Fall 2015 Newsletter

Fall Is The Time For Leaves!

Having come from the state of Maine we know the beauty of God's creation when the leaves change color in the fall. Bright reds, yellows and oranges adorn a variety of trees. Our favorite are those set against the white birch trees. It has been a long time since we were in New England to see the miracle of this transformation but our memories still carry those beautiful sights.

However, there comes a time when the weather changes and the leaves drop from the tree and allow the tree to go through a time of rest and renewal. During those bleak winter days there is still life left in the tree. Energy stored up from the summer helps it to survive harsh winters. New life appears in the spring when buds produce green leaves that will eventually change color later in the fall season.

Just as it always seems too early for the leaves to fall from the trees, it seemed too early for us to leave St. Thomas and Bluewater Bible College. But without a doubt we believe God said it was time to go. We feel truly blessed to have had this opportunity to get to know the students and our church family at Grace Baptist Church.

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

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Transition Time

Once the plans were made to return to the states for awhile, we began to sell most of our belongings. The day after the car was posted for sale, we had a cash buyer; other items too large to ship were sold and we packed up the rest and shipped them to our location in St. Cloud, Florida (just south of Orlando). We arrived home on October 23 without a car and long term place to stay. Friends let us use their truck and within three days God had provided a pickup truck we bought from a cousin headed on a mission trip to Colombia. After a few days of staying in our parents mobile home, we were able to move into a 400 sq ft studio apartment that is owned by the YES Ministry president. God has truly proved His faithfulness once more in providing for our needs. The people have loved on us and taken good care of us. The first few days of driving in heavy traffic on the right side of the road made for a time of intense prayer. Who would have thought driving could have been so scary!!

What Next??

We are seeking the Lord's guidance for what we should do next. We ask that you pray with us as we seek His will. Since we know this is God's will for us right now, it makes leaving the Caribbean for a time much easier. Only in time will we know God's plans. Meanwhile we both are looking for some employment to help supplement our support as we are at about 35% of what we need. We are taking opportunities to help out with some maintenance of the apartment where we are staying. We also are connecting with churches and individuals here as well as eventually in Tennessee and Maine as spring and summer approach.

We thank you for your prayer and financial support. Your faithfulness has truly been a blessing and an encouragement.

Billy & Cecilia

Praises & Prayer Requests

Praises

Safe Trip Home

Health & Safety

Transportation and Housing

Prayer Requests

Opportunities to Present Ministry Needs

Bluewater Bible College Students Needs

Employment

Health & Safety

Transition to Stateside Living

Attendance at West Indies Baptist Fellowship Conference in January in Ft. Lauderdale

Contact Information

Billy 340-643-0820

Cecilia 340-643-0821

www.CaribbeanMission.blogspot.com

StoneJuicePlus@aol.com

Mailing Address

1715 Jersey Avenue

St. Cloud, FL  34769

Tax deductible contributions
may be made online at:
www.YEServants.org
or mail to:
YES Ministry
PO Box 700697
St. Cloud, FL  34770

Summer 2015 Newsletter

In Five Short Months

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.."
Ecclesiastes 9:10

At The Baptism

We have found our hands can be used for many things here on St. Thomas. On May 31st we joined Grace Baptist Church with welcoming hand shakes along with lots of hugs. We have grown to love Pastor Whyte and the people here.

Pastor Whyte

Grace Baptist Church

We shared hands of congratulations with a young man baptized in the Caribbean Sea. What a beautiful day!
We share in the responsibilities of cleaning the church monthly. Billy is helping with the song leading and Cecilia is doing the church bulletin.

While the president and his wife were away (no, the mice did not play) Billy drained, cleaned and painted the cistern under their house. Unfortunately no rain came to fill it up so we had to have a truck of water delivered. Now with a freshly painted roof, a clean, full cistern, they should be set for awhile.

Since mission teams and summer camps were coming for June and July, there was lots to do in preparation for that to happen. Cleaning apartments, moving some furniture around, locating supplies, etc. all took up our days. We will have to admit that occasionally on our runs to the dump we would stop on the way back for a quick swim in the Caribbean to cool off!

Summer Camps

Seaside Adventure Camp ran for two weeks in June. Two mission families came a week ahead to help get the dorms cleaned and bunks ready, kitchen cleaned and stocked with food for about 75 people each week. Overall it was a good time for all. One major crisis for the boys was a broken water pump that took a couple of days to get it completely running at full power again. Shuffling boys and girls around to share the showers made it a little rough but they managed!

