The Shore Family

(Due to the personal nature of prayer letters from the field, please email me to obtain our latest letter.  Our email address is missionaryshore@gmail.com.  You can also email us through the Contact us page on our website.

 

August 2010
 
Dear Praying Friends,
 
Well, it has been a very busy but very good last month.  Since my last prayer letter, we have had five Sunday services and two separate weeks of Holiday Bible Time (VBS).  We enjoyed helping in a HBT in Kirckaldy a few weeks ago and have just completed a HBT in Loanhead.  In both opportunities, we enjoyed working with two other missionary families, the Dillmans and the Devers. If you have participated in a VBS, then I'm sure you can understand why we have been busy.  For our HBT, we distributed around 3,500 flyers in and around Loanhead.
 
We have yet to have our first church visitor. But God has encouraged us all along the way.  If you follow my "Happening Now" page on our website www.missionaryshore.com you may remember a little girl, Ceilidh (pronounced “Kay Lee”), coming in when we were packing up after our third service.  She knew us from the park and happened to be at the community center for her dad's lawn bowling tournament.  If it hadn't been for establishing that relationship with Ceilidh, we wouldn't have had the "results" that we had during our week of HBT.  She was our key contact.  Here is the story from our website....
 
"Last night our family went to a park in Loanhead seeking other opportunities.  Just as we were driving home, my wife looked over and saw a little girl with whom we have had contact.  She and her three friends were walking.  We pulled over and Katie got out and gave them our leaflet, encouraging them to come.  One 12-year-old boy said, "I hate the Bible."  She laughed and said to the others, "He thinks he's tough, doesn't he."  They all came today—including that boy.  He even answered questions about the Bible story and colored his craft.  They are excited to come back tomorrow.  Please pray as we are getting into the Gospel every day.  It was not an accident that Katie looked over and saw them last night."
 
Over the next two days, those three friends brought another four visitors, and Ceilidh brought another friend as well.  Isn't God good?  We wouldn't have had those nine children attend if it weren't for that moment of contact on the Tuesday night of our HBT week.  With their help we had a total of 15 visiting children come to our Holiday Bible Time.  Please pray for these kids.  The boy who said, "I hate the Bible" told me that he is planning on coming this Sunday.  We have told the children that if they will come to five Sunday services, we will buy them each a Bible. 
 
The Lord has given numerous witnessing opportunities this past month.  If you care to read about these, I have put some of them online under our "Happening Now" page.  I will continue to update that regularly as the Lord provides testimonies to share.  We know that these God-given opportunities are answers to your prayers and desire to keep you informed.
 
Thanks for your part in our ministry here in Scotland,
 
Benjamin, Katie, Kay Lee, Benson, Logan, Parker, and Nelson Shore
 
PS. Small addition to our prayer letter - our first visitor just came this past Sunday.  Please pray that Alexander (70 years old) will keep coming. 

 

July 2010

 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

We are amazed at how quickly time has passed since our arrival in Scotland.  We have just passed the three-month mark this past week.  Thank you for your prayers and financial support that have made it possible for us to be here.  We know the Lord will reward you for being a part of our team.

 

So, what is going on right now that you can pray about?  Well, our first Sunday for our church is this Sunday, July 4.  We are planning to have a 10 a.m. Sunday school and an 11 a.m. service.  We have put nearly 5,000 leaflets through mail slots in preparation for this.  (I want to say a special thank you to Missionary Don Dillman who has helped me distribute these.)  All of Loanhead and parts of the surrounding area have received our leaflet.  We have been encouraged twice by individuals telling us that they have already received our information.  We have also had one phone call from a Christian man who may come out to support our services.  The Lord has additionally given us numerous opportunities to share the Gospel and to tell people about the church. 

 

In preparation for our start, we have purchased “A” board signs and roll-up banner stands.  (Special thank you to Grace Baptist Church who paid for all of our sign needs.)  We have two “A” boards that will be put by the street and in front of the building.  The signs are attractive and large.  We then have four roll-up banner stands that will be inside of the community center.  They are six feet tall and set up very easily.   We have a dual purpose for these signs.  They will provide a nice environment and will also help us to advertise our ministry if we are able to set up a booth.  Please visit our webpage (www.missionaryshore.com) and view these signs under the "Happening Now" tab.

 

Katie and I are excited about starting Free Baptist Church. (The meaning of "free" is similar to "independent" in Scotland.) We have purchased a portable digital piano for Katie to play in our services.  Katie is also excited about teaching children in our Sunday school time.  She was given a Betty Lukens flannelgraph set, which she has been waiting to use.  She would appreciate your prayers for Nelson during the service times.  It would obviously be a great help if he is a superb baby for those two hours.  Katie will also record our hymns on the piano before each service in case she is unable to play due to baby needs.

 

We want you to be involved in our ministry, so I am going to update our Happening Now page after each Sunday.  We need your prayers.  I may report that on our first Sunday no one came.  I may write that we had a few visitors. We don't know until we get there what will take place.  But, we do know that we need you to pray with us that God will use us to start a church in Loanhead.

 

We have a great basis to pray in faith according to our Lord's promise, "I will build my church."  He is able to keep that promise.  Let's look to Him in faith.

 

Ben for the Shore Clan

 

 

May 2010

 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

I just returned from a walk in the sunshine.  While walking, I had the opportunity to witness to two men in their 70s whom I have seen several times.  They usually had three in their group, leaning up against a stone wall and sharing a flask.  That sentence makes it seem like an ugly picture, but the stone wall surrounds a beautiful green pasture with a herd of cattle and mountains in the background.  I inquired as to the health of their friend, and they said he drank too much this weekend.  I said, "Satan always lies.  He promises happiness and you never get it."  That led into a conversation where they good-naturedly complained to everyone walking by that I was trying to convert them.  Claude lifted up his cup and said, "This is the only spirits we believe in."  They also said repeatedly, "You'll never convert us."  We talked for half an hour and parted cordially with my promise to pray that the Lord would convert them.  When you read this, will you please take a minute to pray for Billy and Claude?

