Austin Gardner

Exodus 18:18

Could it be that world evangelism seems to be too large a task because we like Moses try to perform it alone? Wouldn’t the cause of world evangelism be better served if we were to train others to do the work instead of doing it all ourselves? Isn’t this the training or teaching that we find in 2Timothy 2:2 and Ephesians 4:11-12? You must learn discipleship as soon as possible. Begin now to train others because you are not able to perform it thyself alone. Could it be that world evangelism seems to be too large a task because we like Moses try to perform it alone?

Wouldn’t the cause of world evangelism be better served if we were to train others to do the work instead of doing it all ourselves? Isn’t this the training or teaching that we find in 2Timothy 2:2 and Ephesians 4:11-12? You must learn discipleship as soon as possible. Begin now to train others because you are not able to perform it thyself alone.

Dear Business partners and Friends,

Words cannot begin to express the overwhelming support felt by all of my family this past weekend. Thank you so much for the food, prayers, thoughts, hugs, and words of encouragement.

I would like to share with you Evan’s story in hope that no one else ever has to experience the tragedy of burying a child:

On Friday morning of last week, my worst nightmare came true, I received a call from my son, Taylor 15, that his brother, Evan 18, was unconscious and I needed to get over to there house quick. When I arrived, Evans mom and the paramedics told me that they had nothing to work with -Evan had obviously been gone for a few hours. Within 15 minutes the outpouring of love, support, and prayers began- God showed up and placed his arms of comfort and peace around everyone. Family, Friends, pastors, co-workers, students and neighbors began to show up and offer any assistance they could. I was amazed.

Like most people, I live in a fast paced life. I am not sure where I thought I was going all the time, but I was always doing something quickly-sometimes doing things right –sometimes not. The death of my son has made me take some time and think about what is really important. Our children are important. If you’re receiving this email and you are a parent that feels like everything moves to quickly, please slow down and take time to find out what is going on in your child’s life.

Spend time with them each day, talk to there friends, their teachers, coaches, and anyone else they are involved in.

Check their cell phones-you will be amazed.

Check there email, facebook, etc.

You’re their parent-you have the right!

Just 2 years ago, Evan was a typical teenager- interested in girls and cars-the usual things for boys. 2 years later- he is gone.

Where did it go wrong, where did the tide turn-what were the signs.

If you have a child in school, chances are they have been asked or know someone that has been asked to participate in the taking of “prescribed” medicines. They take pain killers, anti inflammatory, anxiety, depression, sleeping pills and any other meds they can find to “alter” there state of mind.

They do not take it as prescribed. They think if 1 is good-2 is better- and 3 is “killer”- What they don’t understand is “It can kill them”- it killed Evan!

Some of the signs to look for are: sudden changes in mood, appetite, irritable, sleeps to much or not enough…they will take something to give them energy and then take something to bring them down.

It’s hard to tell- but the signs are there.

Keep all your medicines in a safe place that only you know about. These kids will have their friends steal from you while they steal meds from the friends parents (they don’t feel as bad this way) Do whatever you have to do to try and keep them safe.

While his death is a tragedy-it is also a success story. Just 3 weeks ago, Evan went forward at Hopewell Baptist church and spoke to Pastor Robbie- Robbie asked Evan if he knew Jesus as his Lord and Savior- he said “yes”. They prayed and Evan was so excited- he called me and told me that he was changing his life and gonna quit doing the things that had gotten him in trouble. I was so excited that he had seen the light and wanted to change, but the devil wasn’t finished.

As the days went by, Evan began to be tested – he gave way to temptation- he lost that battle—but in the end “he won the war”. Because of his decision to accept Jesus as his lord and savior, Evan is in heaven and at his funeral over 10 people accepted Jesus and will spend eternity in heaven when they leave this world. I don’t think I could be any prouder of my son.

I hope that maybe Evans story will cause us to make changes in our lives for the good- I hope that his story will bring families closer, that people will get back to the basics in life and realize that we are only here “temporarily”-that there is a place in eternity with God if we want it.

God bless you all and once again thank you-

Love,

Jeff Waggoner and family

The first step we all need to take if we desire to be a Baptist Church Committed to World Evangelism is to

1. Work at evangelizing the world in their Jerusalem by committing to knock on and evangelize a minimum of 50,000 people that live close to their church at least twice a year

a. That means knocking on a minimum of 13,000 doors at least once each year and preferably twice a year in a systematic and organized fashion leaving a piece of literature in the house or on the door. This works out to approximately 250 doors a week if you plan to use another means to get the gospel to your area in the same year

b. Use the postal service or other means to get the gospel to each one at least one more time a year

c. Use radio, television and or Internet to reach their Jerusalem with the gospel.

