Dear Friends and Precious Brethren in Christ Jesus Our Lord,

Praise the Lord! We rejoice at what He has been doing and wanted to give you an update of our activities since our last letter, so that you can know better how to pray for us. It is hard to believe, but it was two years ago at this time that we felt the Lord calling us back to serve Him with Hand to the Plow Ministries. There has truly been one miracle after another showing God’s faithfulness.

We were introduced to our first grandson, Wyatt Luke Anderton, on Saturday, Feb. 3. Mom and Dad (Ange and Ben) are doing great, and the baby is healthy and content. We get to see them about once a week. What a wonder and a joy! God has truly blessed them. Our son Jesse is well, and we all look so forward to seeing him in May as he returns for his R&R in time for his wife’s (Heather) graduation from Houghton College.

WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING

As we looked over the calendar for 2006, we found that there were 153 preaching opportunities and 13,395 miles traveled for ministry. Praise the Lord for enablement and safety!

1. I meet with the male prisoners at the Elmira Chemung County Jail almost every Friday at 1:00- 2:45. Bev meets the first Wednesday of every month with the women, and we both periodically are called to hold services on Sunday for the men and the women. I cannot tell you what a blessing this is to see men and women, who truly have hit bottom, being saved and their lives changed by the power of the Gospel. Please keep these needy souls in your prayers as I can tell you the majority do not want to fail and end up going back in.
2. We have youth meetings and God has been pleased to grant us His enablement for the furtherance of His kingdom. Next week we will be taking the group, along with several parents, on a tour of Civil War Battlefields in Virginia. I love history and feel strongly that our children today need to understand their heritage. All of these kids are home schooled, and I believe that this will be a trip that they will remember for the rest of their lives. We also normally meet on Friday nights for our meetings, which go from 7:00 – 9:00. This is a great group of kids, and both Bev and I count it a privilege to be working with them.
3. The meetings in Maryland continue. We are looking to move out and see the Lord save souls. We must have an understanding that all people have a soul, and that soul is eternal. I wonder how many of us in the Church understand the heart of God in this matter. I have heard some in the church make statements like, “Well, I’ll bet they’re sorry now.” When someone is lost and passes away without Jesus, yes, I’m sure they are sorry. Do we hear the voice of God? “‘For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,’ says the Lord God. ‘Therefore turn and live!'” (Ezekiel 18:32 NKJV)
   It is my hope and prayer that many in the Church would wake up and recognize that maybe their hearts aren’t right with God, and that we need the loving heart of God to burn in us once again.
4. We continue to have Sunday afternoon deeper life meetings in our home for those who yearn for a deeper, more personal relationship with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise The Lord! The folks are burdened for the lost and spiritually wounded, and we have begun monthly outreaches in the form of home concerts with a message. Thirty-one people attended the first one held in March. We will be holding another one on April 21. Please pray that God will move on hearts.

We are so thankful for your prayers, notes of encouragement, and your gifts. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3) “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:33) PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME!

Yours for Jesus’ sake and the furtherance of His Kingdom,

Jim