God is Good

We have had an amazing couple of days. It is exciting to have Dr. Beal with us. We praise the Lord how his hand has been healing.

Two nights ago we were in Bryant Pond, Maine with Pastor Hodgkins. We had a wonderful time of fellowship with him and his family. In the service, Dr. Beal preached a message on the importance of God's Word. A man came forward and Pastor Hodgkins was able to take him to a back room and lead him to the Lord! It is great to see that God is still at work. After the service we played several games of spoons, and enjoyed some good old fashioned ice cream.

Last night we were able to serve with Pastor Knight here at Constitution Baptist Church. Dr. Beal preached an excellent salvation message. After the service we enjoyed pizza and fellowship with the pastor. Today we were able to help Pastor with some odd jobs around the church and we are now on our way up to Vermont.

We were just able to stop at the house where Dwight L. Moody was born. Just up on top of the knoll by his house is the burial sight of Moody and his wife. It was awesome to see the school that he started there, but at the same time it was sad to see the empty campus and what it is being used for now. May God raise up more great men that can do as the disciples in the Bible did, and turn the world upside down.

Please continue to pray for us as we travel and minister in local churches. There have been several people who are very close to salvation, so please pray that they would come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ very soon.

Touring Maine

Wow!!! It was absolutely wonderful touring the state of Maine. We had perfect 70 degrees weather for almost one whole week. It was a joy being able to visit the churches and see their love for the Lord. I appreciate the pastors. The keep plugging away in the place that the Lord has placed them.

We have been able to have the true Maine experience. We have done the following things: eaten lobster, saw a moose, went to a lighthouse, had Moxie (Maine's soda), and we got bitten by black flies. It was sure fun.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse







Kevin Gilbert

Lewiston Baptist Church with the Kelly family

On Monday we were able to be with Pastor Tim Kelly and his family. They are church planting up in Lewiston, Maine, and they are doing a great work for the Lord. The church is currently meeting in their home, and at the evening service we had a high of forty-six people in attendance. Praise the Lord!!!

It was certainly a blessing to see the Kelly family again. Pastor Deatrick will be going back to Lewiston at the end of June for the church's chartering service. It is exciting to see churches being planted in Maine.

Stratton, Maine

Yesterday we traveled up to Stratton, Maine, and it was certainly a beautiful drive. The service was at Calvary Bible Church with Pastor Bruce Townsend. When we arrived, Pastor immediately took us out skeet shooting. Wow was it fun!!! Pastor Townsend also let us men shoot some pistols as well. One was made in 1918 and other was a German Luger from 1940. It even had the Nazi markings on it. That was a privilege.

It was good to see Adam Fenske and his family. We were in school together for two years, and I greatly appreciated him a school. He is now working as the youth leader at Calvary Bible Church, and he is doing a great job.

Something really neat happened. We saw moose in Stratton, Maine!!! It was pretty cool.


Here are some pictures of the beautiful state of Maine near Stratton.

Daily Happenings

These are a few pictures of our time in New York City. James Walcott, our fellow ABC student, showed us around the city before the evening serving at Bay Ridge Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York City.


A view of Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry


The Wall Street Bull


The Statue of Liberty picture taken from the Staten Island Ferry.


This is at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, PA.


We have been having a wonderful time on tour. It has been a blessing to see the Lord work people's lives. We have been traveling with Pastor Roger Maxwell who is the Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church. He has been filling in as the preacher for our group since Dr. Beal has been unable to travel with us due to his accident. We have had some great conversations with Pastor Maxwell. He is a very wise man. It has been a great blessing to have him on our team.

Tonight, we will be in Berlin, VT, and this will be Pastor Maxwell's last service with us. We will certainly miss him. Then, on Saturday Pastor Nathan Deatrick, Michael's older brother, will join us again as our preacher for approximately a week and a half. I am looking forward to seeing him again.

We have had some wonderful experiences being able to minister and be a blessing to people in our host homes. We are very grateful for a place to stay and to minister each night. Praise the Lord for His goodness to us and for His protection as we travel serving Him.

~ Kevin Gilbert

Going to have internet tonight so i will be sure to update the blog.

Niagra Falls

Sorry it has been so long since the blog has been updated. I have not been able to get Internet for the past week. So much has gone on and I will not be able to recount it all, but needless to say, God has been good.

A few days ago, we went to Niagara Falls. It was amazing. For some of us it was the first time we got to see the falls. We even rode the Maid of the Mist to see the falls from the bottom.

Last night we were at Faith Bible Church in Elizabethtown, PA. This is Daniel Brubaker's home church, so he was happy to be back at home. Mr. Hanke preached a message with the plan of salvation clearly presented, and a young man (Still in his teens) accepted the Lord as his Saviour!!

