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Hi, Pastor Rodney … I was speaking with Pastors Eric & Jennifer today at the G.A.T. – Sanford pastor’s breakfast. Jennifer suggested I email you my testimony. My wife, Jean & I were hit by the Holy Spirit in Lakeland in ’93 and we have never been the same. We were in the second service you held at the Carpenter’s Home Church and have been mega-blessed in hundreds of your services since. We were with you at The River of Tampa Bay every Sunday (starting the second Sunday) for the first six months in the Sun Dome. The Lord opened a door for me to serve as an associate pastor at an inner-city Assembly of God on Martin Luther King Blvd. there in Tampa (“Freedom Ministries Assemblies of God”). I came (with Jean and our daughter, Connie) to ask your counsel about it after church one Sunday in the Sun Dome. We loved worshipping at The River so much, I was honestly hoping you, as our pastor, would say something like, “You’re not ready” or “You should stick around The River for another season”. Instead, the Lord had you lay hands on us and say, “Go … Go … that’s what the River’s all about … run with the fire”. After we got up off the floor, we knew we were to go. The next 3 years of our lives were filled with many blessing and many, many challenges. Freedom Ministries, where we were serving, had 24 homeless (and very needy) men living upstairs. I was working as director of corporate support at WEDU-TV during the day and serving at Freedom Ministries during the evenings and on weekends. Every chance we could, we came and jumped in The River. Countless times we were blessed, refreshed and recharged in your services. Many, many times God used you to speak a word to us that brought ‘just what we needed’ at that specific time to ‘get us over the next hill’. Without some of those rhema words, Jean and I know that we know we would not still be in the ministry today! In 1999, with our senior pastor’s full blessing and a wonderful send-off service (I left my six-figure job at WEDU-TV) and we planted Higher Ground Ministries as a non-traditional, outreach-focused church in DeLand, FL. Countless times over these past 8+ years, we have come back to The River during Camp Meetings, Minister’s Meetings, Holy Spirit weekends and just any time we can. Each and every time we do we feel as if we are “coming home” or reconnecting with the mother ship. The Holy Spirit continues to refresh and bless us so through your ministry. We take turns hooking up to our Revival IPOD and can’t begin to tell you how instrumental you and Pastor Adoncia have been in our lives. I have found DeLand to be a hard and religious area and our local church has struggled. Yet, by God’s favor, we continue to press on in full time ministry and recently planted another church in Cocoa as well. In spite of the challenges in the local church, the Lord continues to smile on each and every outreach we hold. Last year we spearheaded 68 outreaches in 16 cities and witnessed 534 first time salvations and 112 rededication … all glory to God! We have held hundreds of meetings in 9 prisons in Florida (led two men on Death Row to the Lord, recently headed up our second mission to Honduras where we held 10 meetings in 5 days and saw more than 230 born again. By God’s grace we have held outreaches in nursing homes, children’s homes, teen pregnancy centers; half-way houses, homeless shelters, etc. … even a few churches 🙂 In spite of the ‘light and momentary trials’ we have seen well over 2,000 souls saved … because God used one fiery missionary from South Africa to say, “Fill!” and “Never the same!” Most recently we were able to be a part of the G.A.T. – Cocoa. Our schedule allowed us to be there for 2 nights and 1 day. We had the joy of going out on the streets in Cocoa with your drummer, Austin (great guy). We witnessed probably close to 100 decisions that day just in our little group. One of our guys in the Cocoa church came to me the week before the G.A.T. and said, “I’ve been walking with Jesus for 15 years and have never actually prayed with anyone as they received the Lord.” The next week, he and his son hit the streets of Cocoa with one of your teams and in just a few hours those two guys led 20 people in the prayer of salvation! Through the Great Awakening Tour – Cocoa, a fire has been lit in our hearts to take the gospel to the streets with one-on-one street evangelism … and our folks are catching ablaze! We can’t begin to tell you how excited we are about G.A.T. – Sanford! We are making some noise around here and will continue to. I know the Lord has great things in store and we are absolutely thrilled to be a part of it! Words fail to convey the gratitude Jean and I have for the price you and Pastor Adonica have paid for revival. Thank you just doesn’t seem like enough. Please suffice it to say, we love you and earnestly have and will continue to pray for you, your family and awesome ministry at RMI. With You for the Harvest, Jim B
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Jim B
Deland Florida United States