Gulf Area Resort Ministries

Snowbird ministry has increased greatly as it does each January. I am in the process of partnering with a camper on mission couple to begin a new ministry at Island Retreat RV. I’ve also partnered with another camper on mission couple to continue our ministry at Luxury RV. Much of our ministry continues to grow at Gulf State Park Campground. We partnered with the Baldwin Baptist Nursing Fellowship this month to provide a health fair for many of the state park’s campers. Our mission house construction continues. I’ve been zipping around town in our Gulf Area Resort Ministries / Baldwin Baptist Association van this month. Currently we are partnered with 3 campgrounds and one condominium complex - providing resort worship services; however, we hope to add another campground with the help of some retired volunteers (campers on mission) It has been a great month of ministry. We started a new Bible Study at Gulf State Park campground and Gulf Shores’ junior college - Faulkner State, Gulf Shores’ campus. The ministry and association also partnered with a volunteer campus minister to provide ministry to Faulkner State, Bay Minette. Alicia Olsen (gulf state park camper) was baptized @ FBC Orange Beach - this was my first baptism. The baptism was very exciting and heartwarming for Alicia, myself, and friends

BIG EVENTS THIS MONTH

- Missions speaking engagement at local churches
- “Grace Café” - Snowbird Valentine’s Day fellowship event
- sharing the gospel through drama, fellowship, food, and fun
- Pre-project visits with youth ministers that are planning to partner with us in ministry in the summer of 2003
- continuing education at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (I’m taking 12 credit hours — pray for me.
- Bicycle trek with the snowbirds to Dolphin Island
- Resort ministry start-up at Island Retreat RV
- Cultivate relationships with more hotels and campgrounds as we prepare for Spring & Summer ministries
- Distribute some of Christmas in August items
- “spread the word in 2003″ projects - creative methods of letting more churches, associations, and other ministries, groups, and individuals find out more and prayerfully partner with Gulf Area Resort Ministries in sharing the gospel with gulf coast visitors and residents 
- meet with resort committee and winter volunteers

GREATEST MOMENT OF THE MONTH

Being a part of Alicia Olsen’s baptism was a joy. Also partnering with Raymond & Nancy Holley (campers on mission) and Gene and Ruby Butree (mission service corp) in snowbird / campground ministry.

CRASH

Auto accident on January 16 - no one was injured; however, my jeep rolled and was deemed unfixable. We hope to replace the vehicle soon. I’m very thankful that there were no injuries. The insurance company seems to be dragging their feet. We are also praying that our work with volunteers and the resort ministries’ committee would be a joy for all that are involved.

The Son & The Sand
February 2003

    Thank You for Being a Friend

Travel down the road and back again…Any golden girls fans out there? We are very blessed to call you friends. This month God has really encouraged us through your calls, letters, emails, and visits. I am also reminded of what a special blessing our ministry volunteers have been this season. The work of volunteers is what keeps this ministry growing and ever-reaching out in new areas. More than just about anything, we are especially blessed by the continuous prayer support that comes from our family and friends. So, thank you for being a friend. God has given us all that wonderful thing called friendship to help us be strong and courageous. Below is an update on ministry and life in general. Let us know how you are doing and how we can pray for you and encourage you in your journey with Jesus.

Worship services continue to bring in many of our seasonal guest (a.k.a snowbirds). It has been a joy to worship with our winter friends at Gulf State Park Campground, Luxury RV Campground, Gulf Breeze RV, Island Retreat RV and the Plantation Resort. Our Grace Café event was wonderful. Sandi Norwood shared a beautiful message through drama on God’s grace. We began another worship service for campers at Island Retreat RV. Pray for Gene and Ruby Buttrey as they lead worship and offer friendship and love to their neighbors at Island Retreat. Thanks to volunteers like Betty Glasscock, Joe Arnold, the Crews, the Holleys, and the Meltons, Gulf Area Resort Ministries is able to share the gospel with hundreds of snowbirds every week. Many of the volunteers and our resort committee met this month for a time of prayer and fellowship. Pray for us as we continue to reach out to snowbirds and as we prepare for Spring Break and Summer.

