Under New Management

Hi all,

Drew Pond here. Just wanna give a shout out to let you know that I have been entrusted with keeping this blog up to date. If you have news from the church or photos of church functions please email them to me at messiahbaptistwf@gmail.com . I appreciate it.

God's Peace.

Ann

I wish I had a picture to post of Steve and Ann S. who visited with us for a few months this past winter. Ann was seeking cancer treatment here in Wichita Falls. She and her husband met Faith and Grace L. at a store and then worshiped with our body for the time they spent here in town.

Ann has stage 4 cancer and is now in Hospice Care. She is a SPECIAL and wonderful Christian woman who has lived a hand-in-hand walk with Christ. Her husband has and is serving the Lord as a seminary professor. During her time here, Ann held a Bible study with 2 women in her treatment center. Both of them had stage 4 cancer. Pastor Lukus had the privilege of being with Ann while they both witnessed to Pam and Nancy. To God be the glory, they both received Christ. Pam has gone on now to meet the Lord.

Ann's daughter Ann Janel (a missionary wife to Brazil) writes the following letter about her mother. I hope you will be blessed in reading this and reminded to pray for dear Ann and her family:

In the midst of all of the sad news I've had to share recently I wanted to take a moment to share how good God has been.

Through all of this I'm truly seeing how loved my mom is. She gets at least one to two cards in the mail daily from people all around the world. She gets so many phone calls it's hard to keep up, but keep up she does. She just finished writing individual Thank you notes to 25 second cousins and relatives who sent a generous gift to her. When she is able she returns phone calls to the many who just want to hear her voice and express their love and concern.

In just the past week we have received several meals from neighbors and friends. A church had a ton of groceries delivered. One neighbor paid the Schwan man and sent him over to let us pick out whatever we wanted! What a treat! Also mom's house is full of fresh beautiful flowers from so many who love her.

This weekend mom and I were invited to a tea hosted by a friend. She wanted to encourage 5 of her friends that are suffering from cancer. What an event! Up to the day, each person wasn't sure whether their health would even allow them to be able to attend. 4 precious women made it. From 34 to 70 years of age these women are battling for their lives. As each took time to share how God has worked in their lives through the midst of cancer I wept. What stories, what suffering, what a faithful God. My precious mother really broke my heart as with struggling breaths she shared her story. When she said that Pam's and Nancy's salvation made the whole thing worthwhile I stood in awe. She has suffered much and done so graciously!

Mother's Day was very special. Marcus and his family were here. Jon surprised mom and flew in from New York just to be with her. She wasn't feeling well so we had a service together in our living room. It was a precious time of singing and sharing (and tears!)

Patrick arrived safely! Praise the Lord our family is together again. Many ask me how the kids are handling this time. God has truly blessed me with precious, flexible children. They've gone 2 months with just a mommy, a mommy trying to take care of Grandmom AND them. They've done so well. They just go with the flow, whether it's sitting in a waiting room playing "I spy" and reading Highlight magazines or being quiet so Grandmom can rest or shopping (not Nathanael's favorite thing) for things Grandmom might need or having to stay with someone so mom can take Grandmom to a doctor, they just adapt and keep going! Thank you, God, for these precious kids!

We started Hospice yesterday. I think that was the most difficult thing I've done-- calling them. It broke my heart. Then as mom signed Do Not Resuscitate papers my heart broke even more. I can't believe this is happening. The hospice nurse encouraged us when she said "I can't believe she isn't in pain, Someone is looking out for her." It is wonderful mom isn't in pain, and we praise the Lord. The cancer is aggressive, very aggressive. The nurse was shocked to learn that the tumor on mom's breast and the cancerous fluid in her lungs didn't show up in a PETscan in March. This cancer is moving quickly! But God has been good.

There is much sorrow around our house and many tears. We love this woman and are sad to think her life on earth is coming to a close. She is up and around and not in pain, for this we are so grateful!Thanks for letting me share what God is doing! Continue to pray for us.

AnnJanel

Christmas Pageant

Never a more handsome and lovely Joseph and Mary.
The Happy Carolers :-)
Tim, Mason, Cameron, Bradey, and Sarah--the family sharing the Christmas story
Some angels :-)
Don't forget the shepherds because they were unforgettable :-P

First Children's Christmas Pageant at Messiah

"The Unopened Gift"

The children did a wonderful job!

