Ireland, August 30th, 2008 #9

DEAREST FRIENDS,

DANCING LATVIANS, DRUNKS, AND LARGE CROWDS IN DUBLIN

How can I describe to you the absolutely incredible evening that we experienced last night? God made the rain stop, gave us just the right spot to set up our equipment and gave us large crowds. At one point, we counted over a hundred and twenty people standing on the street listening to a children’s Bible story and less than 10 of them were children. Even more listened at other times.

When the first puppet song began, everyone got so excited over the new Egyptian puppets that were singing Pharaoh, Pharaoh. I counted more than 25 people taking pictures or video during that song. They clapped and cheered after every song the band did. More, they clapped and cheered for the puppets and the Bible stories. Please remember that these were crowds who did not know Jesus, but they were excited to hear about Him. Your prayers are making a difference!

Many of us had very special conversations with people after we finished. Michelle talked with a man named Mick who is dying of AIDS and he does not know Jesus. Please pray for him to come to faith. Sam and I bought a homeless man dinner. William was begging on the street, but was very grateful to receive a meal. Please pray for him to trust in Jesus.

With Yeva’s help, I shared Christ with a group of 8 young people from Latvia who were Russian speakers. They did not know Jesus, but were eager to listen to the stories I told them about Jesus and how He changed my life. One of the young women was so touched that she began to cry. Please pray for these young people to meet Jesus as their Lord and Savior. When we finished talking, they began doing a Latvian dance on the street. Some of our band members started to dance with them. We are having a crazy, wonderful time.

As always, we had lots of drunks that loved to yell at us as we they walked past. We heard very interesting vocabulary tonight. One drunken man came up to speak to Sam and I and he kept stroking our faces. He wanted to thank us for what we had seen and heard. Another drunken man was very angry during the Bible story, but our friend John was able to calm him down and walk him to the side.

SPANISH FRIENDS

At the end of every program, the band sings an amazing song about how Jesus makes us alive. The puppets always finish by singing with them. I draw one last picture during this time of 2 cliffs with the cross as the bridge between them. It shows how faith in Jesus is our way to God. It shows how His blood covers our sin. As we finished, 3 young people from Spain came up to Silvana and began to talk in very careful English... They asked me to draw that drawing for them and explain it. With broken Spanish, much prayer, and very slow English, I explained to them the wonderful story of the Gospel. Please pray for them to put their trust in Jesus!

PRAYER

We return to the streets twice today, Saturday, and need you to pray for good weather. Please pray for the crowds to hear and receive the hope that only Jesus gives! Ask the Father to make us wise.

In Jesus, Linda for
Sam Shaw-Asst. Director of The Agape Puppets
Silvana Shaw- Brazil
Yeva- Kurdistan
Sabina- Poland
Malachi Armstrong-USA
Toby Simmons-USA
Jade Rodgers-Northern Ireland
Sam Rodgers-Northern Ireland

Ireland, August 28th, 2008 #8

DEAREST FRIENDS,

AWESOME EVENING

What an awesome evening! Nothing in this world gives me joy like hearing children call on the name of Jesus, asking Him to be their King and their Savior. If I could sing, I would have been singing as they asked God to forgive them and be their Father!
Even adults were heard praying.

With our dear friends, the Irish band Reality, we did a program in a church built in 1785. The cornerstone was laid by John Wesley, a famous Methodist evangelist. The church closed in the 70's and for many years was not a light for Jesus. Today, a sweet fellowship meets in this place and tells the people here that there is hope.

As I write you these words, the party is still going on outside this door. people stayed to enjoy cups of tea and biscuits (cookies). Wonderful conversations happened and are still happening as people are unwilling to leave. It has been a precious evening.

The crowd loved the band and enjoyed the puppets so much. The most popular puppet was a giant bear with a six foot arm reach. Malachi wore him and then climbed on top of Simon's shoulders. Simon is a dear friend of Reality who stands 6 foot 4 inches tall. For a while, I was not sure if Simon would fall or Malachi would pass out from the heat of wearing a furry suit. They were dancing and clapping to the song. The church loved it!