 

In February, we has four pre-project visits. These visits allow us to meet with youth pastors and other adult leaders that are planning to bring their student mission teams to the coast for a mission trip in the summer. These meetings are a great encouragement. We spent time in prayer and went on site tours with folks from Alabama , Mississippi , Kentucky, and Illinois (a 900 mile drive - the record holders for most miles traveled to work with our ministry). Pray for these teams and our 2003 summer missions staff (currently we have the names of 4 out of 6 of these girls: Tiffany, Abbey, Ashley, and Amy). We will likely work with over 20 teams this summer. Pray for their safe travel and the many hearts that will touched through their ministry. Our prayer is that we can be used by God to accomplish His purposes. We also pray that God would give those we come in contact with an openness to His message of love and reconciliation.

 

The Student Bible Studies at Faulkner State in Bay Minette resulted in several decisions for Christ. God has really used the willingness of youth pastor and volunteer campus minister Jeff Brewer to impact the lives of many students. Pray for our partner in ministry, Jeff Brewer (better known as Brother J), as he continues to lead the BCM in Bay Minette. We are currently restructuring our outreach efforts to the Gulf Shores Campus and we have our eye on the Fairhope campus and the many possibilities for ministry there. Please pray for us as we continue to seek out new ways to minister to gulf coast students.

 

 

 Big Moments of the Month

* Pre-project visits - the excitement of 2003’s summer is already building - throughout the month I met with many youth leaders and 2003 prayer partners.

 

* Our mission house addition is near completion - Tiffany, Ashley, Abbey, Amy, and the rest of the summer missionaries will be moving in before we know it - thankfully 6 girls will not have to share 1 shower - that would be roughing it. Instead the missions house will have plenty of showers and hot water to go around.

 

* Committee and volunteer meeting and fellowship - like good church folks we met together, talked together, prayed together, and of course we ate together.

 

* Valentine’s Day Snowbird Fellowship - Grace’s Café featuring Sandi Norwood was a wonderful event that ministered to over 100 of Gulf State Park’s seasonal visitors.

 

* The exciting results of Jeff Brewer’s ministry as campus minister at Faulkner State Community College

- Partner with mission teams for Spring Break weeks March 15-22 and 24-28 (work projects, Backyard Bible Club, Beach Evangelism, Concerts, and other outreach events)

- Associational Student Mission Team from Baldwin County March 24-25

- Calhoun Baptist Campus Ministries / Collegiate Mission Team

- Other Spring Break partnerships with churches and spring breakers

- Snowbird Farewell Fellowship (our annual Bye-Bye Birdie Fellowship)

- More pre-project visits with youth ministers that are planning to partner with us in ministry in the summer of 2003

- Bicycle trek with the snowbirds to Dolphin Island

- Continue to cultivate relationships with more hotels and campgrounds as we prepare for Spring & Summer ministries

- More improvements to our website - www.baldwinbaptist/gulfarea.com

- Distribute more of our Christmas in August items

 

- morning devotionals and prayer with Thea

- lots of prayer time during the long trek over to New Orleans each week

- regular personal Bible Study & prayer

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

“He is no fool that gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose” -wise words a missionary once wrote (Jim Elliot).

There is a joy and a hope that only comes through experiencing the love and grace of God through Jesus Christ. We pray that this joy and hope shines in our marriage, ministry, and everyday lives. If you know of a church group that might be interested in working with us in the summer of 2003, don’t hesitate to send them our way. Thank you for helping us “spread the word” and for your encouragement and prayers.

In Christ,
Jeff and Thea Ford

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The Son & the Sand Newsletter  - March ‘03

 

 

9 mission teams from 2 college campuses, 2 Arkansas churches, 1 Mississippi church, and 4 Baldwin County Churches - Sometimes working with so many volunteers can make your head spin. The excitement of March and Spring Break gave us a lot for which to be thankful. We worked with a lot of wonderful people to share the love of Christ.  Our projects included: ministering to Snowbirds through a “random acts of kindness day” at Gulf State Park Campground, work on the mission house at Orange Beach, concerts, beach evangelism, and believe it or not – ten backyard Bible clubs at 10 different locations during the busiest Spring Break week. The ten sites broke a record for Gulf Area Resort Ministries. We are glad (March gladness) to be able to serve in 10 different areas simultaneously. We pray for more avenues to open up for student mission teams to share the message of God’s love to children and parents. Getting around to all of the sites put a lot of miles on my car and it was often difficult to keep up with who was where (March madness):)!. God gave us much to be thankful for this month. Pray for us as we see our Snowbird family off, and begin to gear up for another amazing summer of missions & many ministry opportunities.

 

 

The Snowbird season is nearly over. This month, we have continued to minister through resort worship services, campground chaplaincy, Bible study, and other creative Snowbird outreach events such as karaoke and a Dauphin Island biking adventure. We will miss our Snowbird friends, and are already looking forward to fellowship with them next season.

 

With an emphasis on North American Missions, the Week of Prayer, and Annie Armstrong, this month I was able to share at several churches about our work on the Gulf Coast . Through Spring Break missions partnerships, I encouraged spring breakers on mission to be involved in missions beyond their one week experience here. We partnered with 9 teams over a period of three weeks to share the gospel through backyard Bible clubs a.k.a sand and son clubs, beach evangelism, drama, music, puppets, and various other work projects. This month was filled with excitement and joy.

 

During Spring Break we partnered with the following groups: Dane Ables & students from Central Baptist Church Pine Bluff, AR - Virginia Alexander & Baptist Campus Ministries’ collegiate student teams from Calhoun Community College and Athens State University - Jeff Ivey & students from Greenwood Baptist Church Greenwood AR, a Mississippi Spring Break student mission team, and a Baldwin County student mission team made up of students and youth leaders from Fish River Baptist, FBC Bay Minette, Perdido Baptist, and FBC Silverhill (special thanks to Cindy, Sonya, Jennifer, Ben, and Bro. J for all of their hard work and encouragement)

 

 

- Snowbird season will officially come to an end in April

- Resort worship services continue at several of the campgrounds

- We continue to “spread the word in 2003″ involving more and more volunteers in efforts to share the message of Christ

- Seminary classes continue in New Orleans

(a big answer to prayer - a Pensacola extension center will be opening in the Fall, no more long drives to Louisiana)

- Georgia Spring Break April 7-11

- Mobile County Spring Break April 14-18

- We will continue to gear up for summer 2003

- On Mission Celebration in Rome , GA - April 26-30

 

 

The ministry of 140 volunteers enabled us to make an impact on the Gulf Coast during three consecutive weeks of Spring Break. We reached out to hundreds of resort visitors, planted many seeds of the gospel in the lives of those we came in contact with at beaches, hotels, and campgrounds, and we were excited to see some make a first time decision to follow Christ. We continue to pray for the summer of 2003. Our summer missions staff is still in development. We have the names of five of the six summer missionaries that will be serving alongside us this summer. Pray for Abbey, Ashley, Amy, Tiffany, and Lacey as the prepare to spend a summer with Thea, Jeff, and the hundreds of week-long volunteers that we will be working with.

 

 

I haven’t spent the time I have needed to in the area of exercise. I pray that the next couple of months (our time between Snowbird season and summer) will allow me more time to get fit. Continued prayer time, seminary classes, devotionals with Thea and personal Bible study are what keep things going strong. Pray for us as we continue to seek out God’s will for our marriage and lives.

 

It would be impossible to look back on the month of March without remembering the war that is impacting our world.  We are strengthened by the awesome knowledge that we do indeed serve a mighty God, and that no matter what events might surround us He is completely sufficient.  Please continue to pray daily for the men and women who are involved in this conflict and for their loved ones.  Pray for wisdom and strength for all governmental leaders.  

 

Romans 5:8
    But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

Thank you so much for your prayers. We would like to know how we can pray you too.

We love you. Let us know if we can ever do anything for you.

 

Peace in Christ,
Jeff and Thea Ford

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The Son & the Sand

April 2003

  

Please pray for Lacey, Tiffany, Ashley, Abby, Tara , and Amy. These young ladies, from Lousiana, Alabama, and Kentucky, will be working with us throughout the summer to share the gospel to gulf coast visitors and residents. An important aspect of their ministry is to encourage the many students and adults that will be partnering with us each week. We will be working with about 25 mission teams, and our prayer is that the summer missions’ staff will challenge students to consider a missions experience that goes beyond one week. We hope to multiply the mission’s message that God has given us to share.

 

You may have mentioned the phrase “suffering for the Lord” to Jeff and Thea at one time or another. Many like to joke with us about mission work at such a beautiful resort area. We have some new additions to our ministry staff that will also be “suffering” with us. “Suffering for the Lord” – all joking aside, there will be many obstacles and challenges along the way this summer. Anyone that has ever spent time on the mission field (even a beautiful beach) knows it can be tough. Pray with and for our team and many volunteers as we rely on God’s strength to overcome challenges and be all that God has called us to be.

