Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Answered Prayers

My wife and I have been praying that God would help us get our last credit card paid down so that we could apply for Wycliffe Bible Translators as career missionaries.  We need $1000.00 to pay on the credit card so that we can apply with them.  I can't really go into details but today we received a phone call and we were promised $1000.00 by May 1st.  It will come with a commitment on our part but we agreed and will be able to pay the card down the first part of May and begin the application process with Wycliffe.  We are still looking at Africa Inland Mission very closely (maybe more closely than Wycliffe at this point) and are planning to apply with them as well.  Many other options are still on the table but we are pursuing each one until God closes the door on them.  Please continue to pray that we put God's desire for us above any desire that we have for ourselves.  If you are reading this and would like to hear more about our ministry in Ghana and Togo last year I will be speaking at Calvary Baptist Church on April 3rd (this Sunday) at 6:00 p.m.  I will give a recap of our trip and give more detail about what God is doing in our lives currently.  Hope to see you there.

Gary Phillips aka Photoman



Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Decisions!

Lately, it seems that God has been opening many doors and giving Kelly and I much to think about in relation to our desire to be on the mission field in a full time capacity.  We have several mission agencies who have been in contact with us about possibly joining them.  If it were up to me I know which one I would go with but with so many doors opening we feel it is only wise to step through each one and see where they lead.  I have finally learned that I need to be willing to put my desires behind me and seek God's desire for me first and through this He will give me the desires of my heart.  We are presently talking with Wycliffe Bible Translators, Evangelical Baptist Missions, World Team, African Inland Mission, and Christian Missionary Alliance.  Each of these agencies have expressed interest in us and we are excitedly watching as God takes us on this new journey.  Please pray for us as we look at each of these ministries and try to determine which is the best fit for us.  Pray that God will give us clear direction and that we will listen to Him and not our personal desires.  Also pray for us as we try to pay off the remaining credit card that we have.  We need to have the balance below $1200.00 ASAP and the remainder paid off by June 2nd, we currently owe about $2200.00.  Without a job this is not going to be easy but God is faithful and has been providing us the income that we need to pay our bills.  Pray for Kelly and I as we look at our budget and try to find ways to spend less and pay it on the credit card.

Gary Phillips

Monday, March 21, 2011

Arrowbrook Baptist Church

Yesterday I had an opportunity to speak at Arrowbrook Baptist Church (One of the churches who supported us on our trip to Africa) and give a follow up report about our trip.  They gave me a copy of the service on CD so I decided to upload it to the blog for everyone to hear.  Maybe I should rephrase that, I decided to upload it for those who have nothing better to do than to sit and listen to me talk for 45 minutes.  If you take the time to listen first let me say thanks and second let me apologize for the poor sound quality at the beginning of the message.  I was wearing a lapel mic but it does not seem to work very well when I turn away from the podium.  During the first part of the message I was talking about slides that were being shown behind me and I would have to turn around and look at the images to know what to say.  When I turn around the sound quality goes way down, the lapel mic was supposed to be my main mic but the podium mic was obviously the main.  Someone who was listening to the disc today asked me if the people at the church could hear me better.  I hope they could!  You can hear everything I say if you listen closely and after I stop talking about the photos the sound is fine for the rest of the message.  So if you are still willing or if I have peaked your interest click below on the words listen to Gary to hear what I said.   A new window will appear and the audio should start right up.

Listen To Gary


Hope you are not bored,


Photoman

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Alzheimer's

My father passed Friday at 7:25 p.m.  He is now in heaven in a perfect body and is able to remember who we are.  I am confident that he is watching over us even now.  The details of his funeral will be decided in the morning but the waiting is over and now we can bury his remains and mourn his passing.  All the while helping my mother get used to being on her own.  The last 18 months of her life has been sitting in a nursing home with my father who couldn't even talk to her.  She took very good care of a man who much of the time didn't really know who she was.  Now she will have so much time and will not know what to do with it.  I am afraid that she will want to lock herself at home and feel guilty about doing things and enjoying life without him being a part of it. Please pray for her, her name is Marie.

Gary - aka- Photoman

Friday, March 11, 2011

A Time to Mourn!

Today my family suffered a great loss in the death of a great man, my father!  He suffered with Alzheimer's for the past 8 years and finally succumbed to the disease.  He passed peacefully while sleeping with my mom and his sister at his bed side.  We will miss him greatly but he is now in a place where the diseases of this world can no longer harm him.

Dad,

I will always love you and I will miss you until we are reunited in God's yard!

Gary -aka- Photoman

Welcome to our blog.

This blog is an attempt to chronicle the things that God is doing for us and through us both here at home and while we are in Africa. We will be updating this blog weekly while we are home, Africa will be a different story. Due to unreliable electric and Internet we are not sure how often we will be able to but we plan to update daily if we are able.

If you would like to support us financially for this trip to Africa you can send checks to us through our church. Make Checks payable to Emmanuel Baptist Church with a note for West Africa Missions Outreach. Mailing address is 1120 S. Detroit St. Xenia, Ohio 45385 Phone is 937-372-5887.