Today, we are just laying back and taking it easy. Nathan Fry took us out shooting this morning. We started with shooting a 20 and 12 gauge shotgun. Then we went to shooting .22's. We had a lot of fun.

The next few days will be full of fun and good times. We will be passing through Philly and doing some sightseeing. Then we will be heading up to New York City!We are looking forward to seeing what God is going to do in the coming days and weeks. Please continue to pray for us as we travel and sing.

We had a gr8 visit with the Mill family here in NY. Now its back 2 the hills of PA! I will leave a more detailed update ASAIGI. . . As soon as i get internet :)

(Niagra Falls)No internet + no phone = no update sorry. We just left niagra falls. Wow! It was amazing.

(Phone Update)We are now in NY! I have not had internet the last several nights but will upd8 the blog tonight if i have internet. Thank you for your prayers!

Lancaster, PA

Last night we had the privilege being at Lancaster Baptist Church. The pastor is Timothy York, and he attended Ambassador Baptist College many years ago. Pastor Nathan Deatrick and Pastor York knew each other in school.

Their church is five years old, and it was a blessing to be serving with them in this new work. Pastor York gave us preacher boys some wise advice on ministry. I asked him what was the most important thing that he has learned in church planting, and he said that patience is the key in ministry. We were appreciative of his counsel.

Today we are picking up Mr. Hanke, the Dean of Men, from the Harrisburg, PA international airport. He will be traveling with us as our preacher for approximately two weeks. We are looking forward to the time we can be with him.

Kevin

Home Sweet Home!

Well, it has been exciting to be in the good ole state of Virginia. We arrived in Chesapeake, VA on Saturday afternoon and met with Pastor Godfrey and his asst. Pastor John Godfrey. They took us out to a field and let us shoot well over 200 rounds of ammunition. We shot everything from a 44 Colt to a 22. We all had a great time.

Kevin and I had a enjoyed visiting at the Brannon residence as we talked and fellowshipped with them. Daniel Brubaker and Nathaniel Minion made the trek from Ohio and arrived in Chesapeake around 3 AM Sunday morning. It is good to finally have the quartet together.

Sunday morning we were at Great Hope Baptist Church. During the Sunday School hour, all of us in the quartet gave our testimonies. Then during the service the quartet sang and Kevin played his viola. It was all the way around a great service.

For the evening service we traveled to Hampton, VA which is only about 30 min from Chesapeake. It was great to see their ministry and fellowship with their members. I had the privilege of speaking with the Fluery family who are preparing to train to become missionaries under Silent Word Ministries. It was just a blessing to hear how God had been working in their lives, and calling them to full time ministry. Please pray for them as they continue to train to serve God.

This morning we sang for chapel at Bethel, and we are currently on the road up to PA. Please continue to pray for us as we travel. Tonight we will be in a meeting with Dr. Beal, and Pastor Deatrick will be preaching a message on Baptist History. We are excited about this coming week, and seeing what God is going to do!

~Daniel Bishop

Greetings From Havelock, NC!

It has been quite a day. We started out with a trip back to Havelock, NC so we could be with the Kohr's for a service this evening. We arrived around 11:30 AM. The Kohr's then took us to get our fishing licence, and we proceeded to go salt water fishing. It is a good thing that we were not eating what we caught otherwise we would have starved.

We then shared a wonderful meal with the Kohr family. They educated us on the difference between eastern Carolina BBQ and western Carolina BBQ, and which one of those was the better of the two. So I guess since none of us are southerners we have now been a little more "cultured."

I have had the privilege to know the Kohr's for the last several years, and they are a great encouragement to me. Just talking and fellowshipping with them was enjoyable. It is a blessing to see what God is doing there at Freedom Baptist Church! Please pray for Pastor Kohr and his family as they continue to serve God here in Havelock.

The service went very well. I lead the congregational singing while Kevin accompanied on the piano. Then Pastor Deatrick and Michael sang some duets and Kevin topped it all of with some viola solos. Pastor Deatrick preached an excellent message out of the book of Ruth.

After the service, we went fishing again. We actually just returned (yes, it is 1 AM). It was very relaxing and enjoyable but again, we caught no fish. Michael did manage to catch a small eel but he threw it back.

Please pray for Daniel Brubaker and Nate Minion as they drive to meet us late tomorrow night. Also pray for us as we make the journey up to Virginia. Thank you again for your prayers!

~Daniel

Our first service at Grace Missionary Baptist Church

Today's Expeditions

Our group began the day by meeting with Mr. Eborn, his wife, and two other ladies from the church that work in the FBN radio ministry. They took us out to Bojangles for breakfast, and we had a wonderful time of fellowship. After breakfast, Pastor Nathan Deatrick, our quartet leader and preacher, talked to a man about Christ, but he was indifferent to the gospel. Please pray for this man that he will be saved.