We really can’t profess to be interested in World Evangelism if we do not start at home. This is actually quite an expensive endeavor. Gospel tracts and materials cost lots of money. In our particular ministry giving out that many tracts a week (500) cost an average of $50 per week.

It also costs in man hours, sweat, and commitment. But I certainly don’t think that we can give money to missionaries and send them around the world expecting them to do something overseas that we are not willing to do where we live.

Using direct mail is also very expensive as it TV and Radio. I struggle as the pastor of Vision to find the funds and the way to do what I believe we ought to do.

The first thing we are going to say is that none of this is very effective. I agree. The next thing you are going to say is that God will have to bring them. I agree. But since when does that mean that we shouldn’t do what we can.

The farmer who wants a crop and will not plow, plant, cultivate, fertilize and then wait on God would be thought a fool! We must be about our Father’s business.

It really isn’t important if they accept or not but that they know that there was a man of God and a church among them.

I want to step up more to the challenge and I want to ask you to do the same. In Peru for 18 years we gave out tracts, invitations, TV, Radio, you name it. Very little results come from all of this but at least we fulfill our responsibility and get the blood off of our hands!

David will kill me for publishing this letter but it has been one of my most prized possessions since the day I got it. I think it is fitting to let him see what he wrote 6 years later. He was 18 then. I know that God is going to use you son. I love you and I am very proud of you. Thank you for one of the sweetest gifts that I have ever gotten. I give it back to you on your birthday.

My son David wrote this on September 14, 2003 late at night. No one has ever written or said anything that touched me more.

Growing up in the home of a missionary is a very different thing, but it is even stranger to grow up in the home of a missionary that is one of a kind, that only has missions 
on his mind, he worries not on anything else, he believes on nothing but what God can do through him.

As he wakes up in the morning he gets up and as he puts his clothes on he grabs a very precious object, it is a small marble, but to him it isn’t a marble. It is a challenge, it is his goal, on that marble is printed the world. As he feels it and looks at it he realizes that his Father’s task is not finished. As he walks down the first set of steps he sees another globe and again is reminded of his goal for the day. As he walks out the door he faces another hard day, one that very few people could imagine.

Every time he holds a conversation with someone, he has to mention his goal, or some plan to get his goal accomplished. Every time he comes home, you can tell that there is only one thing on his mind, the world. As he sits at the table to eat he really isn’t at the table, he is still at the office thinking of one more goal. Everyone that is around him, in some odd way, have caught his vision, have obtained his goals and have seen his heart, maybe not in the same proportion, but they have obtained a part.

Throughout all of my life I have never been an only child, nor have I been the last of four children, but I have been the last of many children. Our family has not been limited to the amount of children born into the Gardner family, but by the amount of young men and women that have the same passion as my father.

I will be honest and say that I have gotten tired of being in the background a lot of times and I have gotten tired of watching all of the action going on. But, as I look at it today, I realize that I am more privileged than all of his “children.” I have had the chance to live and be raised in the home of the greatest missionary of this day, I have been able to see his passion and I have been able to be there in the hardest and most difficult times of his life.

Believe it or not, I think I have obtained a small part of his vision, I have caught the fever of world evangelism and I have learned to dream. The times that were hard for me years ago have made me realize that they were training days, the times that my father was investing his life in others, I was being trained. I didn’t know it, but now I do.

I have finally seen what privilege God has given me, and I thank him for that. This will take a long time for me to prove myself, and actions speak louder than words. But I hope that someday, as Elisha said of Elijah, I will 
have double of his spirit. Someday, I hope to have double of his fruit, I hope to have double of his desires; I hope to have double of everything he has. I hope not to be average, because that only means to be the worst of the best and the best of the worst.

I hope to be a world class leader, I believe that I am headed that way with the training that I have received, but I do not want to stay where I am but be able to say that I am fulfilling my Father’s and my father’s wishes of evangelizing the world in this generation.

Yours to evangelize the world in our generation,
David Gardner
2nd generation missionary

P.S. Thank you for reading I know it is long, but it is just something that I thought of and wanted to share with you.