November Baptism

Bryant was saved last year and came to our church this year. He realized he needed to obey the Lord in believer's baptism. It was a cool November day, but not as cold as it could have been!

November Baptisms

Jessie and Justin were baptized in November. They were saved in early summer.

Praise the Lord!

Latest Baptisms

Caleb S.
Kristy S.

It was a great blessing to see these two teenagers get baptized after their salvation! Praise the Lord.

Baptisms

Joe after his baptism

Flor reading her testimony of salvation

Flor after her baptism

Mark (Flor's husband) giving his testimony.
Part of the church listening before the baptisms.

Grace answering questions about her salvation before her baptism.
"Even a child is known by his doings"

"Suffer the little children to come unto ME and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
Joe reading his testimony of salvation.

Joe and his Dad.

God has been good to save souls and bring them into the body of MBC. Praise His name!

Following are Mark and Flor's testimonies:

Mark: At the age of fourteen I started drinking, smoking, and having sex. At the age of 17 I got into drugs (weed, acid, mushrooms, and cough syrup). I decided to join the Air Force to get away from the bad influences in my life, only to discover that they would follow me and get progressively worse. I was stationed at Fort Walton Beach Florida, and that is where I met Flor. I never stopped any of the addictive habits I had while I was in the Air Force; they only grew worse and more addictive. I never understood why she stayed with through those years, but now I know it was all God’s plan. After I got out of the Air Force, Flor went her way and I got a contract job overseas in Kosovo. I was 23 years old making anywhere between 7 to 10 thousand tax free dollars a month. Not good when you are an alcoholic and drug addict. I ended up working there for only 10 months out of a 12 month contract. I got fired for not showing up to work because I was out drinking the night before. When they came and woke me up the next morning they took me to get a breathalyzer, and I blew a .21 at 8 in the morning. I came back home to Michigan with about $35,000, and decided to move in with some buddies in Denver, Colorado. Having this much money I was introduced to some new drugs, Crack and Cocaine. In the beginning of February 2001 Flor came out to visit me and ended up getting pregnant with our son Nicholas. I then spent the next nine months agonizing over the reality if he was my child or not. I ended up blowing all $35,000 dollars on drugs and alcohol. By the time Nicholas was born in November, I was suicidal due to the amount of drugs and alcohol I put in my body, and I decided it was the best for me to move to New Jersey with Flor and try to raise Nicholas. In February of 2002 I got another contract job in Ecuador, South America. Not a real good location for a Coke head, being that Ecuador borders Columbia. After 6 months Nicholas got a bad stomach virus and Flor and him went back home to New Jersey. That very same day I spent the day snorting cocaine and drinking. At night I decide to get on a moped and go to the bar. I ended up crashing into a car and flying about 15 feet into a light pole. I woke up the next day in the hospital lying on my left side barely able to move. I had a 4 inch hematoma on the right side of my head, the right side of my face was paralyzed, and my right ear had a continuous flow of blood coming out of it. After about 2 weeks the doctors said they didn’t have the medical equipment I needed so I went home. The day after I got home my face was no longer paralyzed. Even after all that, I didn’t quit drinking and doing drugs. In March of 2003 I got a civil service job down in Valdosta, Georgia at Moody Air Force base. After about 8 months in November of 2003 I ran into Glenn Savell. Glenn had just come to our shift, and I had never really talked to him before. One day he ask me if I would consider myself to be a good person, then proceeds to use God’s law, the Ten Commandments on me. I really didn’t think much of it. A week later or so he asked me if I would be interested in joining him for a bible study on the book of Revelations. Being polite I said yes but never had any intention of doing it. A week after that he came into my room and asked me if I like to read, I said not really, but being polite again I accepted the book he was offering. It was the Left behind Book. I couldn’t put it down; I read it in 3 days or so. After that I was drilling him with questions and he was giving me answers. About this same time a friend that Flor worked with invited her to church. Flor in hope of getting me to quit drinking asked me if I would go. I polite fully said yes. That first Sunday I was sitting there for about forty five minutes twiddling my thumbs thinking about what I was going to eat, then all the sudden tears were rushing down my face and I had no idea what was going on. After the service, people were coming up to us and thanking us for coming and all I was thinking was for them to get away from me because I was very embarrassed; here was a grown man crying in church. About two weeks went by and I was back at church, twiddling my thumbs, getting excited to get out of there and go watch football, when all of the sudden, BOOM the same thing happened, and there I am crying like a little baby again. That Tuesday evening, January 27th 2004, I approached Glenn again with a question. He didn’t answer the question but instead asked me one. He said “Mark have you ever made Jesus lord of your life?” I said maybe back at vacation bible school once. He said no, you haven’t. Don’t you realize that if you died tonight you would go to hell? What are you waiting for? Before the words even came out of my mouth he said “you want to get high on last time, you want one more drunk. I said yep. He turned around and left. I was standing in the hallway with my jaw on the floor. I was like who does this guy think he is. I went into my bunkroom and just sat there. Five minutes later I was on my knees crying out to Jesus to forgive me and take my life, it was his. The next morning I went up to Glenn and told him I did it, he said did what; I said I gave my life to Jesus. I have never seen a bigger smile on someone’s face before. Those next couple of days whenever I would use God’s name in vein or cuss I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest. The Third day was when it really hit me that I have been changed. For the past year I was on 20mg of Lexapro and seeing a psychologist. When I went to take my medication, but I couldn’t raise my hand to my mouth, and I ended up throwing the depression medication away. The next day at home I felt like I needed to get rid of all my movies, music, downloaded songs, and all my alcohol. No one told me to do this, I just felt like I had to. About a week and a half later I got Scripturally Baptized at the First Baptist church in Valdosta, GA. I got a job offer here in Wichita Falls and since Flor and I were not married, I knew I had to come by my self until we did get married. Flor brought me to God to get me sober and instead he did a lot more and the change that he brought about freaked her out. One last quick note, when I got to my job at Sheppard, I had to get my yearly tuberculosis test done. It was discovered that I had Inactive TB. Before I got saved and was drinking, almost every morning after drinking I would always puke up blood and couldn’t figure out why. I was dying. Flor was also going to leave me on February 2nd; I got saved on January 27th. [Had God not rescued Mark at this time, Mark would not be alive today because the drinking and untreated TB would have killed him; and Flor would have left him. God is sovereign!] God is awesome. There is so much more that I can add that God has done and continues to do, but I guess this is good for now.