 

We want to serve God, share His Love, and be available to Him to accomplish great things for His glory and not our own. We appreciate your prayers and encouragement. If you, your small group at church (Sunday school class, WMU group, RA group, Acteens group, etc…), or the church you call home would like to be a special encouragement to one of our summer missionaries respond to this email with a “tell me more” in the subject box and I will get you more information on how you and / or your small group or church can adopt-a-missionary for the summer. Thanks again for your prayers and encouragement.

  

 

It’s amazing how time flies. April’s gone. I can’t believe it. We worked with teams during three different Spring Breaks (most in March). One week in April that was full of activity was Mobile County ’s Spring Break. We hope to “get the word out” now regarding Mobile ’s 2004 Spring Break. It’s a crowded beach during this spring break week, and the ministry opportunities are abundant. Pray with us that we would begin enlisting volunteers for next year…likely students from Mobile County .

 

Worship services at the Plantation Resort , Island Retreat RV, Luxury RV, and Gulf State Park Campground continue. Pray for us as the crowd thins out since the snowbirds have gone. We are also doing a lot of preparation regarding our summer calendar. I’ve met with many youth pastors and other leaders for pre-project visits in April. Through these visits we pray together, eat together (like good church folks), and explore the areas of ministry that are strung along the gulf coast.

 

Our missions housing is officially complete (well…almost, we still have some painting to do). It’s been inspected and it’s ready for use. This is where the summer missionaries will call home this summer.

 

April was full of opportunities to share about missions. I shared at several churches in Rome , GA and other parts of Floyd County, GA. These speaking events revolved around an “On Mission Celebration.” The folks in Georgia were very encouraging and helped refreshed me in my outlook on our ongoing ministry on the Gulf Coast .

 

Congratulations to my brother, Scott Ford. He was ordained on April 27^th. He is the minister of education and youth at Haven Fellowship Church in Conyers , GA. He has encouraged me in great ways in my faith journey. Pray for Scott and Dixie as they minister to the people of their community.

 

  

- School’s Out, that means a nice break for Mrs. Ford J

- Thea’s sister, Alana, graduates high school on the 23^rd – she’s Bama-bound

- Our first mission team, Rick Greene & FBC Madison, MS, arrives on May 25^th

- Lacey, Tiffany, Ashley, Abby, Tara , and Amy arrive on the 30^th

- Olive Baptist Church, Gulf State Park Campground campout

- Seminary Finals

 

 

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare of the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting him. Psalm 91:1-2

 

In Christ,

Jeff Ford 

 

Gulf Area Resort Ministries / PO Box 3387 / Gulf Shores , AL 36547

 

We are a ministry of the Baldwin Baptist Association, and we are partners in ministry with the Alabama State Board of Missions and the North American Mission Board.

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The Son & the Sand

May 2003

 

 

Our May newsletter has a little different format. The summer information in the newsletter can be printed out. You may want to post it on your fridge or put it near your pillow, and use it each week as a prayer guide. As I write the First Baptist Church of Madison, MS is in route to meet me at the Island Retreat RV in Gulf Shores . Here at Island Retreat, the ministry provides worship services on Sunday, concerts on Tuesday evenings, and children’s day camps / backyard Bible clubs Monday through Friday each week of the summer. The church’s youth group has been provided day camps for the kids at Island Retreat RV, Luxury RV, Beachside Resort, and Gulf State Park Campground this week. They will also be ministering to folks at these locations this week through music and drama. Pray for them and the many other groups as they make a life-changing impact here in Gulf Shores .

 

We also ask you to pray for our six summer missionaries (Abby, Amy, Ashley, Lacey, Tara, & Tiffany). We pray that these young ladies will challenge the hundreds of teens we work with this summer to be “on mission” in the summers to come. They have the wonderful task of challenging others to be summer missionaries.

 

You may want to pray for the staff this way:

Sunday – Tiffany Durr (worship coordinator)

Monday – Amy Jenkins (outreach and discipleship coordinator)

Tuesday – Lacey Howard (performance coordinator)

Wednesday – Ashley Burns (evangelism coordinator)

Thursday – Abby Jonas (sand and son club coordinator)

Friday – Tara Naugher (day camp coordinator)

Saturday – Jeff & Thea

 

Each summer missionary has different responsibilities — our prayer is that they will grow in their walk with Christ as they serve alongside our many partners in ministry.

