Julie and I are excited to share with you about new births, both natural and spiritual.
Starting with the natural, Seth and Michelle’s 3rd child arrived 1:15 am Sunday, September 26th. Thinking she might arrive early, Julie traveled in to help a week before her due date the 22nd. Being a girl, she arrived late. I was able to drive in from Iowa about 10 hours before her birth. She is our eighth grandchild and second granddaughter. Mom and baby are well and Seth is super blessed. Julie stayed an extra week to help with Harper (6) and Finn (3). Now concerning spiritual new births, we also have an awesome report.
A few days after arriving to DFW from Colombia, I drove to Iowa to help my young evangelist friend Joe Bieber. He held some revival meetings in the Mason City/Clear Lake area, which is his hometown. Jesus is on the move in our nation, awakening her for Him to be Lord and Savior. The emphasis is on Lord! Two churches joined to support the meetings, River City (a new church) and Zion Lutheran church. The Gospel was preached each night and Holy Spirit moved in powerful conviction of sin and the need for salvation. The meetings were extended for two extra nights. Let me share a few highlights.
The first night Kris ministered and Jesus healed a gentleman of a longstanding knee and leg injury. He surrendered his life to Jesus as Lord and received water baptism in a horse trough on the River City church parking lot. Then our team ministered the baptism and infilling of the Holy Spirit to him. He attended every revival service thereafter and was glowing like a neon sign with the light of God. His surrender to the Lord drew much attention in the local community. Part of his testimony was, “My wife had been dragging me to the Lutheran church for years where I filled a pew each Sunday”. He met Jesus as his healer and loving savior. He trucked it across the parking lot, pulling off his boots and belt and emptying his pockets. He was the first one to follow the Lord in water baptism!
More than a hundred (from small children to people in their eighties) followed the conviction in their hearts to obey the Lord in water baptism. For two nights they did baptisms in the lake about five blocks from Zion Church in the town of Clear Lake. The other three nights, baptisms were done in the horse trough in Mason City. Most did not come prepared and were baptized in the clothes they wore to the meetings. An entire family came to the Lord. Also, a divorce was canceled. I baptized one man from Corpus Christi, Texas who happened to be working in the area. Some folks shared with him at Walmart and he came. He wanted a fellow Texan to bury his old man in that cold clear lake! Corpus bay would have been a lot warmer I can assure you, but he meant business with the Lord. So many were healed physically and filled with Holy Spirit in five nights that we lost count. All the glory to Jesus.
Please keep us in your prayers. This whole trip I have been driving. I will be traveling on to New Mexico to visit Will and Victoria. Then finally, back to Texas for a few days and down to Corpus Christi for the RMAI conference.
We are having three nights of revival services beginning October 24th @ 7 PM at the Silver Spur Resort in Canton, Texas. If you are in the area Julie and I hope you can come.
Please let us know how we can pray for and join our faith with you.
With Much Love,
Charley & Julie
