Jessica & Caleb- Mexico In Their Words!
Caleb and I just got back from Mexico last week, and had an incredible trip. Neither of us wanted to come home. While we were there we worked at one of the churches. Lets just say we learned a great deal about denying our flesh. Ms. Ollie Lovett also held a camp meeting for all the churches in the area and we held the kids services. We organized clown skits and dramas, crafts, and games to interact with the kids in the city as well as the orphans. At the night services we would go down to the camp meeting with the children, pastors and people from the villages and we would worship with them. God has been dealing with me about coming before Him and giving Him my everything! This life means nothing if I’m not giving my everything for His glory!
Jessica

When we got there we played with the kids and they were so cool. We played soccer and they killed us. It wasn’t even normal how good they were. At night the whole mission team got together in a small house and we prayed and worship, God really moved and touched our lives. The worst part was the work they had us to do, but when I saw what these people had, I was more than happy to help.
Caleb  


           
Looking Forward To Spain In April!

I pray you see how your prayers and support makes a difference! Thank you! My kids had a real encounter in Mexico with God. I’m in Spain when you get this newsletter. Please pray for me and family. God is good. Your support makes a difference!   
                                           
Thanks for loving the world, Rusty

Denise’s Corner:
Looking for prom dress, planning a graduation party, sending out invitations, wow, it all came so fast. She is counting the days. Jessica and Caleb had a great time in Mexico. Neither one was ready to come home. They shared about their trip in a church service and I was very proud of them both. They have been asked to go to Haiti in June. We told them if God provides the finances they can go. Every time we talk about Jessica going to college, Joshua cries. He doesn’t understand she will still be at home. I can’t say Caleb feels the same way. Siblings huh?! Joshua had his 6th Birthday April 2nd. When he woke up he asked me what 6 looked like? I just laughed and said” a lot better than 46”. Rusty is leaving for Spain this week. Please keep him in your prayers!

Wow Miracles In Brazilian Jungle!

This was an incredible trip to Peru and the Brazilian jungle. God was truly going ahead of us. Want to tell you of the miracle that Pastor Mark Stermer and I received. On the way to the jungle we flew on Rico airlines, whatever that is. The missionary informed us that this airline was the only one to fly to this city of Manaus and it did not fly on Sunday. We had to get back to catch a flight to Peru to preach in a conference. He said we have a boat we will take for 8 hours to get back to Manaus. Mark and I said is there any other plane there and he said there was, but the engine did not work. So we prayed and when we landed there was a 5 seated piper there.



It took us 8 minutes. Jesus just stepped in our shoes. The whole trip was like that, one miracle after another. We went to speak to 6 inland pastors that live on the waterways in the Amazon jungle. The people get to church by canoes. It is really something to behold.

Pastor Dino and pastor Mark from Healing Place Church are trying to invest into these pastors and people of this region. It is a cool project if I may say so and I’m humbled just to be a small part. God is good and wants to bless us. Thanks for letting me be a part!

Caleb & Jessica Going to Mexico At Easter!

I’m very excited about Caleb and Jessica wanting their lives to count for something. In Jesus we can make a difference. Also Caleb is going to Haiti in the summer.

Thanks for loving the world,
Rusty

Denise’s Corner:

Rusty had an awesome trip to Brazil and Peru as you have already read about. Caleb just had his final basketball game of the season. (Thank you Jesus). Their team came in 3rd place. We had a lot of fun. The last newsletter I talked about Joshua made his first basketball goal. Every game he made more and his last game he scored 12 points by himself. The entire family was there to watch. I didn’t know who screamed the loudest. Jessica was accepted to LSU Now we are working on scholarships. She was denied the TOPS Program because we lived in Austin  her junior year. We are trusting the Lord with this one. Please pray about this with us. We are doing great! We are gearing up for baseball, both boys  will be playing. As many sporting events as I attend  you’d think I would know more than I do!      


Love ya’ll,
Denise

Just returned from a trip to northern India. We went to Chandigar, India were we did a crusade in doors for a young local pastor. It is good to see God dealing with the next generation in India for the gospel. God always has a people no matter were it is. India has changed somewhat from four years ago, but it is still India. I remember the day about 1985 when missionsary Jack Harris and I did a crusade and planted a church. People ask me all the time how did you do it. First by the grace of God and second just londgevity, staying after it. God will do the promoting on His timetable, just stay about the Masters business. That is about the harvest, John 4:35-38 Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true:'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors." I was reading the other day where 37% of the peoples population lives in India. If you are going to win souls for Jesus we need to go to the harvest and there surely is a great harvest in India. It is not the nicest place to go but it has white fields. I took a team from Celebration Church, Texas and a friend of ours from Healing Place Church. There was a pastor and his daughter from California that also was with us. Most of them have never been on the mission field, what a place to get started. This is where I got started in 1984 I was in Coimbatore, India. My first trip to do a crusade. Never forget seeing those people sitting on the ground hearing us preach the gospel. That is where God touched me for missions. I've been going every since. If you have never taken a train in India it is quite an experience. People everywhere in the train station and you better know where you are going cause you could get on the wrong train. The train only stops for about ten minutes and then takes off again. Putting all your luggage on there can be challenging. The team did it coming and going from Delhi to Chandigar where we had the crusade. We preached almost every night and people were touched with the gospel. They were so touched that we had a little demon manifestation. The name of Jesus was the cure. Chandigar was built by the French so it is a little different than the rest of India. It is organized into sections. Every part of the city is numbered so you know where to go by the number. The drainage system worked better than the rest of India. All in all it was a great trip. We were trying to help pastor Norman and his church. God helped us make a diiference in this city for the kingdom of God. Thanks for your prayers and financial support.  

