Dear Praying Friends and Family,

Summer is an exciting time in San Diego, where lots of family-friendly activities abound. We just got back from a 6-day trip to two conferences (FBFI in Colorado and NCPC in Ohio) where we got to see some of you in person(!), and now we are back home - exhausted physically but refreshed spiritually, and excited to see what the Lord will do as we hit the streets of our neighborhood today and pass out tracts at the 31st Annual Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-off (expected attendance 70,000) with the Barbas and the Westside BC mission team from Georgia. They have been in town two days and what a blessing they are to us already!

IN ANSWER TO YOUR PRAYERS the Lord has done SO MUCH here to build this local body, and to build us. A major computer crash wiped out our prayer letter distribution list, but Eileen was able to massage it out after a month of tedious labor. We know you have been patiently waiting for an update and we are eager to tell! We will TRY to summarize the amazing things we have been privileged to witness in the nearly three months since our last update (with photos attaches as one pdf file).

We asked and You Prayed for.

Salvation
Remember the lady who made a private appointment to meet with us on March 31st, the day after we sent out the last prayer update? Thank you for praying for her - she tearfully and joyfully trusted the Lord that night in our home just before midnight! Her first comment upon salvation? "I'm so glad it's not midnight yet. 'cuz otherwise when I tell people I've gotten saved they will think it's 'April Fool's'!"
This gal "without guile" is the first of eight dear souls who would come to profess the Lord in salvation - two of whom were brought by this lady as she has indeed been telling! Of the eight, three are faithfully attending and growing; two attend regularly but have not committed to discipleship; one is away at sea on military deployment; one attends another church but participates in some activities with us; one is physically handicapped and has not come to church.

Continuing Outreach and Follow-up
Seven of the eight souls who trusted Christ these months did so when they heard the gospel presented in private, in our home or theirs, after they have visited MBC. The one remaining was a PFY! contact who has not yet attended a service. Dave and Claudia have been steadily pursuing the 300 or so PFY! contacts who have not visited MBC while we find our hours filled with appointments with visitors and new and/or young believers in the Lord. God has given abundant grace and opportunities for discipleship (see "In Addition, the Lord has Given." section below), but we very much covet your prayers for us as the Barbas move on to their next ministry and we continue to follow-up the PFY! contacts.

New Visitors and Establishment of a Core Group
The Lord has sent us 15 new regularly attending individuals/families since our last update, 8 of which are military (Navy, Marines, and Army.) We are learning that following-up around a military schedule requires MUCH prayer, patience and flexibility - especially with unsaved military families. On a typical Sunday morning, the Lord has been assembling 40 or so dear folks together who are "hungry for His Word" (as described by our friends visiting from out of town), linger long afterwards to fellowship, and eagerly stay to help with the tear-down.

Sunday Night Bible Study in Our Home
We have finished the Inquirer's Bible Study and began the discipleship study Learning to Live with God also by Pastor Jeff Musgrave. The Lord has continued to give abundant grace and wisdom to Eileen as she cooked dinner for the church family each week (she is beginning to invent dishes, much to her own amazement!) and Claudia has been invaluable to fill in on our busiest weeks. How thankful we are that several MBC folks have volunteered to provide meals in the weeks to come! A gathering of 20 folks is typical on Sunday nights, and our small living room is near capacity! God's people do not seem to mind the small quarters at all, and the Spirit-filled transparency and exhortations that occur during the course of the study is precious beyond words. Often God's people linger until after 10pm - it is physically exhausting, but how we treasure that time together!

