Fun in the Family

One of the privileges of traveling the way we do is the amount of family time that is afforded us.  We travel together, school together, minister together, sing together and lots of other "together" things.  Tim and I also want to make sure that we have fun together.  While fun things can happen most anywhere it is easier to do when we get a "not going anywhere today and no service tonight" day.  These family times are super valuable in keeping "fun in the family".   We have a little bit of that time as I write this update.

For those of you who know the Tim Thompson family, you know that we're a house "divided". ;)  I (Brittany) was reared in the land of cotton, tobacco, soybean, pecans and peaches where, yes, we enjoy eating boiled peanuts and drinking tea COLD and as sweet as one can stand it, and my husband hails from the beautiful state of Michigan where you can enjoy one of the most beautiful Fall sceneries in September and October and skip rocks in the beautiful Great Lakes.    As I write, the men of the house are kayaking in the Wilkes (my maiden name) pond, and you've not lived until you've experienced Wilkes Lane and the adventures awaiting!  Seth and Samuel love to be at Mimi and Papa's.  Where else can you bounce around the pastures in junky trucks or the Kawasaki Mule or better yet, drive around on the little John Deere tractor that Papa especially "beefed up" for Seth.  These happenings are exclusively Southern!!!

We leave tomorrow morning for Land O Lakes, FL, and are very eager for the Lord to work in a mighty way in the services.  Tim will be preaching at First Baptist Church nightly and in the Christian school throughout the week.  Please do pray with us and for us that 1.) we would be a people that have prepared our hearts to seek the Lord (II Chr. 12:14) and that 2.) lost souls would be invited to the services and be convinced of their need to trust Christ. 

We appreciate your prayers and friendship,

Tim, Brittany, Seth, Samuel

Adventures to Colorado- August 2014

August has been a whirlwind month for the Thompson family, and since we tend to live more adventurously, it has suited us well. ;-)  The last Bill Rice Ranch Family Week ended on July 31 with a quick cleanup and summer staff departing on the following day, August 1.  We truly had an excellent camp season with a fantastic staff and great results in services.  At this time, I do not remember specific numbers of salvations, assurance of salvation and other decisions, but I do remember the rejoicing that took place in our final summer staff meeting.  We praised the Lord then and still do now for the work that He did in our own lives and the lives of countless campers.

After a final "wrap-up" week of the camp season, we planned to enjoy some rest and relaxation as a family before heading into the fall itinerant schedule, but the Lord had different plans for us.  We received a call in the early hours of Saturday, August 9, from Tim's nephew letting us know that our special needs niece, Abigail, had suddenly passed away during seizures.  Our Lord had decided to take Abby home, and although it was very painful news for all who knew and loved her, His timing, grace and presence could not have been more perfect.  Since we had the time off, we were thrilled to travel to northern Michigan to be with the family and help with Abby's arrangements.  We had sweet times of fellowship in the midst of grieving and now look back on that special time with family with very fond memories.  Praise the Lord for the godly heritage He has given in the Thompson family, and please continue to pray for Jon and Merribeth (our brother and sister-in-law) and their six children (ages 15-23) as they adjust to this new "normal" without their precious Abigail.

We left Michigan on Tuesday, the 19th, and began our trip West towards Colorado.  Making stops in Iowa and Nebraska, we made our way to Evans, CO, to visit Tim's oldest brother, Dave, on Thursday afternoon and then on to Frisco that night.  We enjoyed a brief visit with Dave and our nephew Josh on Thursday and enjoyed our Friday with the Wil Rice family who had been vacationing in Frisco for the last week.  A couple of hikes, a coffee shop and bakery, and some good fellowship with great friends made for a great time in Frisco.  We were off to Gunnison, CO, a three-hour trip, the following morning.

As I currently write from Gunnison, we are enjoying beautiful mountain scenery and crisp fall temperatures.  Homeschooling and other daily routines are taking place, and we are catching up on some much needed rest and recovery from sicknesses.  We are so thrilled to be with former Bill Rice Ranch co-worker and Pastor of First Baptist Church of Gunnison, Jonathan Jones and his family.  The Lord is blessing and using the Joneses here in Gunnison, and we look forward to the Lord doing special things this week in the hearts of the church members.  Services are nightly at 7:00, and we appreciate your prayers for this meeting.  We are asking the Lord to revive our hearts and to give daily opportunities for folks to invite lost to the services so that the lost might hear the Gospel and be saved.   We are also participating in special music and providing a kids club each night.  Thank you for praying with us and for us in these endeavors.

