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Dear Friends of the Military,
We have so many wonderful things to share with you that we hardly know where to start! The Lord has blessed us with an overwhelming number of ministry opportunities this winter-spring! First of all, we want to thank you for your steadfast prayers and faithful encouragement to us all along the way. This ministry remains a team effort and we continually give thanks to the Lord for our supporters and caring friends!
RECENT NEWS and EVENTS
Easter Season Seven Last Sayings of Jesus on the Cross We
hosted a special Bible study at EasterEarl reviewed the words which
Jesus uttered as He was being crucified for the sins of all mankind. One attendee commented that they had never looked at the Cross from such a perspective!
Special Site Visits The Lord has brought some special visitors this spring! The CLARK FAMILY from upstate New York visited both FortBragg and MTM Headquarters as part of a recent family vacation. The Lord is burdening their heart to be more involved in missionary work and they have a real heart for the military. They were a blessing to us during their time here! Later, Board Members from MTM Headquarters (pictured at right) made a call on Fort Bragg to survey the property on which we hope to build a Military ChristianCenter in the coming days. We have also met with several contractors regarding site prep on the MTM property located one-half mile outside a main Fort Bragg gate!
Traveling Training A day long womens training event on Fort Bragg focused on Servant Leadership and Developing Listening Skills. Linda
was so pleased that four women from her Bible study also attended with
herour prayer is for each of these precious women to grow and mature in
their faith!
 Bible Making (pictured at left)- At the end of March, our church compiled 20,000 copies of the Gospel of John/ Romans in the Romanian language. Our
pastor arranged this event through BEARING PRECIOUS SEED MINISTRIES. We
worked at various stations, each one dedicated to a stage of the
compilation process. It was a fantastic way to grow closer as a church family while participating in missions tangibly at the same time!! There was a job for all ages. What a joy to see the finished products all boxed up for shipping! The Bibles will be sent to missionaries in Romania for distribution to many who have never held the Word of God. At
this time, BPS Ministries have all materials needed to compile
thousands more Biblesthey need manpower to get them ready for shipping. If you would like to invite this ministry to come to your church, please contact us or visit www.bpsmilford.org.
Chapel Services - What do a shovel, flashlight and high intensity work lamp have to do with chapel? Everything..that is, if you are going to hunt for the treasure of the Gospel! Earl shared such a message at a local Christian school chapel this spring. Linda spoke to the high school girls with a series entitled: A Worthy Walk.
WEEKLY MINISTRIES
Ladies Bible Study on Fort Bragg Linda taught a semester long class on The Abundant Life using Ray Baughmans book. Eight ladies attended and all but one completed the class! Two women made professions of faith and all are eager to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord! Lindas
delight has been frequent phone calls to answer all kinds of questions
about the Christian life and the Bible as they worked on their weekly
assignmentsquestions like How do I share my faith with my mom who is
living a very sinful life? to Can you explain baptism to me? to My
brother was killed in a car wreck and someone told me it was because I
didnt pray right for himdo you think that is true?. At this time, the plan is to continue with a summer study on the I AMs from the Gospel of John!
Fort Bragg Coffeehouse There has been an increase in attendance at the Friday Coffeehouse on Fort Bragg The
status of the Coffeehouse is unknown in the face of future deployments
later this year that will take several brigades overseas. Pictured at
left is Earl with Brandon Moore, who is in charge of the coffeehouse. and a greater spiritual interest, too.
Saturday Home Bible Study We have experienced an upswing in attendance! This
winter, Earl addressed Critical Social Issues Confronting Believers to
examine various world concerns and the biblical response. Then we
studied Nahum and the attributes of God. Presently we are studying
Habakkuk and focusing on the question of good and evil as well as
living by faith. Resumed weekly dinners before study are popular and the young brides love to try new recipes and bring them along. We have had a record number of one time visitors come and, of course, we always pray they will return!
Ladies Sunday School Linda is teaching through Ephesians 6:10-20 on the Armor of God. The
class explores each piece of armor in detail then strives to make
practical application in areas in which women seem particularly
vulnerable to the fiery darts of the wicked.
Local Headlines - Recent headlines report more deployments in the future. The 3rd Brigade leaves this summer and the 82nd Airborne Divisions headquarters will leave for Afghanistan in the coming months.
Division Review This annual event is held at the end of May. It is a very impressive display of the power of the 82nd Airborne. The keynote speaker this year was the Honorable Francis J Harvey, Secretary of the Army.
This
event affords the opportunity to mingle freely with many troops to
learn more about their military job and inquire about interest in
church and such matters!
Memorial Day Service
The Special Forces Association hosts an annual ceremony to commemorate
the Special Force members who have died in the past year. We remain
grateful for the sacrifices made to protect our freedoms.
