March Madness-All Bets are Off!

This isn’t really about basketball, I just said that to get your attention…now that your’re reading– 

OK – contrary to popular opinion, Gary and I did not bring the snow to Kentucky.  While we were there for a week, it didn’t even stick.  We will however, allow that we wished you all kinds of the wonder that we experience when we have snow storms.  We hear that our Kentucky family has been blessed with more snow in two days than they had all winter.  (Sorry about the spring break thing…there has to be a better way of handling those back roads than cancelling school and causing all that parental frustration!)  So, my dear Kentucky family, I hope you enjoyed your snow, and thought about us as you rolled snowmen and shoveled your cars out.  Remember though, I know that if you would just stay home and wait for a day or two, it would all melt and then, no shoveling would be needed.

Our week in Kentucky was so very refreshing to our souls—and bodies since it didn’t entail the 12 hour, seven days a week schedule we have been keeping for the several months.  Our trip home was uneventful unless you want to count landing in Jackson Hole to find our car needed to be shoveled out and that there had been an airplane slide off the runway and catch fire just before we landed.  (No serious injuries, just a few bruises from coming down the emergency slides and quite a few red faces.)  If anyone ever wants to come see us, Jackson Hole has only one (count them) ONE gate, and ONE baggage thingy (don’t know what its called) which is adjacent to the only “in” door from the runway where the plane lands.  And they are very, very slow getting the luggage off so there may be two or three planeloads of people standing around poking one another with ski poles and wrestling one another for similar appearing bags while their mink and leather coats perspire from the exertion.  That’s a hint by the way, if you fly into Jackson, pack sparely and prepare to fight!  After obtaining our very distinctive scruffy luggage (no ski poles or designer labels on it) we drove directly to Casper for a conference.  I think I slept through most of it, with my eyes open to be polite, and was very glad to get back to our little trailer and our own bed.

Thanks to the wonderful ladies who let me come and speak at the WMU tea in Kentucky, and thanks so much for rescheduling .  It was such a blessing, and I hope that my edited and shortened version of the wonderful message that the Lord gave me was a blessing to you as well.  I am still trying to comprehend the awesome thought that we, you—I—each of us, His children, are His reward for the suffering and shame of His cross.  We are “the joy that was set before Him,” Hebrews 12:2—how incredible.  Doesn’t it make you just want to  please Him  with everything you have?! 

We returned to another “crisis” in the ministry team here.  Without sharing too much, let me just say that the things the Body of Christ at MainStreet are facing, are the same that face the Body of Christ all over the world-including in Wyoming.  If the evil one can get us fighting amongst ourselves and criticizing each other,  he won’t ever have to worry about souls being won to Jesus Christ; we’ll be too busy justifying ourselves to ever tell anyone about the love of God in Christ Jesus.  I am ashamed to say that I (Roberta) have personally allowed myself to become discouraged by this, almost to the point of wanting to walk away.  By God’s grace, my wonderful husband doesn’t suffer from the same angst as I, and sees his only course as following the vision the Lord gave him when you sent us, and the church here called us.  He tells me regularly that if we are faithful to do and be what God has called us to, He (our heavenly Father) will reap the glory.  That’s what it’s really all about anyway; and it truly is our heart’s desire—simply to please Him in all we do, and bring Him all the glory.  So, for you hardy souls who have made it this far in your reading, may I encourage you, wherever you are, to stay the course, consider the “well done” important only if it comes from the Master, love passionately the most obnoxious brother or sister you can find, don’t waver or compromise on clear principles from the Scripture, and don’t make mountains out of mole hills.  Ask yourself if whatever you are upset about is going to make any difference at all to the Kingdom of God (whether you are right or wrong,) in five years.  Don’t complain or grouse about something unless you have spent at least an equal amount of time praying about it, and even then it would probably be best to simply offer it to God as an offering of thanksgiving—then you won’t have to worry about defending yourself if you end up being wrong.  And finally (omitting a LONG list of things I have learned by this experience in Wyoming) try to remember that it wounds the very heart of the Living God when His children backbite, fuss at, gossip about, and otherwise wound one another.  We are His workmanship, created for GOOD WORKS—and at the end of the day, if what I have done, doesn’t  come under the category “GOOD WORKS” then I, (not” someone else”) have not been obedient to the Lord Jesus, and I owe Him an apology (and perhaps “someone else” too.) 

I have been thinking a lot lately about digging holes…for lots of reasons.  One thing I have thought about at length is that I would never, ever, try to dig a large hole with a hay fork (pitchfork.)  Why?  Well because it’s not the right tool for the job of course.  If I wouldn’t be so foolish, what makes me think that God, Who created every “tool” by His own will, would try such a foolish thing?  What does this have to do with anything?  Each member of the Body of Christ is placed by God with specific use in mind.  His mind.  We who are born again of the Spirit of that same Living Creator God,  must know that our place in His Body is chosen by His design.  It doesn’t matter how we kick against the pricks, God will not use a shovel to do the job of a pitchfork.   He created us, designed us by considering every last atom of our being, and places us in the Body at His will.  May I ask you simply, my dear brothers and sisters, to consider how you are being used by the Master;  And if He isn’t ‘using’ you to glorify Himself, why not?  And if He is using you, know that you are an irreplaceable part of the Body—there is only one YOU.  Thank Him, and count on this—He knows what He is doing.

