Voice Of the Bride Ministries...

We just pushed our chairs back from our Thanksgiving meal time. Carol and I spent today at home in San Diego, just the two of us – much different than the last 3 years back in NC/Virginia with our families. For the most part, over the years we have lived on the west coast, we’ve spent this day with close friends who were like our extended family, home away from home. This year, as we both recover from surgery (Carol – 2 cataract procedures and Wayne umbilical hernia), we were happy to rest, and certainly blessed, for all we have to be thankful for, including health insurance which provided for our recent health needs! The World Health Organization (WHO) says, “at least half the world’s population cannot obtain essential health services.” I would think the number would be greater knowing how densely populated third world countries like Mexico are, making it difficult to get accurate stats.

We are truly blessed and never take for granted all that the Lord provides for us. And all that He is providing the folks we serve, thanks to YOU, and the great resources of food from organizations with which we are connected. I recently heard it said (though I can’t remember where), that proceeds from Black Friday sales alone, could provide clean water for all of the world where it is needed. That hit close to home for me, as I know how precious water is in Tijuana, just 30 minutes from my front door. On many occasions, I have been in a friends house in TJ while their city water has been turned off for an unknown reason. It might be for 3 hours, 3 days, or 3 weeks. This is why most homes must have some form of storage for water they cook and clean with, as well as another entirely different storage for clean drinking water. Tap water is in no way fit for drinking, regardless if it is on or not. According to Charity:Water organization “703 million people live without clean water”.

We’ve included photos of recent truckload blessings and the grateful hands they went to! And may we say, we are most grateful to our true Living Water, Jesus, for His provision of life to those we serve, to all of you, and for all that He is!

South Carolina trip: You’ve heard it said, ‘this is just what the doctor ordered.’ I can attest to you that the Global Tabernacle of David leaders gathering was, in fact, just what the LORD ordered!! Small in nature, very community oriented, and completely focused on worship, I had the amazing privilege of being deeply encouraged, as well as being able to deeply encourage others. Bible study and reading, personal sharing and ministry time, and glorious times of worshiping the Lord together, both publicly and privately, were among the main items of interest. I found years of things the Lord has taught me and put inside me, just flowing out to encourage and edify other worship leaders just getting their feet wet in the area of leading. It truly was so fulfilling in that regard, and reminded me of a calling the Lord has been putting on me for sometime now, to help raise up and encourage others in worship leading. We all have a contribution to the Kingdom of GOD and the furthering of it on this side of Heaven. It is my extreme honor, to assist others in knowing, learning and growing in this knowledge, both in practice and in theory. I love this, and whether it’s in this country or another, I thank the Lord for such opportunities. As a wise friend once said to me, “you can never worship the Lord too much”…..oh how right that is. VOB is so pleased to be a part of GToD, and may the Lord bless David Gereghty and his family, as they work to pioneer this ministry. Let us know if you wanna be notified when we do our online global worship streams!

*. . . and Wayne just had some good KC barbecue with team members.*

Kansas City Missouri trip: Lithuania, Poland, Germany, France, Chile, and the Philippines were some of the nations represented at our biannual Living Waters leaders conference. This conference had to cancel in 2021, due to pandemic, thus it had been 4 years since we last gathered. And what a gathering it was. There is just something about having brothers and sisters who are quite different in shapes, sizes, colors, tongues, culture, etc, but united in having One God in common. Also knitted together in our likeminded truth telling about what the Lord has set free in our personal brokenness and woundings. This truth that helps set the captives free because Jesus said it would!! He is The Truth and the work He does in this healing ministry of Living Waters sparks us all to spread that freedom! Such a blessing to work with Desert Stream and the amazing team of wounded healers who work tireless schedules of mentoring, teaching, counseling, proclaiming – online – in small groups – church platforms – all around the world. And if I might add, some of these international laborers sacrifice even greater, as they are persecuted and threatened with persecution in their homelands for being truth tellers and Truth followers!

Gary: This isn’t a “lastly” addition to this update, but instead, mentioned here at the bottom because the 2 reports above may never have happened without Gary Goodells ‘welcome to San Diego,’ almost 28 years ago. As Wayne said in his tribute on Facebook, The Lord told us to “Go” (from NC) and Gary invited us to “Come” (to SD), but then taught us how to serve and follow that One who sent us. We could never convey here (though many of you who have followed us all these years, know) how much Gary imparted, released, extracted, motivated, tolerated from us – how much he gave platform, permission, generosity, favor – or how much fun we had celebrating, proclaiming, demonstrating the Lord and His Gospel. Gary has joined the cloud of witnesses – the known Biblical and famous theologian ones whom he loved and often quoted, and also the many known colleagues we had the privilege to serve with over all these years, who have gone before us. No possible way to say goodbye-only certainly, ‘see ya later pastor friend!’