Mission Teams
Thank you for praying for our visiting mission teams and friends - the Lord has granted safety, joy, effectiveness and much blessing to us!
On Resurrection Sunday weekend, some from our MBC family were able to labor and fellowship with the Heritage BC team from Antioch, CA to do door-hangers along with Pastor Bob and Sylvia Ellis! How encouraged we were by their sweet spirit as we prepared and served the special Resurrection Sunday breakfast together, and how blessed we were to have Heritage Academy's music ministry in the celebration of our Lord' resurrection! Several Sundays in April-June were filled with encouraging visits from friends in supporting churches, from South Carolina to West Virginia to Missouri to National City nearby, to Los Angeles up the coast to our beloved Hamilton Square BC in San Francisco, including a violinist friend who played beautifully to the Lord for the MBC family! IBC ministry team from Arizona helped us sort and clear our garage (so that we can design a "kids' play area" in there to encourage families with young
children to join us for the Sunday evening Bible study) - even though they were with us only one day they worked so efficiently that Eileen started pulling out what she calls mundane-menial-thankless tasks on her personal to-do WAITlist. What servant's heart was evidenced by the joy with which the IBC team tackled whatever came their way, even clipping coupons(!), which they prompt filed by category and expiration date! BJU Mission Team West spent days canvassing our neighborhood - they persevered through the last hour and the Lord brought one man that Sunday from the last pavement they pounded, and he was gloriously saved during a follow-up visit, now faithfully coming to church and eagerly learning about his new life in Christ. The Lord also used the BJU team to give some insight for working with our Down Syndrome gal, as one of the team members is a Special Education major and was able to make some helpful observations.

What an answer to prayer! In addition, the Lord has given. Several Blessed "Firsts"
Our first mid-week prayer meeting on April 28th - we meet in our home on Wednesdays; right now the prayer meeting consists of Dave and Claudia and us and one faithful godly man from MBC. It is perhaps the sweetest hour of our assembly, and we have seen specific answers to our prayers each week. How burdened we are that the rest of our MBC family would join us for this precious time of intercession and praise!

Our first "Deployment Prayer Time and Luncheon" on May 23nd - we gathered to pray specifically for the three sailors amongst us who were about to be deployed, and to commit to praying for and helping their families in their absence. Our hearts were burdened especially for a sweet lady sailor with a young toddler as it was understandably a very difficult goodbye. She has returned to us after a week at sea as her ship broke down and caught on fire - Eileen wonders if it is wrong to pray that the ship stays broken.. Our first Lord's Supper on June 6th - a special, sobering yet rejoicing time of remembrance and accountability before the Lord; with observance of this ordinance from our Lord something intangible but stirring happened in the hearts of God's people at MBC. Eileen's comment: "Charter or no charter,
we're a BODY - THAT's for sure." Response of others around her: ".YAH! [Definitely.]"

Beyond "There Is A Fountain" in the Key of C
One of our most faithful couples who has been coming since the Grand Opening (the man is our prayer partner on Wednesday nights, served our first Lord's Supper and led his first soul at MBC to the Lord last week) has a grandson who is a conducting major in town. He is also an excellent pianist and piano teacher. Eileen has begun taking lessons from him and what changes the Lord has wrought after 11 sessions - she no longer need to pull an all-nighter just to sight-read through one hymn, and now has six hymns in her repertoire! With encouragement from Claudia, Eileen has started playing the invitation hymn and postlude at the conclusion of morning worship. Her
teacher came to critique her and has now been coming regularly. He is about to begin meeting for Bible study with Tim. Providentially today we spoke with the owners of the music studio where he teaches, and the Lord opened the door to a spiritual discussion - they may
visit MBC this Sunday.

