February Update

Dear Friends of Mission Surge,

I want to take a moment to update you on a few things, since it has been a couple of months since I last updated you.  First of all, if you did not read get my last update, it would be highly beneficial for you to go to kevinivy.com and read it because where we are today is directly related to where we were in the last update.  In case you didn’t get the last update and will not be able to go to kevinivy.com and read the last post, I am going to give you the “cliff notes.”

I ended the last update with these words:  I already know of one thing that I can’t share now that I will be sharing in the next newsletter that will really get your attention, so stay tuned!!  Most of you likely know by now, but just in case you don’t, Mandy and I are expecting baby 5 in May…another boy.  We are grateful for a healthy pregnancy thus far and covet your prayers for our family as another blessing makes his way into our lives.  Here are more highlights from the last update.

1.  More than 2 years ago, we began to feel impressed that we should continue remodeling our home (which was a foreclosure when we bought it in 2007) and put it on the market so that we could get out of debt and hopefully have some equity to purchase another smaller home.  God provided materials and manpower over and over again (often in amazing ways) until finally all the projects were complete and we were able to put our home up for sale (by owner) in May. 

               

2.  I felt compelled by God to resign as pastor of Cleary on July 8, and I did so.  We received an offer on our home 3 hours later. 

3.  We signed the contract on our home the following Thursday not knowing where we would move.  We received a phone call informing us of a home that was available to our family temporarily.  We began “house sitting” temporarily in this home back in August.  It was another answer to prayer that came right on time. 

4.  I traveled and preached virtually non-stop in October and helped to start a new church in Clinton, MS in November.      

5.  I continued to work to get the church established in Clinton.  Morrison Heights Baptist Church came along side us and allowed us to utilize their old campus for our place of worship.  Another blessing.

6.  Our house sitting opportunity came to a close at the end of January and we had to move out.  We still had not found a place to buy and had no available options.  We moved all of our things into storage and are currently staying with family in Jones County and driving to Clinton each weekend.  Please pray that God would lead us to the home he has for us before Mandy has baby Silas in May. 

The good news is, we are thoroughly convinced that God has led us every step of the way to this place.  We do not pretend to know why He seems to be tarrying when it comes to a house, but we know that He is in control.  Maybe He is waiting on me, more than I am waiting on Him…maybe He is trying to get something through my thick skull…maybe He is trying to teach me contentment and gratitude…maybe it is all of the above and more.  Whatever the case may be, none of our life or lives are coincidental.  God is the grand conductor of this orchestra called life and His music is sweet in the end, even if the individual parts sound unimpressive.  He has promised that all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, so we wait.  And we appeal to you to pray for us.

We wait, but as we wait, we work.  3 weeks ago, I began our first discipleship group based on 2 Peter 1:5-10 (that I wrote about last time).  We have 15 or 16 people in Jones County who have agreed to meet each Monday night as kind of a pilot group for the first tier of this study.  We are discussing the biblical gospel.  Please pray for this group and for me as I attempt to prepare and teach. 

I will be preaching a Harvest Day on Easter Sunday in Atmore, AL.  The following weekend, I will be in McDavid, FL leading a family conference.  Then Monday, April 29, I will be preaching at a Missions Conference at Macedonia Baptist Church in Petal, MS.  The other Sundays I will be preaching at the church plant in Clinton, on Mondays continuing the Bible study in Jones County, and hopefully leading another one on Wednesdays in the Jackson area and possibly another at some point soon in the Clarke county area.  Pray that God would give me opportunities to preach and to teach as He sees fit. 

Please pray for Bro. Gene Pickern.  He is on his way to the Dominican Republic today for a 2 week visit.  He is going to be meeting with pastors, leaders, and church planters.  We continue to take a step forward and a step back in our efforts to put a Dominican Missionary on the ground in Latin America.  Pray that Gene will make some headway in this endeavor while he is in the DR.  He will also be meeting with one of our contacts who is attempting to reach a group of 1000+ Lebanese Muslims who are living in the DR.  Pray for this pastor and for this work that God would lead, guide, direct and bless.  I will update you on Bro. Gene’s trip next month.  Until then, please pray for him as he travels, works, and returns in March. 

Finally, if you have not already done so, go to www.missionsurge.com and look on the home page for a link to an article in Missions Mosaic about Bro. Gene’s wife, Julie.  Take time to read that article and learn more about the journey God has had them on the last few years.

In Conclusion, through all of the transitions in our life over the last 7 months, I have been prone to discontentment.  It is really nothing new, but it has been more evident to me lately.  The other day, I picked up an old booklet on contentment by a Puritan named Jeremiah Burroughs.  It is providential that I have it in my possession since 98% of my books are in storage.  I have gleaned much from the pages of his work and thought that you might benefit from those gleanings as well, so I will be posting to this blog brief excerpts and gleaning from Jeremiah Burrough’s work on contentment as well as from Thomas Watson’s “The Art of  Divine Contentment.”  If you are interested in reading these highlights come back often over the next few weeks OR follow my blog if you don’t already do so.

Thank you for faithfully praying for me and for Mission Surge.  Please lift us up in prayer regularly.  Also, please share this email with your contacts who will pray.  If you did not receive this email directly from me, please email me your email address so that I can add you to the newsletter list.  If you want to be removed, let me know that as well.  You can contact me at kevin@missionsurge.com  If you have not liked us on Facebook, please do that and share it with your friends on FB.  Go here:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mission-Surge/145423062144598?fref=ts 

In Christ,

Kevin