March 9, 2015 – Good News Reflections

Dear Praying Friends,

We just returned home from 3 weeks of meetings in Florida. Thank you so much for your prayers – we know that safety is of the Lord!

Our first stop was at St. Augustine Road Baptist Church, in Jacksonville, FL. These dear friends were such an encouragement to us while Susan was at the Mayo Clinic (in 2013 and 2014). We enjoyed our time of worship with them on Sunday.

Starkey Road Baptist Church

On Monday, we drove to Starkey Road Baptist Church, in Largo, FL where we did some Puppet and Ventriloquism training with their puppet teams. They did a program for us on Tuesday night, and we were so encouraged to see how well they are doing. Not only do they do puppetry well, but they are also eager to improve their skills. They take their ministry seriously and have such a heart to use their talents for God’s glory.

On Wednesday, we started a Children’s Mission’s Conference, and 5 precious young people accepted Christ as their personal Savior. One of those young people was 9 year old, Caylee. That night she called her grandparents to let them know about her decision. What a joy to see Caylee and the others come to Christ!

Our focus in the Children’s Mission’s Conferences was on the persecuted Church. The young people at Starkey Road did a wonderful job bringing items to fill Action Packs (Action Packs are available through Voice of the Martyrs). Each of these Action Packs will be hand delivered to Christians in difficult parts of the world, who are being persecuted for their faith. The Missionary Work Day folks also gave hand-made items for the Action Packs like: “Pillowcase Dresses” for the girls, shorts for the boys, knit hats, blankets, etc. The young people (and their families) were also encouraged to write letters to Christians who are imprisoned for their faith. It was wonderful to see so many involved in encouraging our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ! If you are interested in joining this effort, you can go to: www.persecution.com

New Hope Baptist Church

Our next week of meetings was at New Hope Baptist Church, in Parrish, FL – where our focus was again on the persecuted Church. On Wednesday night, 9 year old, Grace came to accept Jesus as her Savior. Nine year old, Louis, also wanted to get saved, but decided to wait until he got home. He seemed to understand his need of Christ – so please pray that he makes this decision soon. We had a wonderful time ministering to the young people, and everyone enjoyed hearing from Dusty during the banquet on Sunday night. By the way – we also met Caylee’s grandparents, who are members at New Hope Baptist Church. Caylee is the young lady who accepted the Lord the week before, at Starkey Road Baptist Church. What a small world!

Two Pleasant Surprises

While we were at Starkey Road Baptist Church, in Largo, FL – a friend from North Carolina (Kelly Josey) knocked on our door. What a pleasant surprise! Several years ago (in VA) she surprised us with another visit – but she didn’t knock on our door – she sat in the audience and waited for us to recognize her. She is a sly one! What an encouragement she and her family have been to us over the years!

While we were at New Hope Baptist Church, in Parrish, FL – we had another knock at our door. This time it was one of Susan’s teachers from High School, Margaret Parlow, and her husband, Jim (the Lord must have known that we needed double the encouragement)! It was great to spend time with them and to get caught-up – they haven’t seen each other for 32 years! (The Parlows were missionaries for a while in the Ukraine). We all had a wonderful time sharing stories about God’s blessings over the years. I can only imagine how sweet Heaven will be – we will get to worship our Lord and fellowship with each other for eternity. What a time that will be!!!

Rachel’s Birthday Surprise

On March 3rd, Rachel turned 13 years old (where has the time gone)! After our time at New Hope, we surprised Rachel by taking her to Pensacola to meet several of her DVD teachers at Pensacola Christian Academy. It was wonderful to meet Mr. Howe and Mr. Smith, and to see Mrs. Chapel again. We really enjoyed the extra time Mr. Smith spent challenging and encouraging Rachel. It just made her day!

Then we went to Pensacola Christian College and met with the “Fairview Gang” (the young people from our church). We also met with another friend from North Carolina, David Fulp. It was so good to fellowship with everyone, and to see how God is leading in each of their lives. College days are so exciting!

On Wednesday evening we attended the service at the Campus Church, and on Thursday we went to the Sports Complex at PCC and enjoyed a night of Bowling, Ice Skating, Putt-Putt Golf, and Rock Climbing. It was so fun to spend that time together as a family.

Camp Victory

On our way home, we stopped by Camp Victory, in Samson, AL, to visit some friends we haven’t seen in 14 years. Just so happens, they were having their Mother-Daughter Retreat! Susan and Rachel were invited to join in and thoroughly enjoyed that time together. It was so good to see everyone again and to spend time catching-up with each other. God has blessed this faithful ministry for over 54 years!

Thank you for your prayers for us and this ministry.

Reaching Families for Him,

Tim, Susan, and Rachel Vermaas

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