On the road again!

After a week the team left Newcastle West this morning bound for Waterford to work with David and Beth Wilson and the Waterford Christian Assembly for the next week. They should have arrived earlier this evening. Along the way they were taking in some of the sights around Killarney and stopping off at Blarney. Don't know if anyone kissed the Balrney Stone!

Just to let you know, we got 3 emails today from Paudge at the 4YOU magazine office letting us know of people in our area who have requested material from the magazine.

One in Rathkeale: Graham, he came to a kids club we did in Rathkeale 12 years ago, he must be in his 20's by now. Pray for him as he asked for the booklet A Way Out of Despair and the one on Reality.

One in Newcastle West, a woman looking for a bible and the A Way Out of Despair booklet

The other was in Kilmallock (Charleville area) who wanted a Bible and Gospel of John.

We are encouraged by this quick response and look to the Lord to continue to touch hearts.

Colin  

Dear praying friends,

We have the TnT Team with us right now, so far we have visited 4000 homes with the 4YOU gospel magazine. While out on the doors two nights ago we came across a  woman (Ann) who had come out to our Carols by Candle Light service, she said she was impressed with the service as she had not been to one like that before, after a lengthy talk, her husband said they would like to come to church on Sunday, and what would be a good time. We are looking forward to seeing them at 11am on Sunday morning, their neighbour was Emma (19) who was also interested and said she was open to come along to church, she had been to the Jehovah's (Witnesses) as she has an Aunt in them, but had stopped going, also two ladies were met with a couple of other team members and they also said they will come out to church next Sunday as they already had commitments this weekend.

Yesterday we were in Rathkeale, the next town up from us, we delivered magazines in the morning then after lunch knocked on the doors. Do pray for Edmond, he is a man who had a troubled past. After 10 min on the door he invited Nathan and myself in for a talk, while he is open He thinks he is OK because of some vision he had that told him everything was going to be good. He took a New Testament and said he would read it later as he was painting the house, he also said he would be interested in a bible study and coming along to meeting sometime. He said that he had planned to go see a movie that afternoon  but for some reason decided to stay home, and now he knew why. One mother we met in this estate remembered me from a kids club we had in the previous neighbourhood she lived in, this opened her up and we had a lengthy chat. What is amazing is that club was held 12 years ago, and her daughter in now married with children. I told her I had a picture of the group back then, she would like to get a copy, so we know we have at least one more opening there.

Sinead is a woman who has been coming along to the meeting for the past month and a half, her son came to the Easter club. She has been attending the family service for the past 6 weeks and while she thinks she is OK, she is open to talk, do pray for her and her husband.

One bit of good news this week came from Ewa and Adam, one of the Polish couples in the meeting. Ewa was telling me on Sunday night that her friends Beata and Mirek were saved through the week. Ewa and Adam had been speaking to them for quite a while now and Ewa thought Beata may have gotten saved but she was not sure. Thankfully they both told Ewa & Adam that they had  come to faith in Christ that week. We are so pleased for Ewa & Adam as this is the first fruit in their gospel efforts.

Do pray with us as we follow up on contacts and also for those who said they would come out to meeting, that the Lord would prepare their hearts to receive the gospel.

Colin & Natalie

 

Today (Tuesday) was a beautiful Irish day. It started out a little cloudy with a couple sprinkles in the morning, but by the afternoon, the sun came out, and it turned into a gorgeous day! Our job for the day was to “blitz” the town of Rathkeale, in the morning with magazines and in the afternoon with door-to-door work. Rathkeale is an interesting town; it’s a traveler’s town. The travelers are an entirely different culture of themselves; they are similar to what some would call gypsies. The travelers spend most of the year traveling with their campers, horses, and families around the countryside. Some are rather shady people known for stealing and having no regard for the law. While they spend most of their time travelling, most of them have homes in Rathkeale that are boarded up for the whole year until they return home for a month or so around Christmas. They are a close-knit community and don’t trust outsiders so we received some shadowy looks from people in the morning as we distributed the magazines. Right before we left for lunch a group of young traveler boys gathered around heckling us; they were harmless enough, but we got a taste of their culture.

In the afternoon we returned to Rathkeale to follow up about the magazines that we distributed and try to share the Gospel with people. Doors can be rather discouraging and draining sometimes, and we definitely felt that in Rathkeale. We got the usual slammed doors and disinterest; we also had the people who just didn’t care. It’s so hard to talk with people who say, “I’m going to hell, and I don’t care” or “I have my own religion. I don’t need yours.” Several groups got chances to share the Gospel at doors, and one group got invited inside. One group gathered a rowdy crowd of traveler kids as they moved from house to house in an estate, and the kids gave them a hard time. It was a bit of a discouraging afternoon, but we have to trust that after we do our work, the rest of it is up to the Lord.

