September ~ October Newsletter

God's Timing

When we returned to the island Billy was excited about the new addition that The Way of The Cross Baptist Church plans to build. But just as most things on this island, it takes longer than you hope for. Architect drawings, plans and permits seem to take forever. Our verse from God's Word this month tells us there is "a time to every purpose under heaven." These delays are really not delays in God's plan.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Some exciting things have happened at our church. Assistant Pastor Sam Bronigan will be stepping down as assistant pastor and stepping UP to National Director of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) in the US Virgin Islands. St. Croix will be home to the office and training center. What an honor for Pastor Bronigan, his wife Cristal and our church.

The Way of The Cross Baptist Church will be celebrating 30 years of Ministry on January 8, 2012. Pastor Harrigan and other members of the church are planning for this exciting event. Billy has been busy pressure washing, scraping paint and putting a fresh coat of paint on the multipurpose building. Landscaping projects are helping to make the church look it's best.

The Lord has provided a variety of jobs for Billy. He has done some painting, and some remodeling as well as washing and waxing a 40 ft yacht. Life is never dull that is for sure!

Children's Church

Sunday morning, September 11th we had 15 energetic and excited children make their way to the multipurpose building for Children's Church. There has not been a week since then with less than 17 children. A total of 40 different children have come. They are busy learning God's Word through verse memorization, Bible stories, puppetry, games, missions, movies, singing, crafts, and lots of other fun! We are practicing a couple of songs to perform in November for pastor appreciation month.

"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the

kingdom of heaven."  Matthew 19:14

Nurse Notes

The Lord has opened a door of opportunity to write a short health note for the high school newsletter at Free Will Baptist Christian School here on St. Croix. Back packs and water are two more recent topics covered. It seems like everything in life has Scripture which can be applied. Maybe that's why it is so easy to understand the Parables of Jesus.

Nursing duties also include judging a pizza eating contest!

Affordable Housing

For the last year we have been able to stay at Youth With A Mission for a reduced rate. However, as of November our rent will double. We are so grateful for the time we have had to get accustomed to the island and stay here. We are praying for the Lord's direction about our housing situation. Rentals are so costly and the electric bills are double what they are in the states. We know God wants us here so He will clearly show us the next step and provide for our needs!

Praises & Prayer Requests

Praises:

Safety during tropical storm

God's faithfulness daily

Work for both of us

Great start to Children's Church

Prayer Requests:

Children's Church

Continued spiritual growth

Safe hurricane season

Ministry opportunities

Affordable housing

Thank you so much for your prayer and financial support. Let us know what your needs are!

Billy & Cecilia Stone

Tax deductible contributions

may be sent to

YES Ministry

P.O. Box 700697

St. Cloud, FL  34770

Or

http://www.yeservants.org/



Christmas Surprise

Sometimes in life it is wonderful to get surprised. God surprised us yesterday and when He surprises you...you sit up and take notice. Christmas is still a couple of months away. That is always a hard holiday for us as we are miles away from family and old friends. It is not new to us. I don't remember the last time we saw family at Christmas. We have been blessed and have lived where God has provided friends and children to be around. It makes missing our grandchildren easier to deal with.

God knows the deepest desires in our hearts. We had always wanted to go to St. Thomas. Well, that is not the surprise. God connected us with a lady who needs a house sitter for three weeks over Christmas Break from school. It sits high on a mountain and overlooks the Caribbean Sea with the islands of St. Thomas and St. John in the distance. On a clear day you can see Puerto Rico!  She has a dog and cat which fills a void since our two dogs had passed away. We both love the sea!

Our God is great! Sometimes it is hard to understand His love for us. Life is tough sometimes...but we can still say God is great! We thank Him for His many blessings.

"Trust in the LORD and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psalm 37:3-4

Pastor Appreciation

It is hard to choose a pastor to recognize this Pastor Appreciation Month. There are so many we know, and we probably know William H Stone Sr the best! There are a lot of wonderful things we could write about him. He was there for Billy's birth, he married us in June 1991 and he is still there for us today.

