Friends, Fun and Fish

San Antonio First Assembly is always an exciting experience for me. Pastor Wayne Clark had invited me to preach their May 22nd Mission Sunday and stay a few days to share in their staff retreat at Port Aransas on an island near Corpus Christi. The main emphasis on Sunday morning was their mid-year Faith Promise booster, but as I was closing my message I felt impressed to give a rather strange altar call. “If your heart is crying out, ’Lord, I don’t want to just be a spectator in missions. I want to be personally involved. Let me in! Jesus, Let me in!’ then come down here and get on your knees.” The response was sudden and serious! God was at work. Missionaries are being called into His service! Praise be to the Lord of the Harvest! Among those at the altar were the son and daughter of my dear friends, Kim and Shari Babcock, missionaries in Argentina. Becky and Jeremiah Babcock are each destined to do great things for the kingdom of God. (See photo of them with me and Pastor Clark.)

Also Sunday morning our lifetime friends, Erwin and Edna Bush and their son, Chuck came to Sunday School and church. (Photo, Edna in wheelchair) When we were kids Erwin was big and powerful and I was skinny and weak. He would grab me from behind and hug me so tight I thought he would break my ribs. Our pastor William Booth-Clibborn would take time an hour before Sunday night services to teach two young boys to pray. We would ride our bikes about 5 miles across the city of Portland, Oregon to kneel with him in the prayer room. Later, at our pastor’s suggestion, we would often ride our bikes out into isolated places in the woods to kneel and pray together. Pastor Clark invited the Bushes to join us at a nice restaurant after church. Then Sunday evening I accompanied Erwin, Edna and Chuck to an excellent Bible Study taught by their other son, Norrie, at Calvary Chapel in Universal City. What a blessing!

I’ve known Pastor Wayne Clark since he was a teenage PK in the Sacramento area. He and his wife, Judy, are always such a joy to be with! On Monday he hooked up his fishing boat and drove to Port Aransas. If you know Pastor Wayne Clark, you know he is not only an excellent “missionary-minded” pastor… he is also a great fisherman. He loves to fish. I think every time I have preached in his church he has taken me fishing. We caught lots of fish of all sizes and many different types. We had taken the Teen Challenge cook, Melvin, with us to prepare breakfast for the staff. Melvin had been a destitute alcoholic before coming to Jesus at Teen Challenge. Now he is a delightful brother. He was so appreciative of being included in this retreat and to be able to go fishing with us. And Melvin caught the biggest fish of all… a 35 inch Red fish! (photo) This afternoon I also had the fun of catching a very nice 26 inch Red fish. See photo.

Tomorrow I fly back to Modesto to be with my family for the Memorial Day weekend before leaving for Missions Week at Templo Hermoso in Tijuana, Mexico.

Ralph