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Hanging out at the Beach

March 17, 2010 by proftroy

You are probably thinking that a missionary’s schedule while on deputation is quite flexible. You’re right! That opens up a world of possibilities for things to do. Since I was in the Virginia Beach area last week, I decided I would do all of my work shoreside. It’s a great way to soak up the rays while also getting a little bit of work done. Plus, I’ve come to believe in the benefits of beach evangelism, so I thought I’d give it a try…

If you are regular reader of my blog, your mind might be going back to ”What’s Happening on ESPN?” post (June 16, 2009), in which case you know where I’m going with this email. Of course, if you know me, your suspicions were raised anyway. No, I didn’t hang out at the beach last week. In fact, I didn’t even take the time to see the beach! I did do some touring of Williamsburg on Saturday (much more enjoyable than the beach, in my opinion!), but most of the rest of the week was spent with deputation activities–researching churches for future meetings, calling pastors, meeting pastors, etc.

The Lord gave me a very fruitful time in these activities. My friends, Deanna and Matt Vanderwarker, let me stay with them the entire week, and I had the opportunity to use their comfortable and lovely place all day on Tuesday. That allowed me to have internet access while also being able to research churches and call pastors. (I usually hang out at Panera Breads, but they don’t work too well for telephone calls–too loud and too much jazz music. Libraries are also not good–too quiet.)

I was planning on visiting around 5 churches in the Virginia Beach area, but then I found another in my research. I stopped by “cold turkey” the next morning. At first the pastor was reticent to meet with me, since he was working on his Wed evening sermon and since I arrived unnannounced. But by the end of our time, he had gotten so excited about having me at his missions conference in October that he was suggesting ideas to me on how I could present my ministry! He also prayed fervently for me and my ministry before we left. What an answer to prayer!

I also had a great time getting to know the people at Bethel Baptist Church in Hampton, and Tabernacle Baptist Church and Seminary in Virginia Beach. I also enjoyed lunch on Saturday with Pastor Privett of Faith Baptist Church in Williamsburg. I look forward to setting up meetings at each place. My time at Tabernacle was especially fruitful as I established a good relationship with the pastor, a biblical language professor, and two students interested in Bible translation. I also got to speak with two interested students at Central Baptist Theological Seminary as I spent a couple days there.

In the bad news category, I didn’t get a positive response from 7 other churches. I wouldn’t say they were all negative either, though. In most cases, I just didn’t make contact. In only one case did I actually receive a negative response, but that’s only because of his NT text position. But he still wanted to talk with me further. Maybe I can connect with the other 6 at a future date.

I’m in Wilson, NC, for this week, having a great time with Jennelle and Luke Poore and their kids. I’m kinda out in the ‘boon docks’ at their place, so my internet access is limited, but that’s not always a bad thing!

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A Worthy Update

March 8, 2010 by proftroy

I noticed this morning that I hadn’t posted something in almost a week, so I figured it was time to put something up today. I was having a hard time figuring out what to report on until I checked out my support account with BMM (as I do almost every day to check for new activity). I’m happy to report that First Baptist Church of Lebanon, PA, has become a new monthly supporter. Praise the Lord for their partnership! It’s a blessing to be linked up with such a good church. Thanks to the believers at First Baptist! That raises my support level to 57.5%!

I’m currently in Berryville, VA, and will be heading down to the Virginia Beach area for the week. I hope to meet up with various pastors in VA this week to set up meetings for the future. I spent most of last week strategizing about my future deputation plans and trying to set up meetings. I’m so thankful that I was able to set up 4 meetings at churches for 2011. I hope to finish my deputation by the end of this year, but I need to keep scheduling in case it takes longer than I anticipate.

The Lord gave me a great time at Keystone Baptist Church yesterday. My relationship with Keystone goes all the way back to 1996 when I began working for BJ LINC. Keystone was one of the founding schools with LINC (which began in 1995), and I enjoyed my relationship with them. So it was a blessing to finally be able to fellowship with Pastor Wright and his church. I had a great time with the teen SS and then with the entire church in the evening as I presented my ministry and preached the Word. Praise the Lord for His enabling grace!

