From Eastern New Mexico to Northern California

The last few weeks have been full of travel for me. If you've been following us for long, you know that this is no news. What's different is that I've been traveling solo. With Josiah and Jonas coming down with a nasty cold and to ease our accommodation needs, we decided that I would do these last two trips alone.

Sunday, 28 February, was a long day for me. I left for Hobbs, NM, from El Paso, TX, late Saturday night and arrived early Sunday morning. During the Sunday school hour, I had the privilege of observing the relationship the pastor at Temple Baptist has with his people. Genuine care, trust, and fellowship seasoned the lesson time. After the services, the pastor's family treated me to steak dinner--a delicious surprise! After presenting the work in the evening service, I made my sleepy way home and fell asleep immediately upon reaching my pillow.

This last Sunday I was in San Leandro, near San Francisco, CA. In the AM service, Pastor Carruthers reminded the congregation of Manor Baptist Church about the importance of the doctrine of the inspiration of the Scriptures. I had an opportunity to talk to many of the members there in the morning, and presented in the evening. Repeatedly during my time there, I was encouraged to see how intentional they were about making their missionaries part of their regular prayer life as a church.

This week I have been staying in Pinole, CA, with a church we've visited a couple of times before. Yesterday, Pastor Baker took me up on my general offer to help him as needed. I had the opportunity to get involved in weeding and clearing an area of property next to the church, to help the pastor list some books online for sale, and to work the DVD player and data projector for a ladies' prayer meeting. The missionary has a broad and satisfying job description; I love it!

Please pray for the health of the kids and for my safety on the roads. After updating the folks here at First Baptist of Pinole tonight, I'll be headed to Wyoming tomorrow before coming home to the family next week.

God is keeping us safe and giving us opportunities to develop friendships here with a view toward finding ministry partners for the work in Kenya. Praise him for his faithful love and his zeal for his glory among the nations!

2010 Winter Newsletter

Here's an overview of the last handful of months (October through January). Text version follows the link to the print version.

Click here for a printer friendly version.

Two Dishes Missing from the Menu

I had a well-appreciated opportunity at the beginning of this year to head back to Michigan briefly for an excellent missions conference at my sending church, InterCity Baptist. My own resolve for the mission was significantly strengthened by the worship, preaching, and workshops.

The conference opened with a realistic but hopeful challenge that concluded with words that still linger in my mind six weeks later: “Easy is not on the menu [of possibilities for our lives], but for the true child of God neither is ultimate failure.”

Christians can be confident that they’ll encounter hardship, but they can also be confident that their light afflictions in this momentary life will gain for them weighty glory in eternity (2 Corinthians 4:17). God is so good to grant us an eternally worthwhile mission!

Meetings and Other News

• 4 October, Santa Clarita Baptist: This church was very attentive to our ministry presentation, and I was able to discuss a number of good questions with members both during the presentation and after the evening service.
• 7 October, Pear Park Baptist, Grand Junction, CO: That night we were glad for the chance to take part in their prayer meeting. It was strikingly centered on praying for efforts to reach out to various unsaved friends and family of members.
• 11 October, Highlands Baptist, Colorado Springs: Two passionate commitments stood out as we visited this church: expository preaching and focused evangelistic training for the church membership. Though we had no previous personal connection with this church, I immediately felt the kinship we had in these common commitments.
• 21-25 October, Liberty Baptist, Dalhart, TX: We enjoyed big-time Texas hospitality during this missions conference in the heartland. They treated us to Christmas in October; Josiah was ecstatic!
• 8 November, Community Baptist, Brighton, CO: We were excited to see the Lord work among this church’s youth as they committed themselves to being bold as they shared the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
• 12-16 November, Calvary Baptist, Hollister, CA: The fellowship among the missionaries during this conference was especially sweet. The church's heart for missions and the cause of Christ was evident.
• 17-20 November, ETS Conference, New Orleans, LA:  It was neat to present a paper and hear a few more, but the best part was seeing some of my professors and friends from seminary. I came back refreshed and recommitted to pursuing the treasures found in the Scriptures.
• 6 December, Lighthouse Baptist, Colorado Springs: We were thankful to visit this church because they were zealous about sound teaching and because the wise pastor works to keep the gospel central.
• 27 December, Sun Valley Baptist, El Paso, TX: I was grateful for the opportunity to serve between the holidays with this church; their ongoing partnership with us is a treasure we hold dear.
• 4-7 January, InterCity Baptist, Allen Park, MI: The SGI conference only happens every other year, so I was glad to have the opportunity to participate. The conference was followed by a helpful seminar for missionaries on learning a foreign culture.
• 10 January, Calvary Bible, Lucerne Valley, CA: It was invigorating to see what the Lord Jesus is doing there as his people are coming to a renewed zeal for proclaiming the gospel to their loved ones and friends.
• 24, 31 January, Crossway Baptist, Bakersfield, CA: I was pleasantly surprised to see how many in the church were not yet at Crossway when I presented there last year. I had the opportunity to present the work again as well as to preach to this vibrant congregation. They were an immeasurable encouragement to us.
• 31 January, Faith Baptist, Orange County, CA: This committed group of believers evidenced a deep-seated compassion for the lost in their own city and around the world. I'm thankful for their example.

