"Dominica," a poem by Pat Butler

On March the second in 2007 a group of singers left for Atlanta.

Our mission was to share the love of Jesus in Dominica.

After a quick night's rest we rushed to the airport for a flight.

Thank the Lord, security, customs, bag weight, and plastic containers were all alright.

A night was spent in Barbados to change to a smaller, less luxurious-size plane,

And we learned that island time is a little more laid back and not always the same.

But arrival in Dominica happened without much alarm.

With a fast trip to Deliverance Church in a setting filled with charm.

The church ladies provided a typical Dominican menu

With chicken, juice, fruit, vegetables, and choices were many, not few.

After eating our fill, preparations were made for the church meeting.

With handchimes ringing, the choir singing, and Steve evangicube leading.

The church had planned for our visit as well

With a skit by the youth on God's way or hell.

The entire service was energizing and a blessing,

With testimonies, rhythmic music and the pastor teaching.

As the week unfolded blessings did abound

As the group sang, witnessed, and walked throughout the town.

Opportunities were abundant through many avenues

With music as the vehicle to open doors to choose.

Faith, salvation and Jesus' love for eternity,

Or rejection, non-belief, and soul poverty.

Singing in markets, radio stations, churches, hospitals-what a joy!

In airports, hotel, in the medical center, and on streets-oh boy!

Using evangicubes to relate God's gift to all,

Lives were changed when many answered God's call,

By praying the sinners' prayer and feeling anew

Many new Christians were added - Hallelu!

Changes happened often as each day progressed,

But joy filled our hearts through the entire process.

Because as the song we sang states loud and clear

We are never alone-so what should we fear?

Whether elevators work or airplanes have seats

Whether luggage is missing or there is no food to eat.

Whether roads are one and half lanes and curved

Whether fishermen listen to hear God's word.

Whether tired or weary after a very long day

Whether eating food fixed in a brand new way.

Whether resting in Olivette before the next event

Whether smelling sulfur or passing cars without a dent.

The one thing remained positive and true

We shared the gospel all day through.

God bound our spirits to one another

To touch the lives of our Dominican brothers.

As another song relates for all to review

God rescued sinners like me and you.

By filling us up with God's spirit and love

To glorify our Father as he watched from above.

To you First Baptist, "Hats off," we say.

Thanks for your prayers and support each day.

Glory be to the Father for all that transpired.

We thank him for using us during those hours.

- by Pat Butler

Great Share Service

Thanks for a great share service tonight. All of the testimonies were so well spoken. I would like to add Pat's poem and Kaye's song to our blog. I would also welcome any other testimonies that anyone would like to submit. In addition to posting them on our blog, I am writing an article for the Sunday Ready Section of the Herald-Citizen. Colleen tells me that we must submit the article by Tuesday afternoon. So please send any stories or comments right away.

The service this evening was a special blessing. How wonderful to celebrate the young lady who made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ tonight. I know that you will also be in prayer for Lincoln and his family. Tonight's sevice was such a great illustration of our Sunday School and morning worship emphasis on witnessing and missions.

Please remember that we will be sharing a few more testimonies and some funny stories with the rest of the choir on Wednesday night. Our mission team will be providing Caribbean snacks. You can contact Tammy for more details on the food.

I would encourage you to bring Dominican crafts to display and be prepared to share a funny story or two. This is our opportunity to share the vision and joy of our Caribbean adventure with others. I know that God can use this to motivate them.

Mike and Martha are enjoying time with their new grandbaby this week, but I think that everyone else will be with us.

Thanks again,

Jonathan

Note from Our Spanish Amigo, Maria

Dear Kassandra,
It is great to have news from you. I am sorry I could not take your call last friday...I did not heard the phone.
For me was an incredible experience to meet you all and thank you for your kindness and support.
I also wish we could meet one day either, in Spain or in Tennesse.Let´s keep in touch.
Best regards to you and all of your friends.
Maria (Conchi, for friends, ok??)

Prayer Requests

In an effort to continue praying for the many lovely people that we met in Barbados and Dominica, I want to offer this posting a way for us to share prayer requests. To do so, simply add a comment to this posting. This will allow others to read your comment and prayer request. Let us give this a try and see if it works.

