New Jersey Aviation Conference

New Jersey was a new state for us on deputation this year, and we just had our second meeting there last week. This was the church's 51st annual missions conference and the theme was missionary aviation. It was a real blessing to be invited there. Our good friends Jack and Jonnie Hunt were there as well as Les Zerbe, missionary to Alaska, and George Pine, missionary deputee to Alaska. Abby and Elena are standing next to brother Zerbe's bear skin at his display.

As you can see, we went to yet another old Baptist church. This one was Cohansey Baptist Church, the oldest church in South Jersey. It was one of five churches that made up the original Philadelphia Association, the mother of all Baptist associations.

I took one morning to return to Philadelphia. This time I was by myself. I visited the First Baptist Church, where the Triennial Convention met to begin supporting Adoniram Judson. Judson later preached here. The hymn "He Leadeth Me" was also written by a visiting preacher right after he preached here. The church was started in the 1690's. I couldn't resist having another Philly cheese steak sandwhich and also a Philly pretzel. I love this city!

Tennessee Baptist History

Here is another Baptist History site that we found along the way. Buffalo Ridge Baptist Church was the first church of any kind in Tennessee and was founded in 1779 by Tidence Lane. He was one of the converts and preachers from Sandy Creek, NC who moved to the Tennessee wilderness to start churches for the pioneers. He helped form the first Baptist association of churches in Tennessee not long after that. The church today is a gospel preaching growing independent Baptist Church. It was a blessing to see the church in its current state standing for the Lord.

We stayed at an awesome Bed and Breakfast in Tennessee along with several other missionary families during a conference we were in. This was the beginning of March. I have rarely been to Tennessee, but we really enjoyed it! We stopped at Pigeon Forge, TN on our way to New Jersey for the next conference. It was off season and on a Monday night, so the rates were so low!

Sandy Creek Baptist Church in Liberty, North Carolina

Abby, Elena, and I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Sandy Creek Baptist Church, the first Baptist Church started in North Carolina. It was from this church, planted and pastored by Shubal Stearns in 1755, that the South and much of America saw revival and thousands of churches started. The Baptist History Preservation Society placed two large marble markers there in 2005 in the 250th year of the church. What a blessing to be able to visit the site where during the founding years of our nation so many were saved, baptized, called to preach, ordained to the ministry, and sent out to preach the gospel starting the whole great commission process over again somewhere else. On one of the marble markers reads, “Baptist historian, William Cathcart said of Stearns, ‘He was eloquent, wise, humble, pathetic, full of faith, and wholly consecrated to God, and few men ever enjoyed more of the Spirit’s presence in the closet and in preaching the gospel. He was undoubtedly one of the greatest ministers that ever presented Jesus to perishing multitudes, and one of the most successful soulwinners that ever unfurled the banner of Calvary.’” Another marker reads in part by Baptist historian David Benedict, “Sandy Creek Church is the mother of all the Separate Baptists. From this Zion went forth the Word, and great was the company of them who published it, insomuch that her converts were as drops of morning dew. This church in seventeen years has spread her branches westward as far as the great river Mississippi, southward as far as Georgia, eastward to the Sea and Chesapeake Bay, and northward to the waters of the Potomac. It, in seventeen years is become mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother to forty-two churches from which sprang 125 ministers.” “There are today thousands of Baptist churches as the result of the labours of Shubal Stearns and Sandy Creek Baptist Church.” Also, “Baptist historian Morgan Edwards wrote, ‘I believe a supernatural and invisible hand works in the assemblies of the separate Baptists bearing down on the human mind as was the case in the primitive churches.’”

The current Sandy Creek Baptist Church joined the SBC like so many of the Baptist churches in the South did after 1845. You can read about Shubal Stearns and his brother-in-law, Daniel Marshall, in such books as “This Day in Baptist History” by David Cummins or “America in Crimson Red” by James R. Beller. I have put a few links at the end of this post for more information. We thank the Lord for being able to see this link to our Baptist heritage.
http://www.sandycreekbaptistchurch.org/

http://www.baptisthistorypreservation.com/

Beautiful North Carolina

Well, we are back in beautiful North Carolina once again. I flew solo at night for the first time ever and am planning to take my commercial written test tomorrow. We had two meetings on Sunday and one of the churches took us on for support! Both churches are taking an offering for the dirtbike we need...what a blessing. I am hoping to purchase a dirtbike for Cameroon this spring so I can break it in and learn to ride it before we take it to Africa.

Abby is doing well in her pregnancy. She doesn't have much if any morning sickness now (yeah! we can have garlic bread once again!), but pray for her lower back as it has been hurting some. Here are a few pictures. We visited the Selby family in Carolina Beach on our way up here to New Bern. They have been friends of Abby's for a while, and Elena and I got to meet them for the first time. Elena loved chasing the birds on the beach.