Flor: I was born & raised in Peru and then came to the USA, I was raised catholic. I was 18 when I came to the USA and I discovered that in USA you can do whatever you want since you’re an adult. I considered myself to be a good person, responsible, friendly, everybody liked me. I had it all together so I thought. I moved to FL with my brother and I pretty much lived la Vida Loca, I was dating Mark (my husband now) on and off for 2 years then I moved to NJ and he went to Kosovo. After a year ½ he came back and on a crazy night I went to visit him. I had a good time but I realized he was a loser so when I went back to NJ I was going to start a new life…but 2 weeks later I discovered I was pregnant!! I was 30 and I decided that my life was going to change and I visited the priest and confessed my sins and he was really nice and I was good to go. Mark moved to live with me, he wanted to be the father of his son and try out the family thing. We had 2 years of horrible relationship. We moved here and there, argued, he wanted to keep partying and our lives together just wasn’t good anymore.
I decided to leave him on Feb 2nd of 2003 he didn’t know I had it all planned with my family, but on Jan 27 he got saved, and he did a 360 on me. I thought he was going crazy when he talked about being a Christian. I thought I was the religious one, so I accepted Christ & I got baptized just so he would leave me alone. I really didn’t get it, we still had problems but this time because he was crazy and I wasn’t a true Christian according to him, I moved to NJ and he moved to W F. While I was in NJ my whole family was talking to me about being a catholic and I said I was a catholic. I just wanted to know more about this, and I wanted to know if Mark was getting into a cult. I talked to a pastor from a Baptist church and he was talking to me, and I guess he was watering the seed and then I helped my parents move to FL. While I was there I visited a Baptist church and a lady invited me to a Beth Moore woman’s bible study. While I was there, on the 3rd visit, I finally got it. I cried, realized that I was a selfish, self centered, spoiled brat, a sinner, and a horrible person. I repented and gave my life to God. The ladies ministered to me and I came to WF. We got married and we are a family that loves God. Although there is so much that I need to change, I’m glad that I am learning and that God is calling me his child…