Dear Friends,

Paul said in I Thessalonians 2:2, “But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.” Thanks for your prayers and words of encouragement. We praise God for you!

MARYLAND TEEN TAKES ON LONDON’S LOST: Justin Ready is 15 years old, the son of a Gospel preacher and pastor, Joe Ready, of Liberty Church, Westminster, Maryland. Justin said he wanted to come get cussed at, so he wasn't surprised when the mobs h re swore and cursed. In fact, he would just grin. One day as Justin got on the bus, he was carrying one of the most feared evangelistic tools to shake London, even as we now speak. In Justin’s possession, and unknown to the public, was what is being called the greatest tool for bus ministry. Yes, it was THE PSYCHO-DRAMA BABY TELEPHONE! As expected, the call came. Ring....ring.....ring. Justin answered, “Hello,...Father, thank you for sending Your Son to die for the sins of the world.” It was obvious that what he held in his hand was a toy, red and blue, plastic telephone. The laughing and smiles came from the passengers as they began to pay attention to what was happening. This sets people at ease and causes them to want to pay attention. Above all the laughter, Justin turned and yelled, “Hey, pipe down people, I’m on the telephone!” That did it, the whole bus exploded in laughter. He had them in the palm of his hand. He continued his conversation, giving the Gospel message. They got the message and it was powerful

THE JUSTIN AND DIRK GOSPEL SHOW: Tower Hill, the area where the famous Tower of London and

The Justin and Dirk Gospel Show (before we had our banner!)

Tower Bridge are, is the scene of thousands of tourists at any time during the summer months. Justin and I began a ministry there and it became one of our favorites! We hung a banner which read, “WELCOME TO THE JUSTIN AND DIRK GOSPEL SHOW.” Then we stood in a spot that was above most of the crowds and conducted our talk show. It worked so well, we had the best audience we have ever had there. I would ask Justin questions and he would answer, and then question me back. The people listened. Every now and then when the crowd changed, we would yell, “Welcome to the Justin and Dirk Gospel Show!” People would at times ask us questions and some would answer our questions. person in the Bible! We were desperate to give them out. We gave away Bibles to any one who could name any. Hey, in one hour we gave out SIX Bibles! Praise God!

We did several shows and even the people who worked nearby came up to listen every time we started. One concession stand owner came up and asked me if he could get me a drink. We were really having an impact. Jack Stone said, “Dirk this is really effective, Justin has the personality for it, he has quick come backs and humor that causes people to want to hear what he will say next.” He had shocking statements from the Bible and hit on controversial things such as homosexuality, abortion, heaven, hell and Jesus Christ! Jack tried to talk Justin into staying and working as a missionary, but family and school called him home to Maryland! He has a gift that is being used to proliferate the Gospel message. Thanks for coming, Justin! Yee Haa!

ROYAL FUNERAL – THE EVENT OF THE CENTURY? Princess Diana’s death shocked the world. She was an extraordinary person who broke royal tradition by showing human emotion. Unfortunately, for all the good it seems she did, her spiritual condition was desperate. She regularly saw a witch doctor, fortune tellers, philosophers of many false religions, etc. And, it appears she may have been on her way to marrying a Moslem. The week of her death, I felt that God spoke to me. Nothing was said of Jesus Christ, so I decided to carry an eight-foot, white cross among the tremendous crowds to put the nation’s minds on the Saviour. A couple of British preachers warned me not to do it because the gathered crowd was so emotional. I said I was going to do it anyway, and they warned me not to put any Scriptures on the cross. I agreed that the white cross was probably all the people could take. We also wrote a tract urging people to turn to God’s Word for comfort and offering free Bibles to any who requested. The day before the funeral, I took the cross down to the areas where crowds were gathering. Steve and Judith Burgess went also. We prayed and began our march, not knowing what awaited us. The Scripture that came to my mind as I made the cross was Acts 15:26, “These are men who have hazarded their lives for the name of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.” We neared Buckingham Palace and the crowds were enormous. People saw us coming, then the press began to come up and take pictures. People surrounded us, also, taking pictures. I began telling them Diana was known for her acts of charity, which reminded me of another story. “Two thousand years ago God sent His Son who died a terrible death, but it was not in vain, He rose again!” Then I would start walking and people kept coming over to take pictures. When I wanted to talk, all I had to do was stop and people would gather to listen. God gave us favor with the people.

Later that day we decided to write “John 3:16” on the cross. That made a difference. People began to ask who John was. “He is in the Bible,” I answered. Then I would quote the Scripture and most thought it was a beautiful thought. Some were angered. At the end of the day, we set up the cross across the street from Westminster Abbey, where the funeral service would be held the next day. The day of the funeral, Steve and I went down with two three-foot crosses. Mine read HOPE and RESURRECTION on the front and JESUS on the back. Steve also had writing on his. As we headed for the area, we could tell those crosses were having an impact on the people’s minds. One woman asked in anger, “Why did God take her?” I asked back, “Why did God allow his Son to be killed?” To this she began crying and said, “I don’t need to look at that cross.” Then she turned her head. We positioned ourselves about 30 minutes ahead of the funeral procession and walked the last mile ahead of them. The crowds saw the crosses, followed 30 minutes later by the casket. WOW, IT WAS POWERFUL!
 

At Buckingham Palace, we are interviewed by the press many times.

Where the cross stood for the funeral, Westminster Abbey behind.

We were exhausted the next few days. You could feel the forces of darkness over the city. I have never felt what I felt as I carried that cross in the midst of all those devils. The city smelled like flowers because of the abundance of bouquets brought in. “The grass withereth, the FLOWER FADETH, but the Word of our God shall stand forever,” (Isaiah 40:7). The flowers have faded, but the message of the CROSS shalt stand forever. The cross was seen on CNN and did appear in a picture in the papers here. We went down a few days after the funeral to get the cross. The police said, “The flowers are going to be thrown away and it would be a waste to throw that cross away, go ahead and get it.” THE FLOWER FADETH, BUT THE WORD OF OUR GOD SHALL STAND FOREVER. And so the CROSS stands at THE LONDON OUTREACH CENTER along with the Good News of its message. That is why we are here, to preach and lift up the message of the CROSS in a darkened, devil-filled, idolatrous city. I told Steve that we were the most humble people there. Everyone looked at us as if we were fools and we felt like fools. Why? Because we were associating ourselves with the cross. A friend of mine, Pastor Galen Sorey, gave me this quote, "GOD HAS HUMBLED HIMSELF, BUT MAN IS STILL PROUD.” Amen!

 With love and appreciation,

 The Wood Family