Latest earthquake news from Jason Holt

Jason’s blog

Last night a massive 8.8 earthquake hit Chile. Although we are several hours from the epicenter, we still felt 8.0 level shaking for nearly 2 minutes. Three large buildings and several bridges near are church have collapsed. Many are injured and more than 120 have died so far.

Thankfully no one in our family was hurt! As far as we know, no one in our church was injured either.

Be praying that God will use this tragedy to bring many people to Him. As we drove to the church just a couple of hours ago, we passed dozens of people who were standing in the streets in a state of confusion and shock. Others have pitched tents in the parks because of structural damage to their homes. This afternoon we’re having a special prayer service at the church, and tomorrow we’re having 2 morning services and one afternoon service. Pray will us that many people will come to know the Lord through this difficult time.

We are still without electricity and internet in our home. Phone connections and cellphone coverage has been spotty throughout the morning. We’ll give you more updates during the next few days.

Contact Info

Email – Jason’s holt@biblicalmissions.com; Lori’s lori@biblicalmissions.com

International Telephone – 770-456-5614

Prayer Letter

Dear praying friends and family,

God has been working in this past week in the greatest ways. Last Saturday I was able to go out on community impact. We were able to cover a couple of neighborhoods. In the evening I was able to meet with James and taught him some about how to run the computers. He is excited about being able to work in the church.

On Sunday I was able to preach a lesson on sinning with our tongues to the children at Trinity Hill. Working with Robert Canfield is a blessing. I have a lot to learn in the children’s ministry but he is going to allow me to work with him both at Trinity Hill and here at Vision Baptist Church.

Tuesday night I was working on a drywall job and was able to preach a little bit of the gospel to the home owner. I loved it I was able to tell her that Jesus was the answer for the world and its sin problem. Pray that God works in her life and I get the opportunity to witness again this week.

Last night again I was able to witness to Anthony my manager at Papa John’s. He promised me this time that if I get him a Bible he will read at least a couple chapters.

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for Anthony that he will read the Bible I give him.

Please pray for the people I have been witnessing to.

Please pray that God will bless in my finances

Please pray for James as he learns to run the computers.

Praises:

I will be able to work in both children’s ministries

For the opportunities God gives me to witness.

In Christ,

Micah Rastelli

God Satisfies and Fills

Psalm 107:8-9 “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!  For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.”

Here we see that God satisfies and fills. God will satisfy those that will cry out to him in their distresses for help and mercy. We serve a merciful and good God.

In the verses prior to this passage the story is told of the people of God wandering in the wilderness after being delivered from their enemies. They were in this place because they had sinned against God so they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years searching for a place to live. When they come to the end of themselves in verse 5 they are hungry and thirsty and they faint.

When this point comes in their life they cry out to God for help in their time of need. The most awesome thing here is that God hears them when they cry out and delivers them from their distresses .

God deserves to be praised for His mighty works. That He is merciful to those that cry out to Him. Oh that we would praise the Lord for His deliverance.

But more than that in verse 9 we see that God doesn’t just leave them where they were. He doesn’t just deliver them. God satisfies their longing soul. God fills the hungry soul with goodness. Oh how good of a God we serve.

When we are wandering and come to the end of our rope and are longing for him and deliverance. He reaches down and saves us and then he doesn’t just save us from the distresses he also fills us with goodness and satisfies our longing soul.

We serve a good and merciful God! Let us praise and thank Him for who He is!!!

Prayer Letter

Dear Praying Friends,

The month of Febrary has been a great month. It is such a privilege to be able to serve God here at Vision Baptist Curhch. God has been at work in the church. We have seen a couple of new families join!. God is growing Vision Baptist Church.

The preaching here at Vision has been incredible these past few weeks. Pastor Gardner really studies and allows God to teach him so much from the Word of God. Then He shares it with us. I am thankful that God has given me a pastor that preaches the Word of God. He has used these messages to change my life!

In the past couple of weeks we have handed out over a thousand fliers as a church! God has brought us visitors each week this month. God really is at work her in Alpharetta. I am looking forward to what He will do in the next weeks, months, and years.

Yesterday snow fell here in Georgia. We got 4-5 inches of snow that accumulattted on the grass here. I like snow and have missed it some in the past few years I have been here in in Georgia.

This has been a wild week as far as my truck goes. Monday night my tire blew out while I was on my way home from class. When I changed the tire I found out that my spare was the wrong size. Thankfully I was able to make it home safely. God used Scott Newton to help me fix the truck the next day. I am so thankful to God that He has allowed me to have such great friends. I am undeserving of all of the blessings that God has brought into my life.

Last night as I was working I lost control of my truck on some ice and ran into a telephone pole iwth the side of my truck and then continued to plow through someones yard. Losing control is such a scary feeling. Anyway, God blessed even in this. I wasn't hurt and was able to drive my truck away without to much damage. I serve such a great God who is always merciful to me!

Vision Baptist Construction:
The building project has been moving forward slowly. I wish things would go faster and that I could devote all of my time and energy in getting the church ready. God has worked in spite of all of this. This week I did more taping and finishing to the Drywall that was already put up.

