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Rogers Update 4/7/2017
April 13, 2017
Dear Praying Friends,
 
Those special moments when we see God working in the lives of others (especially when He is doing it through our life), have been called Divine Appointments.  I have also heard the term “God Moment” or “God Sighting”.  What a privilege it is to be a part of a Divine Appointment!  My latest experience in watching God work in an unexpected way took place on my return trip from Alaska.
 
My schedule has been very active since the first of the year, but that is true before the first of the year also.  In fact I have never found ministry slow or boring.  We had our Annual Business Meeting with the BEM board early in January.  Later in the month I was in southeast Kansas helping a church explore what God has for them in the future.  They were a joy to spend time with, and I look forward to what God is planning for them.  I was home the first part of February and had the fun of doing my taxes.  Doing taxes is not my most enjoyable activity of the year, but Christ said to render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, so I did.
 
The last half of February and first part of March, I was in Alaska speaking in three churches and doing three different conferences.  I taught on relationships, the book of Habakkuk, and how to breakout of church and serve the Lord in the community.  It was a special time of making new friends and spending time with those I already enjoyed a close relationship with.  There were wonderful opportunities to help people in different ways.  By the way, when I arrived it was only 30 below.  (I was expecting 40 below so one should count one’s blessings.)  While I was there it warmed up some which brought lots of snow.  I got to see moose, the northern lights several times, and did I mention snow?
 
Returning home from Alaska, I flew from Fairbanks to Seattle where the next flight was delayed going into Chicago due to bad storms.  (I am trying to think of a time when traveling through Chicago didn’t involve delays.)  Two hours later, I took off for Chicago.  Upon arriving I learned that my next flight was cancelled.  By then I had been awake over 24 hours.  They directed me to a customer service location already filled with over 200 people waiting in line to be rebooked!  Very quickly about 50 people filed in behind me in line also.  I realized there was a good chance that I would not reach the counter in time to get another flight to Indianapolis that day.  I don’t really get excited about staying overnight in any airport.  (The airlines had told all of us that they would not be providing a motel because this was a weather related delay.)  Before I left on this trip, I had prayed that if God had someone for me to talk with about the Lord, I would be able to recognize the opportunity.  However, the person in front of me in the line and the one behind were already in nasty moods and didn’t respond positive to anything I said.  I remember thinking, if I have to stand in line, it would be nice to talk to someone about anything.
 
By now I was exhausted and losing my positive attitude also.  About ten minutes passed, and I realized that the person who had been behind me was no longer there.  Instead was a young man who I would find out was from Yemen in the Middle East.  I mention to him that it was a long day.  He nodded his head and told me he had been up for over 36 hours trying to get to Washington DC where he attended a University there.  Suddenly my 24 hours didn’t seem so bad.  He was very friendly and open and we started asking questions to get to know each other.  He was studying to be a doctor so he could help people who were suffering in his area of the world.  His father had been an international doctor and medical expert who traveled all over the Middle East to help others.  This young man had traveled with his father growing up.  He was clearly Arabic in appearance.  Listening to him, I became fairly certain he was Muslim.  He wanted to know why I traveled so much.  When I told him I spoke in churches and taught people about their relationship with God and how that helps our relationships with others, he became very interested.  He told me that his relationship with God and with others was the most important truth of his life.  He asked me, “How do you believe one has a relationship with God?  How does that help relationships with others?”  You need to remember that this conversation is taking place in a crowd of over 200 people in line winding back and forth in the midst of crowd control straps and poles.  People were all around including others of his ethnic background.  They all seemed to stop and look at me.  Trusting the Lord for wisdom I didn’t have, I proceeded cautiously.  I didn’t give long answers, but he kept asking questions.  Before we were done, I had shared the entire Gospel message with him (and of course the many people who were listening that surrounded us).  At no time did this young man become defensive.
 
Finally we arrived at the counter and our conversation was over.  He was gone talking to another attendant while I spoke with a different one.  (I was given a standby flight which wonderfully worked out, and I arrived in Indianapolis that evening to meet Beabea who picked me up.)  In the crowd I did not see him after we parted ways.  I think he had to leave quickly to try and make a flight.
 
There in that huge Chicago Airport with thousands of people coming and going, with frustrating delays and various difficulties, God brought two people together from different parts of the world to talk about eternity.  One knew God and one did not – and then this young traveler was gone.  At this point there is no way to know until heaven what this college student would become, and if he would ever know the true God of the Bible.  But God knows, and it is more important that God knows than for me to know.  As I finally got on my next flight, I remember wondering how many people heard the good news of Christ’s sacrifice for them as they stood in line waiting to be rebooked for their flights.  Only eternity will tell…  A Divine Appointment, a God Moment, a God Sighting, and I had the privilege of being a part of it.
 
Upon arriving home, another big trip was planned.  This time, however, I would not be going.  My mother-in-law, Lillian, had wanted to go to Israel for a long time.  The church in Russiaville that we attend (First Baptist) was taking a group of people to Greece and Israel in March of this year, and through the wonderful help of others (as well as saving for a long time); Lillian was able to go with them.  Due to the help of others, Beabea was also able to go along and be her mom’s traveling companion.  “Mom” is in her upper eighties and there were some risks.  A couple of times there were some concern that they might have to come home early, but they were able to make the entire trip and Beabea and her mom now have some very precious memories including riding a camel together!  Our many thanks to all that traveled with them and helped to make the trip possible in so many ways.  While they were gone, I took care of the very “quiet” house.  I did get a lot of work done, but it was different not being the one who was traveling.
 
Thanks for your prayers!!
 

John

 

John (and Beabea) Rogers

jtrbem@gmail.com

 

7265 West 320 South
Russiaville, IN 46979


Home: (765) 889-3264

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Commissioning Church: Shepherd Road Baptist Church, P.O. Box 1054, Mulberry, FL  33860

 

Barnabas Enrichment Ministries
P.O. Box 229
Elkhart, IN 46515-0229
(765) 667-2532

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