Once we got back to Grace Missionary Baptist Church, we met with Mr. Larry, and he took us to Cherry Point Marine Base. It was pretty amazing! We were able to see some helicopters, and fighter jets. There were soldiers doing target practice
with their M-16 rifles. It was pretty cool hearing all of those guns going off at the same time.

Tonight's service was at Immanuel Baptist Church in Edenton, NC with Pastor Randy Browder. We had a great time of fellowship with him and his family. It was a blessing to be able to serve and minister for the Lord in the evening service. Michael and Pastor Nathan Deatrick sang two duets, and we also sang a few solos.

Pastor Deatrick preached out of Acts 1:1-11. The title was "It's Not About You And Me Anymore." He gave six reasons why it is not about us. 1. "It's all about Jesus in His work. 2. It's all about Jesus in His Word. 3. It's all about Jesus in His Worthiness. 4. It's all about Jesus in His Witness. 5. It's all about Jesus in His World. 6. It's all about Jesus in His Coming Woes. This message was a challenge and a conviction to my heart.

We are staying in a nice prophet's chamber at the church. It is such a blessing to serve our Lord in ministry. Please continue to pray that we will see many more souls come to Christ during our quartet trip.

Kevin Gilbert

Vanishing Viola Music

Our first day traveling in the Ambassador men’s quartet has been amazing. I was praying for the Lord to do a mighty work in our first service, and He certainly did. The Lord saved a young teenager named Derek. Praise the Lord!!! He answered my prayer. Also, there was a Marine named Philip who came down the isle. Please pray for him. He is on the verge of being saved. I look forward to hearing the day that he accepts Christ as his Savior.

We had a variety of duet and solo musical packages that night due to the fact that Dan Brubaker and Nathan Minion are not with us until Sunday morning. I played three viola solos that night at Grace Missionary Baptist Church. The last viola number that I played was To God Be The Glory. This was for the offering. Pastor was standing at the pulpit for prayer and I was right behind him so that I could be right at the pulpit for the beginning of the offering. The interesting thing was that Pastor did not move. Dan Bishop started to play the introduction to my piece, so I just put my music on the side of the pulpit and got set to play. Just as I was ready to begin, Pastor went to the side of the platform but he also took my music for the song. I played the piece by memory. Praise the Lord for the time of review that I had. I saw Pastor out of the corner of my eye, and I saw him flipping through the pages of music and wondering why he had it. It worked out in the end. I thank the Lord for helping me to be flexible.

~Kevin Gilbert

From Sandy Creek to Sandy Beaches

WOW!!! This is the only word I can use to describe our first day on tour! Where do I begin? We started out at Sandy Creek Baptist Church and ended right on the beaches of the ocean!

We started out our trip at 9 AM headed towards Newport, NC. On the way Pastor Deatrick took us to the Sandy Creek Baptist Church. This church was founded in the 1700's by Shubal Stearns, a major figure in Baptist history. We started out by Shubal Stearns grave, after looking at it, Pastor Deatrick lead us all in a word of prayer. He prayed that like Bro. Stearns we would have the power of God on our lives. After leaving the cemetery we went to the building where Shubal Stearns preached. IT is the third church building that they built. It was a privilege to stand in the pulpit where Bro. Stearns himself held services every week. Pastor Deatrick got up and read a passage out of Acts, and we paused for a moment of prayer again. WOW!! What a powerful convicting time.

We then hit the road again headed once again to Newport. In the van we were talking about what we wanted to see accomplished on this trip, and we all agreed that ultimately we wanted to see souls saved. Tonight, praise the Lord, we had one young man accept the Lord as his Savior!!!!! There was one other Marine named Philip who was very close to salvation. Please pray for Philip that he would come to accept the Lord soon.

After the service, we were able to see the studio where FBN radio is based out of. What a ministry they have there reaching the whole entire world with the Gospel!

Here are some updated prayer request:

-Pray for more souls to be saved
-Pray specifically for Philips salvation

~Daniel Bishop

Ready and Set to Go!

It is now time for summer tour to begin. We are all anxiously awaiting our departure tomorrow morning. However, we will be starting out with a fragmented quartet. . . Dan Brubaker and Nate Minion will be heading up north to be a part of a wedding. They will join us again on Saturday evening and we will finally be together for the first time on Sunday morning. It is going to be a great summer, and we all would appreciate your prayers! Below are some specific prayer request:

-Souls to be saved
-Travel Safety
-That we would all stay in good health

I will update with more prayer request as they come along. Thank you very much for your prayers. We are looking forward to a great summer serving God with our voices!!

~Daniel Bishop