Along the Way

Terrific Tennessee

2009-07-25T19:15:00.002-04:00

These beautiful flowers are just off the front porch of the Pott's home. Just beautiful and so relaxing.

We enjoyed seeing the Potts, Dan, Sara, and the boys, as well as Bob, Janelle, and Olivia for a couple of days. They surprised us with a going to Brazil-themed party complete with fantastic food as well as green, yellow, and blue decorations. We always enjoy playing with the kids and the park had lots of playground stuff. The time went by too fast!

We are going to try to contact the consulate in Brazil next week to check on our visa process. Some decisions must wait until we have the visas in hand. Thanks for praying for us.

My mountain named Brazil...

2009-07-16T12:33:00.003-04:00

Jim recently preached from 2 Peter and I was thinking about 2 Peter 3:14. We are to be diligent, even facing the mountains in life, because we look for the return of the Lord.

So we are still putting one foot in front of the other as we pack and finish getting ready to move to Brazil. Please pray for our visas to be granted soon.

"Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless..." 2 Peter 3:14

Moving, waiting, and packing

2009-07-02T07:14:00.002-04:00

We have returned from our trip to Maryland and Virginia. Dan was officially ordained last Sunday, and our family was able to spend some wonderful time relaxing on the beach at Sandbridge, Virginia.

Last evening Jim reported to our home church. It was so good to talk with many and be encouraged in the Lord to move forward with our plans to go to Brazil in August.

We will go down to Bob and Janelle's tomorrow to help them move from their current apartment to a different apartment in a better location. It is an exciting time of change.

We are waiting to hear from the Brazilian Consulate that our visas are approved. When that happens we can buy plane tickets and pack our container to go to Brazil. It's a busy time.

We thank you for praying for us.

Big mission accomplished!

2009-06-04T17:09:00.002-04:00

We got some more papers from Brazil yesterday.
We stayed up late to copy and organize all of the stacks of visa paperwork.
This morning we took another trip into Chicago to visit our friends at the consulate (who are now starting to remember us....)

And they took all of our papers today!

They said all papers were in order and can be processed to get our missionary visas.

This has been a big job and we had been warned by others that it is a picky and long process. So we will pray. We won't hear anything from them until the middle to end of next month.

Thanks for remembering to pray for us.

Travels continue

2009-06-01T13:34:00.002-04:00

We will be traveling to Maryland for this coming Sunday. As always thanks for remembering us in your prayers.

Psalm 109:21 "But You, O GOD, the Lord,
deal kindly with me for Your name’s sake;
Because Your loving kindness is good"

The last few weeks have been busy....

2009-05-22T15:21:00.004-04:00

Since I last updated I went to Dan and Sara's to watch the boys for a few days. Sara was able to travel to her brother's graduation and enjoyed seeing her extended family. I have also been with Jim to a couple of meetings in Iowa and Indiana.

Last week, Bob and Janelle were told of some possible problems with her pregnancy so Jim and I wanted to be here in Ohio to help if possible. It may be that the problems have resolved themselves and Janelle will continue with a healthy pregnancy. I am still in Ohio. Jim is traveling this weekend to Virginia to be present at Dan's ordination examination.

Jim and I also made a trek to Chicago several days ago. We had stacks of paperwork, passports, money, and prayers for being able to submit all the required items necessary for visas. As it turns out we came very close to having everything. We are now waiting on two more pieces of paperwork from Brazil. We will go into Chicago again very soon to try another submission.

I am tempted to feel discouraged because I do not understand the details and timing of things. We are grateful for prayer.

Getting close ...

2009-03-28T10:14:00.004-04:00

We have received the documents from Brazil (in Portuguese) that will be needed to apply for the missionary visas. We are still waiting on some paperwork from Alabama and some paperwork from Bob Jones University. We will be going to Chicago within a week or two with all of the papers to see if we meet their requirements for formal application. We hope to have everything in the correct order and with the correct legalizations.

Psalm 107:9 "For He has satisfied the thirsty soul,
And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good."

Unshakable Hope

2009-03-20T13:53:00.002-04:00

Jim bought some roses for me on Tuesday. He was happy to have me come home.