Camp Fortuna ran for four weeks in July. The camp director came in from the island of St. Vincent and everyone seemed to have a great time. Nothing like hearing songs of praise from the children in the mornings!
The water pump caused no problems for them but on Sunday morning, the day after the campers left, the pump in the girls dorm came crashing down after the shelf broke. We had no water for awhile. Thank goodness the dorm has two pumps so we were able to shower in the dorm downstairs and carry buckets upstairs for dishes, etc. And the van the director was using had a flat tire that morning to make things more interesting!







Mission Team Coming!

We have a 10 member mission team coming from New Beginnings Baptist Church in St. Cloud, Florida. They arrive November 6th for a week of work and ministry. Several from this group came to St. Croix a couple of years ago and were a tremendous blessing to us and Altona Baptist Church. Needless to say we can not wait to see them again and enjoy the fellowship of old friends and making some new ones!

Practical Ways To Help In This Ministry

Since people have asked how they can help us we have provided a list of some practical needs we have:
1. Auto registration in August $75
2. Ink for printer for doing bulletins/newsletter
3. Stamps for mailing newsletters and letters
4. Driver's license renewal for both of us $100
5. Passport renewal for both of us $220.00
6. Cecilia's nursing license renewal $250
7. Gas money
8. Auto insurance renewal in November $700
9. Auto repairs as car not running $????

Our financial support takes care of what we need for groceries each month and our phone as well as our payment for Christian Healthcare Ministries. We have no health or dental insurance policies. We are trying to get by with as little as possible over these next few months so we can finish the year of commitment we made here at Bluewater Bible College.
God is and always has been our Provider. He works through people to meet our needs. We thank those who have prayed and given so faithfully. It is very much appreciated!

Billy & Cecilia

Contact Info
Billy 340-643-0820
Cecilia 340-643-0821
www.CaribbeanMission.blogspot.com
StoneJuicePlus@aol.com

Tax deductible contributions
may be made online at
www.Yeservants.org
or mail to
YES Ministry
PO Box 700697
St. Cloud, FL  34770

Horse Sense

 

 

These Days We Could Use A Little Horse Sense! 

 

 

 

Horses are my favorite animal. They are strong and beautiful. I love horseback riding, though it has been a few years since I have done that. They are fun to watch even as they graze in the pasture, their new little one playing in the summer sun. The sound of their whinny when they see you coming with a bright red apple brings joy to my heart.

Horses are used for pleasure as well as for work. I always found it interesting when I saw them with blinders on. It takes away from their beauty! After I did a little research I learned that the blinders are used to keep them on course so they remain focused. Their peripheral vision tends to distract them from their work. When plowing a field they could easily get off track and make a crooked row, when in a parade become distracted by another horse or people, or get skittish when a dog or snake comes along.

I find that in my Christian walk I need to wear "blinders". Not that I want to stick my head in the sand like an ostrich oblivious to what is going on around him. No, I need to be aware but I need to stay focused. My "peripheral" vision of ungodly world wide events tends to distract me and make me ineffective for the purpose God has for my life.

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."  Hebrews 12:1

So if you see that my vision is focused on God and the teachings of the Bible, know that, though not perfect, my heart's desire is to stay obedient to my Master and follow Him. The "blinders" are a good thing and they provide the protection I need to stay focused on the Work of the Lord.



Spring 2015 Newsletter

The Difference A Year Can Make...

In The Life Of A Baby

With lots of care and love a baby can go from a helpless newborn to a toddler walking and exploring his or her surroundings. It's amazing how much a baby changes in just one year! 

In The Construction Of A New Home

Once the first shovel of dirt has been dug, hours of hard work go into completing a new home. Much happens in a year on an empty house lot. A family can begin to make memories!

In The Life Of A Bible College Student

The student spends hours in one year in preparation for a life of ministry. With limited financial resources, students sacrifice family, etc. to attend college. Upon graduation they return to their homes and invest in the lives of others.

In The Service Of Missionaries On The Field

Buildings to be repaired, landscape maintained, office work, health issues addressed, and serving in the local church are just some of the many ways that missionaries can make an impact in other's lives.

All of these above situations require a lot of hard work to make a positive difference!

"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupt..."

Matthew 6:20

 

Aerial View of Bluewater Bible College & Institute

 

College Life

We have been here at Bluewater Bible College & Institute for almost three months now and we have hit the ground running. We have settled into our apartment on campus, found a church home, and are adjusting to island life here on St. Thomas. Not only is the landscape more mountainous, but the population, though about the same as St. Croix, is on a much smaller piece of rock!

April was Bluewater Bible College month, which meant the students traveled to several churches and presented a program of song, testimony and preaching. Our responsibility was to work along with the students to get them prepared for this ministry. They all did an excellent job. It was a blessing to get to know each of them!

