September 11, 2024

To all our friends, family, and supporters:

Today is a day of “remembering” for us. On 9/11/2001, we were living in Virginia. I was at a Christian school not far from here, while Wendy sat at home with our 3-year-old daughter preparing for a ladies’ event at our church when our world changed. Our oldest, Josh, remembers most of the details, but Caleb remembers very little, while Hannah remembers none of it. And yet, there is a whole generation who knows nothing about it. Today, we think of and pray for all the friends and family who suffered great loss; and, for a country that quickly united and then seemed to “crumble” even quicker. Today, our country seems more divided than ever in our lifetime. Wendy and I pray for our country daily, as I’m sure many (if not most) of you do as well. Let’s continue to pray for God to intervene for the good of our nation in the coming months!

Since our last newsletter, we have seen God work in great and mighty ways! We have had meetings in Texas, New Mexico, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, and Virginia. God is so faithful. His goodness keeps us in constant “awe”! Wendy and I consider it an honor and a privilege to serve Him with our lives.

One of the BIG blessings that we have been honored to be a part of is the Bridge to Recovery, a faith-based addiction program started by the First Baptist Church of Bridgeport, Michigan. Pastors JD Howell and Scott Cowling have an incredible burden for this people group and are doing a phenomenal job of reaching them! It has been a joy to be a part of their team in writing and producing materials to help people get into God’s Word to find the answers they so desperately need. Please pray that God will bless all our efforts and that many lives will be affected by and for our Savior!

So many of you ask (regularly) for specific prayer requests and needs that we have. We always reply with the needs of our precious mothers, who we care for here in Lynchburg, Virginia. Thank you for praying for them. We are thankful to still have both in our lives, and, as of right now, both are stable, happy, and content. Praise the Lord! Normally, we try to not to mention personal needs as God is so faithful to provide. However, there is a pressing need that we are going to share this month – tires. Sadly, we have been told that we need to put new tires on BOTH of our vehicles, a 2017 Toyota Highlander (the one we use for ministry and all our travels) and a 2019 Dodge Caravan (the one we use around town and to carry Wendy’s mom to and from her doctor’s visits.) The total needed for new tires for both is $2,100. We also now live in a state where we are required to get annual vehicle inspections, which are due for us in November. We know that God will provide, and His timing is perfect! But since some of you have “scolded” us for not telling you of our needs, we listened and are sharing it with you. We anticipate and are excited to be able to share with you His provision in the near future!

As we look at the upcoming weeks, we are “packing our bags” and hope to see some of you in Mentor, Ohio or Fredericksburg, Virginia or Ringgold, Louisiana or Conway, Arkansas or York, Pennsylvania or Prince George, Virginia! God bless you and yours as we enter this beautiful fall season…let’s echo creation and proclaim His handiwork in all the ways He gives us!

Sincerely,

Ben and Wendy Burks