Last week God decided to provide us with some dividers that offices you. Since we do not have walls in much of the building we are using these now as classroom dividers. Praise the Lord that many men came out and helped us get the dividers and then on Tuesday a group of men put up the dividers seperating class rooom and a secretary area from the rest of the church.

It has been great to see how God works in bringing the church together to work. God has used the recent move and the building at the new building to bring us as a church closer togoether. This has been a great blessing. I am thankful that God is in control and He knows what He is doing!

Our Generation Training Center:
It is always great to see how God works in my life through the classes at the Training Center each week and month. I am so Thankful that God has allowed me to come here to Georgia and be a part of this Training Center. It is great to see God work each and every day! I have learned much this semester about the end times and Spiritual disciplines.

Praises:
- God blessed me with a new job
- I was not hurt in my accident
- The growth we have seen at Vision Baptist Church

Prayer Requests:
- That I will apply what I am learning.
- That I will be able to fix my truck.

In Christ,
Micah Rastelli

Second Prayer Letter

Dear Praying Friends, 


This past week many things have happened. Last Saturday class with Mark Tolson on Deputation and then with Kelli Canfield on English. The English class has been a blessing and I am sure that I will learn a lot this semester though it is not my favorite subject. I need to learn how to speak and write if I am to be in the ministry. 


After class we had visitation for about 2 hours as a church and past out more than one thousand fliers. It was a great time though it was raining and just a little cold. 


All week Long God has been at work in my life and I am so grateful for that. In each class that I have I learn so much from each of my teachers. Cults on Monday and learning how to preach the gospel to different Cults around the world has been very helpful. This week we learned about sects. 


Old Testament Survey has been a helpful class as well. I have learned much from Trent about the Old Testament. I love hearing stories of how God worked in the past. Sometimes it is easy to get lost in the Old Testament but to see the big picture of books and God's hand through out is very helpful.


Class on Thursday is always good. This week in our Disciplines class Tyler Masters missionary to North Africa taught us. Our regular teacher, Kevin Hall, is in South Africa with the church that he started there for the next two weeks. 


Thursday night after class we had our first Goers and Senders Coalition meeting at Vision Baptist Church. It was an awesome service. We had much singing and preaching. We heard from about 11 preachers and got to see their heart for world evangelism. I love being able to train in a church that has such a heart for missions. 


Then Friday class with Austin Gardner was good as always. I am very thankful for a pastor that will take time to teach me and train me to be the missionary God wants me to be. He helped us with our preaching and how to preach properly yesterday. We also learned more about the will of God and then heard from a missionary to Indonesia. I love Friday class and being able to hear from missionaries and have pastor guide conversations with them so that we can learn. 


Prayer Requests:
That I will learn all that I can from this semester. 
That I will be able to raise the money to go to Peru this summer if God permits.


In Christ,
Micah Rastelli

Glorify God among the Gentiles for His Mercy!

Romans 15:8-9 "Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name."

I just want to pull one point from this passage that caused me to think. In verse eight we see Christ was a minister of circumcision. In the end of verse eight and beginning of verse nine two reasons are given for this. The second one is the one that struck me. "And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy".

Here in this second verse we see that Christ came to minister and from the beginning of it He had a heart for the world. (Gentiles are everyone that is not a Jew). Christ came that men might give God the glory He deserves for His abundant mercy.

God is merciful for so many reasons. That He died for us on the cross of calvary bearing our shame. That He doesn't destroy us when we are His enemies and doing everything that we can against Him. That He is forbearing with our sin and doesn't punish us now for it like we deserve.

God is merciful and He deserves that the world would glorify Him for His mercy!

In the end of this verse we are given two things that the mercy of God should drive us to do.

First, it should drive us to, "I will confess to thee among the Gentiles". God's mercy should cause us to praise God and confess to Him among the Gentiles. We ought not be closet Christians. We should be open with all of those that are around us about how merciful our God is. Do those that we work with and spend time with know that we are a Christian and about the greatness of our God.

Second, it should cause us to sing to our God. If we realize just how great our God's mercy is towards us it will cause us to sing. This ought to be in front of people and not just in private.

How much do we praise and confess to God His great mercy before the Gentiles?
Do those that are around us know of the mercy of God or are we silent?

Spiritual Disciplines

"Evangelist Robert L. Sumner, in his book The Wonder of the Word of God, tells of a man in Kansas City who was severely injured in an explosion. His face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He had just become a Christian when the accident happened, and one of his greatest disappointments was that he could no longer read the Bible. Then he heard about a lady in England who read braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in braille. But he discovered that the nerve endings in his lips had been too badly damaged to distinguish the characters. One day, as he brought one of the braille pages to his lips, his tongue happened to touch a few of the raised characters and he could feel them. Like a flash he thought, 'I can read the Bible using my tongue.' At the time Robert Sumner wrote his book, the man had read through the entire Bible four times. If he can do that, can you discipline yourself to read the Bible?" - Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney