Dear Partners in Ministry,

 

The whirlwind continues as the preparation for deputation keeps us busy.  We thank the Lord for His provision of the equipment and presentation material needed for our meetings.  We were able to obtain over 5,000 full-color prayer cards for less than $100, and the presentation equipment we needed was bought from funds contributed to our ministry.  Systematically the Lord has provided the money for all of our needs. The final step is preparing the packets to send to pastors. (Prayer cards, presentation CD, doctrinal statement, purpose statement).  Please pray for us as we call pastors and arrange meetings.  August is our big scheduling month, and we are praying that God will give us the necessary meetings to reach our financial goal quickly.  

 

I had the wonderful privilege of being ordained on July 19-20, 2003.  Sweat and nervousness exuded as 5 ordained men of God questioned me on doctrines and practical applications of Scripture.  In the Sunday morning service, Pastor Strehlow challenged me from God’s Word, and I preached a message from Galatians 6:14…“But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.”  I am thankful to God that he counts me faithful for the ministry. This is a day that will remain special to me for the rest of my life.

 

We had the sweet opportunity of having our first two meetings in churches special to us.  The first was at Central Calvary Baptist Church in West Plains, Missouri, where Kristy’s parents attend church.  The second was our home church, Liberty Hills Baptist Church, in Liberty, Missouri. 

 

The Lord also blessed us this month with provision of a digital camera.  A digital camera will make our newsletters and correspondence easier and will also allow us to verify that we are capturing the desired photos.  We are so grateful for the generosity of a wonderful couple who donated this tool to our ministry.

 

Our anniversary (July 31) found us in Carthage, MO, transferring the items we have had in storage into our container that will eventually be shipped to Africa.  The fellowship with Dr. Ron Bragg and his wife Donna was a blessing.

 

 

In His Service,

Tony & Kristy Applegate