While in Virginia Dan gave me an extra copy of the book, This Momentary Marriage by John Piper. We are to remember how an earthly marriage is a mere shadow of the glorious marriage between Christ and the church. I thought one statement (p. 99) in the chapter called The Beautiful Faith of Fearless Submission, caused me to think about praying for what I need.

A Biblical portrait of a woman: "Unshakable hope in God. Courage and fearlessness in the face of the future. Quiet tranquility of soul. Humble submission to her husband's leadership."

And we are not to faint in our praying, even when we don't always see the results we expected to see.

Jim and I will be in central Indiana for a meeting next week.

visa prayers

2009-03-17T20:32:00.003-04:00

I have been in Virginia for a couple of weeks trying to help Dan and Sara with the boys, doing some cooking, etc. Hopefully Sara got some extra rest. I am happy to see them and sad that we will be gone from them for the time we go to language school in Porto Alegre.

We are deep into the paperwork processing of missionary visas. Please pray specifically that we will be able to dot all the i's and cross all the t's with the correct legalization submitted. The consulate in Houston legalized everything we sent them, so that is one part of the paperwork. We still need to get papers through the consulate in Miami, and then finally the entire stack of papers from all the consulates goes in all at once to the consulate in Chicago.

The language barrier adds a challenge, but we are confident we can do this with the Lord's help. Also please pray for more support to come in and for us as we take care of the house and household items. Thanks for those prayers.

A helpful book

2009-01-26T12:18:00.003-05:00

Depression: A Stubborn Darkness by Edward T. Welch

I recently saw this book recommended on no less than three blog sites. I was not particularly looking for a book on depression, but the three bloggers recommending it are pastors and the author of the book is a man. I have read some good and helpful books by women, and I was interested in reading from a different viewpoint. I know this author has written other good books and he is not new to writing.

Anyway, I would say this book is hands down one of the best books I have read on the topic of walking with God and how we form relationships with others. It will be a good book to read again, and I will keep it for a very helpful reference; (i.e. it's probably going to make the cut for books I will be taking to Brazil!)

Please pray for upcoming meetings in February and for our visas to be approved soon.

Prayer for our political days

2009-01-12T07:30:00.002-05:00

From a Life Action Revival Ministries prayer guide:

"Pray that Christians will seek the face of God versus the hand of God. That our chief concern would be His approval versus His blessing."

Material things don't seem to last or to continually satisfy. I would like to be approved by God more than I would like to be blessed by stuff.

"As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness;
I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake."
Psalm 17:15

We are continually helped by your prayers. Thank you.

Miracle of Grace

2009-01-08T14:40:00.005-05:00

I have just finished reading The Gospel for Real Life by Jerry Bridges. The author reminds me as a Christian that I am now a miracle of God's grace. All saved people are miracles of grace no matter how good or bad their actions have been. It's easy to say, "Yes, I have heard that so many times, and what's new about that idea?"

For me the reminder is that there is liberty and freedom in loving and serving God. I have righteousness in Christ already, and I am constrained to serve Christ with grace towards others...every day.

"But may it never be that I would boast,
except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ"
Galatians 6:14

Thank you for remembering to pray for us.

Christmas contentment

2009-01-05T18:45:00.004-05:00

Olivia was so good to pose for some Christmas pictures. She had different things for props but we know what really puts a smile on her face...!

Hopefully we all remember to be thankful and happy with the small gifts each day brings.

Feliz Natal!

2008-12-19T14:20:00.003-05:00

This is for Olivia.
I have spent some extra time with Bob, Janelle, and Olivia lately. I really enjoyed talking with Olivia about the star on the Christmas tree. She seems to understand the star shows where the baby Jesus lies in the manger. She knows it from her own tree at home and also when she sees other trees, stars, and nativity displays. It is good to think about Christmas again through the eyes of a toddler!

Isn't it wonderful to have childlike wonder and belief in Bible truths?

Maybe this post isn't so much for Olivia as it is for me....

I have been trying to learn Portuguese vocabulary. One helpful daily link is "Word of the Day." Quite a number of foreign languages are offered. I choose Portuguese and each word is pronounced and then used in a sentence. Granted, these are baby steps, but remember how good it is to think in child like ways!

So today's word is "natal" pronounced something like "natouw." Anyway, Merry Christmas!