The Lord has impressed upon us to write about our current pastor. His name is Beltane Harrigan and in January 2012 he will celebrate 30 years in the ministry of The Way of The Cross Baptist Church here in St. Croix. Although that is quite an accomplishment that is not what stands out the most about him. He is a wonderful shepherd to his flock. He loves each and every one of us despite our short comings. He is a humble gentle man, an encourager and hard worker. But he is also a strong Bible teacher and can preach a message with conviction and truth. The people of his congregation love him. He also is a lot of fun and it doesn't take long to put a smile on your face when you are around him.

We love our pastor and thank God for him every day. We also love his family and are thankful for them too. We know that a great pastor has a great family that supports him.

Happy Pastor's Appreciation Month Pastor Harrigan!!

SonPass

An interesting thing happened to us recently. We received a letter with a picture of our Tennessee license plate stating we owed a fine for driving without a SunPass on Florida's Turnpike. SURPRISE! As many of you know we drove to Miami at the end of July and had our car shipped to St. Croix. Since then we have Virgin Island license plates. Seems like life is rolling along fine. We were doing the right things, following the law (we thought), and not realizing we had a penalty to pay. My first thought was that the shipping company had driven our car after we dropped it off and had done something illegal. But after a call to a "toll free" phone number we found out that in order to drive that certain stretch of Florida's turnpike you need a SunPass. Those who don't have one get their picture taken and a fine of $3.50 and (of course) a $2.50 administrative fee. We feel we are pretty honest people, not perfect, but have always paid our tolls. It is really hard to miss those booths and lights. Driving in Miami traffic we did not see any signs that said you need a SunPass. But the truth remains...there is a penalty for driving on that highway without the right credentials.

We are continuing on our life's journey. One day we will have the opportunity to enter death's highway. It is inevitable. There is also a pass requirement to get to Heaven. Without it there is a penalty to pay.

"For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23

There will be no entrance into Heaven no matter how nice a person you are.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans 3:23

The SonPass will get you straight through!

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

John 14:6

You may find yourself on that highway of life not realizing you have a penalty waiting you. There is time today to get your SonPass. Don't delay...you never know when you might get that death notice. When you do there are no second chances. Your fine will need to be paid. But praise God, Jesus has already paid your penalty if you only believe and receive Him!

"But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" John 1:12

The Fruits Of Our Labor

Our first cucumber! To some it may not look like too much but to us it has been a while coming. When we first came back to the island in July, Billy made some planter boxes and we filled them with potting soil and tiny seeds. After a good watering we were anxious to see the first plant peeking up out of the soil. We were not disappointed. Within a week we saw green. Meanwhile Billy worked on preparing a bigger garden spot so we could transplant them. He started in the old mule pen where the grass was at least 4 feet tall. After chopping the grass down and pulling it up by the roots, the soil had to be loosened. Rocks were cleared and finally there was a spot large enough to plant vegetables. Tomato plants were transplanted as well as cukes and melons. Although we watered them we were not sure they would survive. The sun is so hot here that several just dried up and became mulch!

But yesterday we were able to pick the first cucumber. There are tiny tomatoes growing also. We are not the only ones watching our veggies grow. Chickens and Iguanas make their way to our garden spot, and the other day two horses were walking on some of our plants. It would be nice to just sit back and watch things grow but there is still work to do.

We are also eagerly awaiting to see the fruits of our labor with the children here on St. Croix. For the last few months we have been praying, collecting teaching supplies, and preparing for Children's Church which began on September 11th. The first Sunday we had 15 children and our lesson was on Creation. Each week they hear a Bible story, work on memorizing verses of Scripture, and worship the Lord "children's style."

We know the "ground" is prepared, the seeds of God's Word are being planted and nurtured, and soon we will see a harvest. We have to be on guard for the enemy of our souls. This is still a time of keeping the soil in good condition, planting more seeds and constant nurturing. We know God will be glorified with the results!

"But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." Matthew 13:23