Mark's Baptist HSOs

ABBA en espanol

2008-04-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

Argentina

2008-02-13T20:43:00.001-08:00

Dear Family and Friends, February 13, 2008

The beginning of 2008 has been a busy year for us. We started off the year with a much needed vacation to New York City, including Times Square for New Years Eve. This was the first vacation we have been on since February 2005! We had a lovely time seeing the sights, watching a couple Broadway shows, enjoying foldable pizza and standing for hours waiting for the ball to drop.
Mark continues to enjoy serving at North Richland Hills Baptist Church. The first weekend of February, Mark was responsible for hosting the DNA of Relationships for Couples conference from the National Institute of Marriage for the couples in his ministry. The conference was a success, we sold 334 tickets, and the highlight was the content, encouraging personal responsibility as well as advocating caring for yourself, your mate and your marriage.
Janet has enjoyed working at her new job, Kids at Home, which distributes baby clothes, furniture, and accessories. She is a saleswoman and her territory includes Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston. This job allows Janet to work from home, which both Mark and Janet appreciate.
North Richland Hills Baptist Church has entered into an exciting new phase for our mission ministry. We are working with the International Mission Board in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The church has “adopted” two barrios, or neighborhoods, and is responsible for evangelism and church planting. Currently, there are not any evangelical churches in the two barrios, Villa Ortuzar and Chacarita, and it is our desire to change that by starting new churches.
Just recently, an opportunity has arisen for Janet to be able to go to Buenos Aires on a mission trip with the church. The trip is from February 22 to March 1, with the goal of using a Bible raffle to generate names, and then following up throughout the week for evangelism. The cost of the trip is $1,000. Mark will be going as well, but the church pays for him. Janet and Mark need your help to raise sufficient funds for Janet to go. For contribution credit on your taxes, please make the check out to NRHBC. You can send your contribution to Mark and Janet or to North Richland Hills Baptist Church at 4001 Vance Rd. North Richland Hills, TX 76180. If the Lord leads, please help financially. However, if you are not able to, please join with us in prayer.
Thank you,

Mark and Janet Spence

New Years Eve

2008-01-15T08:12:00.000-08:00

Janet and I were lucky enough to visit New York city around New Years. We went to the Brooklyn Tabernacle and experienced the Holy Spirit in a refreshing service. Broadway took a chunk of our money as we went to see Hairspray, Jersey Boys and Wicked. (the Wizard of Oz told from the Witch's perspective) The highlight was being in Time Square on New Years Eve to see "the ball drop." It was a long and cold wait, but an exciting life experience.

ABBA Updates

2007-12-08T19:19:00.000-08:00

DECEMBER 1

We arrived safe and sound yesterday morning in Buenos Aires. After meeting up with our local missionary, Randy Whittall, we set out for our hotel. The hotel is more like an apartment building with furnished rooms. Each of us have a room with a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. In foreign countries the standards are a bit different, but it is nice, clean, and the water is hot for showers.

Yesterday afternoon we had a time for rest and in the late afternoon/evening we had a time of orientation by another local missionary couple, Jason and Kelli Frealy. We discussed all aspects of life and missions in BA. After the orientation, we ate dinner at a nice restaurant - Argentines typically don't eat dinner until very late
(think 8 PM and later). We ordered our food at about 8:30, and didn't eat until after 9:30. Even though we had 3 missionaries with us, the communication still broke down. Rather than 1 large pizza for 3 people, we somehow ordered 3 large pizzas for 3 (small) people. It was a bit of a mess.

Today, we are going to one of our barrios, Chacarita, to prayerwalk. Prayerwalking is "walking with insight, while on sight." Tomorrow, we will be prayerwalking another of our barrios, Villa Ortuzar, in the AM and then hosting a program in the PM in a park to generate names for follow up evangelism.

This trip is to put to the test our methodology.

Pray for us as we go today, that we will gain further insight into our barrios. Pray that on Monday and Tuesday, as we do our follow-up there will be a family representative at home and willing to hear the gospel message. Pray that we will be discerning about our methodology and able to learn how to best reach and disciple the people of Villa Ortuzar and Chacarita.