 

 

Here’s a near complete version of our current 2003 summer schedule :

(teams we will be partnering with in ministry)

 

May 25-31 First Baptist Church of Madison , MS

 

MAY 30 - SUMMER MISSIONARIES ARRIVE (Abby, Amy, Ashley, Lacey, Tara, & Tiffany)

 

June 1-6 Pleasant Mountain Baptist Church - Blount County , AL

June 8-13 First Baptist Church of Houston , Missouri

June 9-13 VBS with First Baptist Church of Orange Beach

June 15-20 West Hine Baptist Church - Athens , AL

June 15-20 Blythe Island Baptist Church - South Carolina

June 15-20 Perdido Baptist Church , Perdido , AL

June 17-18 mission team from Bowling Green , KY

June 22-27 Union Hill Baptist - Oneonta , AL

June 22-27 2nd Baptist of Fort Payne , AL

June 22-27 OK Baptist Church from Tennessee

June 29-July 4 Hyland Baptist Church - Henderson , KY

June 30-July 4 Jubilee Baptist Church, Daphne, AL

June 30-July 2 Missionlab New Orleans summer staff partnership

July 6-13 First Baptist Tifton , GA

July 7-13 Dwight Baptist Church - Gadsden , AL

July 8-11 First Baptist Church of Gulf Shores , AL

July 13-18 Good Hope Baptist Church - Eclectic, AL

July 13-18 First Baptist Church of Muscle Shoals, AL

July 13-18 Orchard Crest Baptist – Springfield , Missouri

July 20-25 Peoria Associational mission team - Peoria , IL

July 20-25 Olivet Baptist Church - Kansas City , KS

July 24-27 Roland and Jessica McMillan - Louisiana team

July 31-August 3 East Highland Baptist Church - Hartselle , AL                

 

AUGUST 1 - SUMMER MISSIONARIES DEPART

 

August 1-3 Lane Baptist Church - Athens , GA

August 4-8 Williams Baptist Church - Jacksonville , AL

 

 

We are excited to be working with these 26 teams from the following states: Alabama (13), Georgia (2), Louisiana (2), Kentucky (2), Missouri (2), Illinois , Kansas , South Carolina , Mississippi , and Tennessee .

 

We ask for your much needed prayer support as these 700+ volunteer their time and energy alongside the Gulf Area Resort Ministries staff in sharing their stories with Gulf Coast visitors and residents.

 

Thank you for all of your encouragement. Let us know how we can pray for you this summer.

 

We know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we are in God because we are in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

 

In Christ,

Jeff and Thea

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The Son & the Sand

June 2003

Summer is flying by. We can’t believe June is gone and our time with the summer missions staff and volunteer teams is half over. The newsletter may be a bit thin this week — . Let me know if you have any questions or other concerns regarding our summer work. I look forward to hearing from you.

God is doing some amazing things through bible clubs / day camps on the beach and at the campgrounds. We have had lots of exciting interaction with folks through other beach outreach efforts and concerts as well. Our greatest goal is to point people to the life-change that occurs through a relationship with Jesus Christ. We pray that this remains our central focus.

We ask that you continue to pray for the six summer missionaries (Abby, Amy, Ashley, Lacey, Tara, & Tiffany). We pray that these young ladies will challenge the hundreds of teens we work with this summer to be “on mission” in the summers to come. They have the wonderful job of challenging others to be summer missionaries.

You may want to pray for the staff this way:

Sunday – Tiffany Durr (worship coordinator)

Monday – Amy Jenkins (outreach and discipleship coordinator)

Tuesday – Lacey Howard (performance coordinator)

Wednesday – Ashley Burns (evangelism coordinator)

Thursday – Abby Jonas (sand and son club coordinator)

Friday – Tara Naugher (day camp coordinator)

Saturday – Jeff & Thea

Here are the teams in July and August that we will be working with:

(we ask that you would pray for these students and adults as well) 

June 29-July 4 Hyland Baptist Church - Henderson, KY

June 30-July 4 Jubilee Baptist Church, Daphne, AL

June 30-July 2 Missionlab New Orleans summer staff partnership

July 6-13 First Baptist Tifton, GA

July 7-13 Dwight Baptist Church - Gadsden, AL

July 8-11 First Baptist Church of Gulf Shores, AL

July 13-18 Good Hope Baptist Church - Eclectic, AL

July 13-18 First Baptist Church of Muscle Shoals, AL

July 13-18 Orchard Crest Baptist – Springfield, Missouri

July 20-25 Peoria Associational mission team - Peoria, IL

July 20-25 Olivet Baptist Church - Kansas City, KS

July 24-27 Roland and Jessica McMillan - Louisiana team

July 27-30Williams Baptist Church - Jacksonville, AL

July 31-August 3 East Highland Baptist Church - Hartselle, AL                 

August 1-3 Lane Baptist Church - Athens, GA 

We ask for your much needed prayer support as these 700+ volunteer their time and energy alongside the Gulf Area Resort Ministries staff in sharing their stories with Gulf Coast visitors and residents.

