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RENDEZVOUS

The Son Shines in Trout Creek

by Hap Cheff, Cabinet Mountain Bible Church, Trout Creek, Montana

Greetings from Trout Creek, the somewhat disputed huckleberry capital of Montana. God does know where Trout Creek is and there is evidence that He has been spending some time here. Sandy and I have been here for two years now, and we are beginning to feel like we are becoming a part of the community. It takes time to gain the confidence of the people and build the relationships necessary to shepherd a church.

We cover a pretty wide spectrum of church backgrounds, but as we all focus on the Bible we find our unity. Our church is not without its problems, but God’s hand is evident here. We have seen an increase in attendance and a hunger for spiritual food.

The highlight of our time here was last fall as I had the privilege of baptizing 11 people in the cool waters of Noxon Rapids Reservoir. One teenage girl came to me and expressed her desire to obey God’s Word and be immersed as a public testimony of her faith in Jesus Christ.

Then one by one in the next two weeks ten more people came and said that this was something they also felt they should do. Some were sprinkled as infants and had never been baptized as a believer. Others were taking the natural step of obedience having given their lives to Christ. Standing waist deep in the lake watching God’s children wading out to me I could understand a little of what John the Baptist must have felt. I, like him, was just an instrument of God, pointing to the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

Our church is going full swing.

Sunday school, worship service, and our youth meet on Sunday. Ladies’ Bible study is on Tuesday afternoons, AWANA meets Wednesday evenings, adult Bible study is on Thursday evenings, and every third Saturday the men get together for breakfast, prayer and Bible study. This, plus working three days a week at Inland Empire Builders in Thompson Falls and taking care of my horses, has kept us busy.

We still have not sold our home in the Mission Valley and that has been a great concern for us. The financial burden of keeping a home there and renting a home here is not one that we can carry indefinitely. We know God is in control of this and are trusting that He will have his will in this area. We covet your prayers for this and that the light of the Gospel would shine brightly from Cabinet Mountain Bible Church into the Huckleberry Capital of Montana and beyond.