Weeks of July 19-August 22

The end of July led us to visit the Immanuel Baptist Church in Clifton Forge, VA. We enjoyed getting to know Pastor John Godfrey and his church family. Their church has such a passion for missions and to see the Gospel spread through their community. I was able to glean a lot from Pastor Godfrey in regards to different methods of outreach. 

The next week started the long journey for myself traveling without my wife and daughter. From the start to finish, I will be traveling a total of six and half weeks. Over the last few weeks, I have traveled to churches in Colorado, Virginia, Arizona and Nebraska. I just finished up a week down in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. It definitely was encouraging to see this great work for God. What an honor it was for me to preach in multiple services during the week. The highlight was their Men and Boys Campout. You can't beat shooting guns and good food. 

Today I head to Idaho Fall, ID for meetings all day tomorrow. From there I head to California. Please pray for continued safety as I travel. Also, pray for my wife and daughter who are back home in VA. My wife is eight and a half months pregnant. Pray that God would continue to give her a healthy pregnancy and that the baby would come in God's perfect timing. 

Thank you again for all of your prayers and support!

Weeks of July 5-July 18

“Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart…”  I Samuel 12:24.  As our family and nation celebrated our country’s 239th birthday, we were reminded of God’s command to us in all circumstances.  We are determined to serve him on deputation, but we are desperate to reach Oahu and serve Him there!  We are incredibly blessed to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.  One deputation blessing is having the opportunity to inhale so much of God’s creation, America.  We have been privileged to see Niagara Falls, the Mississippi River, the Gulf, and breathtaking landscapes.  We have been able to stop near historically famous places where men and women sacrificed their lives to procure and defend our distinct freedoms.  We praise God for a biblical heritage and thank Him for his mercy in our lives.

We were able to celebrate the Fourth in Collinsville, Illinois with the Victory Bible Baptist Church.    We enjoyed a death defying fireworks display at the church barbecue.  We were encouraged by this new, yet thriving work for God.  When we returned to their church on Sunday, they took a leap of faith, by voting to support our ministry to Hawaii.  

We were also able to attend the First Baptist Church of La Salle.  Rafael appreciated being able to share the burden God has placed on his heart with the church.  Pastor Waddell and his family graciously hosted our family for a delicious lunch.  We so enjoyed the time we were able to spend in their home.  

Our next meeting was in Pennsylvania.  Anthony Baptist Church is nestled in between a dairy farm and a rippling creek in the woods.  When we arrived for church Sunday morning, the whole herd of cows was ready and waiting.  Adelyn insisted we greet each one, and I think they enjoyed their little visitor!  Pastor Patrick and his family have accomplished so much in one year.  We were excited to hear about their upcoming VBS and many church activities.  We shared our burden with the eager church.  In the evening, while Rafael spoke with the men, Cara was able to speak with the women.  We all enjoyed a delicious home cooked meal afterwards! This church spoiled our family and provided many things for us.  We are thankful for God’s many means of provision and humbled by Christian’s generosity.

Weeks of June 8-28

We were encouraged to spend Sunday morning with a new church plant in LA County, Vision Baptist Church.  Pastor and Mrs. Jupp began the church in March and have seen God do some miracles in their young church already.  We were encouraged that they would agree to support us when they themselves are so young.  God put a burden on our hearts to emulate their faith in our own church when the time comes.  We then were able to visit Lancaster Baptist Church and share in their 29th anniversary.  We were once again encouraged and reminded of the power of soul winning, as we saw the members they have won to the Lord walk the aisle as a testimony to His power.                                                                            

Leadership conference began the next day.  Pastor Edwards, Pastor Tangeman, and Mr. Bischoff attended from our home church in Virginia.  We enjoyed seeing them, and they seemed excited to see us! (or was it Adelyn they wanted to see?!?)  Being on deputation, our main purpose was to try to schedule meetings with pastors that were attending the conference.  We were praying that God would provide ten, and He provided twelve great contacts.  We have been able to see six of those twelve scheduled already!

