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June-Oct.1999
THE CHAMBERLIN FAMILY'S NEWSLETTER
The Mission Field, USA
Missionaries to the United States
A BC Family Publication Vol. 4, June - Oct., 1999
Mail: c/o 11201 Melanie Ln.,
Georgetown, TN
37336
Glory to God!
We stand in awe as we see how our Father has moved this year. We are the Chamberlin family. Brian, (wife) Mary and (children) Lora, Hannah & Cala. God has called us as missionaries to the United States.
We are currently carrying a cross throughout the streets of America, preaching the Gospel, handing out tracts and ministering to whoever we can.
Share the Love of Jesus with some one today. There are all kinds of responses from mockery, to spitting, to pushing but also there are many who have words of encouragement..
We just preach the gospel according to Mark 16:15:
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (KJV)
Wherever the Lord leads us. Sometimes churches, sometimes in the park.
I am married to Mary, my wife of 15 years. She home schools our children and is the keeper at home. She is my help mate and we couldn't have this ministry without her part.
A few years ago, after preaching in the streets around Tennessee, I knew the Lord wanted us to go out into the streets across the country. We put our farm up for sale, which took another year. We closed on the sale and have been on the road for Jesus ever since, by faith.
We live in a camper full time and travel all over the country. Now that might sound crazy to some, but the rewards are tremendous. We are seeing HUNDRED'S of souls being saved. The Lord has put us in touch with many mighty warriors that are doing much the same, so it has been a wonderful ministry to be in.
He hasn't left us out here alone. We've met many precious brothers and sisters, and we stand in awe to be in this type of ministry and to see God's mighty hand move and change lives. We've made a loop around the country, putting in over 10,000 miles since January.
Well, that is a little background. Now to update you as of the middle of June.
We were in Interlaken, NY parked at my Brother-in-law Charlie and sister Colleen's home. It's the fingerlakes region with all kinds of vineyards, yet so much "hard soil" spiritually. We did meet many sold out saints of Christ there, too....Hi Charlie, Colleen, Penny & Doug, Kelly & Lori. Love ya'll.
6/21 Montour Falls, NY. (2 saved)
I walked down town for the day where I met a 12 year old named Howie, riding around on his bike with his bible under his arm. It was a thrill to see. He was so hungry for the Lord. He stayed with me for a couple of hours as we prayed for people. Also, prayed for about 6 people with various, yet important needs. Met a gentleman, who came and brought me a cup of water. While we were talking, he must have gotten confused and walked away with the water.
Matt 10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water.....he shall in no wise lose his reward."
Walked down to where a tent meeting was to be held that week. There I met Tony, one of the workers that was setting up for the meeting. He didn't know the Lord a s his Savior. We talked for some time. I shared many scriptures with him and how easy it is to yield ourselves to God. He prayed right there to receive Jesus into his heart. I saw him that night right on the front row at the meeting. Glory to God....it's one thing to lead someone to the Lord, but to know that it is real for them....and they really mean it. Hi to my sister Roni, we love you!
We are not out here ministering to people just to get a number of salvations. It's important, yes, for the soul to come into the kingdom, but what comes after that is even more important.
They need to be be discipled as much as possible so that they can grow and mature and be used by the Lord. I try to stick with someone while I can, to share however the Lord will lead, or just to go over scripture in the bible with them. It is a blessed thing, indeed when a person repents, and opens his or her heart up completely for the working that will then take place to transform that life. What pleasure our Father takes in it.
6/24 Headed to Waterloo to carry the cross.
A lady and her daughter came up to me in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart.. They had spotted the "Jesus is Lord" windjammer on our truck. The lady, Gail Campbell and her niece, Heather were so hungry for more of evangelism, so we stopped right there in the parking lot and ministered and encouraged one another. We prayed there also. What wonderful times these are.
6/24-27 YOUTH RALLY AT TRUMANSBURG (PUBLIC) HIGH SCHOOL.