Pray that God will do "immeasurably more."

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21D

DECEMBER 4

The last couple days have been a blessing. On Sunday night, our team held an outreach at a park in one of our barrios, Villa Ortuzar. Jim McKay and Gary Strother played excellent music which garnered a lot of interest for a Family Bible raffle. Over 40 families registered for the family Bible. We were very excited about the interest and it encouraged our Buenos Aires Missionaries a great deal as well.

Yesterday, we broke into our teams and followed up with those families that registered for a Bible. One of my biggest prayer requests for the week was that Janet would have the opportunity to share her faith and lead someone to Christ. That request was filled yesterday afternoon.

Also yesterday, Charlie Nelson's team met a woman who is a believer who would be willing to host a Bible Study/Church in her home. This was also an incredible answer to prayer.

About half the people were not home yesterday, so we called and set up appointments to meet today. In a couple hours we are headed back to Villa Ortuzar to make the appointments and share the love of Christ.

Buenos Aires is full of people with closed homes but open hearts to the gospel. Pray that today their homes will be open so that the gospel may be shared and received.

ABBA trip

2007-11-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

November 29 to December 6, 2007

Goals:

1. Impart a passion for BA and our barrios among our people

2. Ensure that the method for evangelism and church planting is effective

3. Further exposure and logistical preparation for subsequent trips

Schedule:

Thursday Nov. 29 – Meet at DFW airport at 4:30 PM, depart at 7:35 PM

Friday Nov. 30 – Arrive in Buenos Aires at 8:05 AM, rest, acclimate, meet up with BA missionaries

Saturday Dec. 1 – Prayerwalk Chacarita

Sunday Dec. 2 – AM Prayerwalk Villa Ortuzar, PM program in the park

Monday Dec. 3 – Follow up in AM with those interested in Bible, PM disciple new believers, evening gathering of new believers

Tuesday Dec. 4 - Continue to follow up in AM with those interested in Bible, PM disciple new believers, evening gathering of new believers

Wed. Dec. 5 – Sightsee La Boca, check out of hotel, depart BA at 10:25 PM

Thursday Dec 6 – arrive in DFW at 6:15 AM.

Oh the Places You'll Go 4

2007-11-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Oh The Places You'll Go 3

2007-10-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

9th Ward 5 months after Katrina.

When not to mistake Hooters for Outback

2007-10-25T21:08:00.001-07:00

I was really looking forward to lunch today. I had made an appointment with a great Seminarian to interview for the Evangelism Intern position. This great young family man has a sweet wife and three kiddos and has recently started seminary after moving to DFW from Eastern Tennessee. With the appointment set for a lunch interview, I started to research what nice quiet restaurants are close to the seminary. Outback is only about 5 miles from the Seminary on Bryant-Irving and I-20. Perfect!

I picked up the kind seminarian and we began to discuss the exciting times of being a seminary student. He was giving first-hand accounts, while I was misty-eyed in my reminiscing.

From the seminary we turned on I-20 headed west. We continued in our excellent dialogue and as we began to discuss the wonders of learning Greek I saw the marquee with orange letters on a white background.

I turned into the parking lot, engrossed in our discussion. We exited the truck and walked towards the entrance, still talking about the evils of the imperfect tense. It wasn't until I opened the door to the restaurant for my new friend that I started to notice things were not right...

Since when did the waitresses at Outback wear short orange shorts? Since when did they have the name of the restaurant emblazoned across their chests? That's when I woke up and realized - we are not at Outback.

I turned to the man I was interviewing for a position at our beloved church and said, "I don't think we should be in here." He smiled and said, "I was wondering if you were testing me."

Thankfully, we found our restaurant and proceeded with the interview. At least he will have a great sermon illustration in about 10 years.

Oh the Places You'll Go 2

2007-10-02T04:16:00.000-07:00

This is El Djem in Tunisia - one of the largest Roman Amphitheaters that is located in Tunisia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Djem

Oh The Places You'll Go

2007-09-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Hopefully, this will be a fun filler for my blog. Occasionally, I will post pictures from the places I have visited. Above is a picture from Ghorban, Afghanistan.