 

We appreciate your prayers for our witnessing.  God has given us many opportunities to share the Gospel.  Yesterday, Sunday, I had an unusual opportunity to preach the Gospel to a group of teens in our town center.  It was a group of a dozen or more boys.  They were hostile at first but warmed up as we went along.  They had several good questions.  One even said, "I'm not going to come to your church, but I like listening to you."  I hope he meant the content of what I was saying and not my accent.  It was obvious that the Lord was working in some of their hearts.  They talked for over half an hour.  They were foul-mouthed, blasphemous, wicked young people whom the Lord Jesus loves with all of His heart. "When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Mark 2:17). 

 

I trust these stories give you an idea of the spiritual needs of the people here.  Please continue to pray for open doors to share the Gospel.

 

Many of you went out of your way to pray for the Vogelpohl family, whom you didn't even know.  God has answered your prayers.  You'll rejoice with us to know of Angie's recovery.   Get ready to praise the Lord as you go to www.byrerfamily.com/vogelpohl.html for further updates or to read their story.  I know they'd appreciate your continued prayers.

 

Our family is doing well.  We have enjoyed having Katie's mom and sister stay with us at different times.  They came to assist with the new baby.  Nelson is doing just fine.  Katie would like a little more sleep occasionally, but she is enjoying her wee one.  Thanks for your prayers for Nelson's birth and adjustment to life.

 

We will begin distributing church literature this week.  We had 15,000 leaflets printed and are very pleased with how they turned out.  The Lord provided a printer who is just a five-minute walk from our house.  We printed a tri-fold brochure that is full color.  Please pray that people will not throw the leaflet away without reading the content.  Undoubtedly, many will be recycled.  But we are asking the Lord to encourage people to at least read it.

 

July 4, Independence Day, we will be starting our services at the Miner's Community Center in Loanhead.  I guess that is a good day to start an "independent" Baptist church.  That is not the reason we are starting on that date, but hopefully that will help you remember to pray for us on that day.  July 4 just happens to be the first Sunday in July.

 

Our ministry verse for this new phase of ministry is Nehemiah 2:20b, "The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build."  Nehemiah did what God wanted him to do, with the expectation that God would do it.  That is our confidence as well.

 

May the Lord prosper your ministry as you arise and build,

 

Ben for the Shore Clan

 

 

 

April 2010

 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

Thank you for your prayers as we went through our transition to the field.  We have been here for two weeks now, and life is becoming normal.  The rooms are pretty well arranged, and we are enjoying our new home.  Yesterday we even took a family fun day.  It included a trip to downtown Edinburgh by city bus. (We are only six miles from downtown, but it is easier to ride a bus than to find and pay for parking.) The fun part for the kids was the double-decker buses.  So, they enjoyed the ride to town as much as our tour of Edinburgh castle.  We also visited St. Guiles Cathedral, which is the church where John Knox pastored. 

 

Katie is doing fine.  She had her first appointment with a midwife this week.  It went very well.  We have another appointment next week. If you are questioning the wisdom of taking the bus downtown when she is so far along, the bus stopped at the hospital on the way back.  The hospital is half-way between our house and downtown.  We could also have quickly gotten a taxi.  (I'm glad we didn’t need to, but we could have.)

 

The Lord gave me two good witnessing opportunities yesterday.  The first was with a man from England who stood in line with me at Edinburgh castle.  As I said, "If I am wrong and I die, so what.  If someone rejects the truth of God and they are wrong, they die and go to hell."  He said, "I've been told that same thing before.  My mate once told me that as we were watching the Superbowl.  He's passed on now."  Interesting that he was impacted by a friend's witness while having the same discussion years ago.

 

The second opportunity may be our first real opportunity for a Bible study.  David is a 17-year-old father.  He took my information with gratitude and gave me his own.  He expressed a definite desire to get together and study the Bible.  Please pray that we will be able to work out a time to begin our studies and that the Lord will meet the needs in David's life.

 

I am beginning to investigate where to have church information printed. We anticipate beginning our Sunday morning meetings in July.  This will give us a couple of months to distribute information in the community.  I have had several good witnessing opportunities already and credit them to God's answers to your prayers.  Please pray that those opportunities will increase and that we will have someone with whom to start our church in Loanhead.

 

Please also pray that the Lord will keep us spiritually strong.  I read a sermon by C. T. Studd this past week called, Chocolate Soldier Heroism?  At the conclusion he gives this gentle challenge, "To your knees, man!  and to your Bible!  Decide at once!  Don't hedge!  Time flies! Cease your insults to God, quit consulting flesh and blood.  Stop your lame, lying, and cowardly excuses.  Enlist! Here are your papers and oath of allegiance.  Scratch out one side and sign the other in the presence of God and the recording angel.  Mark God's endorsement underneath:" He says God's promises are sure whether you accept or reject this charge.  He will either say, "Lo, I am with you always," or "I will spew thee out of my mouth." (If you desire to see another quote from C. T. Studd's message please go to our homepage (www.missionaryshore.com).

 

May God help us not to be chocolate soldiers.

 

 

 

March 24, 2010                          

 

Hi everyone,

 

This is my first update from our home here in Scotland.  It is lovely.    We have a beautiful view of the area where we will start a church.  We just met our neighbor and her granddaughter.  She said about our family being here.  "That is grand.  All of those children will brighten up the place."  (That was the idea and pretty much a quote.)  It is a pretty neighborhood.  I found out from her that the walking path behind the house goes straight to Loanhead.  So, with a bike, I can ride to "work."

 

If you haven't been on our webpage, you are possibly unaware of the all the excitement we had upon our arrival.  Without complaining, because God's grace was very evident, I will try to tell the story.

