"Blazing the Gospel in Boston!"

Hello again!
We are in Boston! Praise The Lord for His goodness and Grace! We arrived safely at Bible Baptist Church on Saturday afternoon. Thank you, once again, to Pastor Jim Townsley for providing us with a place to stay Friday night. When we arrived, we met Pastor and Mrs. Gary Corbin and began to learn as much as we could about the work going on. They gave us a warm reception and have provided us with a place to stay at the church. The Corbins have been working in the inner-city Boston area for over 25 years. That's quite the testimony as this is not the easiest or safest place to do God's work.
Our thrusting into the local ministry came rather suddenly. The night we arrived, pastor Corbin gave us the opportunity to accompany him as he went street preaching by Harvard Square. He has been doing this every Saturday night for 25 years, without exception. We left the church at 11:30pm and returned around 2:00am. We were able to pass out many gospel tracts and the Gospel was clearly preached. One of the most eye-opening things about the people there was their disregard for truth. Many mocked us as we stood our ground, some threatened to call the police if we did not pipe down, others just balled up the tracts we gave them and walked away. It was a heart-breaking sight. There are so many lost people here, yet so few that are working toward reaching them. We also had opportunity to walk through the Harvard Yard and see the College Grounds. What once was a training ground for preachers is now almost devoid of any reference to The Scriptures or to God.
The next morning, the pastor allowed both of us to preach and lead singing in the morning service. The pastor then gave a convicting message on The Second Coming of Christ. We were also able to have part in the evening service. Matt gave a devotional message to the teen class and made a few balloon animals while Joel assisted with the teens. The young people at the church come from various backgrounds, including several broken homes. Please continue to pray for the youth in Boston, as it is a hazardous place, spiritually and physically.

Monday, we went out door-knocking in the housing projects. People were extremely receptive to the Gospel! A few actually walked back to us to ask questions and get more tracts to give to friends and family. It was amazing and humbling to see The Lord move and to see how He had prepared hearts for our visits. We saw 6 people come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior while we were out! Praise The Lord!

Tuesday, the pastor and his wife had a few errands to accomplish, so we were able to take in some of the historic sights of the area. It is amazing to see how much heritage we have here in Boston. This is the cradle of liberty, including religious liberty. We were able to board a full scale replica of the Mayflower, and see life from the perspective of our fore-fathers. We saw quotes from men such as William Bradford, who left behind a Christian testimony and inspired many to pursue Godliness. It was a great blessing and it was an experience we shall not soon forget.

That afternoon, after we arrived back at the church, we went to the local train and bus station to pass out tracts. Once again, the Lord blessed greatly. So many people of diverse backgrounds use the train! We were able to meet people of several different languages and give them the Gospel. Families, businessmen, the elderly, even police officers were very receptive and interested in the Gospel. Praise God for His goodness!

Tonight, the pastor is allowing us both to preach again in the service, so please pray that God will use us. Also continue to pray for Bible Baptist Church of Boston, that people will attend the upcoming tent-meetings and receive Christ as their Savior. Thanks in advance!

Your brothers in Christ,

-Matt and Joel

Here 's Joel, standing in front of the Scale replica of the Mayflower, the Mayflower II. It was quite an amazing exhibit, even featuring actors who would answer any questions you might have, while remaining in character.

This is why they need to put "Do not touch!" signs on the cannons in Plymouth Plantation! Thankfully, Matt is a terrible shot with anything larger than a water pistol, so no harm was done...