning syndrome.
The Lord is continuing to provide supporters for our trip to Jamaica. We are still in need of prayer support as well as financial, so if you are interested, email us and we will get the information to you. We leave on May 16, one week from tomorrow and we are getting excited. Please pray that the Lord uses us in gigantic way…to bring people to Him, encourage the Christians and bring fresh hope to the leadership. We so badly want to encourage those who are working so hard to evangelize and serve as God has appointed them. We really believe the Lord’s calling on our lives includes encouraging the laborers. Please pray for our heart’s preparation, safety for our family, prayer and financial support and for the kids to gain a good understanding of how blessed we are compared to third world countries. We want them to come away with grateful hearts, compassion and a perspective that molds their values and Christian walk. A lot to pray about, I know, but we are feeling the urgency to bathe this trip in constant prayer.
Thank you so much for joining with us.
Blessings to you!
Today is our final day of preparation for our trip to Jamaica. We leave for the airport at 4:00 AM tomorrow morning and arrive in Jamaica just after noon. But, before I go on about that, let me tell you about our weekend.
Friday night, we sang for three hours at the Divine Caffe in Keego Harbor. If you live in the area, you have got to check this place out! It is a Christian coffee house…much like Starbucks….and they have done it that well. It is awesome to have 3 hours to play whatever we want and it is always laid back and very little pressure. But, what is cool is that the people just sit, drink coffee and sing with us. They request songs and we rarely know them. But it doesn’t matter; it is always a lot of fun. We make sure that we take 30 seconds and tell the people about Jesus…a quick word that encourages. It was so cool Friday night, because as I knew that the Lord wanted me to say a specific sentence. That is the only way I know to explain it…so I did. It was a very simple challenge to Christians to live a life that is holy. But it was, nonetheless, a specific sentence that the Lord put in my heart. I received two separate emails from people who were there who said that my simple sentence was just for them. The Lord planned that moment for at least those two precious children of God…and I got to be apart of it! Both of these individuals said, “you were talking right to me and it was just for me.” I love this! It is my favorite part of ministry and I know a lot of you understand. It has happened in my life…when the Lord uses something very simple to drive home a truth that changes me forever and it is so exciting when others experience His touch.
Saturday, we spent the day packing for Jamaica and preparing for the trip. We left about 3:00 and after a few stops, made it to Adrian, MI (not quite 2 hours away) and checked into the hotel for the night. We headed to First Church of the Nazarene in Adrian to set-up for Sunday morning’s concerts. The kids helped more than ever before and we were baffled until we remembered the super cool pool at the hotel.
They have two services with the first beginning at 8:15 AM! Wow! That is early to sing! Being Mother’s Day, (I got the most adorable cards you ever did see!) we celebrated and honored the mothers present and not present. Both services went really well and we believe the Lord worked through us. Pastor Dave and his beautiful wife, Melinda, who, I must say, seems to be the perfect Pastor’s wife…if there is such a thing, took us to dinner after church. They have two sons, 6 and 2 ½. KC and Daniel clicked immediately and Kennedie mothered little David Wesley. What a doll.
This is definitely a family that we want to spend more time with. With Christ, a bond happens that is only because of the relationship we have in Him. It is amazing to travel to so many new places with so many new people and feel at home for such a majority of the time.
After dinner, we stopped by my folk’s house to celebrate mother’s day for a few minutes that turned into a few hours. They are so great…so supportive of where the Lord is taking us and they are such prayer warriors. We, honestly, love to be with them. The other night, we were having company for dinner, and, unfortunately, they had to cancel. I already had plans underway for dinner, so Randy said, “Just call mom and dad. Have them come for dinner.” They are just a lot of fun and a real encouragement. They understand ministry and the delicate balance of it all. So, thanks mom and dad for everything. You bless us! Happy Mother’s Day!
So, tomorrow we leave for Jamaica. We return on May 29th and will not be able to return most phone calls, as it is really expensive! Feel free to email us and keep in touch. Please pray about the following:
- For the
Lord to open hearts and prepare the soil
for the Word
- For eternity to
be affected by the ministry
during these two weeks
- Demonic
oppression to be lifted in the Kingston
area
- To encourage the
Felton’s and support their
ministry
- Safety for our
family regarding food, water and
travel
- To return rested and ready to begin a busy summer
of ministry (we know that is asking a lot!)
We will give you a full report upon our return to the states. Thank you so much for your prayers and support!
Have a blessed couple of weeks!