 

Our final flight which was the one into Edinuburgh was very exciting.  The kids were fatigued.  We had just rushed through London Heathrow where we cleared customs.  We cleared our third security checkpoint which the kids dreaded (4 kids with shoes to take off, 2 laptobs, 5 carry-ons, etc.)  We made it to our flight in time to hear them announce, "Final boarding call for flight _____ to Edinburgh."  We were the last ones to board our full flight.  Katie hadn't been feeling well and had to use one of the bags from the seatback in front of her to help alleviate her sickness. 

 

When we arrived we stopped by the "toilets" (very proper use of that word in the UK) and then went to pick up our bags.  Because of our delay, our baggage was circling the carousel by itself.  (To see a picture of our luggage, please see attachments.) 

I proceeded to quickly yank our luggage off the carousel checking to make sure each piece had the orange ribbon I had tied to them.  We counted our luggage to make sure that we had all 17 pieces.  (And we thought we did!)

 

At this points, our missionary friends arrived.  Special thanks to Mark and Joanne Landon, and Don and Chris Dillman for all of their help upon our arrival.  We also want to thank missionary Glen and Tammi Galbraith for their kindness in delivering our vehicle.  We loaded up all of the luggage and took it to the Landon's house which is close by the airport.  Next, Don and Chris took my family to wait at our home, while Mark, Joanne and I ran to the rental agency, signed the lease and picked up the keys.  (Meanwhile Katie is still struggling with sickness in Dillman's vehicle while all of the kids are sleeping.) After we got the keys, we enjoyed the meal the ladies had prepared and then the men went back to retrieve the luggage.

 

After the missionaries had departed we realized that we had picked up a bag (the only other one circling the carousel) which also had a orange ribbon tied to it.  However this bag was not ours and one of our bags was missing. Katie was resting as I searched the baggage tags and we heard Parker crying upstairs.  He had apparently tried to climb the bookshelf and had fallen.  As I ran in to pick him up, it was immediately obvious that he was going to need stitches to his upper lip.  So, then we had a question.  Do we wait for the missionaries to come and help us to take him to the ER or do I take him myself.  Typically that would be an easy decision.  However, I had not driven the van yet.  It is a manual transmission and I had only driven a manual for a month and a half five years ago.  They also drive on the opposite side of the road and have roundabouts some of which are several lanes across.

 

We decided that I had better take him.  So Katie said she didn't know who to pray more for, Parker or me.  I drove to the Royal Hospital (where our baby will be born) and found out that he had to go to the Royal Hospital for Sick Kids in downtown Edinburgh.  The lady said I could not miss it and gave me the road it is on.  (Thank you Galbraiths for the GPS.  It has been a life saver.)  I found out I could miss it, but was able to call the Landons who directed me to the right place.  The Lord provided an easy parking place just down from the entrance.  He also allowed a passer by to tell me where to enter.  After a wait of a couple of hours, it was determined that it would be best to bring him in the next morning to be put to sleep for the stitching.  We arrived the next morning at 7:30.  He went in to "theatre" (surgery) at 3:30.  I was able to take him home at 7:00.

 

The end of the story is that Katie is better.  The luggage was found and switched.  Parker has five stitches and is fine.  I have only stalled five times and haven't been in an accident yet.  We had quick cultural adaptation.   We have been able to do grocery shopping, get car insurance, buy other necessities and are feeling quite at home here.  (All because of God's abundant grace.)  There was never a point where we were distressed/anxious etc.  We know that was because of your prayers and His faithfulness. 

 

We still do not have complete internet access but hope to have it soon. Lord willing, we will have everything set up next week and be able to answer emails.

 

Thanks for your prayers.  God is good.  We have met both our neighbors.  We are excited about ministry opportunities that the Lord will provide. 

 

Ben Shore

 

March 16

Dear Praying Friends,

 

We are counting down the days until our departure.  We have enjoyed deputation but we are also looking forward to heading to the field of Scotland.  (Did you suspect that?)  Wednesday night we will have our last deputation meeting.  Sunday at 2:30 in the afternoon is our commissioning service.  Then, we depart from Minneapolis on Tuesday and arrive in Edinburgh on Wednesday morning.  Lord willing.  Nothing ever goes as planned, especially when there is a union strike planned with the airline on which you are supposed to be flying.  Yes, that is correct.  British Airways Cabin Crews are planning on not showing up to work between March 20 - 31st. So, what are we going to do?  Trust the Lord that our flight is part of the 50 - 70% that does not get cancelled according to BA's corporate expectations.  We'd appreciate your prayers about this.

 

On the more "happy thoughts" front, Katie had a great Doctor's appointment.  Katie said she found the Dr. and his staff to be very flexible.  The doctor said that Katie's pregnancy is doing very well. Her check up showed that she is in her 35th week which is consistent with her April 21st due date.  He anticipates that she will be fine to fly and recommends baby aspirin to guard against blood clots.  He said when he left the room, "You sure do live a whirlwind of a life!"

 

Thursday we will be watching as the movers load our shipment into their vans.  If you would like to see a picture of our shipment I've put it under the "Happening Now" tab on our webpage ( www.missionaryshore.com ). I've put a picture of our pulpit and offering box there as well.

 

We'd appreciate your prayers for our commissioning service.  Please pray that the Lord would bless that service with His presence and power.  We need His grace to sustain us through this transition and to prepare us for our future ministry.

 

You folks are the best prayer team there is! (I believe that.)  God can meet the spiritual needs of a dark country the same way He meets our physical needs in preparation to going to that country.  Please watch our webpage for the next update.  I may not be able to get another update out before heading to the field.

 

Thanks for getting us on to Scotland,

 

the Shore Clan

 

March 5,

Dear Praying Friends,

 

God has satisfied our need to be 100% supported to go to the field.  We praise the Lord for your faithful prayers about this need.  We also thank the Lord for those who were able to partner with us financially. 

