Surprising Responses from the Auto Scripture

We figured that we would have a lot of negative feedback to having Bible verses on the backs of our van and RV, because after all, Jesus is “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense” (1Peter2:8) for those who do not believe.  But, so far, there was just one person to date who showed they disapproved.   The fact that this person had to read it served its purpose, anyhow.  :)

We have instead been amazed by the excited responses while driving the van around on our daily tasks.  Many happily wave, point upwards with a big smile, or give a thumb’s up.  There have been some who honk, often startling us, in order to get our attention to show that they like it.  It has been fun to meet fellow brothers and sisters in Christ we wouldn’t have otherwise.  When we’re parked somewhere, we have had people come right up to the van to let us know how much they love it.  A woman yesterday said it was just what she needed to read!  Wow!  I don’t think any of these people realize what an encouragement they are to us, motivating us to keep on going on, especially on days when we’re feeling a little run down.

We’ll probably get more negative responses in the future, but we will continue to keep in mind these things…

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.  Hebrews 4:12-13

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.  Isaiah 55:11

-Kerry

Downtown Albuquerque

Noonday Outreach

Albuquerque, like most warm climate metropolitan cities, have a large homeless and transinant population. One of the local outreaches is Noonday Ministries.  They offer a meal after a message from the pastor. We stopped by and were allowed to offer Gospel of Johns to anyone who wanted them. We passed out 150 Gospels of Johns in about ten minutes.  Most people let us know how grateful they are for the large print.

Hitting the Streets Together

Robert is an Elder at Church of the Redeemer in Los Lunas, NM just south of Albuquerque.  Robert and I hit the streets with Bibles, water and homeless packs.  Robert speaks Spanish fluently and witnessed to 2 Cuban men outside of Noonday Ministries.  We also walked the streets downtown and met Norman (“Homie”) and Silvia.  They are both homeless and struggling to find a way off the streets.  Robert and I shared the Gospel with them and encouraged them to follow Jesus.  Please pray for them. Here are their requests.  Norman needs intercession forunderstanding in how to follow Jesus, and a job.  Silvia would like know Jesus and get a job.

This week Robert and his family will be traveling to Ecuador.  God has called him to plant a Bible school to train up domestic missionaries.  They will be traveling to 3 of Ecuador’s largest cities as they seek open doors for this ministry.  They will be moving to Ecuador in 2014.

-Christopher

A Different Type of Street Evangelism

 “And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways” – Luke 14:23

Auto Evangelism
          Did you ever think that you could share the Gospel to someone and not even be around? Put the Gospel on your car using scripture. God promises that His Word will not return void.

          “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” -Isaiah 55:11

          Just think about how many people drive behind you in a day, a week or a month. So let’s say that you don’t drive much and you average one short car trip a day. If five people read the back of your car a day for a week, then you have reached 35 people with the Gospel. Over the course of a 30 period, you will be planting scripture in the lives of 150 people. This doesn’t take into consideration that there may be more than one person in the cars that drive behind you. At the very least you could be sharing God’s Word with 1825 people in a year!

Parking Lot Evangelism
          Do you ever park your car anywhere besides your garage? Think about how many people walk by your car at work, at the store, and so on. Please consider putting God’s Word on your car.
Once you have installed the Gospel using scripture, you can try what we like to call Parking Lot Evangelism. Is a simple, just park your car with the Gospel side of your car facing where the most people will see it.

          "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12

Here are some suggestions:
     Park near store and other destination entrances.
     Park near an intersection where cars stopping can read your car Gospel.
     Park next to or in front of cars, that display non-Christian beliefs, like the car above with the Darwin fish.
     Drive politely in front of cars that display non-Christian beliefs.
     Park your car Gospel facing the end of your driveway for the neighborhood to read. 

     ***IMPORTANT NOTE – Park legally and obey all traffic laws.***

Get started by calling a sign company about making a custom vinyl sticker or email us with questions.

-Christopher

Albuquerque

Greetings, from Albuquerque, New Mexico and 5000 feet. We are very excited about our outreach schedule and some new ways to share good news of Jesus Christ. We are doing street evangelism and homeless outreaches in addition to doing a Free Bible Stand, and university campus evangelism. If you are in the area, please contact us for times and directions to our current outreaches.

You can now get involved in our Homeless Outreaches no matter where you are. As we minister to the homeless, we are now offering to them a chance to share their prayer requests and pictures with the reader of the On The Road Family Outreach blog. I am hoping we can pray some of these people off of the streets.

Ronnie – Salvation. Mental clarity and a place to stay.

Steven – Safe travel to Midwest and "patience for menacing winos on the streets".








Ministry Prayer Requests
-Please pray for more outreach helpers. 
-Please also pray for our ability to communicate through the internet about our ministry.  We consistantly have random issues which prevent us from using the internet for uploading pictures. 
-And, finally please pray for safety for our family, and for Kerry as she is struggling through morning sickness still.

-Christopher

Evangelism Workshop

Artwork by David Sunnock  creationswap.com

On The Road Family Outreach is now offering a free evangelism workshop for churches and small groups.

Do you want to share your faith with family and friends but don’t know where to start?
Does the idea of talking about Jesus with non-believers intimidate you?

This workshop is designed to help Christians take their faith beyond their silent witness.  Learn how to reach family, friends, co-workers and those you meet with the Gospel in an effective way. Whether you are a new follower of Jesus or have walked with Jesus for many years, you’ll be blessed by this clear approach to evangelism.

We will be visiting churches and Christian groups this Spring in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio.  Please contact us for more information or to schedule a workshop.  OnTheRoadFamilyOutreach@hotmail.com

Big News!

We have big news! We are happy to announce that Kerry is pregnant and expecting in October : )

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
(Psalms 127:3-5 ESV)

This week we’re in Riverside California. Southern California has a multitude of active Christian churches, but with millions of people the ministry opportunities still abound. Due to the large homeless population, all of our street evangelism ends up being homeless out reaches.

Two homeless people stand out and have been on my heart to share with you. We saw the first person at a bus stop. He looked like he was in his 50’s and his face showed he had been beaten. Once I made it over to him, I saw how just how badly he was beaten. His right eye was bruised and swollen shut. Cuts, scabs and dried blood covered his mouth, nose and forehead. I have never seen a person beaten up like this. He told me that he knew about Jesus and that his dad was a pastor in FL. His name was Leviticus. I learned a little about him and the reasons he was on the streets. He turned away from God out of anger when his younger brother died from cancer. He had been estranged from his family four years. His involvement with drugs and alcohol landed him on the streets. He was drunk when three teenagers attacked him. Tears ran down his cheeks as we talked about Jesus, the Gospel and God’s plan for him. Leviticus was very thankful for the homeless pack, first aid kit and Bible from the ministry. He knew that his family was for Leviticus.

The second person I would like to tell you about is Carmen. The first thing that stood out about Carmen was her youth. She was sitting with a dog on the exit ramp of the freeway. She told me that she didn’t have
a family and has been homeless since being in the foster care system. She is 23 years old and has been homeless for over 5 years. When she can, she sleeps at the homeless shelters. Carmen told me how difficult it is to panhandle for enough money for food and her court ordered counseling, for which she has to pay $200 a month. I gave her the Gospel and a homeless pack with a Bible. She hopes to find a job, friends who can relate to being in the foster system and a family. Please consider Carmen in your prayers.

We will be doing more homeless outreaches this week and an RV park outreach this weekend. We also hope to tackle some administrative tasks this week for the ministry. In addition, we hope to be working with an CA web developer who will donate his time and build On The Road Family Outreach a website. Lastly, we are firming up our Spring and Summer outreach schedule. God Bless.

-Christopher