We ended the evening with dinner at the house of another member of the assembly. We have been overwhelmed with the kindness and hospitality of the families in the assembly. Each night we have had a delightful dinner fixed for us at a different house, and the food was amazing. We are all going to return 10lbs. heavier so you may not recognize us when we get back. J The kindness and hospitality from everyone has been such a blessing!

Please continue to pray for seed sown.  Also for the following people we met today who heard the gospel first hand and showed a varied response to it: Maureen, James, Aileen, Thomas, Michael, Jerry, Seamus, Ray, Edmund, and the always present “ Mary.”

Hello friends!

Today, in Newcastle West, was an early day. The team was up and out at 6am in order to make a morning trip out to the Cliffs of Moher to see a magnificent exhibit of the Lord’s creation. The cliffs were a great eye-opener for some as to the magnitude of the Lord’s power, and also a wonderful experience of Irish history and geography. Though most slept both ways, it was a great time for the team to spend together. While returning to NCW the team delivered magazines to a few small towns and estates and then went to the apartments for lunch. After lunch more magazines were delivered to the towns between NCW and Glin, including Athea, Carrigcarry, and Shannagolden.

The team had dinner at Colin and Natalie’s, joined by their family in order to celebrate Natalie’s birthday, another wonderful time of fellowship, followed by some door-to-door work (most of the team’s first time)  With the door to door work there were a number of people who listened intently as the gospel was presented and we trust the Lord will take the seed sown and His spirit will continue to work in the hearts of many here in West Ireland.

Many funny moments today between sleeping team members and friendly banter but we’re still trusting the Lord for strength and direction, and hoping and praying for those we speak to and the local believers.

We appreciate all your prayer and support,

With love, TnTTeams

The Burnetts and Shanks, along with the church-planting ministry in Newcastle West, have a ministry called "The Ultimate Decision" that seeks to reach out with the gospel by making all types of gospel materials available at their UD trailer that they set up at fairs and festivals throughout Ireland.

Missionary Andy Shanks: "It's great to have the team with us. Apart from all the hard work they have brought good weather with them! As well as Newcastle West there have been many small villages and rural areas covered with the 4you magazines. As always the team is appreciated."

Greetings!

Sunday morning we gathered with the saints at Newcastle West Bible Fellowship to remember the Lord. Linda, Jerry and Bethany helped in the Sunday School, while the kids listened intently. Nathan and Ben had the opportunity to speak in the Family Bible Hour. They both themed their messages around Genesis 22: 1-13.

After the Family Bible Hour the team enjoyed a fellowship lunch with the rest of the believers of Newcastle West Bible Fellowship. After lunch, the team headed out to Broadford, Ashford, and a couple of tiny villages to distribute 4you Ireland magazines. Along the way between Broadford and Ashford the team stopped at a mass rock and a bog. A mass rock is a holy place for the Catholics. During the late 1700s, the ruling body at the time said it was illegal to perform a mass. Devote Catholics would meet at the rock in secret, to have mass- hence the name mass rock. Tim had the opportunity to witness to a gentleman who was passing by. He told Tim that a priest had been assassinated at the mass rock for performing the wedding of a protestant and a catholic.

After the distribution of more magazines, the team headed over to Andrew Shanks house for supper, a time of singing and prayer.         

Working because we love the Lord!

Tnt teams

Saturday we started our day with devotions  then we finished the magazine distribution in Newcastle West  in the morning and heading in the afternoon  to Limerick for open-air ministry.

Nathan and Ben took turns with Tim and Colin on the sketch board while Jerry demonstrated his lunar sticks and Jen, Bethany, Linda & Kassi sang praise songs accompanied by Ben or Bethany on the guitar.           
We passed out children’s packs containing comics about John Harper, a pastor who died in the titanic tragedy, pencils and candy.  There were several good conversations with different individuals who got to hear the gospel. Most people walking by were interested in the sketch board, we also passed out a bunch of tracts , the most popular being the “Million Dollar Bills”  - people seemed to like money the best ;-)

We were right by the Shannon River which was a bonus! After we were done we went  for a walk down the river to see the siege castle before heading off to supper with the Burnetts and Shanks’.  After good food and fellowship we headed home. As you can see from the pictures posted before it was a lovely day out for both letter-boxing and the open-air ministry.

Please pray for all those who received the magazines & tracts, and for those who witnessed the sketch boards, that they would think about what they have heard and or read.  We Praise the Lord for these opportunities to share His gospel.        

Pictures!

Open Air Preaching with missionary Colin Burnett in Limerick 

The Backseat Boys working' the shades

Girls singing to draw a crowd before the message.

Tim in a good conversation with a couple of lads.