Annual event that is an effort to reach the youth of the area. It's headed by Rob & Valerie Lovelace, who are sold out for Christ, and doing all in their power to make this a quality event. They invited many evangelists and public speakers to ministers. There were teachings and games during the day and speakers and dramas at night. Also, the Lovelaces go into the public high schools to minister to the youth once a month. PLEASE KEEP ROB & VAL LOVELACE IN YOUR PRAYERS!
6/27
Preached evangelistic message on obedience to God at the Christ Community Church which is Pastored by Tim Horrocks. His wife LuAnn has a heart for worship and is leading their praise and worship at times. This church does whatever they can to reach the lost and dying people of their community. They even cook a full breakfast on Sunday mornings before church. They love the people in this area and want to see everyone in their full potential for the Lord's kingdom. PRAY FOR PASTOR TIM and LUANN and Elder DAVE and his NEW WIFE DELORES.
6/29
Went down to Ithaca, NY to a place called The Commons. Its a place where college folks and philosophers hang out. My robe fit right in there!! But there were many who mocked and made all sorts of gestures. Met a man, Eric, that was homeless and stayed in the park across the street. Spent much time with him sharing the love of Christ with him. He seemed to be so hungry, yet couldn't understand all that we spoke about. I pray that those seeds will be watered and a harvest will be brought forth for the Lord one day. Thank you Jesus for the privilege of this ministry.
Met another young man, who after I shared a simple salvation tract with him, received the Word gladly and repented right there and prayed to ask Jesus to come into his heart. To God be the Glory!!!
7/6
Shared my testimony with Agape Christian Fellowship in Ithaca at their weekly prayer meeting.
2 Tim 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.
Praise God for churches and pastors who are secure in Him and will allow men of God to bring forth words of encouragement or reproof.
7/7
Carried the cross in Canandaigua. After a long day and having been able to share the Gospel with many souls, I met up with a man in the Wal-Mart parking lot.......seems like alot goes on at Wal-Mart! Well, this man (Bob Hanus) and his wife Cory along with their son Timothy, live in their motorhome and he carries a large wooden cross. It was a true blessing to meet another brother and to share experiences. God gave him a vision to carry the cross along Route 20, which extends from around Massachusetts to Newport, OR. Bob has been out on this journey for many years and invited us to come to Sturgis SD for a motorcycle ministry in August. I told him that we would pray about it. It's up to God, as to where we go and when. So, we hugged and bid each other blessings. Please keep BOB, CORY & TIMOTHY HANUS in your prayers for provision and God's will and hand of protection.
Week of 7/12
My sister Colleen did a wonderful job of organizing the VBS for Agape church. She had many faithful volunteers this year. It blessed many children and their parents. PLEASE PRAY for PASTOR MIKE AT AGAPE CHURCH.
7/17 Ovid, 1 saved.
Prayed with 3 for encouragement. Got to minister to a man who said he had gone to church numerous times but no one had ever told him what Jesus had done for him on the cross. I shared some scriptures with him to explain the good news and the love of Christ with him. He prayed then to ask Jesus to come into his heart and be his Lord. At 10am, members of Christ Community and Agape Churches came together with us for an outreach. We stood at the intersection of the two main roads in Ovid and passed out close to 400 cold sodas and tracts about Gods free gift to everyone that would take one. People could not believe this was a free gift. Many tried to pay but that opened the door to minister about Jesus' free gift on the cross. Several people stopped by to encourage us, as well. We were all euphoric the rest of the week.
7/19
Left New York state heading for Indiana. Our camper had many repairs to be done.
7/20
Put the camper in the shop. Ministered to some of the laborers there at the RV shop. Never miss an opportunity to share God's word. We were blessed to be treated to a week in a motel, by the company that we bought our RV from. Our camper's a/c did not work and the weather was extremely hot, so getting to swim in a pool was a treat for us all.
