September 2007 Newsletter

Your Help at Harvest Time

My, hasn’t this year flown by!  I can’t believe that fall is here and it’s budget time for churches again.  It’s interesting to chart a year on the fund-raising trail, visiting churches.  The year starts off with some churches having interest in your work because the new budget has included additional monies for one time help for good works.  By March, most of that money is gone and no one is looking towards next year’s budget that early.  I call this the dry period of the year.  I usually try to make contact with our congregations that are already supporting us during this time.  By September and October, it’s time to hit the trail trying to find those few mission-minded congregations that will help us with this good work.  Please pray for this “budget time” to be bountiful.  I could also use your help in getting our newsletters into the proper hands and helping to arrange a visit to your congregation soon!  Please talk us up if you can!

 

The Good Example of Dale

With both happy and sad feelings I must tell you of the passing of our good friend Dale Sellers.  Of all of the people whom I have known who have fought the cancer battle, I have never seen anyone keep their faith and positive attitude like Dale and Prissy Sellers.  What a great example to us!  My last memory of Dale was a few weeks ago sitting at our kitchen table talking about finding out about the new grandbabies that his children were expecting.  I’ll never forget the joy on his face, the laughter in his voice as he talked!  Dale and Prissy were inspirations to us in their own mission work in the Philippines.  They went there with no agenda except to help the church grow.  If they saw a need, they tried to fill that need in love.  That is what we are trying to do in Gospel Opportunities.  I can’t wait to see Dale Sellers again!

 

Oklahoma

September proved to be a very busy month for all of us.  At the beginning of the month, Michal, Jamie and I found ourselves visiting family and churches in Oklahoma.  Since it was Labor Day weekend Jamie had the next Monday off.  We usually take an opportunity like that to travel farther afield.  We got to visit my grandparents, Alex and Gwen Swain, in Olustee, OK.  They were both doing well and had fun with Jamie.  We also traveled to Ponca City, OK and visited with my childhood friends Daryl and Melissa Taylor.  I had not seen Daryl for many years.  They attend the Blackwell, OK congregation.  I was able to preach and report about our work.  That same weekend Barbara was visiting churches in Florida.

 

Ready to Go to Print!

We are very close to going to print with Gospel Opportunities’ first book!  You may get tired of hearing about it but I never get tired of talking about it!  Enrique Martorell’s commentary on the Gospel of John will be printed in October.  We are very excited!  As far as we can find, the churches of Christ have never published a set of New Testament commentaries directly from the ancient Greek into the Spanish language.  Ours will be the first.  As soon as this volume goes to print, we will start with the next volume on Revelation.  Our special thank-you goes to Enrique who had confidence enough in our new ministry to place his manuscript into our hands.  Also, Michal and I want to personally thank Barbara Oliver for working so closely with Enrique and for tackling the Spanish and Greek obstacles in setting this book up for print. 

 

Adoption Program

I know that many of you will not be able to read a Spanish commentary on the Gospel of John but would still like to help this ministry re-coop the expense of publishing this work.  We are asking individuals, families, youth groups, kids and adult classes at churches, ladies and men’s groups, retiree’s classes and entire congregations (did I leave anyone out?) to consider adopting a preacher in Central and South America.  Many of these men cannot afford to add a book like this to their library (even at $8.95 US) and this new ministry certainly cannot afford to give them away like we would want to.  We could use your help in sponsoring or adopting a faithful preacher by providing this volume for him.  Tools like commentaries will help him become a better preacher and in return help the church grow.  If you do not know a preacher down there, let us help you.  We have many, many contacts already that could benefit from your kindness.  Let us know that you want to adopt!

 

Shy No More

I’m so proud of Barbara!  If you know her, you know that she is fun to be around.  You will also know that in public settings, she is painfully shy.  For her to want to serve in this ministry enough to hit the road and speak publicly in front of ladies’ classes is saying a lot!  This month Barbara has visited Ft. Walton Beach, FL (2^nd), Hope, AR (5^th), Park Avenue and East Haven both in Memphis (16^th), and Highland Street again in Memphis (30^th).  I’m sure that she would’ve hit more had she not been sick one week and had this book needing to go to print!  If you would like for Barbara and/or Michal to visit your ladies’ class or group and report about our work please call (901) 517-7274.  I’m sure that they can do a better job that I can!

 

Women Helping Women

The reason for Barbara’s travels is to try to raise funds for her living expenses.  When she chose to work with Gospel Opportunities she lost the small income she had from World Evangelism.  For the last five months, we’ve been trying to replace that money.  At the present time we have managed to raise $540.00 of her monthly support.  She still needs about $900 more.  She has been visiting ladies’ classes asking each lady to commit to one dollar a month towards her support.  This has proven very successful and is giving an avenue in which women of the congregation can help in evangelism and also keep a dedicated and trained lady on the mission field.  Women helping women is a great idea!