 

This may sound funny but it was with mixed emotions that we hit the 100% mark.  It is exciting because our required budget is met.  However there are still churches that we had hoped would be able to take us on.  We want these partnerships because they solidify a relationship that will last for years.  We want to be a part of these ministries.  And, we don't want to lose relationships because a church is not supporting us financially.  So, if you are a part of a church that does not support us, please accept us as your "honorary" missionaries!  (It is also ok for us to go over the 100% mark.  In fact Baptist World encourages us to exceed our support goal because of the reality of losing support on the field.)

 

Because we hit the 100% mark, we are in the process of purchasing airline tickets and securing shipping arrangements.  Everything is coming together for our departure.  Thanks for your continued prayers and encouragement as we finalize our departure plans,

 

Ben Shore

 

PS.  Katie is doing very well.  Her Doctor's appointments are scheduled for March 16 and 22.

 

March 2010

 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

Do you enjoy the satisfaction of finishing a puzzle?  If so, you would enjoy nearing the end of deputation.  It is fun watching the Lord and His people bring deputation to a point of completion. Everything is fitting together very nicely.  The following pieces have been put in place.

 

Visas:  We received our visa approval and got all of our documentation back in less than two weeks.  God truly did what only He could do in answer to everyone's prayers.

 

Vehicle: A missionary in the Highlands of Scotland contacted us about our vehicle needs.  They were preparing to sell their van and purchase a 4-wheel-drive vehicle.  So we are purchasing their 2004 diesel minivan for a very good price.  Please begin immediately praying with us about our driving a manual vehicle on the British correct side of the road.  For some reason, this appears to be one of the bigger adjustments to life in Scotland.  We'd appreciate your prayers for the Shores’ safety and for the Shores to stay on the left side of the road.

 

Hymnals: While we were in the Greenville area, we purchased hymnals at Majesty Music.  As I went to purchase them, I found out that someone anonymously donated 13 regular hymnals and 1 spiral-bound for us.  Praise the Lord!

 

Home:  We have reserved the townhouse in Eskbank, Scotland.  This is the house that I toured when I took my trip in January.  The Lord kept it available for us.  So for a small deposit (which will go toward the full deposit), we have reserved it until March 24.

 

What pieces are remaining?

 

Support:  The support piece is getting very close to being in place.  It is 97.6% of the way there.  We want to welcome First Baptist Church in LaSalle, Illinois, Faith Baptist Church in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and Rock Lake Baptist in Lake Mills, Wisconsin to our support team.  We had one supporting church increase our support amount.  And we had an individual take us on for support. With their help we are $150 away from full support.  Praise the Lord!

 

Shipping:  I am collecting estimates and seeking to discern what size container we will need.  I also need to decide when to load and to ship our things.

 

Selling our truck:  We need wisdom about selling our vehicle.  We hope to sell it before leaving for the field, but we want to keep it until we are done with deputation.  Please pray that we will know the Lord's mind and move forward by faith as needed.

 

Doctor's note:  We need a doctor's note for Katie to fly late in her pregnancy.  The note can be no more than 72 hours old.  We have a doctor's appointment scheduled for a week before and for the day before we plan to fly. 

What is our timetable?  Our commissioning service is on March 21 at 2:30 in the afternoon.  We then hope to depart for the field on March 23. 

 

The Lord gave us great encouragement today, March 1.  We started today needing $450 of support and have ended the day needing $150.  Why is that significant?  We traveled to Wisconsin today to pack for shipping and to advertise our truck.  I have small faith and am very thankful for the Lord graciously encouraging us at a critical point in the decision making process.  I had asked the Lord for some verses of encouragement last night.  The following passage is what encouraged me. "For I am God and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure....yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it." (Isaiah 46:9-11)

 

Thanks for all of your support, encouragement, and prayers.  We are thrilled with the support team God has given to us!  May God bless you for your love and kindness to our family.

 

Ben Shore

 

 

February 16, 2010

 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

I wanted to let you know that our visas are approved.  They will be delivered by UPS in the near future.  Praise the Lord.  The Lord helped us to have the proper paperwork.  He also allowed our visas to be approved in a remarkably short amount of time.  Although at times in the last few months getting a visa seemed impossible, the Lord answered your prayers and provided the resources that we needed.  God is good.

 

The visas were one of the three big needs.  So, what remains? 

 

Well, we need Katie to continue to have a healthy pregnancy.  A healthy pregnancy will allow her OB doctor to write an approval allowing her to fly late in her pregnancy.  Please pray that there would be no reason that would discourage his approval.

 

We are now at 92% of our support.  We are getting close.  Some have asked the dollar amount that is lacking.  $500 a month is all that remains.  I purposely said "all" because it is not "too" much for the Lord to provide.  God is able.  If you want to track this, you can follow the percentage on our webpage. I am updating our page as soon as we hear of increases. www.missionaryshore.com

 

Thanks for all of the encouragement and prayers. 

 

Ben Shore

 

www.missionaryshore.com

missionaryshore@gmail.com

              715.781.3885         715.781.3885

February 10, 2010

 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

I want to get out an email update to let you know of our progress in getting to Scotland on March 23rd.

 

The Lord continues to encourage us in this plan.  We applied for our visas online on Friday.  Yesterday we had our biometric info (fingerprints and photos) taken in Charlotte, NC.  I then mailed our visa documents to the British Consulate General in Chicago and they are supposed to receive them by noon today (Wednesday).  I read online that once they are received, 75% of this type of application are answered within 4 weeks.  We are planning to leave in 6 weeks.

 

We had two churches and 1 individual take us on this past week.  With their support, I believe that we are at 91% of our support need. 