We will begin our trip back to Tennessee on Saturday and greatly appreciate your prayers for safety as we travel toward home.

May the Lord richly bless you for supporting us in prayer.

Brittany Thompson

Summer 2014

How has this summer gone by so quickly without our updating you?!  Very easily, and I apologize for this discrepancy!  We hit the ground running as soon as we arrived home on May 2 with home improvement projects and summer music and camp preparation, and now the last week of camp is staring us squarely in the face!  It has been a wonderfully blessed and busy summer, filled with renewing friendships, making new ones and seeing the Lord work mightily in the services.  We are thrilled to report that many campers have made decisions for salvation and/or surrender.  During our Saturday morning staff meetings, we rejoice together over what the Lord has done in the past week as we hear reports from the youth, junior and deaf week programs.  Please pray with us and with the churches from which these young people come that the Holy Spirit will continue His renewing work in them, constantly reminding them of the crucial commitments that they have made to pursue Christ and His righteousness.  In just the last couple of days, we have heard exciting testimonies of how teenagers have gone home to less fortunate situations, and the Lord has worked on their behalf to restore fellowship between them and a parent.  These are watershed moments in the lives of these young people, and we pray that they will continue on this blessed path that God has for them.

We are now in our last youth/junior/deaf week of the Bill Rice Ranch Summer 2014 camps and will end the camp season next week with our final Family Week.  As always, Tim and I look forward to what the Lord has for us and our family in these preaching services and are eager to hear the beautiful music provided by Ray and Ann Gibbs.  Come see us for one of our two family weeks next year!  I assure you, like it has for many families, it will most likely become a family tradition for you!

We will have a brief vacation week in August, and our first meeting of the "fall" will be August 24-29 with our friend, Pastor Jon Jones of First Baptist Church, Gunnison, CO.  We will begin more frequent updates as we begin our itinerant travels for the year.  You can view our itinerary at www.evangelisttimthompson.com, and we hope you will pray with us for these upcoming meetings.

God bless you, and have a wonderful rest of your summer!

Yours for souls,

Brittany for the clan

Tim Thompson Evangelistic Ministries: From Howard, PA to heading HOME

Tim Thompson Evangelistic Ministries: From Howard, PA to heading HOME: We are so excited to report that the last two weeks have been filled with significant preaching services and fantastic fellowship!  We began...

From Howard, PA to heading HOME

We are so excited to report that the last two weeks have been filled with significant preaching services and fantastic fellowship!  We began a week of meetings at Romola Bible Church in Howard, PA (Pastor Bob Maurer), on Resurrection Sunday, with services at 8:30 AM, 10:45 AM and 7 PM.  It was an extra special day filled with beautiful music, Scripture readings, powerful preaching and rejoicing in the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:1-6).  The following day, Pastor Maurer hosted a regional Bible Conference, a monthly gathering of area pastors and their congregations, in which Tim preached two of the three services of the conference.  The congregational singing and fellowship during the conference were a particular blessing, especially since we had participated with many of the churches in an area wide crusade on two separate occasions.  Folks seemed encouraged and edified by the preaching of Pastor Mahlon Nevel and Tim.  We continued the week of meetings thru Thursday night at Romola Bible Church then shifted gears and location to a Bill Rice Ranch Regional Family Conference at Faith Baptist Church (Pastor Troy Kerstetter) in the neighboring town of Blanchard.  Four of the area churches participated in this Friday-Saturday conference preached by Dr. Bill Rice III and Tim with a good attendance of all ages.   Praise The Lord for working in many hearts during this packed week of preaching services.  What a thrill it was to see The Lord meet needs in these dear families!

 We left immediately following the conference for West Carrollton, OH, where we began a Sunday thru Wednesday meeting at Bethel Baptist Church (Pastor Joseph Shihady).  Although we were at this church for two separate family conferences recently and assisting Bro. Wil Rice in a meeting nearly 12 years ago, this was our first time to be at Bethel for preaching revival meetings.  What a blessed time we had getting to know the Shihadys and their church family!  We saw excellent attendance each service, and it seemed that The Lord worked in hearts, especially on Sunday night regarding seeing The Lord do special things in and thru their church (Nehemiah 8).  We look forward to being back with them in April of 2016, Lord-willing.

