July 2002 Tour (Page One)

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Well known words in Ecclesiastes state that there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven (3:1). For Trampled Rose Ministries, the season of preparation and anticipation has ended, and the first dates of opportunities to minister have begun. What a glorious beginning it has been!

On Saturday evening June 29 and Sunday morning June 30 at First Baptist Church of Ansonia, the Summer 2002 worship and missions awareness tour officially started. Both the coffeehouse setting and then the church service the following morning were both well attended and full of great fellowship. It was exciting to see so many people inquisitive and supportive of what was going on. Through Spirit-led worship and sharing, testimonies, prayer, and even a drama and picture presentation, it was evident to us firsthand (and from feedback we were constantly getting) that God was really stirring hearts and blessing our times. Similar to the biblical model of the church in Acts (2:44-47), the atmosphere was one of love, community and interaction. Many invitations to other churches and great conversations with people who attended followed the scheduled events.

For us, everything was so positive and uplifting to see and be a part of. We were really touched. God WILL always honor and bless endeavors that He brings about – and the fruit of the harvest has definitely started to be gathered this past weekend. We couldn’t have asked for a better start. We are excited to see what God will continue to do across America this coming month!

Immediately following our first three worship dates, we spent two days recording songs for a Wobble worship cd and then rolled out onto the open highway. The next few days on the road gave us the opportunity to visit three friends from our October 2001 DTS enroute to our next scheduled appointment. It was wonderful and both refreshing and nostalgic to see them. The time to get back on the road and begin preparing for the next event always seemed to come too quickly!

Our first significant stretch of the journey took us from Connecticut through Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, and we ended up in Illinois for an evening of outdoor praise and worship in the town of Sterling hosted by Science Ridge Mennonite Church. Not only was it somewhat unique being outside and setting up on the back of a flat bed trailer (a first for many of us), we also had the blessing of having one of our DTS friends, whom we had recently visited in northern Chicago, join us on guitar for the evening.

We were really made more aware of how each opportunity we have to worship needs to be viewed as a special and unique time with God. Future plans and past memories of worship should dim in the light of the present chance to sing praises to the Lord, a chance that may not be repeated until we all sing those praises around the throne of the Lamb one great and glorious morning! We want to always remember to make the most of each opportunity we have to worship here on earth!

Everyone from the church was so hospitable from the moment we arrived. We had a wonderful time of prayer following our set-up and sound check. This was a time of putting into practice what we were feeling - allowing our hearts to be made right and be united for the time we had to together on this 'one time' evening.

The temperature and weather were perfect for the ninety minutes we spent praising God under the scenic sky. Everything went great and the presence of God was evident from start to finish. Most attenders brought lawn chairs and sang along with chorus sheets we provided. Immediately following was a cookie and juice fellowship where many conversations and invitations to other churches took place.

A glorious evening with God! A unique evening with God!

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." Psalm 37: 4-6

When we discussed and assembled for this 'slightly over a month' long tour we had high expections that the Lord would not only receive all the glory and praise, but all of us embarking on this journey of faith would be built up and blessed as well. As the above verse states, we are living proof that God is always faithful to His Word. He has far surpassed our expectations! The times of worship, prayer, fellowship, and travel have been wonderful. The support and encouragement of so many people and churches continuously grows daily. This has truly been an adventure with God and He is piloting us on a vessel to 'Know Him more and make Him known'.

Our travels have landed us in Iowa for the past few days. Although the worship schedule has been busy, we have enjoyed continuous great fellowship and the hospitality of local brothers and sisters.

Friday evening, July 12, we once again assembled outside for a 'concert of praise' in the Kalona park. Perfect weather and temperature added the frosting on the cake for an intimate gathering for singing worship under the evening sky. It was great to witness people with their lawn chairs coming down to a park on faith, based only on a notice in the local newspaper. Their love for Christ and desire to worship Him broke down denominational walls as believers representing different churches came together based on their love of Jesus Christ. Two hour long sets of songs were broken up with a short message and the drama 'Prayer Warrior', depicting the reality of spiritual warfare. The feedback at the end of the night was so uplifting as people lingered and talked with us. Both the music and drama seemed to have a lot of impact. Praise God!

Sunday morning, July 14, we had the privilege to lead worship for the morning service at Lower Deer Creek Mennonite Church. We were really touched to be invited to do our more contemporary style of worship in this more traditional setting. The full sanctuary didn't seem to deter people from personally entering into worship of our Living Saviour. Although some songs may have been new, it was hard to tell as people sang along or worshipped quietly from the overhead transparencies. In the greeting line following and at the pot luck dinner they hosted for us after the service, the words received were positive as more great fellowship took place.

We had a second opportunity for worship on Sunday. This time it was at O2, a different and more contemporary evening service hosted by Kalona Mennonite Church. It starts at 6:02pm and is geared for a younger generation of christians as well as seeking the lost of generation X with lighting and technology that reflects modern standards, and a more relaxed atmosphere than the typical morning services. But there was nothing relaxed about the passion of these worshippers for their Saviour! Although the service is only six weeks old, O2 gets alot of people hungry for God and passionate about worship and doing His business. We had a phenomenal Spirit-led worship which really rocked! So powerful in fact, that after it officially ended, almost two-thirds of the people stayed for another set of worship songs. It was truly a very enjoyable evening as we were once again reminded what heaven will be like as we surround the throne of the Lamb to praise Him with every fiber of our beings!

When we were not visiting people or getting ready for a scheduled event, we spent a lot of time designing and producing the official Wobble worship cd recorded on this tour. The entire process has been blessed and we are excited that God allowed us to put together this project from scratch. The talent, the recording, the artwork, and the production have all had His fingerprint. Our prayer is that people can really worship along with the cd for years to come.

Tommorrow we leave for Kansas and new people and places to share in the exciting work of Jesus Christ.

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