Creativity in Discipleship
How do you disciple so many new/young believers at once? Especially in preparation for the Barbas' moving away. In answer to our desperate prayers the Lord created opportunities that seemed to have arisen out of nowhere. For Eileen, it means a whole shift in paradigm as she is not meeting ladies for 1-on-1 Bible studies which she so enjoys - it simply would be overwhelming for new babes to tackle a second book study in addition to the Sunday night study. Instead, she is learning to sew and quilt(!) at weekly work bees, and listen and give counsel over early morning walks with MBC ladies nearly every day (fitting for "America's Fittest City".) One by one,
over these walks, she discusses their daily devotional readings with them (every lady had received a devotional book on Mother's Day) and helps the ladies to develop a habit of spending devoted time with the Lord first thing in the morning. (Claudia jokes that Eileen will be skinny as a stick by the end of the year.) Eileen is tired but beams with excitement when she tells of the good decisions made by her new sisters in the Lord as a result of the Spirit's conviction in each of their individual lives. We're also seeing the Lord use these times to sharpen the ladies against one another, to spur them to continue in what is right, and to knit their hearts with one another. Glory! And texting has become the unexpected new ministry tool for both of us. Before San Diego we did not even have text message service on our phones. And now, we text daily - this is how Tim catches military men to schedule last minute appointments and to solicit helpers on Sundays; this is how Eileen sends out Bible memory verses and receive prayer requests throughout the day. We are truly surprised by the effectiveness of using txting to keep believers encouraged during the week. Eileen says she doesn't mind becoming a bad speller for the Lord.

Traveling Mercies Indeed!
Thank you for praying for strength and safety! The Lord has seen us through many miles these months, including Ministry Summit with other SoCal church planters, the 20+ hour roundtrip drive to attend the sweet retirement banquet of Dr. & Mrs. John Mincy who are some of our dearest NorCal mentors. And the FBFI/NCPC conferences this past week in 2 other time zones - how we profited greatly from the messages given. they were just what we needed to come back and continue the spiritual battles within and without that rages
here in San Diego! All glory to God for our health and strength, repeated timely returns for Sundays, and divine appointments along the way! We praise the Lord for your prayers - there is no other explanation.

New Team Members: Tristan and Rachel (Webb) Smith The Lord has called the Smiths to come labor and grow with us here with the
church family at MBC! On faith, they will be driving out here from Greenville, SC on the 28th and arrive in mid-July to live with us until the
Lord provides them with employment to establish their own home. How we praise the Lord for this step of faith that He has led them to take! How we covet your prayers on theirs and our behalf for protection and direction and provision - we can hardly wait to see how the Lord will answer!

Summary of Prayer Requests:
- Westside BC Mission Team's outreach and labors of love (6/24-7/3)
- Safe travels (6/26-7/15) and employment for Tristan and Rachel Smith
- Laborers in prayer and in deed be raised up from MBC to serve as Dave and Claudia transition out to their next ministry
- Continued new visitors and salvation of souls
- Major decisions in lives of new believers
- God's clear call and/or provision for those around the country who are burdened to serve in San Diego with us
- Protection and growth in the Spirit-filled life as we continue the spiritual fight within and without

We know this is yet another long update - we trust your joy has been made full to hear of His answering your prayers! It has brought us great joy to rehearse it - please forgive our delay in reporting. We serve a faithful God!

With our love and thankfulness to the Lord,
Tim & Eileen

Dear PFY! Saints!

Greetings in the precious name of our Lord Jesus and Great God who is able give to ALLgrace that we may abound to ALL good works!

Long time no email update! So many of you have prayed and/or emailed, and we have been blessed beyond measure these weeks. We know you are eager to know what happened at the "Meet the Pastor" service yesterday, and we are eager to tell and to beg for your continued intercession through this incredible time.

So much has happened - how do we tell it all? Perhaps the best way is to summarize by chronological log so you'll know how God has answered your many prayers for us and we can press on to greater works from the Lord!

Most of January was filled with designing/mailing the volley of literatures to the 1500+ souls, fielding phone calls from contacts, Eileen getting sick during her parents' visit, and designing/planning signage, equipment, nursery supplies for the church... starting a church involves so many details! Then in between it all, as the radio commercials donated by a dear brother in a supporting church aired and inquiries began coming in by phone & email, the pace quickened even more for the SD Home Team:

1/28 - Barbas drove their RV back from Arizona
1/29 - first meeting of MBC board of directors
1/30 - Claudia flew back to SC to tend to her gravely ailing mother, Mrs. Holmes
1/31 - from the beloved Faith Community Bible Church of El Cajon the Lord provided a pianist (Dave Cantor) to play in Claudia's absence, Brother Tobiah volunteered to help us call back 100 names, and several ladies volunteered to help in the nursery
2/4 - ordered items all arrived, filling our home with boxes
2/5 - Faith BC of Folsom drove down to help us and began mass production of visitor's packets & gifts and tested/assembled church equipment, from computer troubleshooting to commercial paper cutter to sermon recorder to coffee maker to nursery gates, etc. (Upon their arrival we were running on fumes - though supernatural grace-endued fumes - but then the Lord sent us blessed chariots, with very able horsemen, from FBC Folsom!) Lodging was graciously provided by Pastor Sherwood of Jericho Road Baptist Church of La Mesa.
2/6 - on this rainy and dreary day FBC Folsom finished visitor's items, passed out 1000 door-hangers (after the Lord answered our prayer at lunchtime and gave a window of sunshine in mid-afternoon), assembled Sunday bulletins, began PFY! Call Backs, and fed us dinner! Brother Dave discovered a leak in the roof of their RV and with the Lord help managed to locate and caulk the hole in the rain and in the dark.
2/7 - "Meet the Pastor" Sunday filled with miracles and answered prayers:

1. the forecast was another dreary rainy day, but the Lord gave us beautiful sunshine.
2. we arrived at our meeting place to find a very apologetic janitor (a kind but unsaved lady); the school's centralized security system was locked down and would not allow her Sunday access - multiple attemps to reach those with authorization have failed. We all had great peace and rejoiced at the opportunity to be a blessing to this lady. We prayed for someone to call back. Minutes later, the call came - the county office finally reached the 4th person they tried, a former supervisor of the lady janitor from 3 summers ago who has known her for 15 years and vouched for her trustworthiness, and the county central office over-rode the system. Our lady janitor told us, "Prayer worked."
3. despite this 30 minute delay, everything set up in time with the coffee brewed, nursery set up, sound/video in place, music practiced.
4. after faithfully serving by her church planting husband's side for so many years Mrs. Holmes went home to be with the Lord on His Day, just minutes before MBC service began.
5. we had expected 2-3 visitors who had told us they were coming to this special service that was not advertised but they did not show up; we and our FBC Folsom friends were joined by one of their sister/brother-in-law, and Jim & Becky Senn. Dave (Barba) led the singing, Pastor Ron Perry (FBC Folsom) opened in prayer, Eileen sang the special "The Stranger of Galilee", and Tim preached on "the Light of the World - Jesus." As there were no strangers present (we were all "first time visitors"!), Dave called for a time of testimony which was a great blessing to all - we had a sweet time worshipping the Lord together and praying for Claudia & family.
6. after the service there was ample time to tear down, clean up, pack up, take pictures, and say goodbye to our dear friends from Folsom. It was the most peaceful and blessed first service of MBC we could have had!

Having now begun the PFY! Call Backs, we are learning that it is even more physically gruelling than the initial contact calls - now we are having actual conversations with precious souls and watching the YES list dwindle at a rate that would alarm us if we did not rest in the goodness of our Lord. We will need tomake the bulk of these calls without the Barbas - Brother Dave is flying out in the morning to join Claudia for Mrs. Holmes' funeral on Thursday, and they will return together late Friday night.

So how many people do we expect for the Valentine Grand Opening? ...We don't know! But we know it will be great! We are just looking to the Lord to continue to enable us to do His will as He answers all our prayers!

We will try to send out another report when we are done with all the PFY! Call Backs... sometime later this week - how we covet your prayers for strength and grace!

Funniest Call Back Quote (from a Catholic lady who asked to be removed from our list): "I will pray to St. Jude for you - the patron saint of hopeless causes." (Oh, if she only knew Him who is our Hope of Glory!!!)

So thankful for your love and prayers, and so happy to keep makin' phone calls for the King!!!

Tim & Eileen

Jesus said, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5 )