The Son & the Sand Newsletter July 2003
21 Down and 9 to Go The summer is drawing to an end. We can’t believe it, but it’s true. The 21 mission teams we’ve already worked with and the 9 mission teams listed below have worked together (with our summer missions’ staff: Amy, Lacey, Tiffany, Tara, Abby, and Ashley) to truly make an impact for Christ in the summer of 2003. July 20-25 Peoria Associational mission team – Peoria, IL July 20-25 Olivet Baptist Church – Wichita, KS July 24-25 Warrington Baptist Church – Pensacola, FL July 24-27 Roland and Jessica McMillan – Louisiana team July 26 Ground Zero Ministries – Grand Bay, AL July 26-30 Williams Baptist Church – Jacksonville, AL July 27 Green Acres Baptist Church – Bay Minette, AL July 31-August 3 East Highland Baptist Church – Hartselle, AL August 1-3 Lindsey Lane Baptist Church – Athens, AL Please pray for these teams listed above as the days continue to speed by. Their leadership efforts in the areas of resort worship services, beach evangelism, backyard Bible clubs, and concert performances provide wonderful opportunities to share with others what Christ has done in their lives. Please remember to also pray for the summer missionaries as they prepare to go back to their campuses, friends, and families. We pray that they will each continue to seek out God’s special plan for their lives. Summer missions was a life-changing experience for us, and we believe it has been for ‘our girls’ as well. They have worked hard, loved those who needed love, and had lots of laughs along the way. We are thankful for their hard work and dedication. They made this a summer to remember for all of our volunteers and partners in ministry. Fun Facts about the Summer Missions Staff in 2003 Tara Naugher from Jacksonville State University, AL – our 2003 day camp coordinator – Tara loves a good meal – mashed potatoes, grilled chicken, cole slaw, and corn on the cob. Being a summer missionary and working with over two dozen youth groups results in very little home cooked meals. A unique challenge for Tara in the summer of 2003 has been to find a Kentucky Fried Chicken rather than experience the dreaded pizza-blast mentality of visiting youth teams. Tara has repeatedly passed on pizza throughout the summer. Some people don’t like vegetables (not Tara), so isn’t it ok that some people don’t like pizza (Tara). Hang in there, maybe they’ve got a veggie-pizza. Yuck! Just kidding. Ashley Burns from Sommerset Community College, KY – our 2003 evangelism coordinator – Ashley, like me (Jeff) is a big fan of big-budget sci-fi / action / fantasy movies. As a staff we’ve had a couple of movie nights when we all load up after a Friday night staff meeting and head over to the new theatre in Daphne. Great seats, big screens, and great movies. Right? Well not exactly. Rather than attend the same movies, sometimes our team might break up and go watch different flicks. Some to see Nemo (good choice), some to see Legally Blonde 2 (not such a good choice), and of course being the big-budget sci-fi fan Ashley, Jeff, and Thea are off to see The HULK and the over-promoted flop League of Extraordinary Gentleman. I think Ashley and I had the same thoughts at both viewings of these sub-standard motion pictures – “somebody get me out of here.” A trip to the dentist might have been more pleasant. Oh well, maybe the summer of 2004 will work out better for Ashley. Sorry for the sorry movies. We should have gone to see the Pirates of the Caribbean. Lacey Howard from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, LA – our 2003 performance coordinator – Lacey showed up at the beach one day with a proclamation of intent regarding her hairstyle. She decided to get a new look since she was at the beach for the summer. Extremely uncertain of the shady sounding ads in the yellow pages, Lacey settled on one. The experience was not a good one. Here hair went from blonde to something else. Shaded here and there. The new look was definitely not the look Lacey was looking for. So it was from the disastrous hair salon to rite-aid to get something to fix the situation. 