Thank you for all of your encouragement. Let us know how we can pray for you this summer.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

In Christ,
Jeff and Thea

Gulf Area Resort Ministries
PO Box 3387
Gulf Shores, AL 36547
251.967.4086

 

 

 

Son & the Sand Newsletter

July 2003

The summer is drawing to an end. We can’t believe it, but it’s true. The 21 mission teams we’ve already worked with and the 9 mission teams listed below have worked together (with our summer missions’ staff: Amy, Lacey, Tiffany, Tara, Abby, and Ashley) to truly make an impact for Christ in the summer of 2003.

 

July 20-25 Peoria Associational mission team - Peoria, IL
July 20-25 Olivet Baptist Church – Wichita, KS
July 24-25 Warrington Baptist Church – Pensacola, FL
July 24-27 Roland and Jessica McMillan - Louisiana team
July 26 Ground Zero Ministries – Grand Bay, AL
July 26-30 Williams Baptist Church - Jacksonville, AL
July 27 Green Acres Baptist Church – Bay Minette, AL
July 31-August 3 East Highland Baptist Church - Hartselle, AL
August 1-3 Lindsey Lane Baptist Church - Athens, AL

Please pray for these teams listed above as the days continue to speed by. Their leadership efforts in the areas of resort worship services, beach evangelism, backyard Bible clubs, and concert performances provide wonderful opportunities to share with others what Christ has done in their lives.

Please remember to also pray for the summer missionaries as they prepare to go back to their campuses, friends, and families. We pray that they will each continue to seek out God’s special plan for their lives. Summer missions was a life-changing experience for us, and we believe it has been for ‘our girls’ as well. They have worked hard, loved those who needed love, and had lots of laughs along the way. We are thankful for their hard work and dedication. They made this a summer to remember for all of our volunteers and partners in ministry.

 

Fun Facts about the Summer Missions Staff in 2003 

Tara Naugher from Jacksonville State University, AL – our 2003 day camp coordinator – Tara loves a good meal – mashed potatoes, grilled chicken, cole slaw, and corn on the cob. Being a summer missionary and working with over two dozen youth groups results in very little home cooked meals. A unique challenge for Tara in the summer of 2003 has been to find a Kentucky Fried Chicken rather than experience the dreaded pizza-blast mentality of visiting youth teams. Tara has repeatedly passed on pizza throughout the summer. Some people don’t like vegetables (not Tara), so isn’t it ok that some people don’t like pizza (Tara). Hang in there, maybe they’ve got a veggie-pizza. Yuck! Just kidding.

Ashley Burns from Sommerset Community College, KY – our 2003 evangelism coordinator – Ashley, like me (Jeff) is a big fan of big-budget sci-fi / action / fantasy movies. As a staff we’ve had a couple of movie nights when we all load up after a Friday night staff meeting and head over to the new theatre in Daphne. Great seats, big screens, and great movies. Right? Well not exactly. Rather than attend the same movies, sometimes our team might break up and go watch different flicks. Some to see Nemo (good choice), some to see Legally Blonde 2 (not such a good choice), and of course being the big-budget sci-fi fan Ashley, Jeff, and Thea are off to see The HULK and the over-promoted flop League of Extraordinary Gentleman. I think Ashley and I had the same thoughts at both viewings of these sub-standard motion pictures – “somebody get me out of here.” A trip to the dentist might have been more pleasant. Oh well, maybe the summer of 2004 will work out better for Ashley. Sorry for the sorry movies. We should have gone to see the Pirates of the Caribbean.