 

We have a lot going on right now in preparation for starting our church.  I was able to get a church website started.  If you would like to view the website - www.freebaptistchurch.org - please click on the address or paste the address into your internet browser.  I am also working on developing some banners for our church plant. One banner will welcome folks to our church and the other three will add to our church décor in the front of the auditorium. I am also preparing to print glossy cards (like a prayer card) with church and Bible study information on them.  I will be contacting some friends to help make a church podium and an offering box.  We will soon be looking for hymnals and chorus books to take with us.  Once there, I hope to purchase a portable sound system that could be used inside or outside.  If needed we will also seek to get a portable electronic piano. 

 

What remains for us to be able to leave for the field?

 

1.)  We must get our visas back on time.  Please pray that the Lord would speed this process.

2.)  We need 100% of our support.

3.)  We need Katie's Dr.'s appointments with her obstetrician to go well.  She has 2 doctors appointments scheduled.  One appointment is a week before we plan to leave.  The other is for the day before we plan to leave.  Her Doctor (who has not yet seen her with this baby) will need to sign a letter stating that she is able to fly.  Please pray for her health and the Doctor's consent.

 

What else is there to do?  ....Decide how to ship our things...sell our truck....buy a vehicle in Scotland....reserve a home to rent....write a will....etc.

 

We know that you are praying and appreciate your interest in what God is doing in our lives.  The Lord has encouraged our faith as He has answered our prayers.  I trust that your faith has been strengthened as well.  God is a great God and able to do all things.  We look forward to sharing with you how the Lord opens or closes the doors in the days ahead.  I am only sending this update by email.  Please share these prayer needs with your church as you have opportunity.

 

Thank you for your prayers for our family and our future ministry,

 

Ben Shore

 

February 2010

 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

God has greatly encouraged our hearts this past week (January 17-23) as I took a trip to the United Kingdom.  He opened many doors and reminded us that "Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it."  I believe His hand will be clearly seen as I share with you the blessings of this trip.  As I begin, I would like to express my gratitude to Mark and Joanne Landon who housed me in Edinburgh.  Mark was my guide and assistant as I took Tuesday and Friday to pursue answers to questions about our future move.  His help was invaluable.  I also want to thank our sponsor, Pastor Tom Gritts, and the kind people of Temple Baptist Church in Wolverhampton, England.  God has given us a sponsor who is very aware of the sponsorship laws.  I enjoyed fellowshipping with them in their ministry while finalizing the sponsorship process. 

 

Here is a summary of what was accomplished this week.  You can view pictures from the trip on our webpage—www.missionaryshore.com.  I put a photo essay of the trip under the tab, "Happening Now."  There you will see pictures with much more detail of what I will share below 

 

1.)  Mark and I were able to visit the hospital in Edinburgh where baby "Shore" would be born if we are on the field as planned.  It is a beautiful facility that has only been open for three years.

2.)  We were able to find the place where we will begin Free (Independent) Baptist Church.  It is in a perfect location.  It has a beautiful room; and it is affordable.  Add to that very agreeable management who are willing to work with us, and you can see God's abundant goodness.  They also have a keyboard that we can use.

3.)  We found a house for rent that would be a blessing to my family.  It is a townhouse situated three miles down the road from the community center in Loanhead in another village called Eskbank.  It is very nice and partially furnished.  It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms.  We would immediately have two locations to target as we seek to begin the church.

4.)  My sponsor and I were able to draw up a good work agreement.  Tom and Gail Gritts were a great encouragement and blessing to me.  I could not have hoped for a better sponsor.  Two months ago it seemed that it would be impossible to find any sponsor. 

5.)  I had some good opportunities to share the Gospel.  I would like to ask you to pray specifically for Michael.  He is a 19-year-old university student from Capetown, South Africa.  He is attending a university in St. Louis.  We sat together on the plane ride from London to Chicago on Saturday. He asked a lot of questions and came to a good understanding of the Gospel.  Please pray that He will contact me and that we can continue our conversation.  I told him I would ask you to pray for him and he thanked me.

 

I would like to welcome First Baptist Church in New Lisbon to our financial support team.  We also had two individuals take us on.  With their support, we are now at 87% of our support need.  If the Lord allows your church to support us, please let me know ASAP as we are making immediate plans based on our support level. 

 

So, what are our plans as we move forward toward Scotland?  We should have our sponsorship number within this week.  As soon as that is in hand, I will begin applying for our visas.  I am targeting March 21 for our commissioning service.  I have called the remaining churches on our calendar that are scheduled beyond March 21 and have asked them if they are able to move our meeting forward.  I am targeting March 22 or 23 for our departure to Scotland.  This will be the last week that Katie can fly since she will be entering her 36th week of pregnancy and will be considered full term.

 

We have chosen as our verse for Scotland, "Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul"  (Jeremiah 32:41).  I hope you can see as clearly as I did this past week, that God is directing our paths.  He is going to meet our every need as He takes us to the field of Scotland.  I sensed the praying army behind me as I watched God work on this trip.  Thank you for upholding our needs to the Lord,

 

Benjamin for the Shore Clan

 

 

January 2010

 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

I don't know about you, but I am about to get frostbite from all this global warming. I can only imagine how cold it will be when we get control of our climate change. Hello from sunny but frozen Wisconsin. We had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. We trust that you were also able to enjoy this time of celebrating the birth of Christ and bringing in a new year. We had a fun family time as we saw most of our extended family.

 

This will be a very interesting year for us. We found out at the ultrasound last month that Katie's due date is April 21. This is a month earlier than we had been told. This means that our window for departing for Scotland is narrower than we anticipated. Katie and the baby are doing very well. Thank you for your prayers.

 

It is still our desire and plan to be on the field in March. As we are making preparations to go to the field, our board requires that we have a budget review. The result of this review was a $600 increase in our support need. We had anticipated this increase and were not surprised by this change. However, it does decrease our current support percentage. We are not discouraged. We have a great financial support team that is steadily increasing. We have several churches that have let us know they plan on taking us on in the near future.

