This week’s update is coming to you from deep in the West Virginia mountains; way up high on a West Virginia mountain; to be more specific at Mt. Salem Revival Grounds. This past Sunday we had the opportunity to be at Mt. Salem Baptist Church with Bro. Randy Taylor Jr. and the wonderful people there. Justin was able to preach the S.S. hour and both A.M. and P.M. services, as well as sing 5 different specials throughout the day. Needless to say we were slightly tired at the end of the day – it reminded us of a typical Sunday night feeling we experienced back in Yuma after a full day of our normal duties. I guess we’ve gotten a little out of practice! But we had a great time with the folks there and thoroughly enjoyed the day with them. Because our meeting this coming Sunday will not be too far from here (Glenolden, PA), Bro. Taylor graciously allowed us to stay at the camp ground in one the condos on the property for the week. The two bedroom condo is fully furnished with a complete kitchen and gorgeous views. To say we have been enjoying our time here is definitely an understatement. Just to be able to live like a normal family again in a “whole house” just to ourselves has been awesome! Since this is my first time visiting Mt. Salem (Justin was able to work here during several camp weeks as a teen) I have enjoyed touring the camp ground and the surrounding area. We plan on making our video update for September while we are here, so you will be able to experience a little bit of it too. The fall colors are starting to appear and it is absolutely gorgeous! Before I conclude I wanted to say thank you for your prayers for our safety. As we were on our way back to Mt. Salem the other evening after being gone for the day, we decided to stop at McDonalds to use the wi-fi before we went back into the boonies. We spent several minutes doing what we needed and then got back on the road. We were about 15 miles from our turn off to the camp ground when we came upon a wreck on the highway. My mind immediately thought that if we had not stopped at that McDonalds that it could have been us in the accident. Now, I know that is a lot of speculating, but I choose to think that God was watching out for us and if you have prayed for our traveling safety then you had a part in that too, so thank you and keep ‘em coming! Heritage Baptist Church Martinsburg, PA *In an attempt to keep our updates from becoming a monotonous read each week (because I know I’m starting to feel like I’m writing the same thing over and over again), I’ve decided to change it up: this week's report comes from the mouth of Jadyn. Here goes… Yesterday (meaning last week) we drove a lot. We went to a new church (Heritage Baptist Church in Martinsburg, PA) and met new friends (on Wednesday). There were cows beside the church and they smelled yucky! Pastor & Mrs. Biter Mommy really liked the church building and she wanted to live in one of the houses on the road to the church. Daddy talked in church and told everyone about Frisco, Texas and we watched our video about Frisco, Texas where I am going to grow up. I got to go to children’s church with my new friends while Daddy preached to all the big people. I had fun. Then we went back to Aunt Laurie and Uncle Steve’s house. Alum Springs Baptist Church Danville, KY Then tomorrow (Saturday) we had a trip again. We went to another new church (Alum Springs Baptist Church in Danville, KY). I got to play outside on the swings. On Sunday we went to church and I met new friends. We went to Sunday school and learned about Jesus and God, and Adam and Eve, and about sharing. Daddy sang a song, and talked about Frisco, Texas again. And we watched the video about Frisco, Texas again where I am going to grow up. We got to go to the preacher’s house and they had dogs and puppies and Daddy and me went for a walk down the long road and picked flowers for Mommy that were in the field. I had fun. After church we got to eat ice cream with the preacher and his wife and my friends. I got M&M ice cream. It was good. Then we went back to Aunt Laurie and Uncle Steve’s house and I rode my bike that Aunt Laurie got me – it is purple and has Princesses on it. And that is it. Oh, thank you for praying for Daddy and Mommy, and Jordan and me to be saved (safe) on our trip. We are making more trips next week, so you can pray for us to be saved (safe) again. And Daddy is trying to get more meetings for us to go to in springtime, so we are praying for that too. Ok, that is it. We officially made it to Indiana last Thursday. We had a good, relaxing and easy trip that was mostly uneventful - except for Jadyn experiencing a few bouts of motion sickness (compliments of the windy Missouri highways). We decided to stop in Pittsfield, IL on Wednesday night to be with Grace Baptist Church and Pastor Gary Dice. We didn't have a meeting scheduled - we just wanted to introduce ourselves. Pastor Dice not only allowed us to show our video and share our presentation, but the church also gave us a love offering, filled our gas tank, provided a place to spend the night and bought us some groceries. In short they spoiled us! I love seeing how God provides and supplies our needs. This past Sunday we were in Morley, MI at First Baptist Church. We were able to spend the whole day with them in their 100 year old building (complete with stained glass windows and old woodwork). Pastor Finn had Justin preach both morning and evening services in addition to singing a special for both services; I had the privilege of playing their 2 week old baby grand piano! We had a great day getting to know Pastor and Mrs. Finn and their people, however the biggest blessing came at the end of the evening service when the church voted to take us on for financial support. Praise the Lord! Now, that's a great way to start off our fall meetings. We have begun to travel - a lot. Our biggest prayer request is for traveling safety. I just heard of a missionary wife who was killed in an auto accident this week leaving behind her husband and three children. We know God is in control, but we covet your prayers on our behalf. Stay tuned for more updates from many, many more miles. God bless! Praises:
What a whirlwind the past couple of weeks have been. Since our last post two weeks ago we have been in four different churches in three different states. On Sunday, August 26th, we were with Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Sallisaw, OK. We were able to spend the whole day with this church – Justin preached both services as well as sang two specials. It was a full day, but we enjoyed the opportunity to meet and get to know Pastor & Mrs. Harris and their church. The following Wednesday took us to Siloam Springs, AR to be with Independent Baptist Church. Pastor Ingram was unexpectedly not able to be there, so he asked Justin to fill in for him. Mrs. Ingram is the church pianist and since she was gone with her husband I was able to fill in for her. We enjoyed very much being able to help out with the service; it’s something we’ve certainly missed since being gone from Freedom in Yuma, AZ. This past Sunday morning we were actually in Frisco, TX. We had taken a short trip down there to show my parents the area and to get one last visit in before we took off for our fall meetings out East. On one of our previous trips we visited a church in the area and got to know the pastor and his wife, so we decided to visit with them again while we were there. Sunday evening however we had a meeting scheduled in Muskogee, OK with Liberty Baptist Temple. (That was the first time we were in two different churches in one day – I hope we don’t make a habit of that, because it makes for a really long day! Although it was completely worth the weariness we experienced.) We had a great meeting with them. Pastor Donaldson asked Justin to preach in addition to sharing our presentation. Following the service we were able to enjoy a great meal at an Italian restaurant with several of the church families – I think that’s one of my favorite parts of deputation: being able to meet brothers and sisters in Christ all across the country that I would otherwise never get to know this side of Heaven. We are also excited to report that we are now at 20% of our support level! When we received our report from Freedom this past week we found out that we have some new support that is starting to come in. Praise the Lord were getting closer. Prayer request: As I alluded to earlier, we are currently making our transition to the East for the fall (I am writing this post in a hotel room in Salem, MO). As of this past Saturday we have a meeting scheduled for every week from now until the week of Christmas – praise the Lord! This means that we will be doing a lot a traveling for the next several weeks and months (which is kind of the point of deputation), so PLEASE pray for our safety on the roads, and also for the many churches we will be in to be financially able to take us on. |
AuthorAs we try to keep you up to date on what's happening in our progress, we ask for your prayers in return. Archives
December 2014
Categories |