OSA 2009, July 18, Saturday

If you have not already read the introduction to this mission trip report please read it, Here.
Read Day 1
Read Day 2
Read Day 3

Saturday morning we went to down town Las Vegas and divided into four "overpass teams". Each group was assigned a pedestrian overpass on which to stand with signs and literature. Our team had the Bally's to Caesars Palace overpass.

An overpass from the street level, notice the Eiffel tower replica.

We placed some signs against the plexiglass facing out for the traffic to see, and some facing in for pedestrians. We passed out literature and gospel tracts, sang songs, and talked to people going by.

Many people heard me tell them, "think about eternity". It is surprising how hard it is to open my mouth to say something like that, but as people are hurrying by it leaves them with something to think about, and maybe God will use it to get them questioning.

Michael and Caesars Palace, it really was an amazing place to see.

View of the strip from our overpass.

Downtown Las Vegas, as we saw it many times from the highway.

After two or three hours on the overpass, we regrouped and headed out as part of Mark Holicks team again. We went to an abortionist home in an apartment complex. No one answered the door, so we just passed out the fliers and held signs for a while beside the busy street. The police arrived before we were out of there, but basically said, 'are you leaving now?', 'yes', 'OK'.

We enjoyed a great lunch, then drove a good distance to arrive at another abortionist home. This time in a gated community.

Across from the entrance gate was a little park, where we pulled up in a line (four or five vehicles) and waited. Soon a car pulled up to the gate, a guy got out and typed in his code, the gate opened and we all drove in behind him. Mr. Holick told us later that he was thinking, "Now that I have all of these people in, how am I going to get them out?"

Another car had come in with us when we all drove in, and upon arriving at the abortionist home, we found it was his wife! The garage door was open and his daughter opened the door to our knock.


She got her mother, who told us she was calling the police and shut the door. Mr. Holick turned to us and said "Go, get the fliers out as fast as possible!" We ran down those streets, putting the fliers on doors. One neighbor of the abortionist was upset with us, and another neighbor across the street called out to her, "It's OK, I've called the police, they're on the way." We passed out 150 fliers in less then fifteen minutes! Jumping into our vehicles, we headed out. Later Mrs. Holick told us that they were praying "Lord, how are we going to get out?" We rounded a curve in the road, and the gate was standing open, no one was in sight, it was just open! We all pulled out onto the road and watched as the police passed us on their way in. We could hardly believe that we had made it out.

We then went to a church where Cal Zastrow and others were giving instructions on how to start Personhood amendments in each state. After that, a quick stop at the hotel, and back to another church for the 6 pm rally.

That evening was very windy, as a storm blew through the area with lightning and Hot wind.

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:13-14)

A report on day five coming soon...

...Edited to add...
Day 5

Day 6

Day 7 and 8

OSA 2009 July 17, Friday

If you have not already read the introduction to this mission trip report please read it, Here.
Read Day 1
Read Day 2

Friday morning we went to Summit abortion clinic with a large group. Cal Zastrow preached, using a sound amplifier since we could not get very close to the parking lot.

There were several medical buildings around, and our leaders discovered one practicing OBGYN who is willing to do chemical abortions, so Mr. Zastrow began preaching about that. Soon, a group of nurses from that doctors office came out to tell us angrily that they do not do abortions, but when confronted with the facts there was not much they could say.

At one point a man rode up on his bike and asked if he could join us! He was handed a sign and he stood with us for the remainder of the time, later that night he came to the rally.

After lunch, we joined Mark Holick's team, a smaller group of about thirty people called the "Special Forces" or "The Green Beret's". We were the strike team that went to abortionist homes.

The first house we went to was the home of a man by the name of Dr. Grant. Now, almost all the buildings in Las Vegas are white stucco with slate roofs, and his was no exception, but for the fact that it was bright yellow. Upon arriving we all walked up to his door, Mark and his wife and Jo Scott leading the way, we crowded onto his dessert landscape yard, and knocked on the door. To all of our surprise he came out and was very willing to talk!

(photo courtesy of Jo Scott)

He did not like to be called an abortionist, but rather a "skilled physician", because he is an OBGYN for high risk pregnancies and he does abortions. They talked to him lovingly and asked if he cared about his soul, he said "yes". He seemed willing to talk more, but his wife began screaming from the house. "Get in here right now", "Don't let them take your picture", "Don't make me come out there!" He seemed much more comfortable with thirty pro-lifers on his doorstep than with his wife. He went inside to answer his cell phone, then came out to tell us that he wanted us off of his property. We complied and spread out through the neighborhood putting flyers on doors. The fliers told the community that an abortionist lived in their area, and gave action points for what they could do.

The police arrived, but only to watch.

That afternoon was the hottest day we were there, the vehicle thermometer said 128 degree! That probably was a high reading, but since we were standing and walking distances in the sun, I figure that it was not very far fetched. It was HOT. Thankfully the Yoders' had a big cooler with ice and water, so we were able to splash cold water on our arms, faces and heads.

We put out about 150 fliers, then headed out to another abortionists home.

This one had a very long driveway that we all walked up, and then knocked on the door of their very large home.