While we were at the pool one day, our oldest daughter Lora took Cala, our youngest to the bathroom. Lora came back but no Cala. We were on the far side of the pool from the bathroom and went to look for her when a young girl said, "Is that your baby?"
Cala had slipped into the hot tub which had a 6 inch lip around the edge, so we couldn't see in form the other side. She was all the way under the water, on the bottom looking up. I have never moved so fast in my life. I jumped in and pulled her out. She'd hardly breathed any water in by then, and Mary got it out quickly. She was fine, but very pale. Thank You LORD JESUS!!
We went to town and spent a couple of hours handing out tracts in the Best Buy. We asked the folks if they would like to have one and no one turned them down! The girls love doing this. It builds their faith. They have seen people be ugly about tracts, too. Praise God when we are rejected and persecuted for Christ's sake. Glory!
We were invited to visit a church in Goshen, IN. I met a brother, Frank King, from this church while at Mardi Gras ministering in February. The church body really opened their hearts to us. We were so blessed by the outpouring of love there. They invited us to park our camper there at the church and received us gladly. The first night we were there, they brought groceries. God really meets every need.
7/29 Goshen, IN. 1 soul saved.
Many others came for prayer. A newspaper reporter came to do a story on me, and asked if he could ask some questions. I said "Yes, but first you have to let me tell you about Jesus." So, he agreed. I could see that he was being drawn by God's love as we talked. Then, I asked him if he'd like to receive Jesus as his own savior, and he said that he would. So, we prayed a sinner's prayer. Then he took pictures. T
he following Sunday, one of the pictures was in the newspaper. That is not the neat part. This particular paper had never in 162 years of publication, printed a Sunday paper until this Sunday. So those that read it got to be reminded of Jesus and His saving grace. HALLELUJAH! And the reporter, Scott, gave it a wonderful bi-line.
I got the opportunity to preach at the Goshen Church of God on 8/1. Pastor Pete Ramie & his wife Donna are special people that are adept at making you feel at home. The whole body was good to us. Please pray for Pastor Pete & Donna, assistant Pastor Frank King and his wife Lorri and their families, as well as the body of Goshen Church of God.
8/6 We left for Colorado.
The Lord had given us a vision for being there doing preaching in the park. So we headed out but were still unsure as to His leading. We thought, still that we were to go to Sturgis, SD.
When we got to North Platte, NE, we stopped to do some laundry. Our natural minds reasoned that we had no money for going to Sturgis, let alone a place to park. Has this ever stopped us before?? No, but we thought it best to head toward Colorado. When we got to the interstate, We turned North? I heard God distinctly tell me not to go to Colorado yet. Go North!! So we did.
We arrived in Sturgis on the 9th of August. Sturgis is an annual motorcycle rally where around 250,000 bikers congregate to party! The town is overrun with anything and every kind of garbage around. Bob Hanus had earlier told us where the ministry that he meets up with was parked and for us to come. So we went drove to where "His Laboring Few" ministries were set up.
They had a huge meeting tent set up and we were greeted by Pastor Ken & his wife Pam. They are faithful ministers to the bikers all over the country. Also met Nicki from Canada who travels with this ministry. We want to say a special THANK YOU, to Ray Raposa, the owner of the property there.
He took us in and allowed us to park right in his back yard. Ray has such a heart for the bikers and for reaching the lost. He is a true servant of the Lord. We met many other ministers that have forsaken all to go into all the world. Mark & Susie Bob & Cory, and Bob Hanus, Sr. and Fran, his wife are but a few that we got to know there. They all travel all over the country ministering the gospel in one form or another.
We were privileged to meet others who had just gone out on the road. It is a thrill to know that God is calling people of every walk of life to be available for His use, and they are answering the call. Everyday, breakfast and dinner was served for whoever wanted to come.
There are signs everywhere visible so that the bikers driving by will see and know they are all welcome. There was also church services every night and Sunday morning and night. We got to meet a special family that travels all over the country ministering in song. Glen & Linda Clark, and their 7 children. Four of the children, thus far, sings with Glen. Lord bless them.