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Protection and Provision

March 2, 2010 by proftroy

My 9-hour trip from Chicago to Burton, WV, turned into a three-day ordeal. I intented to make the trip on Thursday, but partly because of the weather in the east, I decided to wait until Friday. I made it all the way to Springfield, OH, but then the snow began to fall and the winds picked up. The interstate got really backed up, so I decided to take a parallel highway.

So… I was on the phone talking to a friend (which I shouldn’t have been doing in such conditions), and suddenly I noticed that the car in front of me was stopped. They had stopped because of a fender bender in front of them. It quickly became apparent that I was about to be involved in the second one. I mashed on my brakes to keep from hitting the stopped car, but the ice turned my wheels into skis. Somehow, the Lord gave me the presence of mind to see that my only way out was to turn off the road. I cranked the steering wheel and went over the curb into a grassy area in front of a Taco Bell. Amazingly, I missed the car’s backend completely. Praise God!

I had difficulty getting back out onto the road because of the curb, but the Lord provided two men who helped me out. I decided it was time to find a hotel. Can’t understand why I started to have that thought! I ended up driving for another hour, though, because I wanted to find a chain hotel, and I wanted to keep going east. I stopped at around 8pm. If I would have kept going, I would have had to drive on unplowed, country roads in WV in the dark. Not a good situation! Thankfully, I made it safely on Saturday, though just after the snow plows and just before another snow fall came.

The Lord also might be providing some support for me. I had a good meeting at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Clarksburg, WV. They are seriously considering supporting me. I also set up 3 meetings today in western PA. The meetings are not until April of 2011, but it’s very encouraging to get 3 meetings set up in one day. I am usually very encouraged if I can get just one.

Another provision… The Lord has been gracious to me in providing temporary housing while I’ve been in Grand Rapids. Since I went up there in August 2007, I’ve been staying mostly with one family, but occasionally I have had to transfer to a different place for various reasons. But finally, I will have a stable place that I can always return to. It will also be a central location where I can store the rest of my books and files that have been down in Greenville. I will be renting a basement apartment in an elderly lady’s condo. The Lord worked it out that my monthly payments will be significantly lower than anything else I could have found in Grand Rapids. Plus, I will have the security of knowing that my stuff will be safe when I leave for months at a time, because my landlady will be upstairs during that time. The condo is within walking distance of a local library, so I can use that for internet access. And I can enjoy the lake behind me if I want to go for a swim or skate around in the winter. I’m really looking forward to moving in at the end of this month!

Praise the Lord for answering prayers for protection and provision! Please keep praying!

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Into the Snow

February 25, 2010 by proftroy

I experienced my first snowfall in mid February, after I had returned from India. Since I was in South Carolina and Haiti at the end of 2009 and basically stayed out of Michigan all that time (except for a few days in December and a few more in January) and was in India and SE Asia in Jan-Feb, I wasn’t often in a region where I would experience a snow storm (of course, even SC got lots of snow this region). There was snow on the ground when I was in Michigan, but no new snow falling. But now my deputation schedule is taking me over to northern WV and southern PA, the places that have been hit very hard with snow.

I’m in Schaumburg, IL, right now. I was planning on driving over to West Virginia today, but decided to put that off a day, partly because of all the snow predicted for Ohio and West Virginia. Hopefully, the roads will be clear as I make the 9-hour drive. Please pray.

I had a great meeting in Galesburg, IL, on Sunday. I developed a new message on missions and enjoyed delivering it for the first time. I also had some great meetings with pastors in western IL. I have been able to schedule two missions conferences and have promising possibilities for three meetings in March 2011.