Kids’ Corner

• Josiah enjoyed his time with Addison and Sydney Brock while we stayed with the Brocks in January. He alternately acted the prince and the scary monster to the amusement of all.
• Jonas found the newest Brock addition, Charlize, intriguing as well. She, however, wouldn’t give him the time of day. Oh well, plenty of other fish in the sea, I suppose.☺

Praise reports:

• Traveling through Arizona, California, Colorado, Texas, and Utah, we’ve enjoyed some of the most beautiful landscapes in our nation. Praise God for these reminders of his majesty.
• With the addition of Jonas to our family, we’ve needed to update our presentation and prayer magnet. We praise God for bringing friends across our path who have helped us complete the update--all working for free or at cost!

Prayer requests:

• Continued safety in travel 
• Continued health  
• Godly and wise parenting  
• Fruitful stateside ministry
• More partners in prayer and financial support

A Few Meetings in California

Directly after our last update, we travelled to Bakersfield, CA, where we would be staying most of the month. We have been so grateful for the Brocks allowing us to stay with them while we visited area churches.

My first visit was to Calvary Bible Church in Lucerne Valley. I had travelled a number of miles to be at the service, so I remember arriving a bit tired. But it was invigorating to see what the Lord Jesus is doing there as his people are coming to a renewed zeal for proclaiming the gospel to their loved ones and friends. I was glad to have been among them.

During the month I was able to work with Pastor Mark Brock of Crossway Baptist on a series he is preparing to use for outreach. Jenny and I enjoyed having opportunities to serve and help where we could. And they were an immeasurable encouragement to us too. It was pleasantly surprising to see how many in the church were not around when I presented last time. Pastor Mark gave me the opportunity to present the work again as well as to preach to this vibrant congregation.

Last Sunday we were given the chance to present our mission to Faith Baptist Church of Orange County. We were surprised to meet a number of people there with whom we shared friends and acquaintances. This committed group of believers evidenced a deep-seated compassion for the lost in their own city and around the world. I'm thankful for their example.

Please pray for us as we travel today and throughout February. We need safety, and we long to find ministry partners. Pray also for productivity and skill as I attempt to get our information packet updated and sent out to potential partners.

Praise the Lord for a good month of meetings and for being our Shepherd every mile of the way.

Holidays and SGI

The Pittsleys have enjoyed a restful time over the holidays. At the beginning of December we presented our work to Lighthouse Baptist Church in Colorado Springs. I will long remember being thankful to visit this church because they were zealous about sound teaching and because the wise pastor works to keep the main thing (i.e. the gospel) the main thing.

In between the morning and evening service at Lighthouse Baptist, we took the opportunity to visit the believers at High Country Baptist Church during their afternoon service. The weather prevented us from spending long there, but in the past I've enjoyed the doctrine class they do for adults in the afternoon. This visit was no disappointment! Solid doctrinal depth strengthens the soul for the task.

We spent Christmas and New Year's in El Paso, TX. We were showered with gifts from family and from churches who are partnering with us. God has been so good in his lavish care for us through you. Thank you all who were a part of it.

I just returned from an excellent missions conference at my sending church, InterCity Baptist. My own resolve for the mission was significantly strengthened by the worship, preaching, and workshops. Interestingly, one of my future partners has recently been picking up some of the same lessons through Kenya's drought that I've been learning here:

I learned a valuable lesson from the drought. You see, when the soil is rich and the rains are good, the trees on the property are healthy and strong.... When the drought comes, the trees are stripped to their bare minimum - it is survival mode. Anything that is not needed is cast off. Some of the trees lost all of their leaves in order to survive.... Now a few months later, they are full of leaves and flowers. The trials this past year have made me re-evaluate what is important and what is necessary.... Just like the trees, if you make it through this period, you can come out stronger and possibly bear even more fruit than before because you have focused on making the tree stronger.

Tomorrow morning we're taking off for California. We have meetings there all the way through the 31-Jan. On the weekdays during the rest of the month, we'll be staying with the Brocks and helping out where we can with Crossway Baptist Church. We're eager to get involved directly in local church ministry and thankful to the Brocks for the opportunity.

Please pray for health and safety, for more ministry partners as the church's we visited last year determine their budgets, and for our own growth in holiness and Christlikeness.