The Team!
From right to left:
Ben Daniel, Jerry Hood, Bethany Scheer, Jen Nygaard, Linda Hood, Tim Hood, Kassi Juhlke, Nathan Bolton.

Greetings!

Our first day at Newcastle West was a busy one. After morning devotions we began distributing the Irish 4you magazines. The team worked hard and we were able to get out around 2,000 magazines today. We still have a lot more to go, but we’re off to a good start. We had many interesting encounters while out in the neighborhood, but only a couple negative responses and one man in pink underwear watering his flowers.

During distribution Jen ended up in a good conversation with an elderly Catholic lady. The magazine was a good conversation starter and the lady was very interested. She asked many good questions such as “Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?” and “How can I know for sure I’m going to heaven.” Her name is Mary and we were able to give her a Bible to read as she did not have one. Please pray for Mary who is searching for the certainty and peace that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

Tomorrow we will be finishing up distribution in the morning. In the afternoon, we will be doing some street evangelism in the town square.

Prayer:

-Please pray for those who are receiving the magazines

-Pray for Sinead, who has recently started coming to the assembly, that the Spirit will continue the work He’s begun and she’ll get saved.  

-Pray for the team as they do street evangelism as this will be a first time experience for many of them.

Working because we love the Lord!

Tnt teams

As reported yesterday the team along with several 1st generation assemblies will be distributing 40,000 copies of the 4YOU Gospel Magazine over the next month or so. Topical and relevant articles grounded in the gospel  and featured in this year's issue include: "The End - Where Do We Go From Here"; "Viva La Difference" - Love & Marriage Tips; "Loneliness"; "Imagine There's a Heaven"; EURO 2012 - June's European soccer championship; and "Losing My Religion". Each copy also makes a free offer of Bibles, courses, books, CDs and DVDs. 

PRAISE the Lord for His faithful provision so these magazines with their message of hope could go out. As the seed is sown we need to water the seed so please PRAY.

If you would like to read this magazine online go to: www.4youireland.blogspot.ca/p/4you-magazine.html .

Hello again!

Our day starting with picking up the last member (Jen Nygaard) of the team at Dublin Airport from there we then went onto to Bunratty Castle and got to see how people in rural Ireland used to live.  The team then left and headed onto Newcastle West, co Limerick.  On arrival we have got situated into our lovely apartments and then proceeded to NCW prayer meeting and bible study.  The Assembly had a  guest speaker Noel who gave a great report of the work he is involved with  – Postal Bible School,  and also updated the fellowship of the work they are doing in his Assembly in Drum, County Cavan.

The team is settling in to their temporary residence and is preparing for the week of ministry ahead of them including magazine delivery and door-to-door evangelism.

It’s a real blessing for this young team to have the experience of working with the locals of NCW and being able to serve the Lord wherever and whenever He calls.

Prayer would be appreciated as this is most of the team’s first experience with this kind of outreach, a combination of excitement and nervousness is in every one of the team members’ hearts as the true purpose of the trip is at hand.

Many blessings in the Lord,

TnTTeams

Please PRAISE the Lord with us for His supply of $8000 so that TnT Teams could provide 40,000 4YOU.ie gospel magazines for the work in Ireland. This is a 16-page full-colour mag with relevant and topical articles written by the Irish for the Irish with offeres of free New Testaments and other gospel materials. You can view this mag by going to: http://4youireland.blogspot.ca/ and clicking on "Online Magazine". 

Along with being used by the TnT Team, this magazine is being supplied free of charge to the following assemblies for free distribution throughout Ireland: Shankill Bible Church, Co Dublin; Bray Christian Assembly, Co Wicklow; Gorey Christian Assembly, Co Wexford; Waterford Christian Assembly, Co Waterford; Charleville Bible Fellowship, Co Cork; Newcastle West Bible Fellowship, Co Limerick; Kilkenny Christian Assembly, Co Kilkenny; and a new group of believers meeting in Co Laois.

Please PRAISE the Lord with us for the 24-page testimony booklet written by James McCarthy titled “The Mass: From Mystery to Meaning” which goes into print production today. Just yesterday we got notice that all of the $9000 needed to print 20,000 copies of this booklet for free distribution during the 50^th International Eucharistic Congress being held in Dublin from June 10^th-17^th. This congress held only every four years is attracting devotees of the mass from all over the world with 25000+ celebrating the mass every day with 80000+ on the last day. If you would like a pdf of this booklet email: ron.hampton@tntteams.org .

If you are a viewer in North America, you can purchase copies of "The Mass" from Everyday Publications by going to: www.everydaypublications.org .

Please PRAY for the team and all the evangelistic outreach taking place in Ireland over the next four weeks. Remember: “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”