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July 2, 2010

Dear praying friends and family,

Praise God for his work in the life of one young man in the area. While Bobby isn’t officially an intern, he has been coming out almost every day to help on equipment repair. He is planning to attend college in the fall to learn diesel mechanics so he can work on semi trucks. We don’t have any diesel equipment here, but he has been able to learn to troubleshoot and repair (engine & brake systems) the 1966 school bus to get it moved and drivable so we can try to sell it or figure out what other use God has for it in the ministry. We got the backhoe attachment working (hydraulics); now he is learning to use the backhoe digging gravel for a drive to the Cary-Grove Center. Last night we finished the brakes on the Ford van that was donated two years ago. Now we can get it on the road. We have gotten some of the things fixed on the Chevy van which we continue to use in ministry. In about a week, he will be heading out on the road with his dad for one last over-the-road tractor trailer haul before he goes to college. Bobby loves the Lord and serving at Pilgrimage-Cedar Springs very much, and he is very sensitive to doing God’s will. Pray that Bobby would have a clear understanding of God’s will and direction for his life as he goes to college.

Pray for Shawn. He been doing some of the mowing, and may be able to take Bobby’s place when Bobby leaves. Shawn was saved on a mission trip with us a few years ago, and would benefit greatly from more time here. Pray for a former teen, Josh, who we just took to Missouri to serve two weeks as a counselor/ maintenance/ construction man. This is his second year of working at Dayspring Bible Camp; pray that God would do something in and through Josh while he is there that would change his life dramatically. He is 22 years old and desperately in need of direction and motivation. He is full of potential, but lacks the drive to use it. He is planning to attend Black River Technical College in the fall, for which we are thankful he has finally decided to do, but he could do so much more.

Next weekend I leave for a week with a group from our church for Helena, Arkansas. Josh will also be going on this trip. Pray that God would use me and the rest of our team there as we serve. People from our team will work on completing the community market we started last year, serve in a community VBS, and teach people to swim.

We praise God for contacts He is giving us with His churches. We had a good response from the church at which we shared a couple weeks ago. There are several there who were excited about daycamp. In fact, we changed the dates of daycamp to accommodate this church – something we have never really done. By moving daycamp to the first week of August there are many in this church who will be able to help, and we can likely draw some campers from there, too. We are also praying that God would lead them to help pick up kids to bring to camp each day from Pocahontas. We also had a “chance” encounter with people from two other churches near Pocahontas that were excited to hear about what we have going here. We met them at a state park while on a church outing with our church. They said they would like to have us tell their churches about Pilgrimage. Pray that God would open that up and expand those ministries and Pilgrimage through that connection, and that more churches would get excited about what God can do as they join His work through Pilgrimage.

Praise God also for His provision of a canoe and paddle boat. Those came within two days of our last prayer letter! Now we trust that He will keep the lake filled up during daycamp. Bobby and I have been clearing some trees to make the waterslide more accessible and plan to also clear a place for a playground. We will then begin work on pull-through campsites, although Bobby will likely be gone by then. One thing we need for constructing those sites is a smaller bucket for the backhoe. The bucket we have now is great for scooping loose gravel or dirt, but for digging trenches for electric and water lines it puts a strain on the backhoe and tractor. We can get a 12” bucket for a little over $600. We are still working with the county judge on planning the road, and hope to begin work on that soon.

Finally, please pray for our financial support. We rarely mention it as it seems kind of taboo, but with a current average of $100/ week income from Pilgrimage and another upcoming baby to pay for (our insurance doesn’t cover pregnancy) the tax refund we had been saving to pay for the c-section is already running out. Still we are obeying God, and trust that He will meet our needs as He always has.

Thanks for your prayers and support,

-Philip & Melissa Pinto