Mark your calendars to be at Victory on the weekend of September 21-23 to hear Otis Duhart. Otis “is a former football player for the Florida State Seminoles (1997-2001) under legndary coach Bobby Bowden. In February 2000, Otis asked the Lord to forgive him of his sin and by faith, trusted Jesus Christ as his Saviour. He later followed the the Lord in believers baptism.”  Otis will be preaching at our Teen Youth Explosion (all night teen activity) on Friday night, then preaching in our services on Sunday, the 23rd.  I am very excited to see how God uses him at Victory.  You can learn more about him on his webpage.

Our guest speaker will be Austin Gardner, pastor of Vision Baptist in Alpharetta, accompanied by his wife.  I am excited to learn from this couple things that will help me be a better husband and companion for my wife.  Let me encourage you to come if you are on the fence about whether or not it will be worth your time or money…can you put a price tag on a healthy, loving, Godly relationship?  For those who have already signed up, be praying that God will keep your hearts and minds open, with an attitude of wanting to learn and enhance your relationship.

Email office@victorybc.org or phone (770.466.4040) to ask questions or register for the retreat.

We have ushered a “billboard challenge” for anyone who might be interested.  The Lord has given us a roadside sign which we have been using for a year or two and we need to renew how it looks.  All the details of what it must include can be found here as well as the dimensions, etc.  This is not only for VBC church members…this is open for any readers of this blog or friends of friends…the more creative thoughts we have, the better.  All ideas must be sent in by Feb. 1st.  Up to this point, not very many ideas have been turned in at all, so please don’t hesitate to turn yours in.  Professionals, children, teens…don’t hesitate to let your creative side run wild!  You do not have to have a completed, ready to print rendering…just the ideas, placement of verbiage, etc is all that is needed…we will have it redrawn by professionals.  If your idea is used by the design team, your name will be inconspicuously placed on the billboard, as well as receiving a $25 gift certificate.  So what are we waiting for?  Go design…

• I was very tired and seemed to muddle my way through announcements and anything else I said…I’m sure the church realized it and I apologize…I even “bopped” a man on the back of the leg with my iPad and Bible, only to realize when he turned, it was a guest, not the man I thought I was greeting!
• I was overwhelmed by those who stated they prayed for me while I was gone and was glad I was back safely. (Btw, a very special thanks to those who loved on my wife in anyway while I was gone…several were such a blessing, thank you!)
• Patrick selected all the songs for the services and Bro. Wetherbee did a great job arranging them to make them flow…great song services yesterday.
• I praise the Lord for the visitors we had in both services, as well as the returning guests…church, we can never take for granted those that God sends our way on a weekly basis…please help me greet them warmly and genuinely each time.
• Lisa Geisler, medical missionary to Bangladesh was with us in both services…she taught a ladies’ class, went out to eat with my wife and some of the other ladies and gave an update Sunday evening…I appreciate her testimony and service for the Lord so much!
• We had Open House for Victory Baptist School from 2-4 and are grateful for those who visited during that time. (Btw, enrollment time is here, contact VBS for more info.)
• Sunday evening was geared around the Henry’s departure so the message was based on Eliezer, Abraham’s most trusted and Committed servant, as he was sent to find a wife for Abraham’s son…we looked at the characteristics of a Committed Servant, qualities also found in the life of Patrick Henry.
• We gave gifts to the Henry children as well as to Patrick and Leslie.
• Patrick gave summary of what God has done/is doing in their lives.
• The church gave a great love offering…thank you so much church for how you respond to special love offerings…here’s the thing, God ALWAYS honors giving to His servants and His work!
• This was proven, as in addition to our regular offering (which was good) and the special love offering for the Henry’s (which was good), God put it on the heart of a church member to give an offering of $40,000 for the general fund!  That’s absolutely incredible…it shows God’s sovereignty, His provision, His hand of blessing on the ministry of VBC!  All I can say, is “Thank You, Lord” and “thank you church member for listening to Him.”  Church, as we state on a regular basis, “God is good all the time, all the time, God is good!”
• We had a great time of fellowship and food following the PM service, provided by various individuals of leadership in the church…thank you men and women who contributed to make this a special time for Patrick and his family…they were very grateful!

It was a long, but very good Sunday.  Church, as embrace our theme this year, “Committed”, I want to thank each of you who have committed to another level of service, another level of giving, another level of walking with God this year!  Let us continue to be faithful…let us continue to be Committed!

We are very thankful for their ministry time at VBC and are excited what the next step in their lives may bring.  During this year, Patrick will be seeking the Lord’s will for their lives, whether it be the call to full-time missions, perhaps to plant a church in the States, or simply return and serve here…either way, Victory will support, love and pray for this family.  You can keep updated with what’s going on in their lives by visiting their website, or by following their blog.  In addition, many people have given financially to the Henry family and they are so very grateful.  Many others have committed to give and I would like to encourage you to follow through with your commitments.  Any support can be sent to Victory Baptist Church, marked “Henry Family”, as we coordinate their support stateside.

Patrick preached an incredible message Sunday morning and then we had a wonderful service on Sunday evening where the church gave them some gifts, took up another love offering, had a special time of prayer, followed by a church-wide fellowship.  It was great to have various members of their family with us throughout the day.

As mentioned earlier, the Henry’s will be flying out on Wednesday around 3:35 EST.  I will be taking a bus to the airport for anyone who would like to go with us to see them off.  Space is limited, so Senior Adults get priority seating, followed by a first come, first served basis.  We will be leaving the church at 11 AM and will eat at the Varsity on the return trip.