 

We want to welcome the following churches to our financial support team: Bible Baptist Church, Hampton, Georgia; Victory Baptist Church, Harlingen, Texas; Fellowship Baptist Church, Marshalltown, Iowa. Our adjusted support amount brings our current support level with these increases to 83.4%.

 

We have begun the paperwork process in preparation to go to Scotland. It appears the Lord has answered our prayers for a sponsor. We have a missionary in England who is willing and able to sponsor us into the country. As our sponsor, he will provide us with a certificate of sponsorship, which is needed to apply for our visas into the country. He believes we are on track to getting our paperwork accomplished in time to depart for the field in March. Obtaining a sponsor is a huge answer to prayer. (It looked impossible a couple of months ago.) Please continue to pray for us as we process paperwork.

 

I am often asked what percentage we need to be at to go to the field. Baptist World Mission has a good policy that we be at 100%. We are confident that the Lord can provide this. Please pray that we will see that goal hit soon so we can confidently apply for our visas and make final preparations to depart for the field.

 

Prayer is not a vain exercise. There are obstacles in our path that only God can remove. We need your intercession, and we thank the Lord for your willing spirit to carry our needs to the Lord.

 

May the Lord strengthen your prayer life and bless you for carrying our needs to Him,

Benjamin, Katie, Kay Lee, Benson, Logan, Parker, and ? (The ultrasound was inconclusive.) Shore

 

John 4:35 "Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest."

 

 

December 2009

 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4).  It may surprise you to hear me say that the Lord proved the truth of that verse to me this past week as I sat with a gun in the woods.  If you have gotten to know me a little bit, you likely know that I enjoy hunting and fishing. In fact, there are few things in life that I enjoy more than being in God's creation and harvesting its resources.  I didn't expect to be able to hunt this year, which is my last opportunity for a few years.  However, the Lord allowed me to purchase and fill my Michigan deer tag this past week.  If you'd like to see a picture of my deer, you can view it on our website (www.missionaryshore.com) under the "sportsman" tab.

 

We saw the Lord do neat things with our support level as well.  We are now at 84% of our support need!  We would like to welcome the following churches to our financial support team: Trinity Baptist Church in Thomasville, Georgia; Liberty Baptist Church in Antigo, Wisconsin; Trinity Baptist Church in Flushing, Michigan; Crooked Creek Baptist Church in Athens, Georgia; and Mt Olive Baptist Church in Chandlerville, Illinois. (If your church is not included on this list, it is possible that we have not yet heard the good news.)

 

Our family is doing well.  Katie is feeling pretty well with her pregnancy.  I even felt the baby move this past week!  We hope to get an ultrasound in the near future.  Logan is getting excited about his 4th birthday on December 5.  Those of you who receive my e-mail prayer letter know that we have stepped out of our trailer.  This appeared to be a difficult transition, but God has given us His all sufficient grace.  We have appreciated each family who housed us this past month.  The kids have adapted very well.

 

Thank you for specifically praying about our visa needs.  We are still prayerfully targeting December for our visa applications and March for our departure.  We met with our deputation committee at the Baptist World Mission annual meeting, and they encouraged us in pursuing this time table.  We recently looked into the possibility of a European Union recognized Italian charity sponsoring us into the United Kingdom.  We realized this past week that that was not a possibility.  I am seeking to contact a missionary in England asking him if he would consider sponsoring us into the UK.  Please pray that the Lord will give this man wisdom as He prays about meeting our need.

 

Is God able to meet our needs as we seek to go the field?  The following story will encourage you as to His resources.  After Sunday school a couple of weeks ago, I met a visiting father of a church member.  That evening his son-in-law indicated that this man would like to give us a one-time gift and inquired about our needs.  I shared with him that we had an outfit and passage fund which included things like plane tickets.  He asked how much they were and how many we needed.  After the service, the father-in-law gave me a check that will cover all of our tickets to Scotland.  Katie and I are humbled by how good God is and how tender His people are to meet our needs.  Please pray that the Lord will honor the truth of His Word and bless this man for his kindness.

 

Thank you for your prayers, support, and words of encouragement.  (If you would like to receive our prayer letter by email, please email me at missionaryshore@gmail.com.) 

 

Benjamin, Katie, Kay Lee, Benson, Logan, Parker, and (?) Shore

 

October 2009

 

Dear Praying Friends,

I am happy to say that I have some very encouraging things to share with you.  Spring will bring a special addition to our family.  No, we are not getting a dog.  We are having a baby!  We are thrilled at God's goodness!  We have never kept babies a secret.  We need your prayers for “Baby" Shore and for Katie as she goes through this pregnancy.  We, as parents, would appreciate your prayer for us as we seek to raise our children for the Lord.

 

Also, the Lord has encouraged us this month with multiple churches taking us on for support.  We would like to welcome the following churches to our support team:  Mount Olive Baptist in Chandlerville, Illinois, Orangeburg Baptist Tabernacle in Orangeburg, South Carolina, First Baptist in Goodells, Michigan, and Bethel Baptist in Georgetown, Illinois.  These churches represent a 6% increase in our support.  That brings our current support level to 79%.  Thank you for praying and rejoicing with us in God's provision for our support.

 

We have sizable obstacles between us and getting into Scotland that must be overcome by God's power.  We need your focused prayers.  Many of you interceded for us as we went through Logan's surgery and the bills that followed.  God graciously provided for every need.  We need your prayer burden to be as great for the following need.  To get into Scotland, we must have a charitable organization sponsor us into the country.  For us to apply for a visa, that organization must send us a government-issued certificate of sponsorship.  We will not compromise and therefore need a likeminded partner.  If we cannot find an existing organization and must form our own, it seems that it will take at least a year to find out whether or not the government will allow us to do that.  I cannot stress enough the need for God's intervention on our behalf.  It is still my desire to apply for our visas in December.  Please pray that the Lord will open a door that no man can shut.  He is able.

