Jun/Jul Prayer Letter
Dear Brethren,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. We are thankful for the full schedule of meetings in June and July that the Lord blessed us with in Missouri, Colorado, Nevada, California, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. It has now been one year since I quit my job as an engineer to begin full-time deputation; we praise the Lord that we are currently receiving 52% of our needed support to minister in Italy.
While in Vinita, Oklahoma I drove to a neighborhood to pass out gospel tracts. When I got out of my vehicle I noticed five young men under a picnic shelter in the park across the street. I felt impressed to go witness to them. When I asked if any of them attended church, a 27 year-old man who I would later know as Robert replied, “I’m the bus driver to hell. I’m so bad even the devil doesn’t want me.” The tattoos and scars that marked Robert’s shirtless body gave testimony to the hard life he had lived on the street. Robert and another young man, who could best be described as a skateboarder-type, interjected questions as I preached to them the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was apparent that the skateboarder and the three other young men were either totally indifferent about their soul or too scared of what the others might think if they were to actually give ear to the gospel and they eventually wandered off. Robert on the other hand was genuinely engaged in the conversation and he began to open up and be receptive to the truth of the Bible. At one point he said, “You’re different from the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Pentecostals that have tried to talk to me. They usually get irritated or mad by my questions but you actually listen and then give a reasonable answer from the Bible. That’s the only reason I’m still sitting here.” We spent over an hour talking about various spiritual things and how they related to the gospel. Robert then bowed his head and with repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ he called upon the name of the Lord to be saved. Praise the Lord! Please pray for Robert’s spiritual growth.
We also took opportunity to pass out gospel tracts door-to-door in Nevada, California, and Arizona. In Las Vegas, Isaiah and I were confronted by a belligerent atheist. We’re very proud of how Isaiah handled himself in that situation. See our blog posted June 29th to read more about it. Although we enjoy ministering while on deputation our heart’s desire is to reach Italians souls for Christ, that they might know Him and the power of His resurrection. Please pray that our time on deputation will be shortened and specifically for the following requests:
- Pray the dozens of churches that have already expressed their intentions of financially supporting our ministry would not forget our family and be enabled to support us soon
- Pray the Lord would stir hearts for Italy in churches we visited this summer as well as in the remainder of our meetings this year
- Pray I can book meetings with churches that will be committed to supporting our ministry
On the home front, Isaiah recently expressed concern for his soul. We honestly believe Sandy led him to Christ three years ago in July when he expressed his desire to be saved, however, as is sometimes the case with small children, he can’t remember all the details and had become anxious about eternity. On July 26th Isaiah and I sat around an open Bible and started from scratch. We praise the Lord Isaiah now has assurance of his salvation! Please pray for his spiritual growth.
Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you.
Yours in Christ,
Stetson, Sandy, Isaiah, and Pearl