4 year-old Camila, whose mom I led to the Lord, waits to receive her diploma from VBS. Dear Friends and Family,
Just when I think my ministry responsibilities have reached their limit, God puts another “opportunity” in front of me.
A few months ago, God sent a young couple to our church. He was saved several years ago, but she is a new Christian. There’s nothing quite as refreshing as spending time with newborn babes in Christ, and Yessica is as vibrant a new Christian as I’ve ever been around. But more than that, she and Wilber are the reason for my brand new ministry: They’ve invited me to teach in their Bible Club in their neighborhood, and last Saturday at their second meeting, there were 98 in attendance, and 15 children were saved. It’s a delight to watch many of those children file into church on Sunday mornings as they bring them in on their van route. Do I have time to squeeze one more activity into my already full schedule? “Mom, we can take turns teaching if you like,” Anna offered. My response? “I love this, and I don’t want to give it up!”
Working with children keeps me young…or at least, thinking I’m young! Vacation Bible School…my 27th, since we started in our living room many years ago…saw a high attendance of 174, with a total of 31 professions of faith. I taught children this year, whose parents I taught many years ago.
But I still have a tender heart toward the ladies in my Sunday school class, and our ladies’ monthly prayer breakfasts. It has been my delight to have won three ladies to the Lord in our church, and I sometimes wonder if those ladies would have had more years to offer to the Lord had they been saved in someone’s children’s class when they were little girls.
June 12 was a Red Letter Day for our Church here, as we dedicated the land purchased for our building. Please pray for the Lord to provide for its construction, as we are rapidly out-growing our present facilities.
The month of June also included a trip to Chicago, where I spoke six times in Spanish at a Family Conference. Upon my return, Ulises and Elizabeth picked me up at the airport, and I took a sentimental journey to Ixtapa, where I attended their services the next day. I even made a new surrender to the Lord, to go anywhere He wanted me to go. So precious were the memories made more than thirty years ago…I could close my eyes and almost see a young doctor and his little family headed out to a village in their pickup to share the Gospel. Please pray for this “new” work, which actually began more than 37 years ago.
I ask you to start praying for our Annual Ladies’ Banquet which will take place on November 18. But you can do more than that: Pastor Corders, and the good people of Amistad Baptist Church in Del Rio, TX, have already asked me where to send their check. This is what I told him: Make it payable to Windsor Hills Baptist Church for Billie Sloan Banquet. Am I being presumptuous? Take it from one who knows: You can’t out-give God!
Your friend,
Billie Sloan
Nahum 1:7
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