 

God has encouraged my heart this past week with Psalm 147:5, "Great is our Lord, and of great power; His understanding is infinite."    I'm thankful that God didn't put any exceptions on these truths, ie. "...except when it comes to governments and their visa laws."  Let me combine that with Psalm 146:5 "Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God."  We are happy to have One Who is helping us Who knows the answer to our visa question and Who has the power to secure our visas for us.  Our hope is in Him.  May the Lord grant you His grace to pray in faith and to have a part in the answer when it comes.

I met with a missionary this past week who had spent 14 years in Scotland.  He stressed the need for a faithful band of prayer warriors backing us as we go into a land of Satanic stronghold.  I am convinced that we do have such a faithful group.  Thank you for taking our family to the throne of God.   

 

Benjamin, Katie, Kay Lee, Benson, Logan, Parker, and Baby Shore

Note:  After writing the following prayer letter three and a half weeks ago, my computer took an emergency trip to Toshiba.  It was not virus related so there is no need for you to fear an infection from this e-mail.  It was yet another instance of God's mercy on deputation but a story to tell at another time. 

Dear Praying Friends,

Aren't you glad the mercies of the Lord are new every morning? I was recently encouraged by that thought in my devotions. We may have gone through a lot of God's mercy yesterday (I know I did), and yet we have an abundant supply for today. "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).

The following are some short stories of God's mercy to us on deputation:

Mercy for Housing: We began deputation immediately after finishing my duties as assistant pastor in Michigan. We thought we were going to start our travels with only the financial support from a few family and friends. However, our church in Michigan generously voted to support us full salary and benefits for two months after our departure. Additionally, our house in Michigan sold and closed on the pay day following our last church pay check. We benefitted from that sale by about $3,000. Because of the Lord's help and guidance, we had split our property to sell our side yard as a separate lot. It sold about a month later and paid off our first truck and brand new travel trailer. We love our home on wheels.

Mercy for Calling: Six months into deputation, I felt like I couldn't call another pastor to seek a meeting because my attitude wasn't right. The Lord graciously changed my heart as I shared my need with Him. The next day I actually enjoyed calling. I have been much encouraged in my calling since then.

Mercy for Trusting: For our second survey trip, we were uncertain as to how the finances were going to work out. Money that could have been used to pay for the trip was put to another important use a few months before our departure. A week before we were to leave, we were still uncertain as to where the money was going to come from. I'm not sure how the Lord did it. It wasn't any one significant thing. However, we were able to go on the trip with the ability to get anything we needed and had resources left over. The Lord encouraged us in our faith.

Mercy for Finances: A year and a half into deputation, the Lord graciously gave us our fourth child. While excited about Parker's arrival into our family, we didn't know how we were going to pay for his birth. The Lord showed us a Wisconsin state plan for which we were qualified that took care of everything.

I could share many other instances of God's mercy on deputation. We have not had a need on deputation that He has not met. No wonder Lamentations goes on to say, "The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him” (Lamentations 2:24-25).

As to current events of God's mercy, the Lord provided about 15 meetings last month (April). That is a record month for scheduling, which has freed me to follow the Lord's leading in pursuing my ordination. I will go before an ordination council at 10:00 AM central time on June 13 at my home church and our sending church. I would appreciate your prayers for special wisdom that day. The ordination service is planned for 2:30 PM on June 14, Lord willing.

We also want to welcome Bethel Baptist in Schaumburg, Illinois, Calvary Baptist in Superior, Wisconsin and Murrayville Baptist in Murrayville, Georgia, to our financial support team. They have knocked us over the 70% support mark. Praise the Lord!

I know the stories I shared are due to God's mercy as well to the prayer warriors behind us. We do not view your ministry as a light thing. I often pray for those who are behind us in prayer that God will enable them in their prayers and bless their prayer life. We need your intercession and thank the Lord for you.

Please continue to pray for our ministry and our family.

May the Lord encourage you in His mercy today.

Ben, for the Shore Clan

April 2009

February 2009

  
Dear Praying Friends,
 
Let me begin by sharing what the Lord recently did for us.  He helped us schedule eight meetings in the past 24 hours.  Two of those meetings are for the next two Sundays.  I'm sure you can appreciate our joy at having ministry opportunities instead of open dates.  Thank you for your prayers for meetings.  We have a good schedule for the immediate future.
 
You'll rejoice with us that we have received a 6% support increase this month, putting us at 67%!  We want to welcome three new churches to our financial support team.  They are: 1.) Calvary Baptist, Sauk City, Wisconsin; 2.) Fellowship Baptist, Taylors, South Carolina; and 3.) Tabernacle Baptist, Greenville, South Carolina.  This brings our current support team to 32 churches and 10 individuals. 
 
You may wonder what is needed to get us to 100% of our support.  We need about 20 more churches at $100 a month.  That seems like a lot.  However, if each month we had two churches vote to support us for that amount, we would be able to go to the field at the end of this year. It is not impossible, and if it was we serve the God of the impossible!  Thank you for your prayers for our financial support need.
 
We have enjoyed meeting you on our deputation travels.  We realize the longer we travel that some congregations may not remember us or may have people who have never met us.  If your church would like to have us in for a follow-up meeting to get reacquainted with our ministry, we would be happy to accommodate that opportunity.  Please let us know.
 
Katie and I have enjoyed hearing from many of you as we travel.  We thought we would have some fun and encourage that interaction this month.  As you know, we now have a website.  It is www.missionaryshore.com. If you would like to participate in our "Keeping up with the Shore's motivational drawing," please contact us through our website.  You don't have to write anything.  Simply put in your name and e-mail address and send away.  We will randomly select a winner who will receive a book by Iain Murray entitled, "A Scottish Christian Heritage."  This book has numerous quotes of great Scots and is a devotional blessing to the reader. 
 

