Pastor's Comments

We are now back home. Though my family and I had a very fine trip to the United Kingdom, that was both educational and broadening in my perspective of the work God is using Mr. Bowles and me to do, we were very happy to return home. I cannot remember a time when the bed felt as good as it did our first night home.

In my last letter I wrote to all of you about the day by day events of our trip all the way up to last Sabbath.
Services on that last Sabbath was very inspiring though there were only a handful of us in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Morgan. Added to the inspiration was the blessing of being able to meet for the service in their home on the farm with beautiful and spacious green and rolling hills.

Talking with Adele Morgan was very enjoyable for we talked about the Scriptures and some of the things she had learned from them. She devotes a lot of time to the animals on their farm and this gives her time to think about what she studies in the Bible. I am sure that anyone who talks to her goes away uplifted and profited.

Mr. and Mrs. Munro drove back to Mr. and Mrs. Bowles home with us to have dinner together and prepare the boxes of the apostle booklets for us to bring back to the states with us to be mailed from here to those who request it.

Early Sunday morning Mr. and Mrs. Bowles drove all of us back to London and arrived around noon of that day. All of us made the decision to go to the British Museum together, and did. After viewing some of the history of early times, we went up to the top floor (6th floor) to view Roman and Britain history. Just as we were about to enter the alarm sounded and everyone in the museum had to vacate the building. We never did know the cause for sure, but thought to be a fire alarm having been sounded.

Then we had a taxi cab take us to view the Tower of London. It is a group of towers. And a place I will add that has a very bloody and gruesome past. We saw the very place where different ones had their heads cut off by an axe -- including queens and other notables. There was also the place we saw where traitors were deliberately drowned.

Both Sunday and Monday nights we stayed in a hotel that was located right in the midst of London. As the result there was little sleep. Though we were on the 9th floor we could easily hear the yelling, laughing, and so on going on until about 3:30 am. Some of it was carried on right out in the hallway of the floor we were on in the wee hours of the morning, very loud. No respect for those trying to sleep. Then the garbage truck moved in and began dumping the bins (several close together) filled with glass bottles and whatever in the truck. The crashing sound of the glass and other garbage was very noisy and loud. Then the street sweeper came along.

I called London the city that never sleeps -- at least where we were. It was an experience. One that we lived through without any real problems from it; but one that we will remember for a long time.

The hotel had community bath rooms and that was an experience for some in our party. In order to take a shower the operator had to be called on the phone and then someone would be sent up with the necessary towels.

At the conclusion of the Church services in Bristol, England, I was asked about the possibility of having an archive for the Pastor’s Comments. I told the members that it was now being developed.

While we were staying with Mr. and Mrs. Bowles, I walked into an ongoing conversation between Mrs. Bowles and Mrs. Plagenza early one morning over breakfast. The subject had to do with nutrition and related areas. This spurred a thought in my mind.

Knowing the need of something in that area for the women in the Church to try and keep families in as good health as possible, I approached Mrs. Bowles about the possibility of her beginning to write in that area. I told her we could add another button on our websites that women could go to and learn from it.

Mrs. Judy Bowles is a graduate of Ambassador College in Bricket Wood, UK. She has studied into this field and after hearing her on a few subjects, I realized she is very knowledgeable and balanced. She is both a mother and a grandmother, and therefore fits the area that we find in Scripture of being a qualified teacher of younger women:

Titus 2:3-4 "The older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanders, not given to much wine, TEACHERS OF GOOD THINGS -- that they admonish (teach) the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, HOMEMAKERS, good, obedient to their husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed."

These Scriptures cover a broad range of needful teaching for the women. I really believe all of you women can profit greatly from her writings. Also, I will add that she is a very good writer. One who puts personality, warmth, and interest in her writings.

Mothers and sisters in Christ, there are people who are dying at all ages from one disease or another. Diseases that could be prevented if one is knowledgeable of the good things and practicing it. You have been given by God an awesome responsibility of putting forth the effort of learning and practicing the knowledge that could keep your family in better health than those who are negligent in these areas.

At a younger age we think we can eat anything without harming the temple of God’s Spirit (which is our bodies). However as we grow older we begin to experience health problems of one kind or another that in many cases could have been prevented.

We need to remember that when we are prayed for and anointed we are asking God to forgive us for His physical laws we have violated. Think about it. Our overall diet should be that of health building foods.

On a personal note -- My younger brother, at age 50, died with cancer. My older sister died a few years ago due to a lack of calcium in her body. Now it appears that my older brother has cancer.

I am very thankful to God that when He added my wife and me to His Church we begin to learn the laws of health and we have practiced them all through the years. The blessing of the health I yet have I attribute to those teachings and putting them into practice. Had I not done so, I would possibly have cancer or some other disease or be dead.

At the same time, you women, as well as we men, are to be learning to be teachers. What we learn from the good things that are taught will be very helpful in our teaching in God's new world.

One area that I was told about by Mr. Duncan is that our website has been down since last Sabbath and in need of being fixed. It is still unclear to me as to why it was taken down by the server. I was told payment was the problem. However when I checked the Church Visa Card it does not expire until next year.

To take care of it, I gave them a different card that does not expire until 05. At the same time I had our business manager, Mr. Joe Duncan, added to the authorized list of working with it so he can fix any future problems himself.

Thinking back, I want to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Bowles for inviting us into their home and sacrificing their time while putting forth every effort of doing all they possibly could to make our visit enjoyable and profitable.

I also want to say that our lives are much richer and the better for the experience of meeting the people of God in England and Wales. We were wonderfully blessed by God in every way. I cannot thank Him enough for His blessings He poured out upon all of us.

One day all of us from all of the countries where God’s people are scattered will come together and what a tremendously wonderful blessing that will be for all of us as we fellowship and worship our God together.

In addition to praying for the sick among us, please pray for our dear family members in Australia who have experienced a death within the family. I have talked to both Linda Woods and her mother (Dottie) during this past week regarding the tragic death of Dottie's husband. His funeral was this Friday morning. As we all realize a death within the family is always very hard to bear and certainly they would appreciate your prayers in their behalf in their time of sorrow.

To listen to our live Church service that goes forth from Modesto, California at 11 am (Pacific Standard Time, a free call), please dial: 1-800- 820-4690. Upon hearing the operator, punch in 7076149 to be followed by the # pound sign.