Thanks as always for praying for our support to come in. God is faithful.

In God's Time

2008-12-03T11:20:00.002-05:00

We were in Iowa two Sundays ago and had a sweet time with the folks there. Also, Jim was invited to share a short devotional with the international students (Campus Bible Fellowship in South Bend, Indiana) for their Thanksgiving dinner. We met some new friends and enjoyed catching up with some old friends.

We have some meetings scheduled following Christmas and we need to schedule more. We are going to apply for visas in January and would appreciate you praying for the papers to be approved and the visas to be granted. We understand this process usually takes a few months. Once the visas are given we will have to enter Brazil within 90 days. We expect to try to get to Brazil sometime in the summer of 2009. We are asking for God to time this for us as He times all of His creation.

"The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun. Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter." Psalm 74:16-17

Thank you for praying.

Increasing support

2008-11-04T14:05:00.003-05:00

We were informed that one of our supporting churches is increasing its regular support amount. Also a friend from our home church has told us of starting to give us support beginning in December. This puts us at 63%

In the middle of all this voting and economic messiness we are reminded by the Lord of His care for us, and we continue to move forward with our missions calling.

Jim recently spoke to a man at a Best Buy store about his need for the Lord in the light of a recent terrible cancer diagnosis. The man was ready to take the tracts given to him. Please pray for that man's salvation and encouragement.

We go to Ohio this weekend and to Iowa the following weekend. Thanks for remembering to pray for us.

Sustained and encouraged

2008-10-23T13:38:00.002-04:00

We returned home last night following the closing service of our annual Baptist World Mission meeting. We left the Milwaukee area and drove through Chicago at about 1 am. It's a pretty good time to get through without fighting so much traffic! We got home and received some good news on the phone answering machine. A pastor from Iowa had called to tell us they wanted to begin supporting us.

So...drum roll please...we have broken the 60% level!

Tomorrow we leave to go to Virginia and will be there all day Sunday. Then back home to Michigan.

Please pray for that Virginia church and another in Michigan (where we recently presented) to take on supporting us.

I also wanted to praise the Lord for several key people we got to talk with at the Milwaukee meeting. We have a new field director and were specifically helped and encouraged by some other veteran missionaries. Their insight is exactly what the Lord needed for us to hear. We also spent time with the team leadership couple we will be most directly working with in Porto Alegre. The Lord has given us so much this week...the cup overflows. We are grateful to have gone.

"May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ." 2 Thessalonians 3:5

Fall blessings

2008-10-06T14:08:00.002-04:00

The fall is pretty in Michigan. We were in Sturgis, MI for a missions emphasis Sunday at Fish Lake Bible church yesterday. The folks are so friendly and we enjoyed a great meal with them Saturday evening. Time was spent praying with small groups and we were blessed.

We will be in Wisconsin and Virginia for the last two weeks of October. God hes kept us going safely on the roads and we are at 58-59% support. We continue on and thank you for praying.

For who in the heaven is like the Lord?

2008-09-17T11:00:00.004-04:00

"And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.... The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them." Psalm 89:5-11

Recently a missionary spoke with me in order to encourage me and he said, "God can shake the clouds in the sky to meet the needs of your ministry and the needs of your hearts." It is a simple and profound reminder of God's limitless resources. He does not leave us hopeless or helpless because He is not limited to my personal resources.

We travel to Maryland this weekend and will follow that meeting with a quick trip to see our family in Chesapeake, Va. Our daughter and granddaughter will come with us.

Pray for the clouds to be shaken! Thanks.

Waiting, rejoicing, and trusting

2008-08-30T13:45:00.004-04:00

Psalm 33:20-21 reminds me, "Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name."

We are so grateful for many flowers, cards, and prayers on our behalf for my dad's homecoming to Heaven. The Lord is all we need.

Our son-in-law and daughter also suffered a miscarriage within hours of the time my dad died, and maybe there was a very sweet fellowship of great grandparents and great grandchildren that day in the tender arms of Jesus.

I trust it was certainly to God's glory and for His highest purpose.

We have received more support and are now at 58%. We thank you for faithfully remembering to pray for our needs. None of us can do well in the absence of prayer.