Everyday we carried the cross. Sometimes Bob and I would go together and other times we would go separate. I went downtown to carry the cross amongst all types of filth, and darkness, yet not as much mockery as in other places. People just stood out of the way as we walked by. Some took tracts, others did not.
8/10
There was an awesome rally of many of the Christian Biker ministries in the area. There were "Bond Slaves", "Tribe of Judah", "The Refuge", "Christian Motorcycle Assoc.", "Bikers for Christ", and many others. Some (christian bikers) were at Sturgis for the party.
Rev 2:4-6 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.;
There was a great breakfast for everyone, followed by Praise & Worship. Then finally, a timely word preached. We all gathered together under one tent and worshipped the Lord in Spirit and in Truth. Then we prayed, one for another. That night, I had excruciating pain in my ear, and ran a high fever.
8/11
Had some brothers pray over me and anoint with oil and Bob also and we headed to Sundance, WY. As we neared "Devils Tower", we got out and carried the cross on the open highway. The pain and fever left as I picked up my cross!! Thank You Jesus. There were motorcycles everywhere in both directions. Got many thumbs up, Glory to God!!
Sundance is a town where there are also parties and lewdness everywhere. We walked up and down the street. Got to pray with a couple there even with all the Harley's rumbling by. We left there to go to Hulett, WY.
As we got out, the pain again left. The Lord pressed me to walk through the middle of the street where there were 1,000's of people shoulder to shoulder. It was like there was an angel going before me parting the crowd, step by step. I never had to ask anyone to step aside, they just did. It was a gauntlet. As I looked to my left and right I could see demonic torment on the faces as they yelled obscenities.
It was as if the light (of the cross) was parting the darkness with each step forward,Though I never looked behind me, I could feel the darkness swirling shut at the tip of the cross behind me. People were yelling and the crowd pressed in brushing the shoulders of my robe as i walked this spiritual gauntlet. You could feel the presence of a battle of dark & light in the air. As I broke through the end of the crowd, I stopped and stood the cross up and began to pray over this city. It was for sure, and intensity that I had never experienced to that level, except for maybe at Mardi Gras.
As soon as we got back into the van, my ear pain returned and Bob's ankle pain also. We went back to the camp at the end of the day and spent the next resting. It was raining hard, so not much happened that day. God knew we needed that rest.
8/12
We went to the Rapid City Harley Davidson outdoor show with our crosses. After we had already handed out hundreds of tracts, Bob was approached and asked to leave. We headed over to the convention center for the outdoor bike shows. Blitzed (crashed the party) the vendors and all the shows going on. We met up with a dear lady that Bob knew, Mary. She goes all over that city with her cart handing out tracts and sharing the gospel with anyone she can. She is up in her years. Bless her Lord, we pray.
Several people came to the Lord throughout the rally and hundreds were ministered to. I got the privilege to meet a man that has come every year for the past 12 to set up a tent right in the middle of town, and have church services every night.
Preacher Mike was a former outlaw biker and through the grace of God, he now has an awesome ministry of reaching bikers and other lost. It was a blessing for us to meet him. Please keep him and the team that travels and ministers with him in your prayers. We visited the Clark family in Deadwood, SD at Living Waters Church. Pastor Warren & Lorri McElvary are bold ministers of God. They have a storefront church right in the middle of a gambling town. Pastor McElvary answered a prayer that Mary had. He gave her a beautiful new study bible just out of the blue. God is so good!! He answers every prayer in mighty ways.
We left Sturgis and headed to Canon City, CO. We wanted to be there by the weekend of the 22nd of August. Pastor Don Farr and New Covenant Fellowship has been doing outreaches in the park all summer. They'd been handing out sodas and bottled water at events in the park along with tracts of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
There were plans, however for the 22nd to be a big outreach where there would be skits, praise & worship music and free food. We got to Canon on the 18th and carried the cross on the 20th. The 22nd came and it was a great time of testimonies and people just being real. I got to share some things that were on my heart.