Lacey Howard from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, LA – our 2003 performance coordinator – Lacey showed up at the beach one day with a proclamation of intent regarding her hairstyle. She decided to get a new look since she was at the beach for the summer. Extremely uncertain of the shady sounding ads in the yellow pages, Lacey settled on one. The experience was not a good one. Here hair went from blonde to something else. Shaded here and there. The new look was definitely not the look Lacey was looking for. So it was from the disastrous hair salon to rite-aid to get something to fix the situation. 2 or 3 different home remedy hair-treatments later and several dollars later, Lacey’s hair is back to normal.

Abby Jonas from Murray State University, KY – our 2003 sand and Son club coordinator – Abby spent a couple of days back in Kentucky in July to be a part of a close friend’s wedding. As the maid of honor, Abby was required to fly home. Flying was an exciting adventure for several of her summer missions partners thanks to Ricky (a local promo-sign pulling pilot from Luxury RV). Abby’s partners (Tara, Ashley, and Tiffany) went on a quick flight in a two-seater plane this summer. Abby did not go on this little adventure. Abby’s flying adventure involved getting from Pensacola, FL back to her hometown for her friends wedding. When a veteran military man that has flown countless times looks at a flight-phobic summer missionary during the flight and says “that’s never happened before” you know something is wrong. The difficult flight almost kept Abby from flying back to us. She said she especially thought it strange that all of the passengers were congratulating the pilot after he finally got them on the ground. 

Amy Jenkins from McNeese State University, LA – our 2003 discipleship and outreach coordinator – Amy is tremendously fearful of animals…even kittens and puppies. This animal-phobia was demonstrated during a visit to the migrant camps in the Fairhope area when Amy had what can only be described as a panic attack at the camp when a dog came her way. Amy hastily retreated to the van.

Tiffany Durr from Georgetown College, KY – our 2003 worship coordinator – Throughout the summer Tiffany has been a child-magnet. You will not find Tiffany at a backyard Bible club without a child on her arm, her back, or around her neck. Recently one of our day camp goers remained attached to Tiffany’s back throughout the course of a one and a half hour club. When Tiffany arrived on the field she had no desire or interest in working with children. Now Tiffany loves kids, and it’s obvious kids love Tiffany.

The Moral of these Stories 

Life lessons or silly stories…maybe both.

All silliness aside, God has used the lives of these six young ladies to shine the light of his Son. For every humorous experience we’ve had this summer, we’ve also experienced times of God’s presence and renewal. My summer missions / life motto has been for several years now: God doesn’t call the qualified; God qualifies the called. When Ashley prayed with a child at day camp to receive Christ as his Lord and Savior, when Tiffany talked with a soul-searching beach-goer about what it means to have a relationship with Christ, when Tara shared a testimony of God’s faithfulness at Friendship Baptist Church, when Amy consistently provided discipleship to her partners through morning devotional meetings, when Lacey placed an ice-cold bottle of water in the hands of someone who desperately needed to hear of the living water that Jesus came to give, and when Abby spoke of God’s plan to a group of students at a local church. These were times when God qualified the called. God gave them all they needed so they could accomplish great things for Him.

The seeds of the gospel that the girls have planted in the hearts of gulf coast visitors and residents throughout the summer are too numerous to recount. This week I came in contact with a camper at one of the campgrounds we work with. The young lady spoke of a college student that she had met two summers ago by the name of Ashley Whiddon (now Ashley Claunch). She said the talk she had with Ashley had really made an impression on her. As we talked I couldn’t help but be excited about the way God uses summer missionaries’ testimonies and Christian witness beyond the timetable that makes up their summer experience. Ashley worked with us in the summer of 2001 along with Cathy Inman and Annette Blythe, yet in 2003 Ashley’s ministry pops up in a conversation with a camper. It’s the same for the ministry of Lacey, Amy, Tara, Ashley, Abby, and Tiffany. It’s the same for you and me. Our actions and words that reflect what Christ has done in our lives are timeless. Testimonies of followers of Christ often make an impact that is well beyond our expectation or understanding.

The calling of God in the lives of students is something that our ministry is privileged to be a part of. As prayer supporters in the ministries that goes on along the beaches and campgrounds of Alabama’s Gulf Coast, you too are a part of God’s call to be on mission for Christ in world that desperately needs to know of this thing called amazing grace.

You don’t have to go to the beach to go surfing. Just check out / surf on our new website: www.barefootbelievers.com Special thanks to Jonathan Alberts for helping us get set up on the web. Happy surfing.

Peter 1:13 — Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Let us know how you are doing and how we can pray for you.

