2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Lancaster Family Prayer Letter
August 2015
Dear Friends, Family, and Supporters!
I apologize that the last letter took so long to get sent out. I wrote it several weeks ago, but Joshua and I have both been so busy that we never got it out. SO, this month you will get a double-dose of updates from us!
Well, it has been another busy and exciting month! This is just one of the many things I enjoy about the Crusades, a person doesn’t get bored! There is always something going on, and there are always things to prepare for!
The first of August brought a few things. The first one was the official launch of the forty days of door-knocking and soul-winning. We had a good turn out for the launch and even had several teenagers go out to pass out tracts. What an encouragement to see young people burdened for the souls of others! Already in the door-to-door effort we have seen 60+ people saved! There are a couple reasons for this kind of response. 1.) We have had people willing to go out and witness to their neighbors and friends! 2.) Prayer! We could not have seen God do this much and will not be able to continue to see God working without people getting behind the efforts and pouring their souls out before the Lord for the lost to come to Christ! It has been so inspiring to see this many come to know the Lord already. Obviously Richmond is in need of the Gospel and we must go out and give them the Good News!
The second thing that August brought was the kickoff to our Youth Month at Faith. We decided to do a rally similar in style to Neighborhood Bible Time (Joshua traveled one year as an NBT evangelist). Instead of doing just a week of special services though, we decided to spread it out over the course of the month. Our theme is Donut Wars and the two teams are Krispy Kreme vs. Dunkin Donuts. So far the kids have really seemed to enjoy it, and we saw several new faces on the very first night. This past Wednesday we did Pizza and Crazy Games. This coming Wednesday we are looking forward to doing a Big Ball Night. Praise the Lord, at the first service I was able to lead two little girls to the Lord, giving us a total of ten children at Faith that have come to know Christ in just the few weeks we’ve been helping!
Many other things are happening at Faith. Along with the special youth services, we are working on updating the church’s nursery, putting together a church directory, updating the sanctuary and entry with new carpet, installing a missionary display in the back of the church, and hosting a church-wide banquet. We have been very busy, but the Lord is doing great things, the church is growing, and the members seem to be encouraged!
A couple of weeks ago Bro. Foxx asked us to come and help him with a youth rally he was supposed to preach at in Virginia Beach. Joshua, Bro Marco, and myself went along to help run the games and get the teens pumped up! It was a great time of food, fellowship, preaching, and three young people got saved that afternoon! Is it not obvious that the Lord is wanting to do something great in Virginia and in this country? If I doubted it before this summer, I’m convinced of it now! I’m realizing more and more everyday that people are searching for answers and are finding them in the Lord! He wants us to step out of our comfort zones and take the Gospel to them! It is our desire that all of the individuals receiving our prayer letters allow God to burden their hearts for the lost around them!
Even though we have had a great time, there are still many things that need to be bathed in prayer!
1. Please be in prayer for the Crusade! We still need more supporting churches, workers, and finances. The Crusades are a huge undertaking and we desperately need people to get behind it! Pray for workers to be willing to go out, pray for the lost to be open and receptive to the Gospel, and pray for the GBAC magazines, tracts, and door-hangers that have been passed out. This August issue of the GBAC magazine is now available to be viewed at: www.GodBlessAmericaCrusade.com. Joshua even has an article in this month’s online copy!
2. Please continue to pray for our responsibilities at Faith. We want to make a difference this summer! With so many things going on for the Crusade and for the church, we want to make sure we do all things well. So far the Lord has blessed, but there are many more things to come and we need the Lord’s guidance and help.
3. Please pray for the banquet at church that is coming up soon. I will be giving the challenge to the ladies and Joshua will be giving the challenge to the men. Already we have new people signed up to come and we are hoping to share the Gospel in our challenges. Pray that the messages will be clear and lives will be changed.
4. Please pray for the Jr. Church class on Sunday mornings. Many of the other programs have exploded with children and things are going well, but the Jr. Church class has had a huge drop off in the last couple weeks. It would be such a blessing to have those children return so that we have more time to teach them the Bible.
5. Lastly, please pray for Sundee, a lady we have had contact with this summer. Joshua met her one day while out sharing the Gospel and she has been very receptive to the Bible. We are still not certain of her salvation. Her testimony is very unclear at best, but she has recognized her need for Christ and that she needs to get her life turned around. We were able to visit with her this week, and we suggested setting up a weekly Bible study with her. She readily accepted this, and we are hoping to start that on Monday evenings. She is anxious to learn more and has been daily reading her New Testament. She has also been working faithfully on getting rides to church, and we hope that her new zeal will not cool down. Please bathe this dear lady in prayer. She desperately needs to see the Lord at work in her life, and she needs much encouragement in the very difficult road she has ahead of her!
Again, we can’t express enough how much we appreciate the thoughts, prayers, support, and reading of our prayer letters! It is encouraging for us to be able to share what the Lord is doing in our lives and ministry, and we hope that it will be an encouragement to those that read our updates as well! The Lord wants to use every individual just as much as He wants to use us. We pray that all that read this letter would ask themselves the question, “ Am I willing to be used of God?”
His Servants,
Joshua, Pepsi, Parker, and Porter Lancaster
James 4:8-10 & 2 Chron. 7:14