A QUICK RUNDOWN OF OUR WEEK

(pictures still to come!)

For those of you who haven't heard, we had a missions team of 31 individuals camp on our property this past week. Praise God for using this place for His glory! These people are amazing. We had to say goodbye (for now at least) today, but from the minute they drove onto our property, we felt an instant bond. I feel like I've known them forever, and its only been 7 days.

The ministry:

They performed THIS drama numerous times throughout Hardin and Crow Fair. (The people in this video are not our group, but it is the same drama.) In this community, it is VERY effective, as these are the things that people most struggle with around here. Amazing testimonies were shared from members of this team to groups of people who are walking in the very same things that they came out of. The gospel was shared, both individually and through preaching. I know that God was glorified because the gospel went forth and there was fruit as a result. I have driven many times by the alcoholics in this community just hanging out downtown wondering how we could ever reach them. We have gotten to know them this week, and pray that we can continue to be a part of their lives and reach them for Jesus. With His help, they can be set free from their addictions! We give God the glory for everything that occurred this week!!

The music:

We were so blessed with the talent this group has to bring us into a place of worship. The campfires were a time of sweet fellowship and worship together. They sang as they walked, worked and played many musical instruments to bring glory to God. They blessed our church by leading us in a couple of worship songs yesterday morning. I'm praying that some of them may be called out here to help us continue to serve this community. No matter who they are, God will bring the laborers. I'm trusting Him for that, but we do desperately need them!

The labors of love:

They spent several days painting and working at our local shelter, which is a fairly new ministry in Hardin. One of the girls, Jamie, is a gifted artist and painted a sign for them. We plan to hold our Bible study there starting in just a couple of weeks. This group transformed our property as well. (a very unexpected blessing!) They dug up concrete blocks, sided our shed (now known as "Buck's Bunkhouse") painted doors, chopped a huge stack of wood, ground up wheat for animal feed, cleaned my house (more than once!), organized closets, stacked the neighbor's hay, helped load our pigs, etc. etc. etc. I know I'm forgetting lots of things, but my point is, they blessed us beyond measure and my prayer is that God blesses them back ten fold! This has also freed us up somewhat to move forward with our barn and other ministry in this community.

The fun:

Yesterday after church we took them all to Red Lodge for a little bit of fun before they headed home. Pastor Tom brought his motorcycle along, so many of the bikers in our church joined us and we all drove the Beartooth Pass. I think they liked it. Some of them haven't ever been outside their local town, so I think it was pretty fun for them and amazing to see the beauty of God's creation. We ended up at the Pizza Co. They also were able to ride horses, 4-wheelers, shoot some clay pigeons, bottle feed our calf and experience some other crazy things!

In summary:

This is probably one of the best weeks of my life. Not only did I meet some amazing people that we WILL see again, but God is revealing His heart to us and His calling on our lives here in Hardin. One day at a time, we will be obedient. I feel the fog is clearing as to what God is calling us to here, but we will walk one step at a time.

We plan to move our weekly Bible study to the local shelter, where the downtown people can walk and be fed the Word of God. We have added at least a dozen names to the list of our regulars, that already have caused us to outgrow our home. We also are hoping to build our barn. Our desire is to build it with enough room to have a meeting place and also house people when needed. One step at a time, we will "walk by faith".