Sadly, my support hasn’t gone up much this year. I’m thankful that one supporter increased their monthly giving,  I’ve also experienced some decreases. Health insurance charges went up, and some church’s giving went down. I was really hoping some new churches would take me on, as many vote at the beginning of the year. But that hasn’t happened, unless it’s just a matter of waiting for BMM to process some new information. Please pray that the Lord would increase my support soon. I hope to finish deputation by the end of this year. There’s much work to be done!

Please see the “Translator’s Page” for an article I wrote on an issue that came up in a workshop in India a few weeks ago.

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Safely Back to the U.S.

February 19, 2010 by proftroy

I arrived with all my luggage on Saturday evening, very worn out but also very thankful to God for answering so many prayers for my trip to SE Asia and India. I have had only one week to recover from that trip, wrap things up from the previous trip to Haiti, move out of my previous place of residence, move into a new temporary place, look for a future place to rent, prepare for a 5-weeek deputation trip that begins tomorrow, and do a multitude of other things. So, it’s been difficult to find time to update my blog. But I’ve finally been able to carve out a few minutes, even in spite of being down with the flu all day on Wednesday! I posted some pictures on Facebook, so you should be able to access them with the following link, even if you don’t use FB: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=156751&id=613716245&l=68de4be780.

Thank you for praying for me and my luggage to arrive safely and on time. All those prayers were answered! And the Lord gave me good health throughout the trip! Though the sleeping conditions were not always ideal (the Muslim call to prayer woke me up almost every morning in India), I still felt strengthened enough to tackle the next day.

I’ve already told you about my 9 days in the first country (SE Asia), so I won’t repeat that information. But I will add that the Lord really did a soul searching work in my heart during that time, and I trust that I will be able to build upon that experience. My heart was greatly touched by the children in the children’s home and also by being with our coordinator.

My 9 days in northeast India were equally rewarding. I joined 16 other expatriates , and met the dedicated staff of the BI India Society as well as a few of our translation teams. I spent most of my time observing the literacy, linguistics, and formatting workshops that were taking place. It was a joy to see our people working so well with the Indians.

I spent some time getting to know our only full-time consultant in India. We have exchanged numerous emails already, but had never met. As you well know, emails are best received when they are taken in the context of a warm, friendly relationship, and such a relationship can happen only by spending much face-to-face time together. We finally got to do that on this trip and saw the Lord knit our hearts together. I praise the Lord for blessing us in such an important matter.

I’m thankful for the many informal occasions to spend with our translators. Since my room was just down the hallway from their “dormitory,” we ate together and enjoyed many “light” moments. And, though I had only a limited time, I got to spend some very productive hours with our only senior consultant in India. We were able to work through many important matters.

I praise the Lord for how He helped me to preach three times at a local church, a Bible college, and a Christian school youth hostel. The latter occasion had a significant impact upon me. I was especially moved by the man who oversees the 30-40 boys. His love for them in their difficult situation was touchingly evident.

The Lord used my Dad’s trip to India 23 years ago to draw Dad to Himself. Now I know why: Seeing the believers’ joy in the Lord in the midst of their great poverty cannot but have an impact upon you. Thank you for your prayers that enabled me to experience this joy and to join these dedicated believers in the work of the Lord!

Now I am preparing for 5 weeks of deputation that will take me to IL, WV, VA, PA, and NC.

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Trip Update

February 6, 2010 by proftroy

I have a pretty good connection here in India, so I can put a new post on my blog…

I’m thankful for how the Lord has been answering prayers on this trip. He has blessed me in so many ways. My time in the first country was filled with answers to prayers. He has kept me safe and healthy and has helped me to arrive with my luggage safely at each destination. I’ve also had some good witnessing opportunities, though most of them have not been with nationals. They can’t seem to understand my English. But I can usually give them a tract that I wrote myself, so the Lord can use that.

I was able to speak at a school chapel, in two churches, and at a children’s home. I was also able to lead two translation workshops. We covered only 3 chapters in one and 2 chapters in the other, but at least we covered some material. It gets us that much closer to finishing the work!