Thanks for your sensitivity. I want to remind you that this information will be publicly available. So be discreet. I would advise you to avoid using last names. There are many people reading this blog that did not participate in the trip. If successful, this will be a good way for us to bring more folks into our prayer circle. Thanks, Jonathan

Share Service Info

The mission team will be sharing songs and testimonies this Sunday evening, March 18, at 6:00 p.m. Mission team members should wear their green Musicians on Mission T-shirt with khaki pants (skirts are not necessary, you know what I mean). We will set up a table to you to display items of interest from the mission field. I know that children are especially interested in seeing items from other lands. Please meet in the sanctuary at 5:30 p.m. for a soundcheck and warm-up.

We will be meeting tonight following Sanctuary Choir rehearsal for a brief organizational meeting. We will ask several participants to share brief testimonies related to specific experiences on the trip.

I am also compiling digital images from the trip to be used during the share service. Please send any particularly good images to me. We will not be chronicling the entire trip, but I will give a brief overview and then let individuals share about specific events.

We would also like to have a time to share testimonies and humorous events with the entire Sanctuary Choir next Wednesday night, March 21, following rehearsal. We will provide some refreshments. This is also a great time to display any interesting items that you may have brought home.

We have made copies of the Voice of Life radio broadcast for everyone. I plan to distribute these tonight. Also, Carol Rose taped some video on the trip and we may be able to show a few of these clips on Sunday night or next Wednesday. (By the way, Carol's bag did make it home on Monday evening. Hooray!)

I know that Mike and Martha will be out of town this weekend. If anyone else will be gone, please let me know.

Again, I am thankful for a safe and productive trip. You are a blessing.

Thanks,

Jonathan

Friday Update

This has been a very interesting day. We left the hotel at 7:20 am and went to the Goodwill Secondary School. (Goodwill is an area near Roseau.) Goodwill has a student body of 598 youth in grades 8 through 12. All of them assembled in a plaza at 7:45. The Principal Dailey introduced us and we sang a few songs. Jason Gaw shared the gospel and Pastor David Serrant led the students and faculty in prayer. Steve Farris reports that a quick count showed that at least forty students made a profession of faith.

We returned to the hotel and ate breakfast. The hotel served toast and fruit for our continental breakfast each day. They bake their own bread and serve fresh, local fruit.

The team signed a white guitar that was donated for this trip. Glenda has played it at every event. We gave the guitar to Pastor David. We also took up a collection of money to be used for expenses related to planting the new church in Salisbury. And Pat Butler read a lovely poem that she had written for David and the folks at Deliverance.

We loaded our luggage at eleven and drove over the mountains to the Carib Territory. This is the only designated territory of indigenous people in the Caribbiean. We visited a beautiful interpretive area that demonstrated the ways that he Carib people lived many years ago. We could only stay an hour or so, but it was a gorgeous location. It is located high on a cliff above the Atlantic Ocean. Wow! Thank you, God, for such a people place and these beautiful people.

After our little tour, we drove over to the airport. Here we learned that Liat Airline had overbooked our flight. Consequently, ten of us had to fly from Dominica north to Antigua and then back south to Barbados. The rest of the team flew directly to Barbados. Fortunately, all of the flights were very late so we didn't miss the connecting flight in Antigua. I appreciate the patience of all the people that joined me for our detour.

We we finally arrived in Barbados we found Steve searching for our luggage. Thank God, it all showed up. They had loaded most of it on our flight through Antigua. The local church provided a bus and a truck to transport us to the hotel.

We are finally here and enjoying supper and fresh, cold water at eleven. It was been a great day, but a very long one.

Please pray for our rest and our trip home tomorrow. We have to leave for the airport at noon although our flight is not until 5. We will fly Delta to Atlanta and then ride the church bus back to Cookeville.

Thanks for your prayers. We appreciate you.

- Jonathan

Thursday Update

We had a hard time in the Salisbury community last evening. We sang and shared the gospel with many people. Pastor Pat of the First Baptist Church, Salisbury was so grateful for our visit. We had two professions of faith.

From there we went back to Deliverance Baptist Church in Roseau and sang for an organizational rally of churches. They are preparing for a nationwide outreach program.