Ministry On Campus

Billy has no lack of work projects! There are nine buildings on campus and each one has multiple maintenance and repair needs. Since the college budget is tight (common for mission schools) he has had to be creative in finding ways to take care of these issues. He also has been busy with the chainsaw and weedwacker. Since the property is on a hillside, lawnmowers are not much use. Everything must be done by hand. The students, in their spare time, help with some of the work as they are part of a work/study program.

Cecilia has set up an office for nursing as well as office work. She also helps Billy as they work on apartments used for visiting professors and mission teams. Those home improvement shows we watched on HGTV are really coming in handy!

Mission Teams Needed!!

If you have ever thought about a mission trip or been on any in the past, Bluewater Bible College & Institute could use your help. We are a mission school in need of all kinds of workers. If you can clean, are organized, have carpentry, plumbing, electrical, masonry, tile, painting experience, or can cook this is the place for you! We ask you to pray to see if God has a mission trip in your future. Let us know if you feel His leading to come. We can help you walk through the process of this rewarding ministry.

Needs

We thank you for your prayers and financial support. Prayer is the most important need, We have also stepped into this area of ministry without any salary. We are trusting God to work through His people to meet our financial needs so we can stay here on campus this next year and do the work He has called us to do.

We will be staying on campus this summer and will not make a trip home until the summer of 2016. We feel that God has asked us to commit for a year here and although we would love to go home, we need to be obedient to His will. He has done so much for us!

Praises & Prayer Requests

Praises

Church Home

Health & safety

Ministry at Bluewater Bible College & Institute

Prayer Requests

Ministry at Bluewater Nible College & Institute

Financial Support (We are at about 35%)

Students at Bluewater

Summer Camps at the College

May the Lord bless you for your part in this ministry!

Billy & Cecilia

Tax deductible contributions

May be made online at

www.YEServants.org

or mail to

YES Ministry

PO Box 700697

St. Cloud, FL  34770

Winter 2015 Newsletter

 

54th Annual West Indies Baptist Fellowship Conference

 

St. Croix was the host island for the conference. Baptist churches from all across the island and delegates from all over the West Indies and US met together for daily/evening meetings during the week of January 19th. It was a great time of praising the Lord in worship, Bible study, preaching, fellowship and food. We were able to attend several sessions and found this to be a life changing event for us!

 

 

 



The first evening there we reconnected with the president of Bluewater Bible College & Institute, Rich Davis and his wife Jo Ann. We had met them three years ago and actually visited the campus on St. Thomas. We saw the great need they had but at the time we were not able to help out.

 



 

Until Now!

The last few months we have sensed God getting us ready for the next step in our ministry. To make a long story short, we have been unanimously approved by the college board to be missionaries at the St. Thomas campus. We are busy packing and anticipate moving to the island on March 3rd.

 



Moving Between Islands

Moving from St. Croix to St. Thomas is a little like moving from state to state. Instead of a U-Haul truck, our car and things go aboard a cargo ship. Boxes of tools, dishes, clothes and other personal items are shipped on pallets and our car will be filled to the top with as much as we can squeeze in.

Since it is a cargo ship, people are not allowed to travel across he sea. Instead we will need to take a one way flight over and pick up our car and supplies the next day. Seems like our car and supplies get more cruise time than we do!

Bon Voyage!

 

College Life

We will be living in a small apartment on campus. There are currently seven students and two other faculty members on campus full time. Our positions as well as the other faculty members are faith supported. We know our God has been faithful in providing in the past and will continue in this next step of obedience.

Ministry opportunities for Billy include overseeing the maintenance of buildings, campus vehicles, tools & supplies, as well as helping with the men students work study program. The buildings are in need of upgrades and making podiums, whiteboards, etc in classrooms.

Cecilia will be the college nurse as well as doing secretarial and administrative responsibilities in the office. She will also help out with some cooking, grocery shopping, and other ministry opportunities as they arise, Both of us will be wearing a variety of hats.

 

"Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established." Proverbs 16:3

 

Praises & Prayer Requests

Praises

Ministry at Bluewater Bible College

Time we could spend at Altona Baptist Church

 

Prayer Requests

Sale of Billy's car and things we can't ship

Getting our car and items shipped

Goodbyes to friends on St. Croix

Health & Safety

Wisdom & Guidance

Finding a new church on St. Thomas

 

We thank you for your prayers and financial support. As we move into this ministry we know the time is short before the Lord's return. Our desire is to be busy doing His Work and sharing the Good News to those hurting and in need.

 

Tax deductible contributions may be made online at

www.Yeservants.org

or mail to

YES Ministry

PO Box 700697

St. Cloud, FL 34770