 

The Construction Side of Our Ministry

The sweltering summer heat and humidity of Mississippi has finally broken and it is cool enough to continue the work in Barbara’s house again.  We are trying to work a little every day over there.  We’ve finally installed all of the doorframes and hung doors throughout the house.  This coming week, I’ll train Michal and Barbara to cut and put down the base boards and then I’ll crawl back under the house and finish the plumbing.  On Oct. 18^th and 19^th, the campus ministry at UCA in Conway, AR will be coming down to help build a back porch for the house.  I’m sure I’ll have lots of other things up my sleeve for them as well.  I promised Tim no more steps!  Her house is almost ready for paint and carpet!

 

Jamie

Jamie is doing very well in school.  Since the beginning of school he has not gotten into trouble once… not even for talking too much!  He says that, “they keep you so busy in the 4^th grade that you don’t have time to get into trouble!” 

 

Michal

I’ve talked a lot about Barbara so far but have not mentioned Michal.  She is doing very well.  Michal is the one who helps keep us on track.  She manages the financial support and book orders that come in.  She sends personal and thank you notes to supporters and those we visit.  She has really taken a lead on tracking down e-mail and mailing addresses and contacting individuals to write for our new magazine “Respuestas”.  And although I am not at liberty to divulge any more information, Michal is working on a project of her own! 

 

“Central America, Here I Come!”

Here is something to keep in your prayers.  I will be making my first out-of-country trip for Gospel Opportunities in January.  David Riley, the preacher at Mars Hill in Vilonia, AR, will be introducing me to many contacts in Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama that he has.  I will be assessing needs that the churches there have so that we can assist them in evangelism and growth.  Please start praying now for the success of this trip and that I will be able to find funds for this trip.

 

Former Students Make Good

For many years, I served as the campus minister at the University of Central Arkansas for the Robinson & Center congregation in Conway, AR.  Michal and I worked with many great kids over the years that have grown into great adults and some into great Christian families.  When we moved from Conway, Tim and Mindy Allison took our place at the campus ministry.  Both had been students in the group and I was asked to perform their wedding.  Some of the first supporters that we had when we went into full-time mission work were Mark and Penny Vaught, who were both in the campus group.  Steve and Brenda Cooper have helped us from the early days.  Although they did not attend school at UCA, Brenda was active in that ministry before they married.  Now Steve serves as a deacon over that work.  Recently, I needed help finding a used desktop computer for the office.  I e-mailed a couple of people that put computers together asking for their help.  Craig Mangrum came through with flying colors.  He is a former student of mine.  Also, Frankie and Hannah Parks (they met in the campus ministry and I was privileged to marry them too) surprised us with a new laptop computer for our work!  I always knew that these students would grow to be great people in God’s church but I had no idea that we would be blessed so much by their kindness and love!  Thank you, guys!

 

Hitting the Trail

I’ve hit the trail hard in September and will continue for the next few months visiting new churches.  I am also seeking support for Barbara and for a working fund for Gospel Opportunities.  Right now most of the funding for our daily work is coming from our (Swain) living support.  We will need to secure funds for travel and printing.  In September I visited the churches at Brinkley, AR and Shirley, AR (9th), Huntsville, MS (15^th), Bell’s Chapel near Atkins, AR (23rd).  I also was privileged to attend and report to the monthly preachers meeting (10^th) for the central Arkansas area held at the Liberty church near Conway. 

 

Alabama and Tennessee

The first weekend found us traveling as a family and so did the last.  On the 29^th we attended the Hispanic Lectureship that was held at Heritage University in Florence Alabama.  I was able to address the audience and announce the new commentary and also ask for writers for the magazine.  Michal worked hard meeting and greeting and taking addresses.  That night we drove on up to Lewisburg, TN and spent the night with our dear friend Ruth Orr.  Ruth is a tremendous missionary around the world through the World Bible School program.  Sunday morning we drove down to Pulaski, TN and visited the Fairview congregation.  This good church had helped us with a one-time contribution earlier this year and we had not had the opportunity to introduce ourselves and to thank them properly.  On the way home we stopped and worshipped with the church at Rienzi, Mississippi.  It was a long but good weekend and a good way to end a busy month!

 

Thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement and your support for us!  We could not do this work without you.  If you ever have questions or suggestions that could make our work grow, please contact us.  If we could ever be of service to you or your congregation please let us know, too. 

                                                                                   

On Behalf of Gospel Opportunities

J. Robert Swain