Dear friends of HMA,
     I want to share with you a very special time that I recently had.  Just last week I was in one of my very favorite places to minister.  I was blessed beyond measure to preach the back to school revival in Neosho, Missouri for the group that includes the Ozark Bible Institute (four year college), thier local K-12 christian school and the Bible Holiness Assembly of God Church.  Brother Taylor and his associates, church, school and students were wonderful and ready to have church. 
     I preached Tuesday through Friday nights and taught classes at the college during the days.  I also preached a combined school chapel service during one of the days.  While I was there I was able to get re-aquainted with several old friends and meet many new ones.  I was especially thrilled to meet all of the students and have them in service, in chapel and in classes.  I met the sons and daughters of many great Godly people that I have known around the country.  To see and be a part of the lives of the next generation of Holiness preachers and workers shook me to my very core.  I literaly went back to my room at night and wept.
    To have the amazing priveledge to preach sermon after sermon and watch 150 or so young adults, (plus many others), respond to the altar call over and over again and pray and weep and seek the face of thier Master, gave me fresh hope and zeal for the work ahead. 
     The first picture that I have here is of the Chapel service during a school day where I was allowed to minister to both entire school systems representing a combined 17 years of education, (kindergarden through seniors in college).  The second picture is of the young ladies side of the altar during a night revival service at the church. I would estimate that more than 100 young people were praying in the altar every night.  And the last picture is from the balcony of Bible Holiness and it is also a night service of the back to school revival. It is an estimate, but I assume that there were about 300 people or so a night in attendance.  
     I know that it is not all about fun but I must admit that this is one of the most enjoyable revivals I have ever preached.  Meeting pastors and missionaries, fielding questions from the students and so much more.  I was especially blessed on the last night when my wife Niki, daughter Tirzah, pastor Darrel Toliver and two HMA staffers, (Rev. Early Wayne Krumsiek and Sister Atalie Hamil), were able to be in service with us.  I was glad that I was there to challenge these young folks to get back to the call and cause of Christ and I look forward to helping them and watching them as they grow in God until thier ministries exceed mine and many others.  Remember OBI students: OUTSIDE THE BOX BUT INSIDE THE BIBLE!!! God bless HMA and God bless Ozark Bible Institute!!!

     I want to take a few moments and share a little about a wonderful group of people.  My home church!  Over the last fews months they have been striving to updrage buses and vans, completely remodel the K-12 school system, (building, curriculum and all), turn the old homeless facility and outreach center into a new Pre-K daycare and add on to the gymnasium with a new outreach center.  All at the same time, while trying to coordinate it between the Pastor, the deacon board, the Principal, the teachers, the outreach leaders, the congregation, the workers and staffers and all schedules involved.  Never have I seen a grimmaced face, heard a cross word or felt a bad spirit.  Praise God for a Holy, functioning, modern day outreach church!!!  When it is all about souls and everyone is prayed through, it can be done.
     These first few pictures are of what once was the old gym.  It has been the outreach center for the past few years and here it is being troansformed into "Tiny Hearts", our new Pre-K center.  I could not begin to tell you who all was involved in bringing this thing together because I personally had nothing to do with it, but I can say this:  #1-It was a HUGE undertaking, and #2-I sure am proud of them.
      These last couple of pictures are of the rooms as they were being finished up.  I know for a fact that every time I peeked in there for several weeks, there was Sister Katrina Vic with her sister or her sons, working away.  Praise God for her.
     After this comes pictures of our state of the art Christian School: Bethany Christian Acadamy.  Under the competent direction of Principal Dustin.  It is amazing how may people and how much effort went into this new school and how daunting the task really was of transforming it over from the old A.C.E pace school to the new video Abeka program.  But what amazes me even more is how smoothly it has all been done.  Now I know a little bit about the struggles and the bumps because two of my children attend there and my wife teaches there, but all in all, it is incrdebible how well the transition has worked thus far.  Again, I am so very proud of our church, our school and the great spirit of the people that work at both.
     As if it wouldn't be enough that they just finished remodeling the school completely and they were in the process of creating a Pre-K daycare center, they are building a new outreach center at the same time.  I have spent over 16years in ministry.  Almost all of it directly in outreach ministry and I am in awe everyday of how well all the different ministries out of this one local church communicate, work together and get along.  No, I am not saying that it is perfect.  But I will say this:  I have seen people go through things at our church that would have completely destroyed people in most other places and some how God has always given us the grace to work through these most difficult of situations and not just "maintain", BUT GROW!  Praise the Lord!!!
     As someone who does these things for a living I will tell you something:  If you can't get your act together good enough to have any kind of programs going on at your church without having fighting and bickering, murmuring and complaining amongst yourselves....It's probably a good thing that you aren't bringing people into that mess! 
     OK, where was I.  Haha.  Oh yes!  Here are some pictures of the kitchen staff that are working through all of the shifting around and back and forth of still trying to have all of thier scheduled outreach services and feed thier meals to the ultra poor and homeless while all of this is going on.  A picture of the new outreach center as it is still being put together and a shot of the make shift outreach service until thier new facility is finished.
      I would also like to say that I appreciate all of the people that have come and gone and done thier part over the years for the HMA Tulsa service that is now firmly and confidently in the hands of Brother Earl Wayne and Bethany Holiness Church but let me say a VERY special thank you to those that have been with us from the very beginning and never waivered.  Sister Christen, Brother Art, Sister Betty Jo, Brother Justin, Sister Jo Ann and of course my wife and the rest of my family, and all the new staff as well....this is truly your work for the kingdom of heaven.  God bless you and God bless Bethany Holiness Church for being that great and Godly example!