I was also able to see many sites and, most importantly, meet many people. I was particularly challenged by a national who is basically a modern-day George Mueller. He is almost completely dependent upon the Lord for all of his support (i.e., he has almost no commitments from churches or individuals for his financial needs), but he runs several ministries, in which the people in those ministries are dependent upon him. And as with Mueller, he sees the Lord provide for all of his needs all the time! What a challenge to me!

My time in this country has also gone quite well. The only uncomfortable situation was riding in a taxi from the airport to the final destination. I liken the driver to a chihuahua. He’s a small dog (i.e., drives a small car), but he is a big dog in his heart. He wasn’t afraid to take on the largest of vehicles. It seemed like he was playing chicken with almost every oncoming vehicle. Thankfully, they gave in and moved out of his way and he dodged their bumper in the nick of time!

Otherwise, my time here has been quite pleasant. I’ve met some wonderful, gracious people, been able to see what God is doing in this country, and seen some nice sites. I’ve also been able to get to know our work better by observing our team in action. There were around 16 expatriates when I first got here. One has left, but the rest of us along with the national believers are one big happy family.

I look forward to preaching at a local church tomorrow, speaking in a college chapel on Monday and in a youth hostel two evenings next week. Most of the children in the latter location are not saved, so please pray for the Lord to work especially during that time. Of course, I covet your prayers for the other opportunities as well.

Thanks so much for your prayers!

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Trip to Southeast Asia and India

January 22, 2010 by proftroy

Thanks for your prayers for my ministry on Wednesday evening. The Lord helped the Powerpoint presentation to flow smoothly. My delivery wasn’t quite as smooth, since it was my first time giving the sermon, but I believe I was able to communicate the main point.

I leave at 8am for my trip to SE Asia and India. I’ll be flying through Bangkok, Thailand, and hope to meet a friend and fellow BMM missionary Duane Scott, while passing through that city. I’ll actually go through Bangkok three times, but this first time is the best opportunity to see him.

Then I will fly to my final destination in SE Asia, where I’ll be for a week. I’ll be spending much of my time getting to know the various people, organizations, associations, and churches connected to our ministry. I hope to do some translation checking as well. I will be speaking at least once in the churches and hopefully more.

On February 2 I’ll head back to Bangkok on my way to northeast India (Silchar). I will spend a little less than two weeks in India, strengthening relationships and building new ones. I’ll also spend time getting to know the various organizations, associations, and churches connected to our ministry there. I also look forward to meeting up with a team of BI personnel, who will be working with the Indians on our current translation projects. I’ll be preaching at least once in the churches.

Please pray for the following requests:

  • For a safe and timely arrival of me and my luggage at each destination
  • For safety, both physical and spiritual, while traveling by myself and while in these countries
  • For health and restful sleep (my back still wakes me up each night at around 3 am, and I’ll hear many new sounds)
  • For the ability to communicate clearly so that my ministry is effective; for liberty and blessing as I preach and teach
  • For a warm reception of my ministry
  • For wisdom as I do translation checking and as I work through various issues with the BI personnel
  • For grace to be an encouragement to my fellow believers
  • For wisdom to learn all that God wants me to learn on this trip
  • For opportunities to witness for Christ

    • Thanks so much for your prayers! I look forward to reporting on how the trip went!

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    Busy Days

    January 20, 2010 by proftroy

    The time finally came last Wednesday to leave the sunny south for the snowy north. I headed to Morgantown, WV, for a meeting at Faith Baptist Church. Though the auditorium was cold because of heating problems, the welcome was very warm, and I’m thankful for the chance I had to minister there. That area is basically recession-proof, so I’m hoping they will be able to support me.

