The Wilkes Team

Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 15:5-6).

What a joy it was to come along side the Shrock and Prentice families for a season of powerful ministry. Operation Eternal Impact (OEI) began two years ago. Mr. Mike Shrock and his family had a burden for their local community – A burden to reach souls destined for an eternity in hell and separation from God. Using the tools and skills their family has been blessed with, they stepped out by faith to organize and put on a 9 day children’s ministry camp (OEI). This year, about 25 Young people from Oregon & Washington between the ages of 13 and 20 accepted the call and congregated on a beautiful piece of property amidst the stunning forests and mountains of Oregon near the Mollala River. Tents and RVs were scattered throughout the breath taking forests of fir trees & ferns that surround the spacious cabin (camp & food headquarters). The stage was set. Action began Wednesday evening.

Mr. Shrock started off our first morning together (Thursday) with a timely chapel entitled, "We are in a war." With souls of men & women at stake, this is not a time to sit idly by. We must be ready, we must prepare, and we must step forward. Day one was gearing up to be a quiet day of instruction and preparation, when all of a sudden, Drill Sergeant Stefanski and his team of squad leaders barged into the classroom upon the unsuspecting students.

Everyone was harried out the door, formed up, and then taken on a brisk run. Throughout his time with us, Drill Sergeant Stefanski taught the importance of working as a team, following commands, and enduring hardness – skills each member would need while teaching Bible club the following week. Our theme verse during boot camp was 2 Timothy 2:3, "Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." Specific activities the teams were involved with included water games, a rigorous hike to the top of a nearby ridge where several large fir trees (30 feet in circumference) could be found, and a memorable tent switch up while being duct taped together in teams of 3 & 4.

A motivating message of boot camp was Mr. Shrock’s charge to not be casual, but disciplined. A casual soldier runs the risk of becoming a casualty. Through discipline however, a soldier is a disciple of his leader and thus in the position to be of the greatest impact possible. How true this concept is to our Christian walk!

Boot camp came to a close Friday afternoon, but the applications, exhortations, & impact of OEI had only just begun!

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Quick everyone we need to be at the table at 7am for Wisdom Search! 

We all quickly came and sat down with our bibles and were ready to start. But Dad and Mom were no where in sight! We all kind of wondered where they had gone when Matthew enlightened us that they had left around 4:45am for a early breakfast at IHOP!They should be back real soon.

"Oh" we all said as we went back to having our own personal time in the Word.

7:08am – Daniel asks what the date is and then it hits us! It was DAD’S BIRTHDAY! And not just any birthday it was his 50th!!! How could we forget?

7:09am – FAST EVERYONE we need to DECORATE this kitchen!!!

7:10am – With loud cheers and great enthusiasm we began to run around doing all we could to make it extra special.

-  Markie took on the birthday chair

- Adam, and Matthew began blowing and blowing balloons. But for some reason they had a hard time tying them so all of a sudden ZOOOOOMMMM a balloon would be flying around the kitchen! This brought more laughs!

- Are they here yet???  No!

- The banner was constructed and began to take on a wide range of color!

- The front door was decorated with small banners, balloons, and big signs with 50 on it!   (In order that Dad could see it from his car!)

- Are they here yet???  No!

- Daniel undertook the birthday meal of oven pancakes. Even though Dad had already eaten, a birthday without some kind of special homemade meal would not feel right!

 7:25am – Any minute we know they would come around the corner! We were amazed they had not showed up yet! It was then we realized that we had not come up with any real different and unique way of expressing our love for Dad.

Hmmmmm…… Where is Josh when you need him! ( He’s in Oregon) He is the one that always comes up with great ideas.

7:30am  An idea comes! Lets write 50 things that we are grateful for! And hang it in the kitchen!!!

Matthew quickly wrote out 1 thru 50 on a 5ft piece of paper! Then we all began to come up with reason we feel so blessed about the Father that God gave us!

- Are they here yet???  No!

8:00am They are HERE!!

Fast we need to finish up!

We told them to go around back and take walk around the back yard. And we promised to call them in real soon.

- We finished up the gratefulness banner and hung it up

- Got the breakfast meal out and ready.

8:15am We called them in and sang Happy Birthday to Dad!  How blessed we are to have such a godly Father!

- Then we looked around and realized someone was missing! Not only Josh but Hannah!

Where was Hannah???? She was no where in sight! It was then that we told Dad that he needed to find her! His only clue was that she was in the kitchen SOMEWHERE! Dad and Mom began the search and could not find here any where. Now there are only a couple places to hide and those are pretty obvious! Unless, you are Miss Hannah!