Daily faithfulness

2008-07-18T08:47:00.002-04:00

The pink daylilies outside have begun to bloom. Each new bloom opens for just a one day. God reminds me He provides for each day as needed.

We are traveling to the Saginaw, Michigan area tomorrow. The following day, Jim will be speaking in Sunday school, briefly in the morning service, and then present our mission work in the evening service. Next week we will be in Iowa.

We truly need prayers for more support to be added. God is faithful and we believe He wants us to be in Brazil soon. Thank you for remembering us.

In the Park

2008-06-24T15:00:00.004-04:00

Janelle, Olivia, and I walked to McDonald's for lunch and then went to the grocery store and the park. The weather is just beautiful and we all enjoyed the playtime.

"Life music"

2008-06-13T15:16:00.002-04:00

We are praising the Lord for the church in Dowagiac, Michigan picking us up for support this week. Every church makes a difference. Thanks for your prayers!

I have been reading, Mood Tides: Divine Purpose in the Rhythms of Life by Ronald Horton. He walks the reader through some possible purposes for God allowing both the ups and downs of life.

He says, "I have associated what I have called the rhythms of life with the flow of music. Music of the highest order has like life its regularities - its patterns and themes. It also has surprises, its departures from pattern, for it plays on expectations, sometimes appearing to frustrate them before resolving them. Even within the pattern itself can be contrasting elements that seem to jar. Some of the most gorgeous music ever composed, Bach's for example, incorporates dissonance as well as passages in minor mode.

It is no less true in the divine harmonics of a dedicated life that pain may intrude unexpectedly or return at feared intervals in a disturbing way. Dark overtones may dominate at times and seem to shadow the whole until all is resolved and the Composer's work is done. The somber strands are part of the divine masterwork. It would be lesser without them. The descent from elation to depression is never a welcome one, to be sure, but both meet artfully in the richest music of life."

Quick trip to Denver

2008-06-03T16:40:00.004-04:00

Janelle and Olivia flew to Denver with us to see my dad last week. Dan came from Virginia and met us in Denver. We had a blessing to talk with family and pray with Dad.

I had some time to plant flowers a couple of days ago and enjoy having the color outside. We are getting rain today and tonight.

Pray for my dad. Please pray for the church in Michigan and the church in Maryland to pick us up for support soon. Thanks!

The Lord is our "stronghold in times of trouble." Psalm 9:9

Brothers

2008-05-20T17:59:00.004-04:00

What an awesome time we had with Dan, Sara, Peter, and Andrew. We drove home Monday, and it was hard to say good bye.

We will be taking a quick trip to see Dad in a couple of days. I am sure he would be grateful for your prayers.

Almost two weeks old

2008-05-15T12:19:00.003-04:00

Andrew is a sweet and calm little boy, and we are enjoying getting to know him!

We had great fellowship with the church folks in upstate Maryland, and we pray for support from them in God's will.

We appreciate your prayers.

Our help

2008-05-07T07:43:00.004-04:00

We are home for today and will be leaving tomorrow to travel to Maryland and then Virginia. We have the opportunity to present in a church this weekend and then, since we will be close, we will go to Chesapeake to see Dan, Sara, Peter, and Andrew.

My Dad would appreciate your prayers. He has been diagnosed again with cancer and the particular problems associated with that. The Lord is a great help and comfort to him.

Please continue to ask the Lord for our support to grow.
We desire to be in His will.
Thank you.

"and you shall rejoice in all the good which the LORD your God has given you and your household." Deuteronomy 26:11

Congratulations!

2008-05-02T08:55:00.004-04:00

We are so happy to be grandparents again!

Dan, Sara, and Peter welcomed Andrew into their family at about 11:20 this morning. Both Andrew and Sara are doing well. We are thankful for this answer to prayer.

I don’t know whether they should say, “You have a baby” or, “The baby has you”. ~ Anonymous

Praise

2008-04-29T08:57:00.002-04:00

We are officially over the 50% support mark today. We are grateful for the Lord's help and will continue on. Thank you for praying.