We just enjoyed a fun-filled family day at the Creation Museum with Tim's parents who were on their way back to MI from FL.  We are grateful for the ministry and stand of Answers in Genesis and enjoyed showing the family around.  Now stopped for fuel in KY, we are driving towards our home at the Bill Rice Ranch and are eager to settle back in and begin preparing more intently for summer camp.

~Brittany

Pennsylvania meetings April 2014

We are enjoying another beautiful travel Saturday and are excited to report a great week of  meetings at Laurel Hill Gospel Tabernacle.  Several incentives were given at the beginning of the week to encourage and aid church folks to invite guests out to the services each night.   Pastor Gary Anderson utilized the "host and hostess program" in which a different church couple signed up for each night of the meeting to invite fellow church members to be back for the following night's service and to make effort at inviting guests.  Also, junior age and teenage young people worked at earning a free week of camp to the Bill Rice Ranch by competing to see who could bring the highest number of guests over fifteen.   Consequently, we saw a great number of guests out for the meetings.  In fact, 61 guests alone came as a result of the competition for a free week of camp.  We were aware of several lost folks who attended the services, too, and although they did not respond in the invitation,  we are confident that the Holy Spirit was convicting them during the preaching and pray that He will continue that work.  As for the members of Laurel Hill Gospel Tabernacle, folks seemed encouraged and refreshed by the week,.  We look forward to hearing exciting updates from this ministry as a result of the revival week.

We are now just minutes from our next church, Romola Bible Church in Howard, PA.  We have ministered with Pastor and Mrs. Bob Maurer on several occasions now and look forward to a packed week of services and especially celebrating Resurrection Sunday with them.  Along with an early morning service tomorrow and regular Sunday services and weeknight services, Pastor Maurer will also be hosting a Bible conference on Monday in which Tim will be preaching twice.  Please pray with us and for us that The Lord will do great and mighty things this week.

Traveling from Tuscaloosa, AL

We were so thrilled to be with college friends, Pastor and Mrs. Mark Falls, for a four-day meeting at Bible Baptist Church (Tuscaloosa, AL) this past Sunday-Wednesday.  When we arrived for Sunday's services, it was evident that much planning and preparation had preceded this meeting.  With an anticipation to see The Lord do great things, church members greeted us kindly and listened with open hearts.  We were thankful that a husband and wife received assurance (husband) and trusted Christ (wife) following the preaching of I Corinthians 15:1-6 in the morning service.

Folks worked diligently at bringing guests throughout the meeting.  It was such a blessing to see so many guests in both the adult services and kids club meeting, some of which were members of area churches who supported the meeting, some former Bill Rice Ranch summer staff (who were wonderful to see again), and many unchurched guests.  We look forward to hearing updates on several folks who either trusted Christ as a result of the meeting or who church members will continue to reach out to in the days ahead.

We are presently on the last leg of our trip from Tuscaloosa, AL, to West Carrollton, OH, as we are traveling thru Cincinatti now.  We will be at Bethel Baptist Church in West Carrollton for a Bill Rice Ranch Conference on Marriage and the Home beginning tomorrow night thru Saturday noon.  We will then travel to Boswell, PA, to begin a week of meetings at Laurel Hill Gospel Tabernacle.

Virginia meetings

Our hearts are full this Saturday morning as we update you while traveling along I-81 south in Virginia headed towards HOME!  Besides being excited about getting back to the Bill Rice Ranch, we are so grateful for what The Lord has done over the last couple of weeks.  Let us give you a glimpse into what The Lord has been doing.

Our first week of services took place at Trinity Baptist Church of Keysville, VA.  Pastor Wayne Wells, a college friend and fellow evangelism student, planted this church just over 2 years ago in response to folks from the Keysville area driving 45 minutes to his home church in Blackstone.  Still a small yet growing congregation, the folks at Trinity seemed very encouraged by the week of meetings.  Almost every weeknight attendance exceeded Sunday's numbers due to several area churches supporting the meeting as well as family members and friends of church members coming out for special nights.    One particular couple was greatly encouraged by the wife's wayward father showing up for two services.  We are confident that The Lord is working on this man's heart to come back to Himself and that The Lord will use his daughter and son-in-laws' beautiful family in the process.  Pastor and Mrs. Wells had a particularly exciting and busy week, as The Lord allowed them to finally close on a house just minutes from the church.  We were happy to be with them for this exciting transition and hope that this move will allow them and their eight children to more effectively reach the area folks.

