The Goldens

It's Fall Ya'll!

2009-09-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture that I took this weekend of Lucky and Taco, in their rooster hats...and their not thrilled about it either :0) Their so much fun! Especially now that Taco's 98% potty trained...

We left Sabastopol four weeks ago with about 130 people in bible study. We've been in Jackson, MS with the Craft's ever since (www.fpcjackson.com), and having a great time! Saturday we had our first corporate effort in getting bible studies, with about 100 people in attendance. We got 146 bible studies!! The previous Thurday a small group went out and did surveys and had 28 people say they were interested in a home bible study...making a total of 174!! Today the "real" work has begun :0) scheduling the bible studies and then teaching them. However, I can't think of too many things more rewarding then helping someone find Jesus! Pray for the laborers.

I'm thrilled about cooler weather approaching. Autumn is one of my favorite seasons! Last year I completely missed Autumn, being in Arizona (Phoenix mainly) from August until December. Bring on the cider, pumpkin butter, mums, pumpkins, baking, leaves changing...it's all good!

Much happenin'

2009-07-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

Much has happened since my last post (embarrassingly three months ago). For starters, I turned another year older and had a wonderful celebration with family, my brother and sister and their families (pictured here).

Also, we acquired another puppy who we named "Taco" (Chihuahua), a birthday gift. I'm in puppy training mode right now...not wanting any more puppies for a while, maybe never! (lol) But Taco is precious and Lucky is starting to feel the same :0)

Three weeks ago we went to the Alabama Revival Conference where we experienced life changing preaching! I'm thankful we didn't miss it!

We also got to visit with wonderful friends and family, whom we hadn't seen in six months...good times!

Two weeks ago we started revival in Sebastopol, MS with the Copeland's (www.pinegrovepentecostalchurch.com) So far several have received the Holy Ghost and been baptized. Saturday we went out for our first "Fishing" venture (for men that is) and got 142 bible studies! By the end of this week thirty-three of those will have already been taught the first lesson!

We're excited about the future and what God holds for it!!

2009-05-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

Has it really been two whole months since I lasted posted?! For shame..

God has done and is still doing mighty things these last nine weeks!

In review: We ended up being with the Gurley's in Pearland, Texas, ten weeks (www.firstchurch.com). The church got close to two hundred bible studies during that time! People are hungry for God ~

We had great revival services and several prayed through!

We've been in Porter, TX (thirty miles or so north of Houston) with the Green's three weeks (www.porterapc.com). Week before last a small group went out on a Thursday evening and got thirty-three bible studies! Today was our first corporate effort in "Fishing for men" and sixty-six bible studies were gotten! The harvest truly is great...

We've had some dynamic services so far and several have received the Holy Ghost!!

I'm looking forward to what more God has in store!

Good times..

2009-03-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

Just passed our fourth week of revival in Pearland, TX we're having a great time and God is continuing to bless. We're scheduled for another "fishing expedition" (fishing for souls) this coming Friday and I'm looking forward to it! Thanking God for His favor in this city.

We've also been having a good time getting to spend time with family. For the first time in years I got to be with my sister on her birthday...we had a birthday party at Jason's Deli (wait, does three people count as a "party"? lol)

Our fifth-wheel is parked at an RV park that has a small lake so Uncle Shane, along with my brother Brian took the nephews fishing (literally for fish this time). Although the "fishing trip" only lasted about about an hour - since a three year old, four year old and six year old don't have the attention span for longer than that - a good time was had by all...except for that short stint when Greyson (the four year old) got bit by a fire ant (drama at it's finest).. good times

2009-02-16T16:52:00.001-08:00

We've been in Pearland almost two weeks now. With about a hundred people, Friday night we went out and got 109 bible studies! Soul-winning is fun! Today the "schedulers" started setting up the appointments for the bible studies to be taught this week...and in fact some were taught today!
Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!

2009-01-27T12:21:00.000-08:00

Pictured here is the State Capitol of Texas (Austin) - Pflugerville is a suburb of Austin

We're continuing to have revival in Pflugerville.

It's exciting to be a part of what God is doing in this city!

Saturday we went out in the community for evangelistic outreach. In just forty-five minutes we had sixteen people say they would be interested in being taught a home bible study. Several of those are already being taught this week.

So far, we've had a total of three receive the Holy Ghost!

We give God all the praise!

10 weeks?!

2009-01-21T12:14:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it's been ten weeks since I last posted! I had to refresh my memory on how to update my blog - lol!

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years have come and gone. We had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends!

Sunday we started revival in Pflugerville, TX (Austin area). .. With Chad & Cassi Harper - we're having a great time...and looking forward to what God has in store!

Revival in Phoenix

2008-11-09T20:26:00.000-08:00

We've been in Phoenix two weeks now, in revival with the McCary's - www.phoenixrevivalcenter.org - So far we've had about ten people receive the Holy Ghost. This weekend we had our first Outreach effort. We got a total of eighty-three Bible studies...fourteen are already scheduled to be taught this week - God is GOOD!!

We've finally starting seeing some Autumn weather - which I'm happy about. It's been around eighty during the day and cooler than that at night...burrrr

Lucky and Shane had a birthday Friday - not named in order of importance :0) - birthday cake was had by everyone!

Closing out in Tucson

2008-10-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

I couldn't pass up this hot dog costume at Target for Lucky...as you can see he's not happy to be wearing the "hot dog" lol ~

Autumn, being one of my favorite seasons :0) puts me in the mood to bake more than usual. So far I've made pumpkin bread, banana bread and strawberry bread. I also made strawberry jam the other day and it turned out great.

After nine weeks of revival in Tucson we're moving on. When we came to Tucson the church had about two people in home bible study. Now they have about eighty people in home bible study. About forty people received the Holy Ghost during the course of the revival which we are excited about and thankful for! Now as we're leaving, several of the people that are in home bible study are starting to come to church and get baptized.

This coming Sunday we will be starting revival at Phoenix Revival Center pastored by Bro. McCary.

Fifth Sunday in Tucson

2008-09-22T01:38:00.000-07:00

It's been two weeks since I last posted and we are still in Tucson. Today (or yesterday rather since it's after midnight) was our fifth Sunday with the Conners. As of Sunday nights service over thirty people have received the Holy Ghost! And almost as many have been baptized. So far thirty-seven new bible studies are being taught (of the ones we got in the last three weeks). Glory to God!

Lucky likes bubbles :0) The first time I got the bubbles out they scared Lucky and he ran and hid behind the chair..lol ~ I decided to give the bubbles one more try and the 2nd time he was trying to eat them (see pic)...very entertaining :0)

El Guero Canelo has the BEST hot dogs ever! If you like hot dogs and you're ever in Tucson, you owe it to yourself to try one :0) Definitely not on the Weight Watchers diet plan :0)

Busy Weekend

2008-09-09T00:58:00.000-07:00

WOW! Busy weekend. Friday night we got to go to Mexico with the Conners for a special service. One of the ministers from their church is pastoring the Church. It was neat. The service was mostly in spanish so I didn't understand it but an enjoyable experience none the less (the picture of the preachers on the platform was taken at the service in Mexico). Sunday, we went to three different churches to preach. Sunday morning we were with the McCary's- www.PhoenixRevivalCenter.org (pictured in the middle) and had three people receive the Holy Ghost. We were with the Navarrete's (far left pic) - www.RedeemerMinistries.com for their two o'clock service and Sunday night we preached for the Combs with several receiving the Holy Ghost. We pick back up with the Conners this week.

Revival

2008-09-02T23:37:00.000-07:00

Friday night we had our first Outreach with the Tucson church and got 70 bible studies! I'm so thankful for Gods favor! Now the real work begins :0)

Sunday, once again, we had tremendous services and five more received the Holy Ghost! God is good.

Thankfully the weather is cooling off some..five to ten degrees - hey, out here in Arizona every little bit helps - lol..

Labor Day we went to the Conners for a BBQ and had a great time. Lucky got to go too and play with King (the Conners dog) and got more exercise than he's ever had (in his short ten-month life) in one day..lol ~ when we got home last night I picked him up to sit in my lap and he was limp as a dish cloth...haha

New Friends

2008-08-26T00:15:00.000-07:00

We had another great weekend in Tucson. Sunday a total of nine people received the Holy Ghost! It's SO exciting to be a part of Gods kingdom. We will continue revival in Tucson for the time being.

Sunday night we met the Perez's who are out of the Conners church and missionaries to Mexico. Sweet people. Lucky also made a new friend, King, the Conners spaniel :0)

Tucson way

2008-08-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

After leaving Phoenix Saturday, we had great services Sunday, in Tucson with the Conner's, where several people received the Holy Ghost - www.ftchurch.org - We're scheduled to be in revival with them for the next couple of services.

Tucson is the second largest city in Arizona with a population of a million. It's a beautiful place. The Conner's church has an amazing view of some of the mountain range that you can see on their website.

Is anyone ready for cooler weather, besides me? :0)

Has it been three weeks since I posted?!

2008-08-10T00:18:00.000-07:00

We've had a busy three weeks. We went to ARC, got to visit some family & friends, and preached some too :0)

When we got back to California from Alabama (after a flight that made me think God might be through with us) we preached in LA, Sunday for Bro. Salinas (am svc) and Bro. Elms (pm svc). Tuesday we started on our journey to Glendale, AZ (church above) where we're preaching for Bro. Garett tomorrow. We stopped along the way to get the breaks on our 5th wheel fixed. The thermometer on my car was reading 115 degrees as we were driving through Phoenix...makes the 75 degrees in our trailer feel cold :0)

Lucky the destructive dog

2008-07-20T16:38:00.001-07:00

I have come to the conclusion that Lucky is the most destructive puppy we have ever owned! He's almost nine months old and I think he's done teething, he just likes to tear things up. I've bought him countless toys described as "tuff", "for aggressive chewers" and so on and he's destroyed every single one of them. Day before yesterday he tore a tennis ball to pieces. Last night we stayed with the Manzano's and when we left for church this morning I put Lucky in the bed Sissy got for him. We left our bedroom door cracked to cool the room off while we were gone. When we got back this afternoon we find out from the Manzano's that Lucky came to greet them when they got home...he had torn a hole in the door of his bed and got out. Don't you know he was a happy dog when he escaped that bed? He had the run of the house practically all day.

Time flies..

2008-07-15T23:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been over a week since I last posted. I'm gettin' a little more used to the hot weather here..and plus it's cooled off a few degrees.

We're still parked in San Bernardino at the Strattons church. Friday night we had an outreach and got sixty-five bible studies!! Also, we had several receive the Holy Ghost in Sundays service.

We are still going to the Manzano's church once a week too, to do a bible study class..not much else new for the moment.

Onward christian soldiers..

2008-07-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

After five weeks of being parked in Pasadena we are movin' on to San Bernardino..bout forty-five miles east. Bro. & Sis. Stratton pastor in San Bernardino www.gatewaychristianfellowship.com
Is anybody enjoying this HOT weather? Yesterday, when we pulled into the church parking lot, the thermometer on my car read 109 degrees! I was afraid to let Lucky run around on the pavement because the pavement was so hot! I thought my jelly shoes were going to melt on my feet..lol - thank the Lord for two AC's! I blacked out most of the windows in my trailer to keep some of the heat out..call me a redneck if you want to :0) If you've ever lived in a fifth wheel you know their not well insulated..yes, I feel like I'm living in a cave - but it's a "cool" cave (meant literally).

Golden times..

2008-07-01T00:39:00.000-07:00

This past week I found out there is more in LA than the big city. On our way back to Pasadena from Lancaster Wednesday, we drove through the Angeles National Forest. It was BEAUTIFUL! On the left is a picture I took of some flowers I thought were pretty. Part of the forest had pine and other trees (looked like wilderness I would see in Alabama) and some parts looked like desert, like where these flowers are. The forest was relaxing to drive through.
At the moment we are still parked in Pasadena. We had a great service with the Browns on Wednesday and Sunday. Three people received the Holy Ghost Sunday!

Whew! 'Nother week..

2008-06-23T00:06:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe another week has gone by already! Time flies when your havin' fun. A lot happenin'! The only night we had free this week was Monday..we had a lot of the same as last week. Tuesday we had an evangelism class at the Manzano's again, Wednesday we had evangelism class with the Browns, Thursday night we had revival service with the Elms, Friday night we were invited by the Browns to a Youth Workers Retreat in Ontario where Shane gave about a ten minute commercial about Evangelism on Purpose. The guest speaker for that evening was Robbie Emery who did a FANTASTIC job - http://www.apostolicimpact.com/
Saturday we did an evangelistic outreach with the Elms church.
We got eighteen bible studies! It was a miracle just to get people to stop long enough to do the surveys since it was about 105 degrees outside. And today (Sunday) we were with the Elms for their a.m. & p.m. service and with the Browns for their 12 o'clock service...the temperature dropped to 103 today :0) I don't remember the last time I sweated this much! It was a three-shower day. The picture to the right (that Shane & I are in) was at the Elms. Bro. Elms is pictured by Shane and the remaining six are all girls from Taiwan who are staying here for a month to help work at the Mission in downtown LA (one of the Elms works). The girls were SO sweet! I loved listening to them talk and I asked them a ton of questions about Taiwan. Also, they all received the Holy Ghost in service Sunday. Yesterday after Outreach Bro. Elms took Shane and I to the Mission they have downtown (on skid row). I was SO impressed. A Taiwanese sister by the name of Sis. Ami runs it. They feed the homeless once a day and hold services for them once a day. There is a great need for this kind of ministry here. Today was our last services with the Browns and the Elms, I'm going to miss all of them..
not sure what's next yet.

This Weeks News

2008-06-15T23:50:00.000-07:00

What a busy week it's been. Starting last Tuesday night we were back at Bro. & Sis. Manzano's in Lancaster (Quartz Hill) - the picture of Shane teaching is at their church that night. Wednesday we held service with Bro. & Sis. Brown (Pasadena), Thursday we were in service with Bro. & Sis. Elms (Los Angeles). The picture of the church is where they pastor. Saturday was Evangelistic Outreach in Pasadena (pictured above is Shane doing a survey)...we got nineteen bible studies! Oh, and today (Sunday) was a.m. service in LA, noon service in Pasadena and p.m. service back in LA. God moved mightily in all three services. Whew! That's all for now..

Our three Nephews - so sweet!!

2008-06-10T00:49:00.001-07:00

Left to Right: Jachin, Greyson & Caleb ~ Spring '08

Sunday

2008-06-10T00:31:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend we had!

Sunday we preached the a.m. and p.m. service at the Elms (in Los Angeles). We also preached the twelve o'clock service at the Browns. It was a busy day and we had great services. Several people prayed through. Pictured here is the Elms and their oldest grandchild.

God is good!!

Hi Friends!

2008-06-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

Last night (Thursday) we were in service with Bro. & Sis. Manzano.

Their church is located in Quartz Hill in the High Desert, north of the Los Angeles area. (http://www.theconnectpoint.com/)

It was our first service of a series we are starting with their church. Last night Shane did an introduction of the Bible Study and taught lesson 1. Over the next few weeks we plan to be with the Manzano's once a week. We will also be with the Browns. Love you all!

2008-06-04T14:45:00.001-07:00

It's never too late to become what you could've been

A Golden Update

2008-06-03T23:48:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody,
Just wanted to give an update on where we are at the moment.
This past Sunday we started a new revival with the Browns in Pasadena, California (www.lifechurchpasadena.com).
Pasadena is the sixth largest city in Los Angeles County with a population of around 146,000.
We covet your prayers in this venture..
God bless,
Rachel