They looked and looked and could not figure out where she was until they opened a small cupboard door and low and behold there she was! ( This was all Hannah’s idea!) It was great!

It sure was an exciting morning!  Birthdays are truly a great time to show your love for your family. I hope you will never get so close to forgetting as we did though.

But Daniel you saved the day by asking for the date! And Wilkes Team you all pulled through again on making a birthday morning a success!

7 Comments » | posted in Family News

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so (Gen. 1:6-7).

What was the result of God saying, “let there be?” The heavens and the firmament, on day two of creation, were created. What does God have to say about the heavens & the firmament? The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork (Ps. 19:1)

When God says, ‘Let it be,’ and when ‘it is so,’ great glory is given to God! What has God said, “let there be” in your life? Having you resisted letting it be so? If so, we are missing a marvelous opportunity for God to receive great glory.

The four o’clock hour had only just been advanced upon. Several integral members of the Wilkes Team had just returned from a rousing game of tennis with hungry appetites. Mom & her marvelous assistants prepared an extraordinary meal with platters of food resembling a tasty local restaurant we’ve all grown to love. And Grandpa and Grandma blessed us all with their wonderful presence just as we all sat down for dinner. The meal came to a quick close as realization struck of the quickly passing hour.

The occasion for such haste was my pending flight to Portland, Oregon – scheduled to leave at 6:18pm. Final items were thrown into bags, good byes given, and prayers said. Dad, Mom, and I headed off at approximately 5:15pm (notice a problem here ?). My heart began beating extra fast as the horrific thought entered the mind that I may not make it in time – but the couldn’t happen to me! Eternity finally passed when the car came to a stop in front of Dulles Airport. After accidentally approaching the first class/executive counter, we were kindly told our check-in point would be about 20 yards to the left – oh dear. At last, I punched in my e-ticket confirmation number only to receive the horrifying message that I was too late. The attendant behind the counter said 45 minutes before departure was the latest anyone was allowed to check in. Nevertheless, the excitement wasn’t over. For when I inquired on rescheduling another flight, the gentleman said most flights to Portland were booked through the end of August – oh no! The mercies of God were such however that a seat was found on a plane the very next morning with a 6:01am departure time. I was also graciously forgiven by my dear hosts in Oregon.

What happened? My lack of character (tardiness) had resulted in this dilemma. But then I had a very important decision to make – would I submit to what God had willed there to be and let it be so in my life (Gen. 1:6-7)? After all, he could of allowed me to catch the flight, despite my tardiness.

The alarm went off at 3:45 the next morning. Mom & Sarah ever so graciously & eagerly drove me to the airport at 4:15. Praise the Lord – check in went smoothly, security had no issues, and I arrived at my gate with much time to spare. Boarding the plane which was scheduled to arrive in Chicago at 7:30am, I struck up a conversation with my co-passenger (a resident of Ashburn). For the next 90 minutes, we talked almost non-stop on topics ranging from farming to politics, business to family, and art to Christianity. The opportunity arose to share Christ with her and in the end she ever so graciously said, “I know why you missed your flight.” We both parted immensely encouraged. I believe seeds were planted.

The firmament & heavens show forth God’s glory and make known His handiwork, why? “God said, let there be, and it was so.” In our lives, when we submit to what God allows there to be (even if this is correction), God receives great glory. This was a timely lesson to me, and one I hope never to forget!

4 Comments » | posted in Ministry Reports

Here is a journal entry from the journal of George Muller. Baron Von Kamps was a man of God that encouraged George Muller greatly in his walk with Christ.

Mom the other morning read it to us all during our family’s morning wisdom search. We all were encouraged and inspired to be one that draws out our souls to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul. ( Isaiah 58:10a).

God is searching for men and women in this world, that would make up the hedge, and stand in the gap. (Ez. 22:30) Baron Von Kamps was a man that fulfilled this verse!

March 4th :

For the encouragement of believers who are tired by having unconverted relatives and friends, I will relate the following circumstances which I know is true. Baron von Kamp, who lived in Prussia, had been a disciple of the Lord Jesus for many years, In the year 1806, great financial distress came upon many thousands of weavers in the area. They had no employment because the whole continent was in an unsettled state from the war. The baron believed that is was the will of the Lord to use his wealth to furnish these poor weavers with work, in order to save them from complete ruin, There was not only no prospect of personal gain, but rather the certain prospect of immense loss. Nevertheless, he found employment for about six thousand weavers.

But the baron was not content with this, He also wanted to minister to the souls of these weavers, He set believers as overseers over his immense weaving concern. The weavers were instructed in spiritual things, and he personally shared the truth of the gospel with them.

