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Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Please allow us to introduce ourselves.  We are Rick and Patti Roberts, Intercultural Missionaries with the Assemblies of God.
1978 - We directed a street ministry in Cincinnati, Ohio for three years and did much
evangelism in the area.  We still hear from some of the young people whose lives we touched. Several are serving God today. 

Then, in 1984 we began our pastoral ministry and moved to my home state of South Carolina. 

After 17 years of pastoral ministry and significant involvement in missions, Patti and I were called and commissioned to Albania, a small Eastern European nation.  Rick served as pastor the International Church, one of the oldest and largest churches in Albania, with a congregation of 200 Albanians and 25 foreigners.  Our effort has been to train leaders and workers for the work of ministry among their own.  We were involved with various ministries, including a medical clinic, an orphanage, a ministry to the handicapped, a Bible College, International Correspondence Institute, and village outreach.
Today the gospel is going forward in Albania.  The church is growing, and God is raising up workers to advance the gospel to an even greater extent.  With less than one percent of the population professing evangelical Christianity, there is much work to be done.  
 

At the beginning of 2006 we felt that God was calling us to work among the many Albanian immigrants living in the United States.  There are thousands in Philadelphia, and we have been asked to work among them.  We have also found a group of Turkish believers we are trying to assist in their faith and their outreach among their countrymen.
 

In 2015 we relocated to Lafayette, LA where we continue to serve with Assemblies of God Intercultural Ministries. OUR TASK IS TO EXEMPLIFY THE GOSPEL TO PEOPLE OF OTHER FAITHS. WE TELL THE GOSPEL WHEN WE CAN AND LIVE IT ALL THE TIME BEFORE THEM. BASICALLY, OUR JOB IS TO "BE JESUS" TO THE WORLD AROUND US.

                                                                                         Rick & Patti Roberts

We believe that God created all things and that there is a purpose in creation and in life. 

Since God created us, our purpose can only be found in Him.    Does that make sense? 

Life outside of God's plan is incomplete and unsatisfying. 

God created the world with certain parameters, you know - certain boundaries. You may now like boundaries but they are there to protect you. (Like when I fell asleep on the Interstate and the guardrail kept me from crashing over the side of a cliff. Thank God for that boundary.)

When God created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he gave them one rule - and before you knew it, they broke that one rule.

That's called SIN.

The Bible tells us that - "For the wages of sin is death,"  Romans 6:23

        That means if you sin. you will die. 

               I know. I know,  everybody dies. But death here isn't talking about that kind of death. It means we are separated from God.  

Isaiah 59:2 "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,  And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear."

NEWS FLASH: If you are separated from God, you are separated from the source of life.

And, ohh, more bad news -

"for all  have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23
                Oh my! We are all guilty of sin! Did you know that? Well, I mean, that's really a no-brainer. We've all done wrong things. Nobody is perfect. 

And, ouch! God has to punish sin. You see, God is a JUST God = meaning that He has to uphold the rules.

So, if you choose to sin - to break God's rules - then you are choosing death.  Get it?

But I have GREAT NEWS!  God loves you. 

 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His  only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."  John 3:16

Yeah, I know. You've heard that before. But think about it.

    "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8

Yes. It's true. Because of HIs love, God figured out a way to forgive us and make a way for us to be acceptable to Him even though we have blown it. Since there has to be a punishment for sin, God sent His own Son to take the punishment for us. See, Jesus never sinned. So He didn't have any sin to pay for. But HE paid for ours. 

How could He do that?  Because Jesus is God. (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) 

     Yeah, It's complicated. But just accept the fact that God loves YOU enough to make a way for you to be forgiven, so that you can have a relationship with Him.  THAT IS WHAT YOU ERE CREATED FOR.

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Wow!  "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 6:23

 Now, why does Jesus save us? So we can live a life in a relationship with God and so we can live a life that will bring honor to Him.  God created you to be a blessing - not a problem. 

So why not get on board with God. It's the only way to live a truly satisfying life. 

And believe me, I didn't always live like this. I was a terrible person, but God, in HIs great mercy and love, changed me.  It was all Him. And I am so thankful.