Over the past 40 + years of walking together with the Lord, He has taken us on some great adventures in serving Him...some big and some small...but all wonderful times of seeing Him work in marvelous ways in the hearts of so many, as well as our own. In the past few years, a big prayer on our hearts has been that we would still be fruitful and useful even as we are growing older. So we have been praying and waiting to see what the Lord would have us do next.
As we have waited, the Lord has seemed to open up a door of opportunity in England!
Our good friends, Bob and Jeanne Claycamp have moved to Exeter to pastor the Calvary Chapel there; to stabilize, build it up and raise up and train leadership. Bob was our pastor in Phoenix for 10 years and we have said many times that we wished we could work with him again. Surprisingly, to us, it now seems like God is putting it on our hearts to go over and help them in the work there.
Exeter is a town of about 120,000 in the SW county of Devon. It is a university town, so there is a large population of young people. Over the past several years (generations in fact), the mindset of the people in the UK and most of Europe has gone away from the strong Christian heritage that birthed many godly, influential Christian leaders and ministries. There has been a move away from the church, teaching of the Word and God in general. Consequently, there has been a spiritual vacuum that is being filled with materialism, cults, the occult and heretical "Christian" doctrines. As another generation is coming to the Lord now, there is great need in the areas of teaching, discipleship and mentoring. We hear from the churches over there all the time that they are in need of help. Most of the churches that are actually teaching the truth of the Word are small; growth is slow and many ministering there are becoming weary and discouraged.
Our calling and gifting over the years has been to come alongside and help in whatever way we can; whether it is discipling, mentoring, teaching, leading worship, counselling, training leadership, setting up chairs, cleaning bathrooms, making coffee, etc. So our first priority will be to assist Bob and Jeanne, doing whatever we can to make their job easier. And if the Lord opens up other doors for us, we will be available for that also.
As we have been praying and seeking the Lord about the needs in the UK, He brought this verse to us:
They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the LORD, and their children, too, will be blessed.
I will answer them before they even call to Me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!
So this is why we feel God is calling us to go....to help.
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As we have served in Arizona, Oregon and presently Washington state, we have always gone out as "tent makers"...supporting ourselves mainly through the wood flooring trade. God has always been faithful to keep the work coming in. This move to England, however, means support will have to be raised from others who, according to God's leading them, will agree to partner with us prayerfully and financially. We don't believe in breaking down doors that aren't opened by the Lord; therefore, raising support will be a crucial indicator of His will for us in this opportunity.
We are hoping to be there by July for the UK Pastor's Conference and to help with the Creation Fest UK 2013 in August.
So, we are putting this out there; first, to let you all know what we feel God is calling us to do and to ask you to join us in praying for continued direction; and secondly, to see if He is putting it on people's hearts to be a part of this work in becoming a part of our support team.
Because we believe it is necessary to be as specific as possible about the financial needs, we have listed an estimated budget of what we project our needs will be.
$3000
Airfare: $2600
Misc. expenses: $400
Ongoing monthly expenses (estimate) - $2410- $2720
Rent: $850-950
Utilities and taxes: $200-300
Food: $350-400
Toiletries: $30
Transportation $200
Phone & internet: $100-150
Medication: $20
Household: $30-40
Currency exchange
and bank fees: $30
Miscellaneous: $100
Airfare fund for
return to states and
back each year: $200
Back-up emergency
fund: $200
Taxes: $100
If you would like more information or want to join our group of supporters and prayer partners, you can contact us at: batessitore@yahoo.com
We pray God's blessings on you and appreciate you all so much.
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