       In Christ,
   Jeff & Thea Ford

Gulf Area Resort Ministries
PO Box 3387
Gulf Shores, AL 36547
251.967.4086
bbagarm@gulftel.com
www.barefootbelievers.com

We are a ministry of the Baldwin Baptist Association and partners in ministry with the Alabama State Board of Missions and the North American Mission Board

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Son & the Sand Newsletter

November Edition 2003

A Chance to Say Thank You

Today, Thea and I will depart for Georgia. We’ll spend the day with Scott (my brother) and Dixie tomorrow. Then we will be making our way over to North Alabama for a ten-year high school class reunion on Saturday. I’ll also be sharing about missions and missionaries with a group of boys and young men in Rome, Georgia. Then on Sunday I will go to church with all of the Macedonia Baptist church members that helped us in the children’s village at the 2003 Shrimp Festival in October.

 

So why am I giving you all of these travel plans? Just to say I am grateful for this weekend and I am grateful for our readers. This weekend will be a great way to say thank you to so many people that have given us encouragement and support. I wish we could visit with each of our prayer supporters personally and show our gratitude for their love. We want to thank you (yes, you reading this November newsletter right now) for the impact you have made and are making in our lives.

Here’s our weekend thank you list:

Thank You – Scott and Dixie for being a great brother and sister-in-law, and for the exciting news that in just a few months, Thea and I are going to be Aunt Thea and Uncle Jeff thanks to you two.

Thank You – Gaston High School class of 2003 for all of the great memories, big laughs, and lifelong friendships.

Thank You – Churches and children of the Floyd County Baptist Association in Rome, Georgia. It’s churches like yours and missions organizations like RAs that enable us to do what we are doing through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and the Cooperative Program.

Thank You – Macedonia Baptist Church for your willingness to get out your comfort zone and be on mission with us in Gulf Shores, AL. The work you have done has opened exciting new doors for the resort ministry staff.

One more thank you, although it has nothing to do with my weekend plans. Thank you “the Son and the Sand” readers and prayer partners. It would truly be impossible for us to be involved in the work and ministry that we do if it were not for you encouragement.

Looking Back - All in October

Snowbirds, snowbirds, and more snowbirds – it’s hard to believe it, but the early birds have arrived. We are excited to see them, and we are looking forward to a wonderful season in 2003 / 2004 with our dear friends.

I took part in a mission conference in the Spokane, Washington area. The week was filled with new friendships, encouragement, and a great appreciation for the beautiful places and loving people of the Northwest.

The congregations have grown this month at the resort worship services as a result of our many long-term snowbird visitors.

Our BCM meetings at Faulkner State Community College have continued to go well. Special thanks to Rich, Amanda, and Evan for their leadership.

October 9-13 Macedonia Baptist Church Mission Trip – a great weekend of opportunities, hard work, and lots of fun at the Shrimp Festival

October 20-21 An excellent 2003 annual meeting for the Baldwin Baptist Association

 

This Month – What’s Ahead in November & Prayer Requests

Pray for the many travelers as they continue to make their journey south in the coming months. Pray that God would continue to use retired volunteers to partner with us in reaching the gulf coast this winter with the gospel.

We’ve rescheduled our BCM habitat humanity project for November 8^th. Contact me if you’d like to take part in this local mission project (you don’t have to be a college student to help).

Betty Glasscock and Margaret Juehl, our gulf state park music leaders, have arrived. No more Jeff struggling through the musical portion of our resort worship services. Ha ha. We are excited to have our friends, Betty and Margaret, back in the park. Pray for them as they point others to Christ through music this snowbird season.

Our annual Snowbird Thanksgiving Dinner at the Gulf State Park Campground November 23^rd. Let me know if you’d like to join us for this special celebration.

Our upcoming vacation / visit with our great friend and brother in Christ, Brad Lartigue. Brad is a resort minister in Big Sky, Montana. If you’d like to learn more about Brad’s ongoing resort ministry at Big Sky and Yellowstone National Park visit: http://pages.prodigy.net/brad_lartigue Like us, Brad is always looking for volunteer mission teams and summer missionaries to make an impact in the resort area where he is serving.

Ongoing seminary courses at the NOBTS extension center in Pensacola, FL.

 

One Last Thing

Even in the most impossible situations, God is able. Jesus shared this concept with his disciples to help them understanding God’s ways. May it be an encouragement to you today as you seek to accomplish a seemingly impossible task.

 

…all things are possible with God. Mark 10:27