Elena enjoys pushing her baby doll in the stroller around the yard here in NC. We are staying near Jack and Jonnie Hunt (see link) again for flight training. Elena also enjoys playing in this large box, and daddy enjoyed covering her in clothes pins!

Georgia Conference

We had a wonderful missions conference last week in Columbus, Georgia. Thank you so much to Grace Baptist for all you did for us that week! It was such an honor to be one of their six missionaries at the conference, and they took us all on for support. We are at at least 55% support now and maybe more. Praise the Lord for his goodness and provision for our family!

Jim n Jill

Jim and Jill came up to see us a few weeks ago in Ypsi. As you can see we had a great time. Elena practised saying Jim n Jill all day before they came. Jim is a music pastor and teacher in Ohio, and Jill is expecting the first "Sanderlin" boy in June. It was good to see you all!

Scenes from Ypsi

After our meeting in SC we came back to Michigan...I was sick for over a week so it was good to be back home. Here are some scenes from Elena's rare moments at home!

End of January...sorry for the lack of updates!

The end of January we were able to stay with the Webbs in Carrborro and present our ministry there at Calvary Baptist. Just wanted to say thanks again...hope to see y'all again soon! I am finally updated the site for you, Jac :)

Flight from NC to TN and back

Thursday morning flight from New Bern to Chattanooga...we flew in between two cloud layers...beautiful sky!
The formation flight was a great experience.
The Lord blessed with wisdom, safety, great weather (but cold), as well as fellowship and just a wonderful time. I flew an navigated the yellow Cherokee 180. The purpse of the trip was for Jack to pick up the Cessna 206 to take it back to New Bern to be used by his church for missions trips. I also fulfilled a requirement for my commercial license by flying over 300 miles solo. Thank you for praying for the flight.

Places and Faces in NC

Here are a few picture for you finally...our favorite place to eat down South. Elena loved the cow. We are having a good time with the Webbs in Carrboro.

Half way...deputation and plane fund!

We just had a wonderful meeting in Rockwell, North Carolina this morning. The church there gave a generous amount toward the purchase price of the plane we are raising funds to buy in Africa. The church we visited tonight also gave us a love offering. That should put us at half ($25,000 of $50,000) for the airplane! Praise the Lord we are half way there both in the airplane fund and in our deputation. That's right, we heard from the church in Pennsylvania that voted to take us on for support. We are at 50% of our support as well! What a milestone and a blessing from the Lord. Thank you to all of our churches and friends!

On another note, my brother Chris made it safely to Cameroon for an 8-10 week missions internship with Tom Needham. Pray for his safety and for the Lord to use him and others in a mighty way while in Cameroon. Pray for Chrysanthus who continues to labor in the Ndop Bible study. Pray for bro. Tom who continues to seek to regain his flight authorization to be able to fly back into the bush. Pray for Cameroon!

Meetings in the Carolinas

North Carolina is a beautiful place to be...the sun shines down here. However, we did run into a bit of snow today, but nothing stuck to the ground. We had a great week in coastal NC for one meeting last Wednesday as well as flight training with Jack Hunt. I did my night cross-country in a C-172 with Jack and was checked out to fly a Piper Cherokee as well. We are currently in Rockwell, NC with Pastor Jeff Faggart for a meeting at his church. He is a pastor and the founder of the Baptist History Preservation Society (www.baptisthistorypreservation.com). We will head to Carborro for a meeting on Wednesday and then down to Taylors, SC on Saturday. Sorry for the lack of pictures. Thanks for praying for us!

A morning in Philly

We had two good meetings in the Northeast. Sunday morning we were in Pennsylvania. Sunday evening we crossed the Delaware for a meeting in New Jersey. We went to Philadelphia for two hours on our way to North Carolina on Monday morning. We took a tour of Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed. We walked across the street as you can see in the picture with Abby and Elena to see the Liberty Bell. What would a trip to Philly be without the cheese steaks...they were awesome! We are now in North Carolina for flight training and three meetings! Thanks for praying. We picked up two more supporting churches in Illinois this week!

Can you find the doll in this picture?

We were in Roscoe, IL earlier in January where this picture was taken. The church just took us on for support!

2008 Southern Tour

Joanna Estep, Elena Sanderlin, Emily Burtt...Happy New Year!

We are currently in York, Pennsylvania, getting ready for a meetings in Chester Springs, PA as well as Collingswood, New Jersey on Sunday. We hope to spend a few hours in Philadelphia (enough to make me want to come back for more I am sure...a great place for US history, Baptist history, and of course the famous philly cheese steaks).
On Monday, we will head down to North Carolina for three meetings plus flight training with Jack Hunt. I hope to take the written test for the commercial pilot's license as well as fulfill a few of the flight requirements with bro. Hunt. Pleaes pray for all of this to happen :)

We received word of at least one more supporting church in Illinois this week. Thank you all for praying as we endeavor to head to Cameroon as soon as our support is in!

(Thanks for the picture, Anna...had to put that one on here)

Happy New Year

We trust you all had a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!