Just this morning, we left Marlbrook Baptist Church in Raphine, VA, after a wonderful week of meetings.  Pastor Larry Wright, a friend and former co-worker at the Bill Rice Ranch, is doing a fantastic job and has a stellar, supportive church family.  We arrived on Saturday for the church's annual wild-game dinner and outreach.  After shooting competitions and a superb meal, Tim preached the gospel to the 180 people in attendance and five individuals raised their hands, signifying that they had trusted Christ.  Sunday morning officially kicked off the week of meetings, and each service was very well attended.  The people were extremely kind to our family and seemed to be especially blessed by our Seth's singing in the services:)  Last night's service was Teen Night, and one particular teen had invited a foreign exchange student who likely heard the gospel for the very first time.  Tim had opportunity to speak with him for a while, and although he is not open to the gospel yet, we are confident that The Lord has begun a work on him.  Many husbands, wives and children made important decisions regarding their roles in the home in response to Thursday night's service.  We look forward to hearing what The Lord will continue to do in this congregation.

Lord-willing, we will arrive home either tonight or on Monday, depending on how travel goes on this rainy Saturday.  We look forward to being a part of the Day of Champions youth conference next Saturday at the Bill Rice Ranch and will immediately after, travel to Tuscaloosa, AL, for meetings with our friends, Pastor Mark Falls and his wife Sherry.  After that, we have a packed April schedule
in Ohio and Pennsylvania.  We look forward to reporting to you from these Family Conferences and meetings for revival.

Trailer Repair Times

We had our final meeting with Dr. Bill and Mary Rice at Brittany's home church, Gospel Baptist Church (Claxton, GA) this past Sunday and enjoyed a profitable day of ministering in music and benefiting from solid Bible preaching.  Originally, we were also scheduled to be with the Rices this weekend in Texas for a family conference; but due to scheduling conflicts, the meeting was cancelled, and we have stayed in GA to do some minor repairs and one MAJOR repair on our trailer.

The "minor" repairs included painting trailer tire rims and working on trailer brakes, but the major repair of the week was replacing water-damaged materials on our bedroom slideout.  We are so thankful for the Lord's provision of time off, materials, skills and wisdom for this project.  Despite the unfavorable weather at the beginning of the week (highs in the low 40s with LOTS of rain), Tim was able to get much work accomplished under my parents' carport and bring glued pieces of material in to dry by the fireplace.  You have to be creative, right?!  Today has been beautiful with temperatures near 70 degrees, so Tim was able to put the slide out back in and has been working diligently on trim, caulking and lots of things involved with waterproofing RVs that would bore you. :)  We hope to leave this coming Tuesday for VA where we will have two weeks of revival meetings.

Looking forward to updating you on these upcoming meetings.  We appreciate your prayers for the Lord's special working in these services.

Brittany

Goodbye, Florida!

We have thoroughly enjoyed the last two months of ministering in FL churches.  It seems like just yesterday that we arrived in Starke, FL, for our traditional "first FL trip service" at Bradford Baptist Church (Pastor Rick Jackson), and today, we are headed to south GA for our last.  It is always a blessing and honor to travel with Dr. Bill and Mary Rice for this annual trip, and we look forward to our final service with them at Gospel Baptist Church in Claxton, GA, this Sunday.

On February 16, we began a week of revival meetings with Pastor Ledford Hodges and the folks at New Testament BC (Floral City, FL). Despite some sickness throughout the week, we had excellent nightly attendance and saw the Lord move in the tender hearts of the people.  The actual week of revival services ended Thursday night, and we began a BRR Conference on Marriage and the Home with Dr. Bill and his son Bro. Wil Rice and families with services on Friday night and Saturday morning.  The Rices preached the adult sessions while we conducted a children's meeting, and folks seemed to be very encouraged by the services.

On the following Sunday, we joined Dr. Bill and Mrs. Mary at Community BC (Bradenton, FL-Pastor Jesse Nicholson) for the morning services and Providence BC (Riverview, FL-Pastor Dave Goforth) for the evening service.  In both churches, we provided several music specials and showed the BRR deaf ministry promo video before Dr. Bill preached.  Folks were super kind and were genuinely interested in helping deaf young people continue to come to the Ranch free of charge.  We thank The Lord for their kindness and generosity!