Thanks for loving the world,
Rusty

The Pop Cultural Church–I Got Your Attention! I’m up very late typing this message that I believe God gave me..I know you are already judging this because of the title but just hear me out first. I was in the car the other day listening to a Christian radio station hear in Austin. A pastor came on to advertise his church. He said "Come listen to a word that is relevant to today's cultural." I hear what he is saying. As I have been praying lately  I have really been pressing into Jesus; I felt like at the beginning of the year I really needed to get back to serious seeking. I feel like something is missing, not was missing. I think we are trying to be relevant to reach the lost, which is good, but we are not being ourselves in Jesus. We are using words that are cultural so we can fit. By doing this we have good intentions and have gathered people but where is the power, the real power that the people need. I remember when our whole heart was sold out, we talked about being on fire for Jesus. Real change, real power, real conversions. All you wanted was Jesus. I do believe people are getting saved, etc. but in your heart you know what I’m talking about; the stuff. The stuff that happened in the bible. I can remember being stuck at the airport in India, my schedule messed up with  missionary Jack Harris's schedule.  He  thought I was arriving in India two weeks later than I really was. He had no one at the airport in India to meet me on my second missions trip that I had ever taken.Crying out to God for help, he told me to go back to the hotel where I was last year and when I got there Jack’s kids were leaving. Just in time, now, that was like the stuff in the Bible. God heard my cry for help and answered me with a miracle. Or with Perry Stone in Bulgaria dropped off on the side of the road near the Turkey border. I spoke Cajun and she spoke Bulgarian. I’d preach and she tried to interpret, it wasn’t very good , but two-hundred people got saved. That stuff where people have to hear the Holy Ghost and then get saved. You know it’s not you. Then we had no where to stay and no way back to Sophie, Bulgaria to meet Perry . I knew I was in trouble, but cried out again to God and he did His stuff, (miracle) .A man in this jammed packed building came up to me and said how are you doing. He was a missionary on the Turkey border and get this, he is from my home town of Port Arthur, Texas, what a miracle. He put me up for the night and took me back to Sophie, Bulgaria.  Last but surely not least the guy that I had the fight with, forgave me and has since sent me money for the ministry. That kind of stuff. The life that lives in the power, hears His voice and God truly gives the miracles not because I’m relevant but because He loves me and knows I need his stuff for my life. We need that kind of relevance not , American Idol which I’m not against or any other kind of reality shows. We preach to make the people feel like we are trying to make them feel a certain way. Not saying God does not use it, He does.They need the relevant life of the Holy Ghost in their life for a miracle. Instead of The Word in the church we have worlidlyness, instead of real, we have relevance, instead of crosses in our churches we have cultural. Listen I'm trying to win the lost at all cost ,but we have forgot what it cost Him, everything, not anything. Lets get on our knees and let God give us the ideas, not the world or other churches.Taking our own experiences & testimonies in the church and writing new songs, new messages that are fresh and revelant, that is the answer. A message is born on our knees not sombodies web site, and I know God uses it but it is not God's best for you. I love you and if this offends you forgive me ,that is not my motive to be right and everybody is wrong, but my motive is to get us back to the fire of God.

Thanks for loving the world,
Rusty 

We had an amazing trip to Swaziland and Mozambique in December with 10 members from Celebration Church in Georgetown, Texas.

We went with the purpose of ministering to AIDS orphans, but as always, God ministered so much more to us.  We love the people of Africa and it was a terrific trip.  We saw displays of God's power and his love every day.

A highlight of the trip was the opportunity to minister to about 4,000 children for a Christmas party we did with Children's Cup ( www.childrenscup.org/v2/).

We also went to Mozambique to "spy out the land" for a future church that we will be planting there.  We had a great team, and everyone worked together to further the Gospel and expand God's kingdom.

Below are a few snapshots from the trip. 

If you want to be obedient to the scripture and feel a call to preach in another country, then you will need a passport. << MORE >>

Today we launched blueflames blog and hope to generate interest in missions trips that will eventually bring the world to Jesus!  Talk loud out there, Rom 1:16!