We are all so blessed!

TWO STREET SHOWS

We have had 2 great opportunities to share on the streets here, in 2 different cities. So many people stopped to listen and some talked with us. I even met a man from Georgia, where I live. How can I describe to you the wonder of standing on a street in Ireland and sharing with people the hope that only Jesus gives. More, though most would not believe as we do, they clap for every part of the program. Sometimes, they come up to us afterwards and thank us for what they have heard. Hundreds have accepted Gospel literature, some took Bibles, and all about the Father's plan for them. We even had people listening from across the street. Some stopped in their cars and others parked nearby to listen. Praise God!

PRAYER REQUESTS
Tomorrow, we head for Dublin. Please send your prayers ahead of us and ask God to hold the rain, get us a spot on the street and call people to listen!

In Jesus,Linda for an exhausted and happy crowd of souls

Ireland, August 26th, 2008 #7

DEAREST FRIENDS,

NO SLEEP AND MANY BLESSINGS

Please forgive the mistake that was made in labeling yesterday's newsletter. It should have been labeled #6, but it turns out that I was not as clear as I had hoped at 2 AM. We are doing street shows every afternoon and a second set at night. Now, it is after 1 and everyone is just beginning to get quiet. Even though we go to bed very late , we are usually up early. We are an extremely sleep deprived bunch of people, but we are all so happy.

There is no way that I can describe to you but a tiny bit of all that we seeing the Father do. The crowds are amazing. They stand for hours in the rain and cold listening to Christian music, testimonies, Bible stories, and watching puppets. I have loved Jesus since I was 5 years old, but I must tell you the truth. I would not stand in such miserable weather, cold and soaked to the skin , to hear a Gospel presentation. Still, we see people stand for hours each night in the worst possibles weather.

I look into their eyes and see such pain. They are so desperate for the God that they deny. There are so few people in Ireland who can explain the difference between religion and knowing Jesus. People are taught to follow rules as the way to know God. They live very frustrated lives, bound by laws that they know they have broken. They live without hope. We want them to know about Jesus and how His spirirt will change them from the inside out.

Thank you for praying .Please pray for these dear people to understand true faith!

AN ITALIAN COUPLE

Tonight, after I finished telling the story, I walked out in the crowd. An Italian lady grabbed my arm and thanked me for the program. She told me that she did not understand how she could be so touched by the program. She told me that my words had made her cry. I smiled and explained to her that what she was experincing had nothing to do with me. I told her that she was feeling the love of God and the love of Jesus. Both of them stood listening to the program the entire evening despite the rain and cold. Please pray for them to put their trust in Jesus. God knows their names.

A WONDERFUL STORY

Perhaps you have been wondering what really happens at a street show. Last year, a Romanian lady trusted Jesus as her Savior at a Galway street show. We never knew, but she received literature on the local church at the show. Now, she is an active member of the church. We actually know very little of what the Father does , but we are confident that He is doing more than we can ask or imagine! Pray!

TOMMORROW IN CASTLEBAR

We are leaving here in the morning and will be doing strret shows in Castlebar and Westport. As always , we will need you to pray for the weather.

In Jesus, Linda for a very tired and happy team

Ireland August 26th, 2008 #6

Dearest Friends,

STANDING IN THE DARK

Tonight, we began doing street shows in Galway. It is so different here from Tralee. Spiritually, this is a very dark place and all of us felt the spiritual attack tonight. We need you to pray! There are huge crowds of people in this place, but they are very resistant to the Gospel.

Hundreds of people came to the shows tonight, but we all felt as though they were not listening with their hearts. Still, we know that we do not trust in our feelings. We put our trust in God our Father, trusting that He is touching peoples lives even when we do not see it.