This Sunday, we will be at Gospel BC (Claxton, GA-Pastor Mike Gay) for our last meeting with the Rices.  Since this is Brittany's home church, we are especially excited to see friends and family and to minister in the church.  After that, the Rices will head on a road trip out West, and we will be working on some trailer maintenance and then heading to VA for a couple of weeks of meetings before heading back to the Bill Rice Ranch for the Day of Champions youth outreach.

February 2014

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in FL for the last several weeks, but before I get into the FL update, I need to update you on the Bill Rice Ranch NYC trip.  Tim thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship with the other 45 folks on the trip and was thankful for the 47 people who prayed to trust Christ despite the extreme weather conditions.  Of course, the trip is open to any interested in sharing the gospel in the NYC subway system.  You can contact Bro. Matt Downs at mdowns@billriceranch.org for more information.

Since the first Sunday in January, we have accompanied Dr. Bill and Mary Rice on what we call the "Florida Trip".  For the last seven years, we have set aside January and February to travel with the Rices and help raise both awareness and funds for the deaf ministry of the Bill Rice Ranch.  Since its beginning in 1953, the Ranch has allowed deaf young people to come absolutely FREE for a week of summer camp.  The Florida trip offerings go toward this summer expense, and we are grateful for those who have seen the need and given towards making it possible for deaf children to continue to camp for free.  I am continually moved by the deaf DVD presentation we show in churches.  The personal testimonies of each deaf young person who has trusted Christ are absolutely precious!  You can view this presentation at www.billriceranch.org, and I'm sure it will move you in the same way.

We are now traveling back to our RV located at First Baptist Church in Land O Lakes, FL, after a very profitable Sunday-Tuesday family conference at Marathon BC in Marathon, FL.  This new church plant has seen good growth since its beginning in 2012, and we averaged around 50 people in attendance each night.  Both Dr. Bill and Tim preached Monday and Tuesday nights, and it was obvious that many were encouraged and helped by the preaching on marriage and child training.

Thank you in advance for praying for the BRR FL regional youth conference which will take place this Saturday.  We are expecting nearly 200 young people to be in attendance for the preaching and afternoon activities.  Bro. Alton Beal, president of Ambassador Baptist Bible College, will be the conference speaker, and we look forward to seeing how The Lord will use him on Saturday.

May The Lord richly bless you for your interest in the work He has given us to do!

For His glory,

Tim and Brittany Thompson

NYC Trip 2014

Today, I took Tim, Dr. Bill and Mary Rice to the Jacksonville airport to catch their flights for New York City.  They were eager to arrive for the 12th annual Bill Rice Ranch evangelistic trip where approximately 46 people will spend the next several days setting up prayer stations in several subway terminals and passing out gospel literature as folks pass by.  We have seen hundreds of people accept Christ since beginning to take these trips in 2002, and we are eager to see how the Lord will bring people by the stations this year who need to accept the gift He offers to them.

Thank you in advance for praying for those who are on the trip.  First of all, the weather is extremely cold this year, and we are asking the Lord for protection in these extreme conditions.  I've been on the trip when it has been super chilly, and I remember the challenge of handing out literature when your hands are stiff with cold. :)  So, please remember this need when praying.  Secondly, we desire to meet folks who are "seekers", people who are ready to accept Christ.  Of course, the opportunity to sow the seed is a wonderful thing, but we would love to see folks start a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. With that, please pray for wisdom and boldness for those who share the gospel over the next few days. What a tremendous privilege and responsibility!

Thank you for praying for the team.  I look forward to updating you soon.



Brittany

New Year's Day 2014

Happy New Year's from the Thompsons!  We have enjoyed a more restful several weeks over this holiday season and certainly hope that you've been blessed to have the same.   We are looking forward to upcoming meetings in Florida for the next couple of months promoting the deaf ministry of the Bill Rice Ranch.  Tim will also be taking a trip to New York City January 6-10 for the Bill Rice Ranch evangelistic outreach in the NYC subway system.  We are eager to report great things that the Lord will do over the next several weeks.  May He find each of us faithful to Him in this new year.