Pressing forward

2008-04-26T09:01:00.003-04:00

We have a missions conference starting tomorrow in Dowagiac, Michigan. The conference will go through Wednesday. Following the conference we will head down to Bob and Janelle's for Olivia's 1st birthday next weekend. We then travel to Maryland for a meeting over Mother's Day weekend. After that meeting we will go to Chesapeake to meet our new grandson, Andrew, who is scheduled to be born on Friday, May 2nd.

Please pray for Sara and the baby for a safe delivery. Please pray for our support levels to rise. We are making steady progress. With another church voting this week, we should tip over the 50% mark!

We always need your prayers and thank you for helping us.

"Blessed be the LORD,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplication.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped" Psalm 28:6-7

Fun times

2008-04-13T16:48:00.003-04:00

I spent two weeks in Virginia helping Dan, Sara, and Peter. Janelle and Olivia arrived a couple of days before I left, so we enjoyed some playground time with both Peter and Olivia.

We are looking forward with great joy to the birth of Andrew on May 2.

Thanks for your continuing prayers for us.

"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice." Psalm 55:17

Praise

2008-03-24T15:52:00.002-04:00

I know spring flowers are on the way...!

Thanks for remembering us in your prayers. I had a blood draw on Friday and nearly all my blood counts are back in normal ranges. The iron infusions helped a lot. I already knew I was feeling better even without the blood draw to confirm it.

We have had very good meetings in Michigan and Indiana. We are prayerful that the Lord will move churches to help in our support.

Our daughter-in-law needs some help during her last 5 weeks of this pregnancy and I am planning of traveling to Virginia for two weeks to help her and our grandson with whatever they need.

Jim will be going to a missions conference in the Saginaw, MI area next week. It is the first time I will not go with him to a meeting to present our Brazil work.

Thanks for praying for us.

"Green" spirits

2008-03-06T09:26:00.008-05:00

Sometimes the regular news of each day can be a drag on my spirit. I hear about recession, look at the struggle of the U.S. dollar against the ever-strengthening Brazilian Real, watch the political fighting in presidential races, and try to keep a right focus on the sovereignty of God.

I am reminded of Jeremiah 17:5-8.

Thus says the LORD,
“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the LORD.
“For he will be like a bush in the desert
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A land of salt without inhabitant.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD
And whose trust is the LORD."

I need to trust in the Lord to continue to yield good fruit and not be caught up in anxiety during heat and drought times. We need to be green in the leaves of our spirits.

“For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit."

We drive up to Houghton Lake, MI on Saturday. The church will allow us to present the ministry on Sunday, and we will drive home Monday morning.

Please pray for us as the Lord lays our particular needs on your heart. Thanks.

The next three weeks

2008-02-26T14:15:00.003-05:00

We will be traveling to northern Michigan each of the next two Sundays. On March 2nd we will be in Kalkaska, and on the 9th we will be in Houghton Lake. Both areas are beautiful and potentially snowy this time of year!

On the 16th of March we will be in Lapaz, Indiana for a missions conference, and the following week we will be in our home church for Easter.

Bob, Janelle, and Olivia are moving to Ohio to begin a new ministry. They will have their first Sunday in the new church on Easter.

As always we do not take your prayers for granted. Thanks for praying for us.

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

Hanging in there

2008-02-19T09:27:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note...
We will be making a trip to Alger, Michigan tomorrow to present the work tomorrow evening. Alger is about an hour north of Saginaw, Michigan. Pray for support and more good contacts. We plan on returning Thursday.

We have had a couple of large expenses come up this week. Please pray for provisions.

We would also appreciate your prayers for staying healthy as we travel and shake lots of hands!

Making some progress

2008-02-07T16:25:00.000-05:00

We have had 3 churches take us on for support in the last several days. Thanks for praying.

Jim has been getting some more meetings. He will be filling the pulpit at Calvary Baptist in Lapaz again this Sunday. We enjoyed our time there last week, and we will be participating in their missions conference in a few weeks.

I have been able to get two big infusions of iron into my system. I can feel my energy starting to improve.

Please pray for continued progress on the mission trail. Thanks.

Snowing again

2008-01-31T09:29:00.000-05:00

It snowed, it is snowing now, and we are to get a few more inches tonight and tomorrow....

We have been able to set up several meetings in the next few weeks. Jim will be filling the pulpit for the next two Sundays for a small church south of South Bend. We are glad for the speaking opportunities.