There were blessings tonight in the midst of all the attack as different friends had wonderful conversations with people on the street. People from Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil and Poland all stood on the street with many Irish people listening to how they could have hope in Jesus Christ. Please pray for all of the people who came to the programs tonight. Ask God to give them a hunger to know more about Jesus. All of them received free CD's from the band, literature and books for the children. Ask the Father to give them a desire to listen to the CD and to read what they were given.

CHELSEY AND AMY

Chelsey and Amy are two little girls that I met on our last night in Tralee. They came up to me after the show and began to talk. I asked them if they had listened to the Bible story and they said yes. I told them how i came to put my trust in Jesus as a little girl. I explained that everyone has things that hurt them and make them cry. Chelsey quickly responded, "I cry all the time." I told her how Jesus could take away her tears.

She was very hard for a little girl who was just 8 years old. She told me that she would not ask Jesus to be the King of her heart. She would not ask God to forgive her. My heart broke for her because I know that she has no hope unless she puts her trust in Jesus. Her home is a very difficult place. I met her father last night and he was quite drunk. Please pray fro Chelsey and Amy, her cousin, to put their trust in Jesus. Only God can take away her tears and give her joy.

In Jesus, Linda for a very tired team

Ireland, August 25th, 2008 #5

Dearest Friends,

Please know that the following email was written for Sunday morning, but we are having a hard time getting internet access. The Father answered all of our prayers! I will send the rest of the stories in the next email. Please read and rejoice! Begin to pray for the street shows that we will do in Galway as we are on our way there today, Monday. Pray for people to respond to the hope of the Gospel, pray for the rain to stop during our program, and pray for a good place to set up.

THE ROSE OF TRALEE FESTIVAL

Each year in Ireland, Tralee celebrates the Rose of Tralee festival. Tens of thousands of people attend and this gives all of us a great opportunity for doing street ministry. We are seeing crowds of hundreds of people gather to listen to Reality (a Christian band) and hear short messages about how Jesus Christ can change their lives. They stand in the rain and listen to puppets sing Christian songs. All of us are amazed that the crowds love the Bible stories. Even the adults are happy to listen and often come to us afterwards and thank us for what they heard!

We tell them how there is forgiveness for their sins and that there is the promise of a new changed life through faith in Jesus Christ. Most people live without hope and so they listen eagerly to the music and the stories. They seem so hungry to hear. Would you stand in the rain for hours to listen to the Gospel?

I have discovered that my very nice rain coat is only waterproof by USA standards. It rained so hard Saturday afternoon as we were sharing that the rain soaked through my coat, through my jacket, and through my shirt. Irish rain is cold and intense. Still, the people would not leave. The Father uses your prayers to hold them! Thank you!

Two Ladies

Yesterday, a lady begged me to come and speak to her as soon as I finished. She was troubled for her friend and knew that she needed Jesus. We quickly realized that they both needed the Father’s love and forgiveness. Her friend was in a very abusive marriage and suffered equally from the gossip that swirled around her life. I shared with her what Jesus shared with the woman at the well and she listened with her heart. She has young children and wants them to have peace. Even if I had not seen her bruises, her eyes told how she suffered.

The Father was kind to them. Praise God! Yesterday, they both prayed on the street with Michelle (a Reality member) and I. They called on God to forgive them, save them, and they put their trust in Jesus. We were able to give them Bibles and connect them with a local church. Please pray for them to grow strong in their faith. The mother must see Jesus change her life or her children will know no peace.

UPDATE- We were so happy to see these ladies return to every other program that we did. As we continued to talk with them, we were happy to see that they seem to truly met Jesus! Continue to pray!

THE MAIN STAGE

All of us were overwhelmed that we were asked to be on the main stage last year. This year, they booked us ahead of time and Saturday night, we had a very special opportunity to tell hundreds of people about Jesus Christ. We were given the best time to share, for an hour and a half. More, the rain came down in buckets and stopped just as we began. Constantly, we are praying!

PRAYER NEEDS

Please pray for this place. We have 2 sets of street shows today and the weather here is always a problem. There are drunks, hecklers, and an ocean of people who ache for life to be more than they know. The children stand spellbound and we need you to pray that they will be allowed to listen. Two mothers removed their children because the name of Jesus offended them. Please stay on your knees, so that we can stand in the rain.

