Lisa Newland

April
Mar 30-Apr 10 Missionary Medical Intensive at Equip, Inc., Marion, NC
13- Shanendoah Heights Baptist Church, Pastor Paul LaPrevotte, Waynesboro, VA
16- Temple Baptist Church, Pastor Michael Reid, Fredericksburg, VA
20am- Ice Creek Missionary Baptist Church, Pastor Fred Conley, Ironton, OH
20pm-Bethel Lighthouse Church, Pastor Gary Drake, Marietta, OH
23- Crossroads Baptist Church, Pastor Jerry Harris, Sellersburg, IN
27- Grace Baptist Church, Pastor Gary Walters, Red Oak, IA
30- Aztec Baptist Church, Pastor Don Stackpole, Aztec, NM

May
4- Grace Baptist Church, Pastor Dan Mauldin, Farmington, NM
7- Temple Baptist Church, Pastor Wes Stewart, Tucumcari, NM
8- travel home to CO!!
22/25- First Evangelical Free Church, Pastor Brian Kluth, Colorado Springs, CO
26-Jun 13- SPLICE missions training in Palmer Lake, CO

Posted by Lisa Newland at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Harvest Kids of Harvest Baptist Church (North Vernon, IN) know how to welcome a missionary!!! :-) The Wednesday before Easter I was scheduled to show my DVD during the Wed. eve. service and then the children and I would go to the back room (this is a brand new church that meets in a store front) for a special missions lesson.

Mrs. Hadley, the pastor's wife, had been preparing the Harvest Kids for this special day for 7-8 weeks!! There were welcome signs all over, and each of the 10-12 children had a jar on their lap and a huge smile on their face. The last month or two they had been earning quarters and dollar bills to put in their own mission jar. By memorizing verses and doing special projects each child had earned from 75 cents up to $8-12!! They had made it just over their goal of $50 total!! They each presented their jar to the guest missionary.

Having children raise money for missions is such a great idea...until you become the recipient of the offering! I wish I could express the myriads of thoughts and emotions that start flooding through my mind:

"But, Lord... I'm not worthy of this! I'm just a nobody who fails in many ways. I'm not even a real missionary yet...I haven't made it to the field! They shouldn't do this!"

Then the Holy Spirit speaks the truth to my heart: "We walk by faith, not by sight. You are heading to the mission field by faith in God's power not because of any merit of your own. This money isn't for you, it is for God's work in Tanzania."

My response: "Amen, Lord. Then I humbly accept this overwhelming gift for Your work in Tanzania, and I go on... trusting Your goodness and grace! Oh help me to walk worthy of this honor and worthy of You."

Posted by Lisa Newland at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ahh...this week has been so refreshing! I returned to Newark, OH last Thursday to stay with friends for 10 days. Ten days in one place... yee-haw!! :-) And 2 of those days, I didn't even go to town. :-) I've gotten caught up on sleep and various errands; studied Swahili, enjoyed precious fellowship with friends, got a haircut, learned how to take blood pressure (for my upcoming medical class), and took my computer to the "doctor."

Easter Sunday I enjoyed a great celebration service at my home church, Newark Baptist Temple, Pastor James Dennis. How precious to meditate on the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Yesu amefufuka! Amefufuka kweli!
(Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed!)

On Wednesday, I shared at Grace Baptist Church (also in Newark). I had been scheduled to be there a few weeks before, but was snowed in, in Kentucky. I just "happened" to have one opening left in March to reschedule that meeting. I know that God is always in control... when all circumstances work out nicely, and when they all seem to fall apart; but the work-out-nicely times are still precious reminders of His presence and sovereignty. :-)

"Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure...I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it." Isa. 46:9-11

Posted by Lisa Newland at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Whew! This has been a busy week!!

Sun 3/9- in Shelby, OH for the evening service at Calvary Baptist Church. I was surprised how many people had been able to dig themselves out of the snow and make it to church. :-)

Mon-Tues- back home to Newark, OH. Oh how fun to see dear friends again!! LCCA students were gearing up for fine arts competition and I got to watch some of their performances.

Wed- Chapel of Prayer Baptist Church in Akron, OH

Thurs-Sat- 2008 missions conference at Loudonville Baptist Church. How exciting to see God work in and through this 5-yr old church. Praise the Lord!! ...and what a generous church!!

Sun 3/16- Hilltop Baptist Church, just north of Cincinnati.

Thank you, Lord, for Monday mornings- a chance to sleep in!! :-)

Posted by Lisa Newland at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Who would have thought I would get snowed in, in Kentucky!! The whole Ohio valley got "slammed" (pardon the slang) yesterday. I was trying to get to Newark, OH yesterday, heading right into the storm. After passing multiple car accidents, a friend called to tell me that parts of the interstate were closed ahead of me. Thus, here I am, staying 2 nights in a hotel in Carrollton, KY (which explains the three blog entries in a row!) Snow is so beautiful, especially when the sun comes out!

Posted by Lisa Newland at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This was the theme of the missions conference at the First Baptist Church of Atoka, TN. I was one of three missionaries sharing their fields at this conference, March 2-5.

Some blessings of the week:
>Passionate preaching by guest pastor, Guy Roberts. Some precious truths that touched my heart: *What an overwhelming honor that God would choose to include us in His kingdom work. *His plan for me includes empowerment. (Of course His plan will leave me feeling inadequate and insufficient! But...He is adequate! He is sufficient! and He will empower me for all tasks required.) *Every time I give of my money, my time, or my life; a sweet-smelling aroma of worship ascends to the throne room of the King of kings.
>First Baptist already supports both the Wagoners and the Brouwers! What fun to share with a congregation who already knows what's going on in TZ!
>Staying with Mrs. Lael Miller for the week. Mrs. Miller is a widow who used to be a missionary to the native American Indians in Arizona. What a blessing to learn from this godly woman!...and oh the breakfasts she can stir up!!!
>Fellowshipping with other missionaries. One of the missionary wives, Bethany Smith (heading to the Dominican Republic with husband, Randy) was a single missionary for awhile. Then God brought her "missionary man" to the field on a short-term trip. (There's still hope!! :-) )
>Adventures during the day: A ladies' shopping trip, tour of a massive church in the area (home of R.G. Lee and Adrian Rogers), and a ride on the trolley in downtown Memphis.
>Sunshine!!! We had a couple days of rain and snow, but the temperature also climbed to 75 degrees one day! Oh what a glorious moment for me after the cold of Montana and ice of Indiana. We even got to do a bit of hiking!

Posted by Lisa Newland at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last Thursday I traveled around Louisville,KY. The next day I drove the 2 hours to Nashville and did the same thing (stopping in at churches to meet pastors and leave my packet) with one change: I called first. :-) (such a novel idea!)

I only had 5 churches on my list this time. The phone calls helped pave the way at one church and saved me from going to another church that was already a closed door. I left my packet in the door of 2 churches, and with a music pastor and an intern at the other 2 churches. That evening I was invited to a singles Bible study since I was staying in the area. What fun to fellowship with like-minded singles who want to serve the Lord with all their heart!! They have some creative ideas about serving in their church and witnessing in the community. (The next day they were going to volunteer at a local gas station, pumping gas for free and giving out little cards that say "No strings attached" with the name of their church. What a great way to start building a positive reputation in their area- preparing the soil for future planting.) I wish I could have stayed and joined in!

My conclusion: though I'm still waiting for results, my initial analysis of this little experiment is positive. Even if I don't schedule any meetings at any of these churches, the Lord still gave me a burst of encouragement from the fellowship at the singles' Bible study! Thank you, Lord!

Posted by Lisa Newland at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)