    After spending a few days in Lancaster, PA, I trekked across a few states for a meeting at Grace for Life Bible Church in Aurora, IL. It was such an encouragement to hear Pastor Schroeder explain that the motorcycle my dad donated to his ministry years ago was the seed money he used to purchase the house that he now lives in. You see, he sold the motorcycle and purchased a camper. He eventually sold that camper and purchased another one and even made some money on that sale. When it came time to move to Aurora, his only capital was what was in that camper, so he sold it and used that money to purchase a house. And that’s the house he and his family are living in as they build this new church in Aurora! The story almost brought tears to my eyes as he told the congregation in the worship service.

    I had to leave Aurora immediately so that I could be back for some strategic planning meetings at the office in Grand Rapids. Because of Hantz’s unexpected trip to Haiti, however, those meetings were cancelled. But I was able to use my “free” time to do many other things.

    I spent yesterday and today preparing a sermon for a missions conference that Hantz had to step out of. It is located in Plainwell, MI, about an hour from Grand Rapids. I preached an “old” sermon yesterday but will be delivering this new one tonight. The Lord gave much grace last night, so please pray that He will do the same tonight. I’m a little anxious about this one since I have never given it, but I claim the promise “Be anxious for nothing….”  The theme is “Motives for Missions”, and I will be using a Powerpoint presentation. Please pray for no technical gliches.

    Now that I’ve finished writing that sermon, I need to begin catching up on other things and making plans for my three-week trip to SE Asia and India. I leave early on Saturday morning and will not be back until February 13. The main purpose of this trip is to form and strengthen relationships and to become familiar with our ministries over there. Please pray for wisdom in preparations.

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    The Christian in Complete Armour

    January 11, 2010 by proftroy

    During one of my multiple trips across Pennsylvania this past fall, I took the time to stop by The Banner of Truth Trust in Carlisle, PA, to see what kind of deals they had in their scratch/dent section. I noticed William Gurnall’s The Christian in Complete Armour for half price–$24. I quickly snatched it up and have profited from reading portions of it this Christmas. I wanted to pass on some of these blessings in a blog post.

    Beginning on p. 234, he shares how a Christian can determine if he is in a state of declining grace–i.e., if he is backsliding. Before guiding the Christian in this exercise, he shows them what marks are not an indication of this declination.

    1. Christian, do not judge grace to be fallen weaker, because thy sense of corruption is grown stronger. Often, we can think that an increased awareness of our sinfulness is a sign that we are not experiencing the grace of God as fully, but Gurnall counters this with this point.  He says, If it be thus, thou hast rather a comfortable sign of grace growing than decaying.
    2. Take heed thou thinkest not grace decays, because thy comfort withdraws. Sometimes God does not give a felt sense of His grace, but this does not mean that His grace is not evident. Some graces thrive best, like some flowers, in the shade, such as humility, dependence on God, &c.
    3. Take heed thou dost not mistake, and think thy grace decays, when may be it is only thy temptations increase, and not thy grace that decreases. I’ve found my temptations to be greater now that I’m in missionary service, but Gurnall has encouraged me by his counsel. Temptation lies not in the same heaviness alway upon the Christian’s shoulder.

    Now he counsels the Christian on how to conclude that grace is declining. First, in reference to temptations to sin…

    1. When thou art not so wakeful to discover the encroachings of sin upon thee as formerly. It’s so easy to get desensitized to sin and not even realize it.
    2. When a temptation to sin is discovered, and thou findest thy heart shut up that thou does not pray against it, or not with that zeal and holy indignation, as formerly upon such occasions… 
    3. When the arguments prevailing most with thee to resist temptations to sin, or to mourn for sin committed, are more carnal and less evangelical than formerly.

    Second, in reference to the duties of God’s worship…

    1. If thy heart doth not prompt thee with that forwardness and readiness as formerly to hold communion with God in any duty. He adds, Nature cannot but decay if appetite to food go away. A craving soul is the thriving soul; such a child that will not let his mother rest, but is frequently crying for the breast.
    2. When thou declinest in thy care to perform duties in a spiritual sort, and to preserve the sense of those more inward failings, which in duty none but thyself can check thee of. Gurnall’s next sentence really convicted me: It is not frequency of duty, but spirituality in duty, [that] causeth thriving…
    3. When a Christian gets little spiritual nourishment from communion with God, to what it hath done. He adds, Dost thou hear and pray, and get no more strength to hold by a promise, no more power over, or brokenness of heart under, thy usual corruptions?