In Jesus,

Linda for
Sam Shaw
Silvana Shaw
Jade Rodgers
Sam Rodgers
Toby Hornbuckle
Malachi Armstrong
Sabina
Yeva

Ireland, August 21st, 2008 #4

Dearest Friends,

ANSWERED PRAYER

Just a quick note so that you will how the Father answered your prayers for yesterday. The weather was great and we were able to do a show outside at the Caravan Park. They told us to expect 2 or 3 children again and God sent again 10 times that number. Awesome! A whole group of teenage girls came along with the children. I was telling the story of Jonah. I explained how Jonah decided to run away from God because he thought that he could hide from God. When I told the children that no one can really hide from God, suddenly the teenagers looked at me in shock. It was clear that this was also their plan. Your prayers held the children, teenagers, and adults attention as they listened to the Gospel. Thank you!

BELFAST AND NEW LIFE

Last night, one sweet little girl trusted Jesus as her Savior. I told the children after we prayed to be sure and tell the people at the church where we were working if they had trusted in Jesus. She immediately raised her hand and said, "I prayed!"

Personally, I saw the Father do something very sweet for me. The first night that we were in Belfast with the children, I was very distracted by a situation that I was dealing with in the ministry. I told the story well, but not as it should have been done. When I have my eyes on Jesus and tell a story, I feel the Father's pleasure. I know that I have been obedient and I have joy. I left Belfast on Tuesday evening knowing that I had not had the right focus.

Last night, we went to that same place for a second show after having prayed a lot because all of us were aware of the problem from the previous evening. God was kind to me. By His grace, I was able to leave the problem at the Father's feet in prayer and focus. My eyes were in the right place and God blessed us with a great outpouring of His spirit!

Even after the program finished, we were still being blessed. A lovely young girl named Lori came up to talk me. I shared with her my story of how the Lord wrote His love on my life. She began to cry. I asked her if she knew Jesus. She said , "No." Then, surrounded by her believing friends, she prayed with me, asking Jesus to save her. Joy!

On our way home, we stopped at Sam and Sil's house so that she could choose a Bible. Sam keeps a stack of them for just such opportunities. Please pray for Lori to grow deep in her new faith!

In Jesus, Linda for Sam, Sil, Yeva, Sabina, Jade, Toby, and Malachi
-----------------------------------------------------------
"THE AGAPE PUPPETS"

Michael Summer, Founder - Linda Summer, Director
Sam Shaw, Assistant Director
6550 West Armuchee Road
Summerville, Georgia 30747

Phone: 706-397-2956 FAX: 413-425-5805
Email: Linda@TheAgapePuppets.org
WEB: www.TheAgapePuppets.org

Ireland, August 20th, 2008 #3

Dearest Friends,

WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS

Last year, we went to Belfast to an area where children had been taught to hate. It is an area with a high crime rate and many families struggle, spiritually and economically. Sam reminded me how I asked the children a question last year. I said," If someone hurt you, could you forgive them." Except for one small little girl, every child in the room said, "No."

This area is Protestant by culture, but not by faith. The area is full of churches, but they are mostly empty. Little effort is made to reach the children. We are working with a precious group of older ladies and gentlemen at a small church there. For years, they have devoted themselves to these children. We wonder what will happen to this precious light when they are gone.

The children really listened last year and many of them prayed, asking Jesus to be their Savior. Still, there are more who come who do not know Jesus. Tonight, we will return to this place and we beg you to pray for these children who live in the dark. All of them promised to return and bring more friends. Ask the Father to make us wise and loving as we share.

CARAVAN PARKS

Caravan parks are places where people come to vacation in Northern Ireland. Yesterday, today and tomorrow, we will be working in different ones. Please pray for the children in these places to trust Jesus. The place yesterday told us that we would only have 3 children, but the Father blessed us with 30 children and adults. Most were from a Catholic background, from many places around Northern Ireland. It always amazes me how God brings people together to hear about Jesus.

They really enjoyed the program. All of their parents thanked me for the show. It is very important to go where these children are and share with them. They need us to come to them. Please pray for these places!

THE IRISH SEA

Very late last night, we walked down to the sea. It is a short walk from the place where we are staying at Murlough House. It was amazing! The moon over the water made you stand in awe of the Father's creation. More, we stood there and prayed for the children that we would be sharing with today. Please join us in our prayers!

DAVID

Many of you will remember a wonderful young man from Southhampton, England who served with us for years. David surprised me on Monday night and came for a visit. I was so blessed! I feel like I have received the best present as I enjoy his company.

Please pray him safe home on Thursday as he must return to nursing school that starts on Friday.

In Jesus, Linda for Toby, Malachi, Yeva, Sabina, Jade, Sam and Silvana

Ireland, August 17th, 2008 #2

Dearest Friends,

Soldiers

American airports are full of soldiers these days. As we waited for our flight to Germany, we sat with many soldiers, men and women all wearing desert camouflage. One young man noticed the tags on our bags and asked me “What is the Agape Puppets?” I told him what we do and shared with him and several others the hope of Jesus that we share with the children. He seemed surprised at some of the places where we worked. I told them stories about the children of the world, how they live and how they suffer, and how Jesus changes their lives. I also thanked them for their service and their sacrifice.

As the young man stood to leave, he came over and shook my hand. He said, “You are braver than I am.” What a strange thing for a young soldier headed to Afghanistan to say to a children’s Bible teacher. How odd to call a white haired old woman that walks with a cane brave!

And then I thought of the scripture in I Corinthians that says that God chooses to use the weak things of the world so that’s there is never any question about the source of His power. He chooses miserable, weak instruments like me so that He receives the glory. Praise God!

This young man was sincerely puzzled by what he saw and heard. He can only solve this puzzle when he puts his trust in Jesus and sees Him as the source of his strength. More, he was drawn to listen to the stories about Jesus. Please ask the Father to protect him and to deliver him home safe to those he loves. More, pray for him to seek and know Jesus Christ. Nothing happens by accident as all appointments are by God’s hand. We need to pray for this young man!

An Irish Church

This morning, we went to Sam’s home church. I was so blessed by all the love we felt from our brothers and sisters. Many had never seen a puppet show, so this was a special opportunity for them to really understand what Sam does. More, we were all blessed by the love that they showered on us.


Tonight, we will meet with our friends in the Irish band Reality and pray together for our ministry together across Ireland. That part of the adventure begins on Friday, but meanwhile, we have other places to share and a lot of practice. We are combining people from 5 countries and several puppet teams.

Please hold us in your prayers, but please pray especially for the people of Ireland to fall deeply in love with Jesus.

In Jesus,
Linda for,
Sam,
Silvana,
Toby,
Malachi,
Sabina,
Cody,
Jade and Yeva

USA and Ireland August 13th, 2008 #1

Dearest Friends,

Two Little Boys

July was an amazing month! We traveled across thirteen states and shared Jesus with thousands and thousands of children, but it is the story of two little boys that I want to share with you tonight. More than one hundred children ages 6 to 14 gathered in a gym to watch the puppet show. I was telling them the story of Joseph and speaking with them about forgiveness. I said to the children, “Maybe someone has hurt you, and you think that you cannot forgive them.”

Suddenly, one little boy raised his hand. To be honest, I do not usually stop in the middle of a story, but that day God just told me that it was important to hear what he had to stay. He was seven or eight years old, blonde headed, small, and sitting beside his twin brother. He said, “My Daddy hits my Mommy.” How much he must have been hurting to tell this to a total stranger in front of one hundred other people!

I have been to this place many times over the last five years. However, I have never been allowed to pray with the children. They would never give me permission to pray. However, when that little boy spoke, the Holy Spirit fell on that place, and I knew in my heart that the rules had changed. So many of the children asked Jesus to be their Savior. They came up and told me after the program that they had prayed.

The director was very grateful and begged us to come back next year. He listened to the entire program. Please pray for these two little boys to discover the depth of their Heavenly Father’s love.

Blessings

The following list of things that we saw God do as we traveled in the USA this summer will delight your soul. I have never seen such a consistent outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit during a time of summer ministry.
1. At one program, eight children asked Jesus to be their Savior. Praise God! They were from very difficult places and were experiencing things that children should not see or know.
2. Many doors opened for us to tell the children about the hope of Jesus that had previously been closed to us. People allowed us to do programs that had refused to allow us to share in the past. All of us were amazed at how God changed the hearts of the people in authority over the children from last summer until this summer. They welcomed us and everyone begged us to come again.
3. At many shows, there was a visible difference in the children’s faces before and after the program. You could see God putting peace and light in their lives.
4. Many times we were very tired as we had quite a few long drives. However, God always gave us the strength that we needed.
5. At many of the programs we had an opportunity to talk with the children after the show. We felt like we made new friends as we played with them and listened to their stories. One little girl poured her heart out to Jade and told her about how her parents had lost custody of her. Then she went to live with her grandma who was a very kind woman, but then she died. The little girl felt all alone. We told her about Jesus who will never leave her. Her story is the story of too many of the children that we saw this summer.
6. Naomi is my youngest puppeteer. She turned twelve as were traveling this summer. She speaks very boldly about how she loves Jesus and how He changed her. One day, she told the children that they could ask God to change them. Immediately, one little girl bowed her head and began to pray. She was so hungry to have God change her.
7. At one place we heard children whispering their prayers to God.
8. At an inner city show, I asked the children if they had ever been hurt. One little girl looked me straight in the eyes and nodded her head. She had clearly known deep pain, but that day she asked Jesus to be her Savior and her countenance changed.
9. Mad Dog, Tomain, and Mercedes were some of the children who attended a show in an inner city community center. Truly they live in a horrible place. They are surrounded by drug and alcohol abuse, prostitution and violence. Jesus is their only hope, but no matter where any of us live, He is our only hope as well. Please pray for these children to grow up and be bright lights for Jesus.

More Stories

As always, there are more stories than can be told. Never has this statement been more true than it was this summer. Our travels took us to Maryland, New Jersey and New Hampshire where we worked with precious churches. Our brothers and sisters encouraged us, blessed us, and gave us wonderful ministry opportunities. Still, despite their enthusiasm for Jesus, we could not help but notice how many people at the programs did not share their joy. The farther north we went, we found fewer and fewer Christians. In New Hampshire, I had children come up to me after I told the Bible story. They asked me if it was a true story. I found it hard to believe that I was in the United States and not somewhere overseas where I would expect children to not know about Jesus Christ.

We had many incredible conversations with parents and children after the programs. One little boy came and said, “I prayed that prayer with you today. I asked Jesus to be my Savior. Home is a bad place….Daddy drinks.” His mother very quickly added, “Oh, but he never hits us.” The little boy’s eyes said something different.

In New Hampshire, we did six shows outside on the streets. We had a wonderful opportunity to pray for the rain to stop so that we could share with the children. God answered every prayer and we did not miss a single show. The morning after we left New Hampshire, a tornado hit two of the towns where we had shared. New Hampshire never gets tornados, and all of us were very grateful that God had allowed us to share before the storm came.

Ireland and Northern Ireland

Friday, August 15, we leave for Ireland and Northern Ireland. Much of our time will be spent doing street shows while traveling across Ireland. We will be working with our Irish puppet director Sam Shaw, who is also the assistant director of The Agape Puppets. As always, we will be traveling with the Irish band Reality who are some of my dearest friends. They love Jesus with all of their heart, and along with Sam and Silvana, they are fantastic at street ministry. It is an honor and a joy to be working with these friends! Please hold us in your prayers.

In Jesus,

Linda for the team.