I’m asking that each reader of this article, bow their head right now, and ask God’s hand of Provision and Protection upon the Patrick Henry Family.

And then it happened!  We came across a herd of elephants with several young, which is the best way to get some “interest” from the big females! (They are the only ones which seem to be affected by our presence.  The big males they say, don’t seem to care.)  I was told that when a parade of elephants is feeding or traveling in a general direction, they are not going to turn and run the other way when they see a vehicle or predator, which was evidenced several times yesterday and today.  Jim and I were riding atop of the vehicle, hanging onto ropes as we bounced over the terrain, desperately wanting to film the next Youtube viral sensation, when we saw the herd.  After a moment or two, we determined they were definitely headed our way!  The African guide we drew, much to my chagrin, was not the adventurous type.  As soon as he recognized their direction of travel, he wanted us to move along.  Fortunately, our driver (Bro. Keith Shumaker) is a hunter and one who lives for the thrill as much as I do…and although the guide was telling him things in a fast and high paced vernacular (he never once asked for us to excuse his “French”…of course he was speaking in French), Bro. Keith didn’t always respond as quick as the guide wanted him to.  You can hear me on our video say something like, “Where are you going brother, let’s get a show!”  Bro. Keith yelled up that the guide was scared and wanted us to get out of there.  We did manage to get her busting through a tree or two with her “trumpet” blowing, but NOTHING like we could have…man, it could have been THE video of a lifetime and may have scored us a viewing on the TV hit show, “I Shouldn’t Be Alive.”  Well, we did get a thrill, and the elephant park was definitely worth the extra couple of days we spent in Africa!

We left the park around lunch and headed back to the Shumaker home to pack and go to the airport.  Just outside the park, Bro. Shumaker honored my request of driving in Burkina Faso as he let me dodge donkeys, goats and of course bikes and motos for about twenty minutes.  So far, I’ve driven on every continent that I’ve been on (which is only three) and in most countries I visited.  I know it’s not that big a deal, but hey, one day it might be quite a bit if the Lord allows me on a lot more mission trips.

After saying our goodbyes, Bro. Keith took us to the airport where we left B.F around 6:30 PM local time, stopped in Niamey, Niger for about an hour (we had some delay due to civil unrest in the country), then arrived in Paris at 6 AM.  We were set for a six hour layover and could have toured the city a bit, however, we were really tired and tried to get seats on an earlier flight, to no avail.  We finally left Paris around 1:40 PM local time (7:40AM EST) and after a long day of flying, arrived in Atlanta at 6:30 PM EST (12:30 AM Paris time.)  Needless to say, I’m still not sure which timezone I’m in at the present(mentally speaking).  We were tired but very grateful to see our wives and children!  We praise the Lord for a very safe and productive trip to Burkina Faso, Africa.  Lord willing, I will return and visit the work and the national pastors which we were able to have a small part in their training.  I’ll summarize my thoughts and comments in my last B.F trip update post.

Following the evening safari, we stayed in the above pictured bungalow, complete with grass roof and all.  There was power, however it was delivered via generators which cut off at 10 PM.  After that, it was completely dark and quiet, except for the sounds of the night.  After the sun set, it did get somewhat cool, however, very comfortable.  We went to bed pretty early because the next day’s safari began at 6:30 AM, with coffee prior…can’t wait!

Mt. Vernon Christian Church – 560 Mt. Vernon Rd. Monroe Ga. 

We had another great meal today, some tomato soaked rice with seasoning, and a couple pieces of lamb, and as a special treat, everyone got a Coke or Fanta Orange!  Bro. Keith told us that it’s not uncommon for these men to go days, even weeks without any meat, so this was a special lunch for them.  I have really enjoyed eating the lunches prepared by the women of Ouagadougou.  (Oh yes, I forgot to tell you what yesterday’s lunch was…a macaroni type dish (no cheese:)), with a couple of pieces of very cooked fish.  It was almost hard, which is the way they prepare it and was very tasty.)

This afternoon, we were told our custom shirts would be ready and so we decided to wear them to preach in for the evening service.  I cannot wait for you to see my shirt!  I may wear it Sunday night when I get back to show it off!  It was a sweet service to end the conference with.  Bro. Jim McAuliffe gave his testimony and did a great job.  I don’t think the translator slowed him down a bit!  I will post his entire testimony online when we get back to the States.

The church here waned to show their appreciation, so they brought us down front, said some very nice things, then presented us each with a handmade gecko lizard.  It was very kind, and meant a great deal to us.  You see these lizards everywhere, including the rooms we slept in each night.  Fortunately, none ever ventured to crawl across our chests during the night…that wouldn’t have been a pretty sight!  The Shumakers are glad they’re around, because they keep the spiders and mosquito population in their home to a minimum…as a result, I’m thinking of bringing home several for our house:)

We had to rush out following the service tonight because Bro. Gardner and Bro. Feis’ flight was leaving soon after.  Bro. Jim and I are not leaving till Friday night.  In the morning, they are taking us out to an elephant park, where we will spend the night and enjoy some pleasure time.  It’s my understanding, if we’re lucky, that we’ll get charged by elephants!  I’m hoping for some National Geographic type video footage to share with you as a result!  Of course, there will be no power out there and consequently no internet access, so the posts will be a bit delayed.

Church, this has been a wonderful trip…it is helping us fulfill several of the goals for The Africa Project…thank you for being supportive and I will share more ways we can be a blessing to this ministry…there’s so much I want to tell you.  We appreciate your prayer, God bless!