    Third, in reference to the frame of thy heart in worldly employments…

    1. When thy worldly occasions do not leave thee in so free and spiritual a disposition, to return into the presence of God as formerly.
    2. When thy diligence in thy particular calling is more selfish.
    3. When thou canst not bear the disappointment of thy carnal ends in thy particular calling, as thou hast done. Here’s a sentence to help make this point more understandable: The time was thou couldst retire thyself into God, and make up all thou didst want elsewhere in him; but now thou art not so well satisfied with thy estate, rank, and condition.

    Now he gives guidance on how to recover from a state of declining grace. First, he gives three duties…

    1. Thou art to renew thy repentance. The following words were particularly helpful for me: … and when thou hast found the sin that has done thee the mischief, then labour to fill thy heart with shame for it, and indignation against it, and so go big with sorrow, and cast it forth before the Lord in a heart-breaking confession.
    2. When thou hast renewed thy repentance, forget not, delay not then, to renew thy faith on the promise for pardon. I really needed to hear this point, because my focus is often too much upon my sin, and that depresses me. He adds, … if faith come not presently with its restorative, the poor creature will never get heart, or recover his strength.
    3. Back both these with a daily endeavour to mortify those lusts which most prevail over thy grace.

    Then he gives the second duty… to apply thyself to the use of those means which God hath appointed for the strengthening [of] grace…

    1. I shall send thee to the Word of God.
    2. From the word go to meditation. He gave some counsel in this section that has been particularly helpful for me and has been a great deterrent from sin recently. How can he be thankful that seldom thinks what he receives? or patient when God afflicts, that wants one of the most powerful arguments to pacify a mutinous spirit in trouble, and that is taken from the abundant good we receive at the hands of the Lord as well as a little evil?
    3. From meditation go to prayer.
    4. To all the former, join fellowship and communion with the saints thou livest amongst.

    I realize I have given only the highlights of Gurnall’s words in this section, but hopefully they are a blessing. Gurnall’s book is full of rich treasures for the soul, so I would encourage you to pick up a copy yourself. But beware, it’s 1200 pages long!!

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    First Deputation Meeting in 2010

    January 6, 2010 by proftroy

    I took a quick trip this past weekend to Cheraw, SC, leaving on Sat afternoon and returning late Sun evening.  I greatly enjoyed my time with Pastor David Bradshaw, his family, and his church (Calvary Baptist Church).  My preaching in the AM service went fairly well, but my presentation in the PM service went extremely well.  The people asked many questions, and the Lord enabled me to share a short challenge.  The people continued to show their interest after the service by their questions and also by their extremely generous love offering.  I praise the Lord for how He answered prayers and pray that this church will become one of my supporting churches.

    As I was driving home I decided to stop at a gas station for a drink.  I gave a tract to the girl at the cash register and said my usual words–”Could I give you something to read?  It tells how you can know your sins are forgiven, if you don’t already know?”  I can still see the girl’s sober look as she took the tract.  Even before I finished the transaction, she began reading the tract.  As I drove away, I could see her intently reading it.  Please pray for her soul.  And if you’re ever in McBee, SC, please stop by the Sea Way gas station and follow up with the black girl behind the cash register. 

    My trip to Myanmar and India continues to form up.  It looks like I’ll leave on Jan. 23, spend a few days in Myanmar, and then fly to India (Silchar) for about a week.  I’ll fly back around Feb. 14.  The schedule is still being finalized.  I sent my India visa application in yesterday, so hopefully it will arrive on time.  Please pray for preparations for this trip.

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