The park is located right across the street from a federal prison. So we had a captive audience, please forgive the pun. This county is home to 14 state and federal prisons. Last year while we were here, there was such a demonic presence in the air. This year, it hasn't been as noticeable. We are believing that the light is pushing back the darkness.
8/24
Pastor Don and his team passed out sodas at the park during a concert. I carried the cross around the park. We all got to sow alot of seed through that night. Many exceptional things are taking place, also at the Shekinah Lighthouse arcade (which is a vision of Rob & Betty Cole.) It is an actual arcade, but Christian music is going all the while. It is used for New Covenant Fellowship church, as well as home of the youth's CORE group. They receive experienced counsel from Justin& Jenny Farr who transferred here from Louisiana this year. Justin & Jenny also operate the arcade. Along with Bill & Jane Groves. It's awesome to see how God works through and in the youth, and their leaders!!
8/26 Three souls added to the KINGDOM.
Walked down town on Main St..
8/31
Carried the cross from the park through town. Don and his team were also handing out drinks at the park. Trusting God to draw people to himself just seeing the cross. PLEASE PRAY FOR PASTOR DON FARR, & KIM AND THE CHURCHES HERE IN CANON CITY.
9/1
Took the 12 ft. aluminum cross to the park at evening and preached. There was a steady flow of people throughout the time. We had several people come and bring chairs to hear God's word preached. Later, others came up and we prayed with them. Several youth were there, as well. We took the cross out several times at night over the next couple of weeks, and got to pray with many people with many needs. It truly is a joy to serve.
9/2
I was invited to join pastors in the area for a monthly meeting of ministers of different denominations. (thank you Becky Cooling for organizing this) It was a pleasure to be there as they shared concerns and prayed for each other. 9/23 We stopped at the Forest Service office which was closed. Another man, Curtis also came up when we did. I asked to share a tract with him. After sharing scriptures with him, he prayed to receive Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!!
9/25
After church I went to help clean out a plugged septic line with Jim Herzog and Don Farr. It was about 10pm. Jeremy and April, the renters there, prayed with me to ask Jesus to be their Lord before we left.
9/30
Went back to Jeremy & April's home to share more of the word with them and have bible study.
10/2
Began preparing for a fall outreach. The Lord had given us this vision and although we had been preaching in the park all along, we knew it hadn't come to pass. So we got with the pastors and invited any who wanted to join in this effort to reach the lost in a tangible way. (SIX CHURCHES UNITED!) We had flyers printed up and gave some to each church that wanted to be involved. We also passed out and hung flyers all over town. Everyone worked so hard on this. We were able to get free advertisement on the radio, TV, and newspapers, as well as purchasing a large ad just before the outreach.
10/24
Visited Victory Fellowship Church Pastor Steve Cornella has a heart for missions and the lost. While there, the Lord lead me to minister to a man who goes by "Wiley". He came to know Christ as his savior that day! Thank you Jesus. The outreach took place at the park on Oct. 30. We called it Fall Festival. There were hot dogs given away, sodas, candy bags, games and prizes. Praise and worship teams, testimonies and preaching, and dramas and skits were performed every hour. We even had horse rides. We served about 800 people in this event. At the end of the evening, 2 young men came forward to ask Jesus into their lives. There were many others that were prayed with and many seeds sewn at the "Salvation Station". To God be ALL the Glory!!! Great things he hath done!!! We want to thank all the churches that came together to touch their city.
On Oct. 26, a dear friend, 21 year old Erica Morales was killed in an accident and died instantly. We praise God that we knew her and saw her grow to be a powerhouse for the Lord. Although it is painful, she is now with her Lord! Please keep us in your prayers. You are also in our prayers,
We love you all dearly,
Brian, Mary, Lora, Hannah & Cala Chamberlin
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