Calvary Baptist Church

Day three we begin our work...however the day started with an interesting twist. The plumbing at the church didn't seem to like 19 people shower and going to the bathroom for two day straight and decided to stop working. Allie came and got Pastor Ben and Jerry at 6:30am to inform us that the toliets were overflowing and blue water was also backing up in the showers! So, we made an early morning potty run to McDonalds and then got to work. We worked hard all day removing staples from fences, digging holes with a massive hand auger, and measuring out our distances for our post holes. We were also reminded by God's faithfulness as we received many gifts from people in the church and the community such as: A guy from the church who came and dug almost all the holes with his tractor so we didn't have to dig them by hand, a busy plumber who came and fixed our clogging issue in the middle of the day, and an owner of a cement company who volunteered his equipment and time to come pour all the cement for our holes. Our God is so GOOD! And we can never out give Him. Finally, our day of work was rewarded with a visit to a ranch where the rancher raised Belgium horses...and they were HUGE!! It was a fun time of getting to see the real West. We praise God for the great day and are looking forward to another great day of work tomorrow.

On our second day out here in MT we attended a very exciting, yet relaxed Sunday Service, played volleyball with Pastor Randy Barnes and two of his daughters and then ended the evening by traveling to a beautiful overlook. While at the overlook we were reminded of God's majesty and ceaseless creativity as we watched one of the most beautiful sunsets we had ever seen. We had a wonderful day of rest before we plunged into a week of work. God is beginning to do wonderful things in our group! Please continue praying.

Check out some Photos from Day Two.

June 12th we departed from Calvary Baptist Church in Greenville, MI heading out to Faith Baptist Church of Hardin, MT. We flew out and had a great time doing it. We made it to our destination safe and sound and have been extrememly encouraged by the people here at Faith. We are looking forward to a great Sunday with the church.

We have just finished reading through John Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Life in preparation of our trip.  God has used this book to call us all to a higher level of commitment to Him and live our lives in such a way that we don’t waste a single breath that He gives us.

We have also just completed a significant portion of Scripture memorization, tackling Philippians 2:1-18 and 3:1-21.  The students and leaders spent many hours committing these 40 verses to memory seeking to hide God’s Word in our heart that we might hold forth the Word of Life in order that we might shine like stars in the midst of a crooked and dark generation.  These verses also included our theme verses Philippians 3:13-14, “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Please pray for us as we desire to press on toward the goal God has set for us on this trip; that we might be a light in the darkness and be a blessing to our brothers and sisters serving in such a difficult place.

We have already encountered difficulties and blessings in our preparation.  One trial has been the loss of a team member.  Sage Wycoff tore her ACL in a soccer game and has to have surgery right before we depart and is no longer able to travel with us.  Please pray for her as she accepts God’s plan for her this summer.  One significant blessing that we have encountered is a significant discount that was given to us in our purchase of the fence that is going to be installed on this trip.  The company we are working with was excited about what we were going to do and decided to give us a discount which saved us almost $600 and has now volunteered equipment and manpower to help us install over 650 ft of chain-link fence.  Praise the Lord!

Another matter we are praising the Lord about is His provision for us to even go on this trip.  We have currently raised over $5,000 towards our trip and in a position where we are able to cover most of the expenses.  God’s people have been incredibly generous to us and we are excited about the gifts we will be delivering to the believers in Hardin, MT.  We are still praying that God would provide the final $4,000 needed for us to make this trip possible.  The trip is still 3 weeks away and I believe God will provide every penny that we need to make this trip possible.  Thank you all for your prayers and support.  I look forward to updating you again soon.

For His Glory,

Pastor Ben

Destination: Faith Baptist Church, Hardin, Montana

Saturday June 12th, the crisp morning air will fill the lungs of a restless entrouage of teens as they give their parents goodbye hugs and anxiously listen to the planes rumble down the airstrip; knowing they will soon be lifting off on their own 1,300 mile venture to Hardin, Montana.

Upon arriving in Hardin, the teens will spend the next week sleeping on a church floor, sharing 1 shower between 20 people, and living out of a suitcase. Each day will be filled with painting, cleaning, putting up fences, fixing roofs, going door-to-door passing out VBS flyers, and figuring out ways to be a blessing to our church family in Hardin. "Why?" You might ask, "Would any teen desire to put themselves under these kinds of circumstances?"

John 12:25-26 says, ²⁵The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me."

...these teens believe that.

We are seeking to raise around $7,000 for this trip. 

$3,500 - Teen Scholarship: subsidize the cost of the trip for each student and leader.

$3,500 - Materials: a new fence, paint, and other materials needed to do the job well.

If you would like to help, you can: