Tozour Times 2008

Spanning the Continent

Two thousand eight was a fruitful year for the Tozour Evangelistic Team. We ministered in twenty-one different states, as well as Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Canada. It was our joy to see dozens of souls trust Christ for salvation and a great host of believers make important decisions concerning surrender and consecration. We are seeing more fruit than ever. All praise belongs to the Lord of harvest and to His dear Son who is the Vine by whom all fruit is borne through us (John 15:4-5).

Addition and Subtraction

Life is always full of blessings and burdens. It is a mixture of trials and triumphs. Such was the case for us this year.

In October, our partners in ministry, Michael and Candace Wessberg had the joy of adding their third child to the family. Chloe Priscilla is their first daughter and is the apple of her brothers’ eyes.

Since the Wessbergs had to go home for the birth of Chloe, they did not accompany us to Canada in September. Their son Zachariah had to have surgery in December to remove his extremely enlarged adenoids and tonsils. We’ve really missed our helpers this fall!

In May, Rich’s dad passed away suddenly at age 65. The cause was not apparent, but he has had problems with various internal organs for years. The funeral, conducted by Rich, was characterized by many moments of joyful memories as well as tearful goodbyes. It was Dad who led Rich to the Savior at age 10. It was Dad who mentored his son to be a man of God. It was Dad who was always putting the Lord and his home above everything else on earth. His legacy lives on, and so does he—at his new address with his loving Savior. We all await our glad reunion day there. Our “subtraction” will then be forgotten, and our gain will be eternal.

Last March, Angela and Michael’s sister Sonya was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was twenty-nine years old! By God’s grace, she has survived chemo-therapy and radiation treatments and is recovering well.

As we look back over a challenging year, we whole-heartedly agree with David’s observation in Psalm 34:19, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.”

The “Boiler Room”

Charles Spurgeon, renowned pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, called the boiler room the most important room in his church. Why? It was not because he assumed that a comfortable temperature was an essential aid to good listening. Rather, it was because a faithful company of Spurgeon’s church members met weekly in the boiler room to pray for their pastor, asking God to bear a fruitful harvest through his ministry.

E.M. Bounds is well known as a man of prayer. It was his habit to rise every day at four o’clock to pray for the people he pastored. He observed the following:

...every mighty movement of the Spirit of God has had its source in the prayer chamber. The lesson of it all is this, that as workers together with God, we must regard ourselves as in not a little measure responsible for the conditions that prevail around us today. Are we concerned about the coldness of the church? Do we grieve over the lack of conversions? Do our souls go out to God in midnight cries for the outpouring of His Spirit? If not, part of the blame lies at our door. If we will do our part, God will do His.

Little prayer is the characteristic of a backslidden age and of a backslidden church. Whenever there is little praying in the pulpit or in the pew, spiritual bankruptcy is imminent and inevitable. Around us is a world lost in sin, above us is a God willing and able to save. It is our duty to build the bridge that links heaven and earth, and prayer is the mighty instrument that does the work. (E.M. Bounds, Purpose in Prayer)

One of the most important facets of our ministry has been the nightly pre-service prayer meetings we began nearly ten years ago. Each evening, a half hour before our scheduled revival meeting, we meet for prayer with all who will come. Often times, the group consists of just a handful of faithful prayer warriors. But there are other times when the room is packed with praying members. We always have our most bountiful meetings where prayer is prioritized and faith is exerted.

This past year we have seen some powerful answers to prayer through these times of intercession. For example, we can think of three or four specific instances in which a person was introduced to Rich on Sunday and added to the prayer list that evening. We pleaded with God to save them; and, by the end of the week, they trusted Christ as Savior!

In one instance, we were in Maine. Pastor Keith Hilton became especially burdened for a young woman who visited on Sunday. We well remember her. She had two rings pierced through her bottom lip. Keith felt very concerned for this young woman named Brandi. He prayed for her by name each night. She did not come back that week, but, when we heard from Keith three weeks later, he had an amazing report.

The Sunday before, Keith had gone to his church earlier than normal to pray. He begged the Lord to save Brandi. He said, “Lord, would You wake Brandi up this morning with the thought that she simply must come to church and hear Your Word.” Well, Brandi came that day; and she got saved. She told Keith’s wife Marji that the strangest thing had happened to her that morning. “I woke up this morning, and the first thought that entered my mind was that I just had to go to church today,” Brandi reported. “When my dad asked me to help him paint the garage, I said, ‘I can’t, Dad. I’m going to church.’ He said, ‘You haven’t been to church in years. What’s gotten into you lately?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, Dad. I’ll help you paint later, but I just have to go to church.’” She came that morning and put her trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation!

In May, when Rich’s dad passed away, he went to New Jersey to conduct the funeral. He asked the participants in our nightly prayer meetings to pray for God’s work in that service. He preached the Gospel. Two days later, he had the joy of leading his cousin, Ken Field, to Christ. He had prayed for him for twenty-six years! Ken has since followed the Lord in believer’s baptism, has been through extensive discipleship, and is an active member in his local church. Truly, fervent and effectual prayer does avail much (James 5:16)! The Lord be praised.

Family Update

Our “little girls” aren’t so little now days. Briana turned 12 in May and is in the seventh grade. She’s already 5’5”! Heather is now nine and is in the third grade.

Both girls have become big helpers in the nightly children’s meetings. They assist with games, help maintain order, and often babysit their younger cousins or help out in church nurseries. They have enjoyed singing one night a week in our services. Briana accompanies on her ukulele, while we sing a quartet number together. We love these dear daughters and can’t imagine life without their love and enthusiasm.

Zach (3) and Andrew (16 months) don’t seem to mind sharing their parents’ attention with their brand-new baby sister Chloe. As for Briana and Heather, they have dearly missed the presence of these boys who are more like brothers than cousins.

The Tozour Team would be far from complete without the “clan of cousins”.

Thank you for all of your prayers. We cherish your intercession and value our friendships with you.

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16)