The work went on for a good while until at last, on account of the loss of most of his property, he was obliged to think about giving up. But by this time, his precious act of mercy had proven its worth to the government. It was taken up by them and carried on until the times changed, Baron von Kamp was appointed director of the whole concern as long as it existed.

This dear man of God was not content with this, He traveled through many countries to visit the prisons for the sake of improving the physical and spiritual condition of the prisoners. He also assisted poor students at the university of Berlin, especially those who studied theology, in order to win them for the Lord.

One day a talented young man heard of the aged baron’s kindness to students. He wrote to the baron, requesting his assistance because his own father could not afford to support him any longer. A short time afterward, young Thomas received a kind reply from the baron, inviting him to come to Berlin. But before the letter arrived, the young student had heart that Baron von Kamp was a  "pietist" or "mystic," as true believers were contemptuously called in Germany. Young Thomas was deeply involved in philosophy, reasoning about everything, questioning the truth of revelation, questioning even the existence of God. He disliked the prospect of going to the old baron for help. Still, he thought he could try, and if he did not like it, he was not obligated to remain in connection with him.

Thomas arrived in Berlin on a day when the baron was out of town on business. He began to speak about his philosophies to the steward of the baron, The stewards, however was a believer, and he turned the conversation to spiritual things.

At last the baron arrived, He received Thomas in the most affectionate and familiar manner, The baron offered him a room in his house and a place at his table while Thomas studied in Berlin, Thomas accepted the offer.

The baron now sought in every way to great the young student in the most kind and affectionate way, to serve him as much as possible and to show him the power of the gospel in his own life. He did all this without arguing with him of even speaking to him directly about his soul, Thomas obviously had a skeptical min, and the baron avoided getting into any argument with him. The student often said to himself, "I wish I could get into an argument with this old fool, I would show him how irrational his beliefs are." But the baron avoided it.

When the baron heard the young student come home in the evening, he would go to meet him and serve him in any way he could, even helping him to take off his boots. Thus this lowly, aged disciple went on for some time. While Thomas still sought an opportunity for arguing with him, he wondered how the baron could continue to serve him.

One evening when Thomas returned to the baron’s house, the baron was making himself his servant as usual. The student could restrain himself no longer and burst out, "Baron, how can you do all this? You see I do not care about you. How are you able to continue to be so kind to me and serve me like this?"

The baron replied, "My dear young friend, I have learned it from the Lord Jesus, I wish you would read through the gospel of John. Good night."

The student now for the first time in his life sat down and read the Word of God with an open heart and a willingness to learn, Up to that time he had never read the Holy Scriptures unless he wanted to find out arguments against them. God blessed him. From that time he became a follower of the Lord Jesus and has continued in the faith ever since. Praise the Lord!

2 Comments » | posted in Family News

  The only way a family truly bonds and becomes one another’s best friends is by spending time with one another!  Family relationships can so easily be taken for granted and not pursued to higher levels of oneness, maturity and love for each other.

That is why we as a family have purposely set aside times in which we just spend time with one another and doing things together.  One of those set aside times is a weekly family game night in which we rotated picking an activity in which we all can do together!

From croquet, soccer, capture the flag, Legos, small engine building, Settlers of Catan, to building bird houses, and the list could go on!

Such awesome memories have been made, relationships strengthened as we have learned to truly enjoy one another’s company.

   God truly rejoice when we can dwell together in unity! Take the time NOW to get to know your siblings and parents! You will be forever grateful for the time you spent in making them your best friends!

  “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Psalms 133:1

4 Comments » | posted in Family News

What did our Founding Fathers know? They understood the real answer to one of the most basic questions of any culture or society that has ever existed. The question has been greatly ignored in our culture today. It stands as the elephant in the room that no one is talking about. The answer to this basic question has determined the direction of every group of people since the beginning of time. Hitler and Stalin killed millions based on their answers to this question. Others have given their lives to help millions because of the way they answered this question. Most ignore it and let others answer it for them. The question, what makes something right or wrong? The answer to this question under girds everyone’s decision process. It makes us who we are and it determines where we are going in the near future all the way through eternity.

Ask yourself.

When I get ready to make a decision about whether something is right or wrong, what principles do I use to make that decision?

How do you decide if something is right or wrong?

If you are like 60% of the people your answer will be something like this, I decide what is right or wrong based on how I was brought up. Your foundation will be the values of your parents, teachers, and others that influenced your life. The decisions you make will reflect the standards and values of those that influenced you. While on the surface this seems satisfactory, how do you know if the people who influenced you were right or wrong?

Consider a New Guinea pygmy who was influenced by his parents and teachers to kill and eat other human beings. His guiding principles come from the way he was brought up. The results of his upbringing however seem greatly flawed by our standards. How do we decide if he is right or wrong?

We see that the way we were brought up, if used as the sole determining factor, fails as a consistent standard for what is right and wrong. There must be something else.

The next 20% answer the question with the idea that they have some innate sixth sense that guides them. They say I just have a strong sense or felling of what is right and I do it. A little consideration of this principle and we quickly see the problem. Feelings are not reliable. I sometimes feel like staying in bed instead of getting up and going to work. If I trusted in my feelings as the standard of what is right and wrong I would stay in bed and loose my job.

Feelings are not trustworthy as a consistent standard of what is right or wrong.

The last answer that I am usually given is that I determine what is right or wrong based on what the law says. The law becomes the guiding principle. While the law is important to follow, how do those making the laws decide whether a law should be a law or not? For example if I bought an island in the South Pacific, moved there with 500 others, we formed our own little country and passed a law that made murder legal, would that make murder right? No we all know murder is wrong, don’t we? Or do we? We have forgotten what makes something right or wrong.

Our Founding Fathers had not forgotten. They staked their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honors on what they knew were right.

There is a right and there is a wrong. However you and I cannot be trusted to decide right and wrong based on our upbringings, our feelings or even on our laws. There must be something greater than us that establishes the standard of right or wrong. Something, that is always consistent and in control. That something greater is actually a person. His name is Jesus Christ. He is the creator of all things and therefore the only one capable of setting the absolute standard by which we, his creation, must live. Not only is He capable, He has done it. It is called the Bible, a book that He inspired and that He has preserved for us to know Him by. Many will say, without ever reading it, that they do not believe it is true.

I was one of those once until I read it. It is true, it is relative and it is absolutely imperative for you to know what it says if you truly want to have Life, Liberty and the freedom to Pursue Happiness.

Our Founding Fathers knew this and gave their lives, fortunes and sacred honor for it. It is never to late to turn back to the truth.

7 Comments » | posted in HIS-story, On the Issues

In the year 1776 a group of men made some very important decisions that drastically changed the course of History and greatly impacted your life. Because of these men, their decisions and their commitment to their cause, today we enjoy the privilege of a form of government that, although not perfect, has allowed the governed to experience a level of safety, prosperity and hope never before witnessed in History. As Americans we have been given the responsibility of choice. We can choose our leaders and therefore choose the laws and policies that govern us. Study History and you will find the idea of the governed determining how they are governed almost non existent in any culture before the United States of America.

The significance of this has not been lost on the rest of the world. Since our independence from tyranny over 200 years ago we have been studied and emulated by many countries throughout the world. They were trying to figure out what made the US work.

The decisions made by our founding fathers were so firmly rooted and grounded in a common foundation that we still benefit from them today, over 200 years later. The stability of America has been incredible even amidst difficulties such as the Civil War, the Great Depression and more recently Bush vs. Gore and 9-11. In Bush vs. Gore we saw a country sharply divided over who was to be president. Yet, as soon as the law of the land was upheld and the decision made, the majority of Americans accepted that our government had operated the way it was designed and put it behind them. They accepted the rule of the laws of our country even if they did not agree with the outcome. This amazed many in the rest of the world who may have experienced a different outcome in their countries.

Consider also that our form of government, a constitutional Republic (not a democracy) has lasted over 200 years. This is a major accomplishment. However, join this together with the continuation of the ideal that all have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and we have a miracle. Yes there have been failures and mistakes yet today even amidst the problems, the ideal still stands as stated in our Declaration of Independence that all are “endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”.

Sadly though, the incredible magnitude of success experienced by the United States is being taken for granted by those who benefit from it the most. We Americans live our lives focused on the next paycheck, the weekend, our next promotion, the new media room and so on, that we have no clue of the incredible gift we have been given. We live in America, the land of the free. We must remember, we must not forget where we have come from, what we have been through and the dynamic future we can still have.

Forget? Unfortunately we have. We have forgotten what compelled our Founding Fathers to make the decisions they made over 200 years ago, decisions which cost them their lives, their fortunes and tested their sacred honor to the breaking point. What motivated these successful and prosperous men of the 1700’s to risk all that they had against incredible odds so that we could live free. If we understood this, America would soar again, children would feel safe, crime would disappear, terrorism would be stopped, poverty would decrease and psychologists would be looking for new careers.

Part 2 to Follow

3 Comments » | posted in HIS-story, On the Issues