Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed today walking with Christ. I had a good day on the beach and 6 people prayed with me to receive Jesus. Thomas, and 5 girls sitting together, Julia, Celeste, Marguerite, Caro and Mary. I went through the Gospel with several others, also encouraging their faith, and gave a book to a guy who was searching.

 Thomas is 16; he looks like a very young bill Maher with less nose. He was soaked and his blondish hair was dripping from the ocean when he and then his friend Joseph each said they would do the survey. Their friend Paxton, also 16, listened in and was a Christian, as was his 12 year old brother Porter who really seemed to be soaking everything in. Joseph turned out to be a Christian. When I asked Thomas why he should get into Heaven he said because he was about, “Being kind to others.” He had a good wit and I had fun talking to them as we stood on the edge of the water. I asked him what God had done to take away his sins and he said he was baptized. After hearing the Gospel he decided he hadn’t been trusting in what Jesus had done for him to be forgiven and decided he wanted to be forgiven trusting in Christ. I offered him the prayer and he prayed it silently and accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. I explained the Christian life walking in the Spirit  I gave him the book Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and “Just Ask” in the front and also gave him The Case for Christianity Answer Booklet. I gave booklets to all the boys and it was fun to interact with them.  And I told Thomas I would pray for him until this time next year. “365 days?” he asked. “Yep,” I said. And told the other boys I would pray for them too

 Julia, Celeste, Marguerite, Caro and Mary were all sitting on towel in the sun facing one of the larger hotels on the water, with their heads toward some beach recliners with umbrellas about 30 yards from the water. I think they had been kept in town because a friend (Bella) had destroyed the tire on her car and was having a hard time getting a spare. Please pray she can find one or a substitute to get home on. They all were interested in doing a survey and had fun with it, describing the girl next to them in three words, but everyone put in their two cents. Julia had a French braid with blonde high lights and later asked if I would pray for Bella. She had a frank, pretty face.  Celeste was thin, kind of had a business woman look with mirrored sunglasses and straight blond hair. Marguerite looked Italian, long brown hair, looked like she tanned easy, also had sunglasses. Caro (short for Caroline) had light brown hair tucked behind her ears, frank squared attractive face. Mary had the Maryann from Gilligan’s Island look brown shoulder length hair. When I asked them what they would say to God to get into Heaven Julia said “I always had faith through hard times.” Celeste said she’d thought the same as Marguerite who said, “I tried my best to spread His word, did my best to be a good person.” Then Celeste added “I’ve kept Him at the center of my life.”  Caro said, “I don’t deserve it but if He thinks I should…” A couple of the other girls said that wasn’t a good answer at first but she said, “Well, it is up Him.” Mary said, “I know I’m not worthy but I need you.” They all listened to the Gospel as I presented it and liked the word pictures and such. When I finished I asked them to think in their hearts about whether they had been trusting in that Jesus was God, had died for them and rose from the dead, to be forgiven or if they had really hoped they were kind of working for it just trying to be good. I said I knew they probably had heard the story, but asked them to think about if they had placed their trust there or in their own efforts. I talked them through the prayer and then folding each booklet to the opening where the prayer was, I said they could pray it to know they were forgiven. I shut up and each of them prayed to receive Christ and I asked “Did anyone pray? Raise your hand if you prayed.” And they all did. So that was really great. Julia told me about Bella than and we all prayed together for a tire for her and I asked God to do this and show them all that He would provide for them. Mary said she had been sitting in her car last night asking God for a sign to her and she said, “Then you came along today.” She felt that was an answer to her prayer. I explained the Holy Spirit’s power in the booklet on the last page, telling them that the Christian life was “Just Ask” and God would give them the strength to do whatever He was asking them to do. And if they did not want to ask yet, they could just ask God to have someone pray for them. “Just step it back.” I gave them each books; Bible Promises for You and one by one wrote their names in the front and mine and then wrote, “Just Ask”.  “You’re cool Bob,” I think Mary said and they all chimed in and agreed and I thanked them and said, “I don’t know, this is about as cool as you get at my age.” Then they reassured me I was cool and I laughed and said thanks. So I got that going for me. I told them I would see them in Heaven and headed off.

 I’ve been along the front of where we were saying that is pretty tame. Tomorrow I plan to drive down to the more celebrated areas on the beach about 5 or 6 miles down and start from there going one way or the other.

 So thanks for your prayers for the ministry on the Beach this week if you’ve had a chance. God has truly blessed.

 In Him,

Bob