The wife of the "doctor" answered, tried briefly to defend abortion, then called the police.
Again we went all through the neighborhood with fliers. By that time we were all very ready to cool off, and headed to the night rally.

It would be hard to describe what the rallies were like. There was such a family atmosphere and excitement for what God is doing, it was really quite wonderful.

(not my photo)

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. (Ephesians 5:11)

Report on day Four coming soon...

...Edited to add...
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7 and 8

OSA 2009, July 16th, Thursday

If you have not already read the introduction to this mission report please read it, Here.
Read Day 1



One of the things I will always remember about Las Vegas is the heat, the temperature rarely dropped below 100 degrees during the day and the 90s at night. But the dryness of the air made it bearable and I did not mind it that much.

Thursday morning at 6:30 am we met with our group in the parking lot of the hotel we all stayed in. Over a loud speaker, our leaders gave us the directions for the day and arranged transportation with those who had vehicles for those who did not. Michael and I road with the Yoder family.

Morning meeting (not my photo)


Flip Benham speaking

First stop was A-Z abortion clinic. There we lined the streets with many, many graphic signs. These signs put a face on the word "choice" and bring the issue to it's root, is it or is it not wrong to kill an innocent human person?

This is Mr. Tuttle holding "Baby Malachi"

A neighboring business whose parking lot adjoins that of the abortion clinic, allowed us to set up in their parking lot!
No abortions were done while we were there. When two hundred and fifty to three hundred people stand up and say, 'abortion is murder', things happen. Standing in the sun, we quickly learned to use umbrellas to keep the extremely hot sun off of us, and to drink tons of water.

Corrie, Patience and me (Corrie's brother, David behind her)

We were served a free lunch at a church, then headed out to Fremont Street.


Wow, talk about a place that reminds me of Sodom.

We had to take these pictures carefully because there is p*rn everywhere. Our leaders set up a very large display with seven foot tall signs showing the correlation between the Jewish Holocaust, the Civil rights movement and the Unborn Holocaust.

It was powerful. So many people stopped to look and read, and talk with us. Shock was evident on many faces. We filled Fremont street with "our people" (red t-shirts that say "Jesus is the Standard") handing out tracts and literature and talking with people.

Mrs. Yoder and I

One woman I began sharing the gospel with, looked a bit confused, so I asked "have you every heard this before?" she said "no". I slowed down and started over, she seemed very concerned but had to run catch her ride. I pray that God will send another of His people to her.

At 6pm we all met up at the host church for the night rally. This was a night of repentance. I wish you could hear the sermons that were preached and the weeping throughout the place as we repented for the sins of this nation and our sins in particular. I cannot describe it.

When the rally finished at 9pm we all headed back out to Fremont street to read the Bible out loud. We were met with a different looking place! The three block long canopy over the street was turned into a giant tv screen. Lightning flashed from end to end as thunder reverberated in our ears, then strange patterns and colors with '60s type songs.

We read the Bible out loud for some time, then most of us left to get some much needed sleep.

Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.
(Psalms 96:2-3)


A report on day three coming soon....

...Edited to add....
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7 and 8

OSA 2009, Wednesday report

We are back from our mission trip to Las Vegas Nevada!

Wow, what a time!

This was my first time on a commercial flight and I really enjoyed it, here are a few pictures, some from my window seat position...

Waiting at our gate.


My first view of the Rockies

A very dry land

We left Minneapolis airport with Mr. Tuttle around 9:30 am and arrived in Las Vegas around 10:30 am, so we only lost one hour in that three hour flight. It did make for an extra long day.

Stepping into the airport in Vegas was like stepping onto the moon, slot machines everywhere, flashy things to catch the eye, immodest pictures all around, and TV screens with porn. It felt like we had stepped into Sodom, and we were only in the airport. When our ride failed to arrive after an hour and a half, we called Jim Webber, a street preacher we knew of in the area. He was very kind, and dropped everything to pick us up. We checked into our hotel room, then Mr. Webber took Michael and I out to eat. He is a very challenging man to talk to, we were both greatly encouraged to study the Bible with more fervency. He gave us t-shirts and buttons, books and cds, and took us down the strip in down town Las Vegas so we could see where he preaches. He said that he used to travel all around to find people to preach to, but now he just preaches here and the people come from all over the world to him!

We went inside of the Bellagio casino; it is immense, incredible and amazing, but it is a sin trap of the devils own making. There in Vegas people hide themselves behind a mask of gaiety, they try to forget about life...and death. They smother their conscious under the easy words, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". They do not consider that they will have to give an answer for everything they have every Said, Done and Thought, and that what happens in Vegas does Not stay there, they take it home with them.

We arrived at our hotel, just in time to change into our Red t-shirts (more on that later) and catch a ride to the 6 pm rally at Green Valley Baptist Church. There we met up with our dear friends the Yoder family from Missouri, whom you will hear quiet a bit about since we spent most of our time with them.

Yoder family left to right, Patience, Mr. and Mrs., Skip, Isaac, Ezekiel, Enoch, Buck.

A young couple had come with the Yoders from MO, John, Sarah and their six month old baby Aden.