WHAT IS GOD DOING IN WYOMING?  Abundantly more than we can ask or even think about asking for is the answer.  And I know He is doing the same wherever YOU are too.  Are you noticing?  Are you expecting?  Are you giving thanks?

I thank God every time I think of you.  Your prayers of encouragement and uplifting are truly a boon to us.  We brag often about the ‘prayer warriors’ who battle with us as we reach out on the Jonah mission field.  Since the beginning of February, we have had 89 visitors, 24 first time visitors, several  major answers to prayer, and many more who have asked for prayer.  We have seen one man who works on the Jonah Field become so excited that he is now reaching out and offering help to other guys.  The Lord has done a marvelous work in our own lives…we are learning more about Him every day as we seek His face on behalf of these men in the camp.  He is ever faithful to respond to our pleas for daily fruit and we are grateful for every person He sends our way.

If you will remember when we were first ‘brainstorming’ the ministry here, prior to our chapel arriving, we had asked prayer for a truly “mobile” chapel.  The truck and trailer, called the “rolling chapel” has arrived and is now parked in Big Piney, ready for use.    Drew and Pam Crabtree will be in charge of the mobile chapel, continuing their church strengthening efforts with 1^st Baptist, Big Piney, as well as investigating ministry opportunities for the truck and toy hauler that NAMB provided funds for with Cooperative Program Funds.  At present there is no budget specifically for the “Rolling Chapel” and we would covet your prayers for funding sources, particularly for fuel.  Everything is a long drive from Big Piney. 

Energy industry development is continuing to grow.  If any able bodied person needs work, there’s lots of it here.  In the Jonah Field alone there are permits pending for 85 more new wells.  Speculation is that this is the largest developing energy producing field in the world, certainly in the United States.  How does this impact our work here?  Firstly, it certainly validates our identification of at least two distinctly different, formerly unidentified ‘people groups.’  One group of energy industry workers are those who make their homes in the area.  They integrate into the community, buy or rent homes of their own, and basically settle in.  This group is the group that the local churches will be most effective in reaching out to.  They respond to outreach efforts, and some will even come to the church on their own.  This large influx of ‘permanent’ residents taxes the community resources, raising prices for homes and commodities.  Long time Wyoming residents have an ambivalent attitude toward this group due to the many “booms and busts” in previous years and the economic aftermath.  Observation and historical research shows that if the church reaches out to this group, they most often integrate well into the communities—staying through and after the boom years, opening businesses and raising families.  Since the local churches consist mainly of the resident population, were they to seriously outreach to this people, the benefits to God’s kingdom work would show fruit for decades in this area.

The second group of people we have identified are the ones who live in the man camps, RV parks and motels.  The individuals in this group seldom integrate into the community, consider the camp or rig their social group, and most often do not have family ties in the local area.  Some, actually a very few proportionally, have families within a day’s drive.  The men and women who stay in the man camps are required to leave the camp when they are off shift.  They work either 1 or 2 week shifts, go to their homes (or try to find a local motel) for the same amount of time and generally come back to the same rig, although some rigs move on in the interim and they return to work in a new location.  Whereas traditional evangelism efforts may bear fruit with the group that become permanent residents, the transient group will not be reached by traditional means. 

Our main goal, here at the Chapel is to provide an environment where we can earn, in a very short period of time, the right to be heard.  Our method has slowly evolved (and is still evolving) to become something much like what Jesus did Himself.  Gary walks out among the men, just visiting and introducing himself, listening for the Holy Spirit to provide an opportunity to initiate spiritual conversation.  We invite them for meals, try to find their interests and then stage an “event” around those interests.  Whether it be sports, just relaxing with a movie, using the phones/internet, grabbing a quick drink before work, or running in to ask for prayer or just say hi—we have decided that the best we can do, is simply “be here” and be ready always to “give an answer for the hope that is in us.”  We are, to borrow from MainStreet’s vision, “continually seeking new ways to be an avenue of God’s blessing to our community, and to our world.”  In reality, when these men and women leave the camp here, they literally go all over the world.  In as much as we are able to obtain their “home” addresses, we try to follow up in their “hometown” to provide them a contact with a local church, or in some cases ask the local church to follow up with them.

We are looking forward to the Regional Prayer and Awakening Conference in April.  The Wyoming churches are working together through Claude King’s book, “Fresh Encounter” and  it is evident that God is beginning now to call His people to repentance, and to prepare for the RAIN—good old fashioned REVIVAL RAIN.  If God’s people get excited, renewed in the joy of their common salvation there will not be any way to contain the joy of it all because there is a very transient people group here who will be spreading it all over the world.  Oh pray that we will be faithful to the call, and that we will see Revival Fire descend on this place, in this time.

I suppose I should apologize that I, once again, have written a thesis instead of a summary, but I just can’t help it.  Feel free to read the last first, the first last, the middle not at all if you want to.  It is just such a joy to write to you, and know that your response will be prayer.  I sit here and picture faces one after another who will read this.  In Oregon, Washington, Missouri, California, Kentucky, Vermont, Colorado…Georgia…what a rich heritage we have in you.  May the Lord bless you richly, each and every one with His richest gifts in glory!  We pray for you.  We love you. 

Gary and Roberta Franklin

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