This morning, Thursday, we walked to the local produce market and sang. We led two people to the Lord there.

We returned to the hotel and sang for a live remote broadcast on the local secular radio station Kari. It was a delightful event.

This afternoon we sang a special program for the hotel staff. As we were singing, many people from a conference being held in the hotel came and listened.

We then drove to the Fond Cole community. This is the location of a new church start. It was a very receptive area. Following our program we led twenty-three people to the Lord. It was a wonderful event.

Later we went to the local hospital and sang for many patients and staff. The hospital administrator attended the program and was very grateful. A local television station with there filming the event. The chime rang as well.

Following this central program we went into two of the large open wards, medical ward for women and the surgical ward for men. It was truly a moving experience to sing and minister to these folks.

Deliverance BC is near the hospital. So we drove to DBC and ate a delicious dinner prepared by the church. We shared testimonies and prayed.

Tomorrow we will be singing a local secondary school at 7: 45 am. We leave for the airport at 11 and plan to visit the Carib Indian territory on our way.

Pray for more lives to be won to the Lord. Pray for our safety. We are praying for you as well.

I have got to go. Love to you all.

- Jonathan

Greetings from Dominica

Thanks to Mike Head's laptop and an unexpected break in our schedule, I am able to post this update.

Saturday morning Glenda, Pat, and I went to Deliverance Baptist Church in Roseau. Thirty-four worship leaders and pastors from throughout the island joined us for a three-hour worship seminar. It was a very enthusiastic and eager group. We had a great time of learning, worship, and prayer.

Sunday morning, the three of us drove over to Mahaut for worship at the Baptist Church there. Our primary driver, Bankie, is the worship leader there. The church sets high on a hill above the town which overlooks the Caribbean Sea. We had a wonderful time of worship. Glenda sang two of our songs and I brought greetings from First Baptist. The Pastor Sydney Regis brought an inspiring message.

Sunday evening, the rest of our group arrived safely from Barbados. They met us at Deliverance Baptist in Roseau. Pastor David Serrant arranged for us to eat a delicious meal in the church's fellowship hall. We were joined by a Spanish women that the group befriended on the flight to Dominica.

After the meal, we participated in a lively time of worship at the church. There were many guests. The program included testimonies by church members, a skit by the youth, and number by their dance team. Our choir sang quite a few songs, the chimes rang, and Steve Farris shared a gospel presentation. There were nine adult professions of faith in addition to several children. Following the service we received word that sixteen people had given their hearts to the Lord at Mahaut that afternoon. Both churches were holding their Services of the Ten as part of Operation Andrew.

Our program at the local school was moved from Monday morning to Friday morning. Therefore, we took the group on a little sightseeing. We visited Trafalgar Falls and a boiling spring. We sang quite a few songs at each of the spots and shared the Lord with all who would listen.

After lunch the entire group returned to the market in Mahaut. After presenting a program of music with the chimes and choir, we dispersed into the area and witnessed to many people. Our group led six people to the Lord and witnessed to many more. Everyone was very proactive in sharing their faith. Pastors David and Sydney were with us so we were able to connect people to their churches.

Tuesday morning we sang for the drivers, vendors, and security personnel. It was a great opportunity to witness with them as they were waiting for the cruise ship to arrive. There has been at least one ship here each day.

Later in the morning we boarded our buses (small thirteen passenger mini-vans) for the long drive to Portsmouth. Here we stopped at a small eating area adjacent to Ross Medical School. This is a small "food court" where the students ate. Again, we sang and witnessed to many, many people. Martha led a lady to the Lord and Steve made several good contacts for next trip in May.

After eating some lunch, we drove down into Portsmouth and stopped at Olivet Baptist Church. Pastor Luke told us about his church and community. We then drove down to the town square. We "evangi-carolled" down the main street and to the market. Our group led two more folks to the Lord in this area. Our hearts are heavy for the many others who were receptive to the gospel message, but stopped short of professing faith in the Lord.

We enjoyed a beautiful Caribbean sunset on the drive back to Roseau. Each night we share reports, testimonies, and information upon returning to the hotel. The hotel security guard has begun to join us for this time of prayer. Glenda and I shared the gospel to him on Monday night and prayed with him.