It was wonderful to see so many of the people we had met in Birmingham Alabama at the 2007 Operation Save America event.

Here are three of our leaders, Chet Gallagher, Mark Holick, and Flip Benham.

We ended up staying with the Yoders, in three hotel rooms, a girls room and two guy rooms, what a blessing it was to spend time with this family, we had some great times together!

A report on Day Two of the event coming soon....

...Edited to add...
Introduction
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7 and 8

Operation Save America 2009

One week from today my brother Michael and I will, Lord willing, be leaving for a week long mission trip to Las Vegas. There we will join a group called Operation Save America (OSA), this is a gospel oriented gathering of believers to expose and reprove the works of darkness. We stand with signs at abortion clinics, street preach, share the gospel, have rallies every night, and overall seek to glorify Jesus. Michael and I went in 2007 when the event was held in Birmingham Alabama, and that was an amazing and edifying experience. But now...Las Vegas....? This is going to be interesting.

There is no doubt in my mind that this is a God ordained trip. I really don't know why He wants us to go, and what He wants to do or teach us there, but God IS sending us. It began with Michael wondering if there was the slightest possibility for us to go. Truthfully the answer was no. There was no way we could go, we simply do not have the kind of finances it takes to travel that far. But we decided to pray about it. We told the Lord that if He wanted us to go, He would have to send us, because it seemed impossible, and we covenanted not to ask anyone for financial support. Within a few short days, Mr. Tuttle, (a friend and brother in the Lord and the head of the pro-life ministry in Duluth) informed us that he intended to buy our tickets to Vegas! Whoa! Step by step God has opened the doors and we are now packing for that "impossible" trip. Needless to say we are a wee bit excited, and looking forward to seeing what God does.

I don't know if I will be able to post until we get back, we'll have to see how things go, but I do intend to tell you all how it goes. Please pray for us.

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name forever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. (Psalms 72:18-19)

...Edited to add...
Read about the trip here:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7 and 8

Sad News

Today we were at the abortion clinic again and were deeply grieved to see the young mother from last week who had changed her mind, come back to get an abortion. She would not talk to us, but another sister (not the same one from last week) talked with us, and seemed to agree that abortion is horrific, yet she went in and paid for her sister to kill that precious child. God sees.

There were eight who went in for an abortion today, one in particular saw the pictures of babies in the womb, and began to weep. The two men with her tried to stop my Mom from talking to her, but she heard, and God is able to give her courage to come out in the face of great odds.

We are grieved, but yet are praise God that He is working and moving in ways that we cannot see.

Thank you so much for praying and please do continue, our God is a God who answers the prayer of His people.

The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in any of his thoughts. His ways are always prosperous; your judgments are far above, out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he sneers at them. He has said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. He sits in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places does he murder the innocent: his eyes are secretly set against the poor. He lies in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lies in wait to catch the poor: he does catch the poor, when he draws him into his net. He crouches, and lies low, that the poor may fall by his strength. He has said in his heart, God has forgotten: he hides his face; he will never see it. Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand: forget not the humble. Why does the wicked renounce God? he has said in his heart, You will not require it. You have seen it: for you behold mischief and spite, to repay it with your hand: the poor commits himself unto you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till you find none. The LORD is King forever and ever: the nations are perished out of his land. LORD, you have heard the desire of the humble: you will prepare their heart, you will cause your ear to hear: To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress. (Psalms 10:4-18)

A Report, Showing God's Mercy

It is hard to believe that it is July already!

Yesterday we were at the abortion clinic again, pleading for the lives of little babies.

There was a young woman who stopped briefly to listen, as my Mom (Sarah) counseled her to keep her baby, offering help and showing her pictures of developing babies and of babies killed by abortion. She took the literature and walked on, but missed the gate, walking to where I stood. I approached her smiling and asked, "Oh, did you see those pictures?" she said "yes."

"What do you think of them, have you seen them before?" she said "yes."

"Then you know that your baby is a precious person." she said "yes."

"You aren't going to kill your baby, are you?" Slowly she shook her head yes.

"Why, why? How can we help you? We can give you lodging, anything you need, we have done it for others. Can we help you?" she said, "No, nothing." By this time she had found the gate and began walking through the court yard. So I called out to her, "You need to know that you will have to answer to God for what you do to your baby. We have told you and you do not have an excuse now. Fear God." She threw the literature in the garbage and went in the door.

Oh, how we prayed and cried out to God for her. At such a young age to be already so hardened! It seemed impossible that she would change her mind now, but we have a God who delights to do the impossible!

Another young woman stopped to talk to my Mom, it turned out she was the sister of the first girl and had tried to talk her out of the abortion, but without success. My Mom gave her literature and prayed with her, she agreed to try again to talk her sister out of killing her child.

Ten or fifteen minutes later they both came out smiling, she had changed her mind! Praise God! We were so excited! We gave her a gift from the ministry which includes a one hundred dollar gift certificate and talked briefly with her. Please pray for this young woman, the battle is not yet over. Pray that she will continue to have the courage to keep her baby, especially since she seemed shaky on her decision. Pray for her, and her sister's salvation, that God will open their eyes to see Jesus.