2 or 3 different home remedy hair-treatments later and several dollars later, Lacey’s hair is back to normal. Abby Jonas from Murray State University, KY – our 2003 sand and Son club coordinator – Abby spent a couple of days back in Kentucky in July to be a part of a close friend’s wedding. As the maid of honor, Abby was required to fly home. Flying was an exciting adventure for several of her summer missions partners thanks to Ricky (a local promo-sign pulling pilot from Luxury RV). Abby’s partners (Tara, Ashley, and Tiffany) went on a quick flight in a two-seater plane this summer. Abby did not go on this little adventure. Abby’s flying adventure involved getting from Pensacola, FL back to her hometown for her friends wedding. When a veteran military man that has flown countless times looks at a flight-phobic summer missionary during the flight and says “that’s never happened before” you know something is wrong. The difficult flight almost kept Abby from flying back to us. She said she especially thought it strange that all of the passengers were congratulating the pilot after he finally got them on the ground. Amy Jenkins from McNeese State University, LA – our 2003 discipleship and outreach coordinator – Amy is tremendously fearful of animals…even kittens and puppies. This animal-phobia was demonstrated during a visit to the migrant camps in the Fairhope area when Amy had what can only be described as a panic attack at the camp when a dog came her way. Amy hastily retreated to the van. Tiffany Durr from Georgetown College, KY – our 2003 worship coordinator – Throughout the summer Tiffany has been a child-magnet. You will not find Tiffany at a backyard Bible club without a child on her arm, her back, or around her neck. Recently one of our day camp goers remained attached to Tiffany’s back throughout the course of a one and a half hour club. When Tiffany arrived on the field she had no desire or interest in working with children. Now Tiffany loves kids, and it’s obvious kids love Tiffany. The Moral of these Stories Life lessons or silly stories…maybe both. All silliness aside, God has used the lives of these six young ladies to shine the light of his Son. For every humorous experience we’ve had this summer, we’ve also experienced times of God’s presence and renewal. My summer missions / life motto has been for several years now: God doesn’t call the qualified; God qualifies the called. When Ashley prayed with a child at day camp to receive Christ as his Lord and Savior, when Tiffany talked with a soul-searching beach-goer about what it means to have a relationship with Christ, when Tara shared a testimony of God’s faithfulness at Friendship Baptist Church, when Amy consistently provided discipleship to her partners through morning devotional meetings, when Lacey placed an ice-cold bottle of water in the hands of someone who desperately needed to hear of the living water that Jesus came to give, and when Abby spoke of God’s plan to a group of students at a local church. These were times when God qualified the called. God gave them all they needed so they could accomplish great things for Him. The seeds of the gospel that the girls have planted in the hearts of gulf coast visitors and residents throughout the summer are too numerous to recount. This week I came in contact with a camper at one of the campgrounds we work with. The young lady spoke of a college student that she had met two summers ago by the name of Ashley Whiddon (now Ashley Claunch). She said the talk she had with Ashley had really made an impression on her. As we talked I couldn’t help but be excited about the way God uses summer missionaries’ testimonies and Christian witness beyond the timetable that makes up their summer experience. Ashley worked with us in the summer of 2001 along with Cathy Inman and Annette Blythe, yet in 2003 Ashley’s ministry pops up in a conversation with a camper. It’s the same for the ministry of Lacey, Amy, Tara, Ashley, Abby, and Tiffany. It’s the same for you and me. Our actions and words that reflect what Christ has done in our lives are timeless. Testimonies of followers of Christ often make an impact that is well beyond our expectation or understanding. The calling of God in the lives of students is something that our ministry is privileged to be a part of. As prayer supporters in the ministries that goes on along the beaches and campgrounds of Alabama’s Gulf Coast, you too are a part of God’s call to be on mission for Christ in world that desperately needs to know of this thing called amazing grace. Surfing in the Summer of 2003 You don’t have to go to the beach to go surfing. Just check out / surf on our new website: www.barefootbelievers.com Special thanks to Jonathan Alberts for helping us get set up on the web. Happy surfing. One Last Thing Peter wrote this as part of a letter to Jewish Christians driven out of Jerusalem. Throughout the Roman empire, Christians were being tortured and killed for their faith, and believers in Jesus Christ were being scattered throughout the world. Peter 1:13 — Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. And Don’t Forget Let us know how you are doing and how we can pray for you. In Christ, Jeff & Thea Ford Gulf Area Resort Ministries PO Box 3387 Gulf Shores, AL 36547 251.967.4086 bbagarm@gulftel.com www.barefootbelievers.com We are a ministry of the Baldwin Baptist Association and partners in ministry with the Alabama State Board of Missions and the North American Mission Board