This morning, Wednesday, we drove over to the local Christian radio station and sang a live concert on the air. Pastor David invited people to join us at our remaining venues and I tied our selections together by sharing the gospel as it related to what we were singing. Steve Farris also shared the gospel and the choir sang beautifully. After the program we drove down to Scotts Head and saw where the Altantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea are only 30 feet from one another.

The radio station is replaying our program this afternoon. We will be leaving in just a few minutes for the town of Salisbury for a concert at their market and more street evangelism. We will then sing another evangelistic concert at Deliverance BC later this evening.

We will be singing on Kari radio tomorrow morning at 10 am local time (8 am in Cookeville). They say that you can listen online. We will go to Fond Cole later in the day and the Princess Margaret Hospital that evening.

Pray for us. It is a joy to lead this folks to faith in the Lord and to encourage the local pastors and believers.

I may be able to post more later. Until then, keep praying for us.

Peace, Jonathan

Request and Reminders

Bring cool clothes.

Buy bottled water. You can purchase this at the hotel bar, but it is cheaper at a little market down the street.

The plants are blooming. Remember your allergy meds. (Kyle, don't forget to get your shot.)

Please help Kyle remember this: Please bring the little walkie talkies from the cabinet in my office. They will need new batteries and some spares. We will be glad to have all that you can find.

Also help Kyle to remember the list that he already has.

I would like for someone to bring me some antibiotics. I prefer Zithromax. I have a terrible cold and fear I am moving to sinusitis. Can Heather do this? Steve Flatt is my doctor. Maybe he can help me out. If yoiu can help me, then please check in with Bobbie G. at church. She should be working today. Mike H. is another good contact.

Bobbie, please have Pam F. call Steve at the Coconut this afternoon between 1 and 2 pm Barbados time.

Pat says hello to Nelson. She loves you and misses you very much. Wish you were here!

We are two hours ahead of Cookeville time.

Pray for our health, especially mine. We are leaving at 11 this morning. We will be praying for your safe trip to Atlanta.

Did I mention that it is warm here?

- Jonathan

Thursday Night Report

We had a great meeting with the local Baptist pastors and leaders last night. Our driver was an hour late picking us up. He drove crazy to get us there. We expectedto meet with several folks. When we arrived there was a church bus parked outside. We climbed some small stairs to an upper room and found 35 nationals waiting for us. They were so gracious. There was no AC. It was hot and noisy, but they were waiting.

We had a great time of worship, teaching, and prayer. They were from several area churchs and very receptive. What a wonderful time. It was a joy to meet with these folks and to see the "other side" of Barbados.

After returning to the hotel we walked down to the beach and heard a steel drum band playing at a local hotel. It was a beautiful evening and an elegant atmosphere. Quite a contrast to the earlier meeting.

- Jonathan

Monteray Apartments

You may call the Monteray Apartment Hotel at 246-428-9152.

Their website should be www.angelfire.com/biz7/monteray.

Our rooms do have air conditioning. They are fairly clean, but older. We can see the ocean from our room. The hotel is well-kept and does have a pool. We are less than a block from the beach, but haven't been there yet.

It is quite warm. You will want light clothing, shorts, and sandals for your free time. The people are very friendly and everyone we have met so far are beleivers.

Mike or Tammy, will you give a report to my family and post a comment to this post. Thanks.

More later.

- Jonathan

We Made It!

Hello from sunny and balmy Barbados!

The four of us arrived in Barbados at 3 pm. After going through customs and taking an "interesting" taxi drive we are at the hotel, The Monteray Apartment Hotel. Our hostesses Regina and Margaret are preparing our rooms. We plan to eat some flying fish for supper.

The local Baptist pastor from First Baptist will pick us up at 7:oo pm and take us to the location for the worship seminar. The folks are excited about our trip. We are begin warmly received.

The flight was good although the weather in Atlanta was bad. It is beautiful here. Quite warm and few air conditioners. It feels good to us. The folks are friendly and easy-going.

We look forward to seeing you in a few days. Mike, will you please call my house and let my family know that we made it? Tammy, will you call as well?

I appreciate you and will be praying for your safe arrival.

- Jonathan N.