INDIVIDUALS IN OUR MIDST
Probably
the single most exciting news to share is that the Lord has blessed us
this spring with a number of individuals who are truly eager to grow in their faith and with whom we spend time throughout each week! Here are a few profiles.please pray for them by name!!
CASSI (pictured at right) is a newlywed bride whose husband, ADAM, is presently two months into a one year deployment to Afghanistan. She brings much
joy to our home and is constantly asking excellent questions based on
her voracious reading of the Bible and her newfound faith!
DEVIN is an MP who is at church as often as his schedule permits and is able to join us for Bible study sporadically. He
is a quiet young man whose walk with the Lord seems genuine and we love
to pray for him as he serves our country in a difficult position.
ALYCIA (pictured at left) is also an Army wife whose husband will soon be heading to Iraq. She has been a student in Lindas study and is one of the most contagiously upbeat people we have ever met. She has been through a lot of very difficult situations in her young life and is open to Gods Hand.
JEREMY recently married his sweetheart, JESSICA. He will deploy at the end of summer for another year in Iraq. You may recall that Jeremys faith grew by leaps and bounds as you prayed for him through his last deployment. He is now enrolled in online Bible College and open to fulltime ministry in the future!
BRANDON (at right) Since our last prayer letter, we were privileged to attend the Green Ramp return of Brandons unit from Iraq. This young paratrooper deeply loves the Lord and is seeking to serve Him well in the Army. Pray for Brandons witness to his comrades.
PHIL & STEPHANIE Phil arrived home safely after one full year in Iraq! He and Stephanie have rejoined our Saturday Bible Studies. In
Lindas class, Stephanie was able to become more grounded in her faith
and expressed to Linda that an example of how to have devotions was
revolutionary for her. Less than a week later,
Stephanie came over with a list of questions from her study in
Proverbs...I am getting so much more out of my Quiet Time. It is so exciting! They are a precious couple in our lives!
JESSE & SUSANNAH visited our church a few times and we were able to spend some time with them for fellowship and in their home. When
looking at wedding pictures with Susannah, Linda was delightfully
surprised to discover that the officiating pastor was a classmate of
Earls!
KATIE, NOEL and JEN have been a huge blessing to Linda. They were in her Fall Bible Study and have remained on her weekly radar. Each of these women are married to senior officers in crucial positions. They shoulder a lot of responsibility as they serve the country alongside their husbands! We seek to encourage them in their faith and at the same time, they teach us a lot about Army life!
PASTOR WES MCGUIRE (right) is settling into the leadership of our church. He
has a passion for the Lord and a love for Gods Word that inspires us
and we look forward to all the Lord desires to accomplish in this next
season of our churchs life.
PERSONAL NEWS & PRAISES
* Neighbors Since last summer, four neighbors on every side of our home have passed away. We have shared tracts with all of them in the past and rejoice to learn at the funerals that some of them knew the Lord. Pray for ongoing contacts with these dear families.
* Carolina Bible College Earl teaches Biblical Counseling at the local Bible College!
* Spiritual Lessons As we press on in the good fight, we are learning about Gods desire that all we do be bathed in prayer. We
long to grow in this vital discipline of the Christian lifeit is so
easy to get up every morning determined to be busy in the Lords work,
yet not so obedient to His gentle command to Watch and praywith all
perseverance and supplication (Mt 26:41 and Eph 6:18).
* Time Management Skills - With our increased opportunities, we need much wisdom in how to organize our daily schedule!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
* Deployed soldiers - Pray for safety and spiritual ministry/needs of ADAM, GREG, LYN.
* Salvation of soldiers and families - Many, many local military troops, wives, children need Christ!
* Military Families The op tempo only continues to put increasing demands on families here at Fort Bragg. We
presently know of a number of marriages that are facing significant
stressors and several Christian marriages that have ended in divorce.
* Future Building Project We are excited about the funds that the Lord is providing through friends of MTM.still have a long way to go! Please
pray for Gods will in all phases of planning and building a new
Military Christian Center less than one mile from one of Fort Braggs
main gates!
* EXTRA EXTRA !!!! Please stay tuned to our Web Page at www.mtmi.org where we are endeavoring to revamp our communication with you, our supporters! By midsummer, we hope to be updating, news, photos, weekly events often.
THANK YOU for reading our longer-than-usual epistle! It has been a very full winter and springwe trust you have enjoyed hearing some highlights. Though we say it often, it remains true: we could never fully express our gratitude to you, our prayer and financial supporters and encouragers! We pray you will have a blessed summer full of growth in Christ! We love you!
In Him
Earl and Linda Hammons
Philippians 1:3
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Bentonville Battlefield Trip - Phil, Brandon (at left) and Earl
visited this National Park area located 45 minutes from Ft Bragg. The
soldiers enjoyed learning more about the Civil War and comparing it to
present day events. It was during this battle that Earls great
grandfather was captured by Union forces.
