The July 2009 mailed newsletter for Foundation Ministries.

1. July 2009
Dear Friend,
From the very beginning, I could tell that Bonnie was
going to be a great student. She asked lots of questions and seemed
very eager to learn everything she could about evangelism.
Bonnie was one of 38 seminary students who came to
Crossover Louisville to learn Intentional Community Evangelism.
For some of these students, this was the first time they had
engaged in this type of intense evangelism. In fact, during the
week, someone called it an “evangelism boot camp.”
My team was given the responsibility to teach 5 students. Bonnie Shares the Good News
Dividing the teams up proved to be challenging at times as some
teams were moved to other location during the week and some changed teams. One of my fellow ICE
team leaders was removed from my team to form an entirely new team. All of these adjustments were
needed due to changing conditions on the streets and the guidance that the leadership received from the
Holy Spirit.
Bonnie attends New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in New Orleans where she is
pursuing a degree in counseling. The seminary was offering course credit for participation in the
outreach. However, this was more than just another course for her; it was her passion.
By the second day of outreach I took Bonnie under my wing. As with other people that I have
mentored, I normally have them watch and listen for a while as I engage people on the streets. I have
learned that it is one thing to learn evangelism in a classroom but quite another to put the principles into
practice. Often, students who observe first do better later. It proves the principal that evangelism is more
“caught” than “taught.”
Bonnie listened intently during each encounter. She followed my lead many times as I conversed
with people and added her witness as needed. I remember the first time she gave her testimony. She was
obviously nervous and left out a few of the details. (Earlier, while driving in the van, we asked for the
students to give their personal testimonies as a way of practicing.) However, Bonnie didn’t let
nervousness stop her.
By Wednesday, she was asking if she could breakaway from me to start her own conversations.
It was time. I felt like a mama bird pushing her baby out of the nest for the first time. She began to flap
and flutter but soon got the feel of things. As we walked down Dumesnil Street we encountered a young
lady pushing a baby in a stroller. Bonnie shared the gospel with her using the Evangecube and the girl
gave her heart to the Lord!
There is always that moment where a student “gets it.” For Bonnie, that moment happened when
God used her to lead this young lady to Christ. Bonnie’s confidence was growing. From that moment
Foundation Ministries PO Box 2151 Garner, NC 27529-2151 919-740-5732 www.onlyfoundation.org

2. onward she was witnessing to everything that moved. It was exciting to see her catch the fire of
intentional evangelism. She had the opportunity to lead several people to Christ over the next couple of
days. She went back to New Orleans with a burden for lost souls.
As an evangelist, I have been called to reach people for Christ and to “equip the saints for the
work of ministry.” (Ephesians 4:11-12) One-to-one mentoring is not the easiest part of my ministry. I
prefer to just jump out there and share the gospel myself. However, there is enormous value in
equipping someone else to share the gospel. It allows you to multiply your ministry.
Jesus did the very same thing. He invested 3½ years in a handful of men who in turn spread the
message of his death, burial and resurrection. These men turned the world upside down and became the
foundation of the Church. I believe that is the main reason many of our denominations and churches are
in decline today; we are not teaching the next generation to engage the culture with the gospel.
If we are going to win this generation for Christ, we as the Church must catch a vision for
mentoring others in evangelism. During the first half of this year, I have been privileged to equip over
130 people in intentional evangelism through conferences or one-to-one mentoring. My desire is that
each one adopts a lifestyle of intentional evangelism.
Pray that the Lord would help us discover new prayer and financial supporters so that we might
continue to do this work. We, like many other ministries, are trying to do more work with less these
days. Regrettably, I have already had to cancel some mission opportunities because of the lack of
finances. If you are not yet a part of our ministry support team, please prayerfully consider joining us in
the harvest.
When you support us through prayer and giving, not only are you sustaining us in the work of
evangelism, you are also investing in the people that we train to reach others for Christ. Help me make
that vision a reality. Partner with us as we reach others and teach others to reach others for Christ.
Until the Net is Full,
Darrel
P.S. Please pray for Bonnie. I just found out that she has cervical cancer. The tumor is too large to
remove so they are going to give her chemo and radiation. Pray for healing and for God to give her his
peace during this time.
Foundation Ministries PO Box 2151 Garner, NC 27529-2151 919-740-5732 www.onlyfoundation.org