Last year, BIMI honored Dr. Sisk for being a BIMI missionary for 50 years!  This year, Pastor Chappell and the Lancaster Baptist Church honored Dr. and Mrs. Sisk for 60 years of ministry!  Their humble spirit and faithful lives are incredible influences to us.

Leadership ended Wednesday night and we began our trek to LAX to make our early morning flight on time!  The Lord blessed and we arrived in Arkansas the next morning with only some minor delays.  Lighthouse Baptist Church and the Paul Caldwell family were gracious hosts for their missions conference.  We enjoyed spending time with Brother and Mrs. Larson, the BIMI USA church planter director.  Their conference was centered on reaching our JerUSAlem, and we were honored to share our burden for Oahu.  

We spent the next week traveling from Arkansas to the much cooler state of Michigan!  It was a welcome relief to drive into 60 degree weather that felt almost chilly! Arkansas had been pretty warm!  In Michigan, we were honored to be a part of Faith Baptist Church’s missions month.  Pastor Gaymon and his family were extremely gracious hosts.  We were the recipients of their warm hospitality and really enjoyed spending time in their home with their family.  

We are looking forward to seeing what God will bring us in the next week.  Thank you for your continued prayers!

Week of June 1-7

The month of June marked one year since we began our deputation training.  Last year, we began candidate school somewhat nervous and unsure of what our future would be.  This year, we anticipated another week of training at BIMI with people that have become dear friends to us.  Though it was an extremely busy week, we thoroughly enjoyed the classes and fellowship with both old and new friends.  We were able to celebrate with the largest incoming class BIMI has hosted.  We are thrilled that God is continuing to call people to His work.

We left BIMI Saturday to fly out to California for several meetings on the west coast.  After a few layovers, we finally arrived!  We enjoyed Sunday morning at Pastor Gibbs’s church in Moreno Valley, California.  Rafael was able to connect with a college friend he had not seen in a while.  We spent Sunday evening with the Reed family in Burbank, California at the Victory Baptist Church.  This church is in a transition phase between buildings.  We enjoyed seeing how they worked together to make their services possible, especially as this is what we will be doing in Hawaii ( hopefully soon).  

We praise the Lord for the many new churches that have agreed to partner with us financially, bringing us to 61% of our needed support level.  We are praising God for His provision and direction in our lives.

Weeks of April 27-May 10

On April 27, we headed back to Northern Virginia, from Harrison, Tenessee. 

It has been refreshing to receive a break from traveling such long distances! On Sunday, May 3, for the AM church service we were able to attend Heritage Baptist. It was a blessing to see old friends and hear our pastor preach. For the evening service, we attended the Lighthouse Baptist Church in Winchester, Virginia. We enjoyed so much this growing church and the fellowship with Pastor David Martin after the service. 

The next week we were able to spend some days at home catching up with things that needed to get done. Rafael was able to schedule more meetings and finish some daily correspondence needs. Sunday, May 10, took us to South Charlotte to be with Graceway Baptist Church. It was such an encouragement to see this thriving work for God. What a tremendous opportunity it was for us to rub shoulders with Pastor Chris Edwards. His example and testimony were definitely a challenge to us as we endeavor to start a church in Hawaii. 

We were also able to determine a name for our church. The Lord has led us to name the church Kai Point Baptist. What an opportunity we have to do something great for the glory of God! Not only that, Adelyn found out she will be having a baby brother this September!

Again, God has allowed us to schedule more meetings and has miraculously provided 55% of our needed support. Continue to pray with us that the support would continue to come in and that we would get to Hawaii in God's perfect timing. 

We appreciate all of your prayers and support!

Week of April 20-26

On April 20, we drove from Glenwood, IA, to TN. We enjoyed the opportunity to see much of the beautiful country. We stopped in TN to stay with some folks that we had met during a previous mission's conference. They were amazing hosts, and we appreciated so much their willingness to let us hang out for a couple of days. 

The middle of that week we drove to Chattanooga, TN, to start a conference at Lakewood Baptist Church. What a great week it was! The pastor and church family were such sweet people. The meals and fellowship were so refreshing and encouraging. God used Dr. David Snyder, president of BIMI, to challenge our hearts during the preaching. God definitely has His hand on this ministry. It is evident they have a heart for ministry and the Lord. 

