This being the first month of a new year, we wanted to first let you know just how much we appreciate you. We are looking forward to continuing in service to the Lord this coming year, wherever He leads us. We are so grateful for the many families that have sacrificed their blessings to provide for us, year after year. Your commitment is what keeps us serving at Forward Bible Camp and beyond.
We have had so many “firsts” recently; Ian was baptized (first out of our kids), Ian finished reading his first fifth grade level reading book, Madilynn began her first year of school and loved her first gymnastics class, Konner began his first year of Cubbies at AWANA, Oliver celebrated his first birthday on Christmas day. One especially memorable first, was at our Georgetown Good News Club when we handed out five new Bible’s to students who had never had one of their own.
Do you remember receiving your first Bible? I do. Actually, I remember about 18months before I received my first Bible. Watching my big brother walk across the stage at Little Lambs Preschool to receive his very first blue, Precious Moments Bible and Kindergarten graduation certificate will forever play in my memory. He stood there so proudly, smiled so widely and held up his new Bible so excitedly that I remember feeling the anticipation begin to grow right then and there of receiving my very first Bible. And then it happened, I graduated Kindergarten and my mom handed me my very first pink Precious Moments Bible. From then on, God’s Word would be a prominent part of many milestones in my life.
It wasn’t more than a few months after I was baptized that I received my second Bible on Valentine’s Day. My mom always had a special valentine waiting for us at breakfast; a candy, a card, maybe a small toy, but this day was different. February 14th 1993, I found my very first Living Values Illustrated Bible. It was the complete Bible only it also had colorful pictures, key verses highlighted and short bits of commentary to help me really dig deep into God’s love letter to me. It was five years after this, when I had received a large amount of money from my grandma for my sixteenth birthday, I could feel God calling me into missionary work and I knew what I wanted to spend that money on. I chose my very first Women’s Study Bible, with concordance, study notes, commentary and ancient maps. I read this Bible so much that Colossians is all but falling out and there is highlighting and underlining everywhere. This Bible accompanied me to Australia and Bible College. Even though I am very familiar with studying from my Bible App on my phone these days, I have to tell you, there is nothing like the feeling of turning through thin paper pages and seeing notes scribbled and verses circled that meant so much to me then and still mean so much to me now. I hope you can remember when you were first given God’s Word. His message to us is a life changer. I know it in my life and witnessed it in the eyes of these five children, all who said they had never had a Bible of their own and some who even said they have never had any Bible in their home.