Ben Shore said, "It is the best book I've ever read in preparation for ministry in Scotland."
 

We hope that our webpage will be a blessing to you and will encourage your burden for the Scottish people and our family.  I'll conclude with a quote of C. T. Studd's, which is found on our home page: "Nail the colours to the mast! That is the right thing to do, and, therefore, that is what we must do, and do it now. What colours? The colours of Christ, the work He has given us to do — the evangelization of all the unevangelized. Christ wants not nibblers of the possible, but grabbers of the impossible, by faith in the omnipotence, fidelity, and wisdom of the Almighty Saviour Who gave the command. Is there a wall in our path? By our God we will leap over it! Are there lions and scorpions in our way? We will trample them under our feet! Does a mountain bar our progress? Saying, 'Be thou cast into the sea,' we will march on. Soldiers of Jesus! Never surrender! Nail the colours to the mast!"
 
May God help us to "nail the colours to the mast."
 
Benjamin, Katie, Kay Lee, Benson, Logan, and Parker Shore

January 2009
Dear Praying Friends,

We recently joked about how cold it was as we visited with my family in Northern Wisconsin. Our joke was, "How cold is it? It's sooooo cold we had to put a heater in the freezer." It was more true than funny. It was 59 degrees below freezing at one point (-27), which made temperatures in the teens feel like a heat wave. We had three days in which we never went into positive temperatures. The Lord blessed us with good meetings despite the cold weather and frozen precipitation.

We welcome Great Hope Baptist Church in Virginia to our financial support team. With their help we are now at 61% of our support. Praise the Lord! Will you pray with us that this year will complete our deputation ministry? I've heard, "If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it." This will give us a target at which to aim our prayers.

I recently received the following encouraging e-mail from a pastor in Wisconsin. "I wanted to write you following your time at our church’s missions conference, but some things just didn’t get done. When you were here, you invited the manager of the Dollar General store just down the street from the church. She and her children have been coming somewhat regularly. This morning, her son James (13 years old) trusted in the Lord for salvation at our men’s prayer breakfast! Praise the Lord! I thought you would like to know." You can imagine what a great encouragement it was to hear of the unforeseen impact of a simple invitation given to this lady. A boy, who would have faced God's eternal wrath, now has the eternal hope of Heaven.

Katie had a neat contact this month as well. She posted the following on our web page under her tab, "Katie and Kid's Corner." On this page she is keeping a journal, which she updates regularly as we travel. This entry says, "I decided to do a little 'web-surfing' the other evening in order to learn a little more about Scotland. I came across a lady's personal website who lives in Fife, Scotland. I decided to jot her a note and told her about our plans. I was very curious about her response. I thought I would share it with you: 'Hi Katie, Thank you for your email and I'm glad you're enjoying my website. I am a fellow believer and know that you have a big challenge ahead spiritually with your new ministry. Scotland is a hard country spiritually, and we do need an awakening from the Lord. I know all the people you mention and I love reading Robert Murrey McCheyne's stuff. What a great man of God he was. May I wish you a Blessed New Year and trust the Lord will bless your ministry. In Christ, May.'" We were very surprised and pleased to read her response. It is unusual in Scotland to find people who evidence a true relationship with the Lord and have a burden to see the Lord work in their country.

Our schedule has been developing very nicely. I have a meeting praise list on our web page where I am recording the meetings as the Lord provides them. You can find it under the "Calendar" tab. I greatly appreciate your prayers for meetings and thank the Lord for the meetings He has provided.

I trust that you will sow in hope of a harvest this month. It may be this Sunday that a visitor attends your church because of your invitation. May the Lord help us to be mindful of these opportunities.

Benjamin, Katie, Kay Lee, Benson, Logan, and Parker Shore

December  2008

Dear Praying Friends,

Katie and I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  You have been a great encouragement to us as we have gotten to know you on our deputation travels.  We couldn't have come this far on deputation without your kind giving and words of support, not to mention your petitions to the Lord on our behalf.  We will soon be concluding our third year of deputation!  Can you believe it?  I can believe it, because we have just celebrated Logan's third birthday.  He was ten days old when we began.  Deputation has been a great experience for me personally, as well as for our family. 

Our newest supporting church is Marquette Manor Baptist Church, pushing us to 59%.  It is exciting to realize that 15 churches of like support would push us over the top.  Keep praying!  We'll soon be in Scotland thinking, "We are actually here" and probably "what now?"

We have a new resource that we want to tell you about.  As of this week, we have entered the realm of web existence.  Our website is www.missionaryshore.com.  This resource will give us more room to share what the Lord is doing in our lives and ministry.  It has our current calendar, prayer requests, pictures, and more.  You can find an update on Adalin, Katie's cousin's little girl who has cancer, under the "Pray and Praise" tab.  (Please let me know if your church is considering starting a website.  I used a program that is very easy to use and the site is free.  I'd be happy to send you their information.)

Thank you for praying for our need of additional deputation meetings.  Lately I have had several pastors contact me to schedule a meeting!  We still have gaps in our schedule beginning in February, but things are beginning to fill in.

You will find the following quote on our website, but I want to include it here.

"Oh! Christians of England, can you as subjects of divine love, as possessing the blessed Gospel of the Son of God, and as holding His last commission from the Mount of Olives to publish it to the ends of the earth, - can you gaze on these fields of human blood, these regions of unutterable woe, without emotion?  Ah! brethren, could you behold the scenes your missionaries witness, you would wake up with a power of pity which would impel you to deeds of compassion, compared with which your past exertions would appear as nothing."   - Robert Moffat, 1842

May God stir our hearts to greater evangelism as we enter the new year. 

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers.

                    Benjamin, Katie, Kay Lee, Benson, Logan, and Parker Shore