Nr.172 ended with, “ Scripture mentions about 25 gifts of the Spirit, do you know yours and are you using yours? What are you living for and what are you really here for…………? (See richardandmarina.net).

“But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I came forth.” Mark 1:38. Jesus knew why He was here, He knew what His purpose was. What about you, do you know why you are here, do you know what your, or rather, God’s purpose is for you? “Let us go into the next towns” Jesus said, and in Matt.9:35 we read, “Then Jesus went about ALL the cities and villages,” teaching, preaching and healing! Wow! What a missionary He was. When we went to Belgium it was our desire to see a church started in every city and town. I still have that desire, and oh, how I wish I could be back in Belgium, preaching in cities and towns, but that is not possible and we have to leave it to others to do that. And they are. We have heard of more people being saved, baptized and added to the churches in Belgium, and we have also heard of new workers coming in and new assemblies being started, praise God. It showed that it was not our work, but His, and it would carry on without us, praise God!

Even though I was happy to preach and hold Bible studies in assemblies in different places, our hearts were burdened for church planting as we believed the Lord had called us to that. And I was, and still am, firmly convinced that the planting of churches the best and fastest way is to evangelize the world and therefore it was a joy to help some established churches grow. The full-time worker at Woodside Bible Chapel here in Elmira left and I was able to assist the elders in visitation and preaching. But what about a new church? Would the Lord use us here to start a new church as we had done in Belgium? It was my constant prayer. I talked to one of the elders at our home church, a dear brother, Abner Frey, who is now, after a battle with cancer, with the Lord, and he had a vision for that too. We talked and prayed together and I started visiting people in and around Alma, Ontario, not far from Elmira. After some time there were a number of people interested in starting up a new work. Towards the end of 1988 and into ’89, we started meeting on Monday evenings in a hall in Alma and I led a study on church doctrines and practices, and after the study we would discuss these. It was an exciting time, what would come of this and was this really of the Lord……….?