Thank you for praying. We are blessed to have you as supporters of our ministry!

Week of April 13-19

God gave us a great week of travel and meetings! 

We left Council Bluffs, IA and headed down to Good Hope, IL to stay with some friends for the week. It was a blessing to attend a Wednesday night service at one of our supporting churches, First Baptist Church of Colchester. I also had the opportunity to spend some time with Pastor Dennis Clements. They were our first missions conference last September and have been faithful supporters of our ministry. 

The rest of the week provided opportunities to call churches and put together some packets. God allowed us to schedule 4 new meetings and we also got news that another church has taken us on for support. 

Our family also got to spend some time on the farm of the Hamm family. Jeremy Hamm is in the middle of planting his crops for the year and gave us the opportunity to ride during the process. 

Our schedule then took us back up to Glenwood, IA where we spent the Sunday with the Bible Baptist Church. We enjoyed the fellowship with Pastor Benjamin Quinlan and his sweet church family. What a privilege it was to preach in his morning and evening services. 

We are now traveling down to Chattanooga, TN. Please continue to pray for our safety and health.

Thank you for your support! 

Weeks of March 29-April 12

We apologize for not being current with our weekly updates. Without a computer, it was difficult to stay current. We thank the Lord for providing us with another one!

The last Sunday in March brought us to some great works near the Shenandoah mountains. Peoples Baptist Church and Valley Baptist Church were an encouragement to us. It is always a privilege to be able to fellowship with these pastors. 

From there, it was off to the Mid-West. Our first meeting was in Black River Falls, Wisconsin. The faithfulness and dedication of Pastor Ken Jordan was challenging! Sunday brought us to Baraboo, Wisconsin, to be with Pastor Bill Metzger and the Open Door Baptist Church. It was awesome to be able to teach and preach to these dear people on Easter Sunday. 

We took a family day and went to one of the best eating places known to man, CULVERS!!!! The world is a better place because of their food and custard. Trying some good Wisconsin cheese was also a must. I am almost positive we tried over 20 different types. 

We continued west and started a missions conference on April 8 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. What a wonderful pastor these folks have. Pastor Brian Tatman was such a gracious host. The people of Eastern Hills Baptist Church welcomed us with such a kind and loving spirit. It was also a blessing to be in a conference with some good friends (Johnson family to Brazil).

Before we head south to Tennessee, we have a couple of more meetings in Illinois and Iowa. The Lord has been good to us in our travels. Our family is doing well and is looking forward to being home for a couple of days in the middle of May. We find out if we are having a girl or boy during that time as well. 

Please continue to pray for our safety and health (Cara, Adelyn, and the baby). Also, pray that God would provide more meetings. We have a couple of openings later in the fall, and we are starting to book more into the new year. We can now say officially that we are at 50%! Praise the Lord. 

Thank you again for praying for our family! 

Week of February 22-28

God gave us a great week of deputation and ministry. The next couple of months will take us to Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. We are thankful for the busyness of deputation! It is evidence of God’s provision and promises. 

Last Saturday and Sunday we attended the missions conference at Temple Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, VA. There was such a vibrant spirit at this wonderful work. Pastor Michael Reid was a blessing and encouragement. It was neat to hear how the Heritage Baptist Church (our sending church) has helped Pastor Reid and this church in its early stages. 

Tuesday, Cara was able to find out the exact due date for the baby. Baby Soto is scheduled to arrive around September 20th. 

Wednesday we headed down south to Rocky Mount, NC to start a five day conference with Pastor Nathan Starr and the Cornerstone Independent Baptist Church. We appreciated so much the sweet spirit of this dear church. You can’t beat sweet tea, southern bbq and hospitality! 

As we look forward to the months ahead, our eyes are set on the Hawaiian Islands. We can’t tell you enough how privileged we are to be able to share our burden for Hawaii. What a joy it is to be able to do what God has called us to do. 

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Weeks of January 25-February 21

We apologize for not updating our blog the last couple of weeks. God has been tremendously good to us in aligning our paths with such great churches. It is always an encouragement to visit churches around the country that are still reaching out with a passion for world evangelization. 

Not only did we have some great meetings this past month, but we also found out that we will be expecting our second child in September of this year. We thank God for this wonderful news!

The last week of January led us to the Shenandoah Heights Baptist Church in Virginia. It was a blessing to be able to spend time with Pastor Paul and to hear of all that God is doing at this thriving church. 

We then flew to California to be with the Montecito Baptist Church in the city of Ontario. What a time of refreshment! Pastor Ezequiel Salazar was such an encouragement to us. His example of faithfulness to our Lord was a tremendous challenge to us. It was definitely a privilege to spend time with such a great man of God. We enjoyed the missions week and especially the international dinner on Saturday night. They gave us the responsibility to judge the different missions booths. We ate more food than we had realized was possible!  It was a fun night at an enthusiastic church!  We were also able to catch up with some family on the West Coast.

After California, we flew back to Nashville, TN for a week long meeting with the South Haven Baptist Church. Pastor Frank Gagliano treated us to a wonderful week! We were overwhelmed and humbled by the church's love for missionaries and missions. God worked in our hearts through the preaching of Dr. David Smith. Cara also got to spend some with her sister Julianna, who is a teacher there at the Christian school. 

The next week lead us to Nolensville Road Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Denny Patterson. What a gracious church! We appreciated the opportunity to meet and fellowship with Pastor and his family. It was also neat to hear of his connection to some church planters that were sent out of Heritage Baptist Church (our sending church).

Lastly in this month long trip, we headed south to Hot Springs, Arkansas. We spent a whole Sunday with Pastor Eric Capaci and the Gospel Light Baptist Church. While I was a teenager, Pastor Eric would come preach at my home church during Spirit Week every year. God has definitely used him in my life throughout the years. It was a blessing to also see Daniel Thomas attending Champion Baptist College. Daniel grew up at the same church I did in Hawaii and was a student while I taught there for a couple of years. 

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog. We appreciate so much your prayers and support for us. It is awesome to know that so many people are behind us. 

Prayer Requests: 

God would provide more meetings. (We are currently at 41%)

Savings for our departure to Hawaii. 

We would be able to determine the name of our church. 

God would give safety and health to our family as we travel. 

Strength and health for Cara as she carries our 2nd child. 

Week of January 18-24

We are excited about the great start we have had to the year 2015 as God has put us in some amazing churches. What a blessing it has been to be apart of so many great works!

Sunday, January 18, we were able to attend two different churches. Sunday morning we were able to drop in at Great Hope Baptist Church in Chesapeake, VA.  It was encouraging to see all that God is doing there. We thank God for the faithfulness of Pastor Godfrey.

Sunday night we had a meeting with Calvary Baptist Church in Yorktown, VA. What a phenomenal work for God. It was challenging to meet a church with such a heart for missions. We also were able to see some old friends that used to attend Friendship Baptist Church in Ewa, Hawaii while we were there.  What an amazing privilege to connect with previous friends while we travel to various churches.

We headed north for a midweek service with Landmark Baptist Church in Richmond, VA. We thank God for the great work this church is doing in helping to start other churches.

Later that week we were able to be home for a few days and were able to celebrate our daughter’s 1st birthday! The fellowship with some of our friends from Heritage was both refreshing and enjoyable. Adelyn thoroughly enjoyed all of the food, friends and gifts. 

Thank you again for all of your prayers and support! Deputation would be impossible without you! 

2015 Begins!

Week of January 11-17

Just finished a great Missions Conference at a church in Chilhowie, Virginia!  We enjoyed a great week with a very Missions minded crowd! One of our favorite aspects of the week was the fellowship enjoyed at dinner each night! We loved getting to know the other missionaries and church staff! Some were friends we hadn't seen since candidate school at BIMI! 
We were definitely encouraged this week! 

After the conference's end, we were able to go to Pennsylvania to attend a friends wedding! Jonathan grew up in Hawaii with Rafael, and we were so glad to share in his very special day! We are so proud of Jonathan and Alexandria's heart for God and desire to serve Him!