I have to deal with my anemia again. It has gotten back to the point where I was in 2004, and I need to get some iron infusions. Thanks for remembering us in your prayers for these next weeks to come. Please pray for more meetings and support.

Early morning from the front window

2008-01-24T15:26:00.000-05:00

The snow is more peaceful when I don't have to go out!

Children's meetings

2008-01-17T14:23:00.000-05:00

We have had the opportunity to do a couple of children's presentations this month. The kids are always excited to see the tropical insects and butterflies. I found this artist's watercolor of tropical butterflies and thought it was beautiful.

Please pray for us to get many meetings set up for the next few weeks and months. We keep pressing on!

Thanks for your faithful prayers.

"One of the greatest tragedies of a believer's life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer."
Author unknown

"All Thy works shall praise Thee..." Ps. 145

2008-01-08T18:57:00.000-05:00

The true joys of Christmas certainly include seeing families cherishing time together. The smiles say it all!

This last month we traveled to Rochester, MN to encourage Dad as he endured a difficult surgery and cancer diagnosis. He still has some decisions to make regarding further treatments, and we would appreciate your prayers. The Mayo Clinic just has to be seen to appreciate their size and model of care. Even though the circumstances were tough, the family time was sweet.

Following the trip to MN, we drove to much warmer Tennessee to celebrate a lovely Christmas with Sara's family. They invited us and Bob, Janelle, and Olivia too. So as far as I am concerned, it was just perfect. We saw our grandchildren and had wonderful fellowship with the church folks and Sara's folks.

To finish out the month and into the New Year we drove to Chesapeake and enjoyed more warm weather and lots of fun family time with Dan, Sara, Peter, Bob, Janelle, and Olivia. We presented our Brazil work there the last Sunday of the year. Please pray for fruit from these churches.

We are now home again....Whew! I would not trade any of the times shared with our loved ones. What a Christmas blessing!
Everything here remained safe and dry. We do not take the Lord's protections for granted.

Thanks for remembering us in your prayers.

Entanglements

2007-11-30T09:18:00.000-05:00

Things are kind of quiet for now. We have been finishing Christmas shopping, and Jim is working some part-time hours at his long-time employer for many years. He is helping them with software updating and report writing.

I have been reading a small book published in 1939 by Amy Carmichael. She reminds believers of the dangers of entanglement to social expectations, noisy unproductive talk, ("We should write it down as a law of the house that those who are absent are not to be discussed to their detriment, that no belittling stories are told of anyone, nor anything said about anyone unless it passes through the three sieves: Is it true? kind? necessary?"), and of spending time doing things instead of cultivating a closer walk with God.

We are so often reminded not to be caught up in the worldly entanglements of the secular Christmas celebrations. I need most of all to faithfully have my quiet time devotions and to walk with God. I need to be sensitive to the Spirit's reminders to watch my words especially when talking of other people. I need to pay great attention to my expectations being from the Lord.

Thank you for your part in helping us through prayer. It means so much.

Let us be wholly surrendered to God this Christmas.

First snow

2007-11-23T07:34:00.000-05:00

The snow began falling last evening while we were enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with John and Noreen. The snow is beautiful with the Christmas lights. I took these pictures in this morning's early light.

Praise and thanksgiving

2007-11-19T07:15:00.000-05:00

Because He first loved us...
"We love him, because he first loved us."
1 John 4:19

Because in Him we live, move, and exist...
"Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."
Psalm 73:25-26

Because we have resurrected lives...
"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."
Galatians 6:14

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
2 Corinthians 5:21

Because you pray for us...
"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
James 5:16

Lookout Mountain

2007-11-13T09:03:00.001-05:00

We drove home from Atlanta yesterday stopping in Chattanooga to see beautiful Lookout Mountain. Battles were fought here in November 1863.

Our time in Atlanta was great. We had many opportunities to meet folks, the weather was warm, and we pray for some support from this church.

Thanks for praying with us.

Pressing forward

2007-11-09T10:57:00.000-05:00

We will leave early Saturday morning to travel to the Atlanta area for a meeting on Sunday. As always we thank you for prayers of safe traveling but even more, please ask the Lord to help us to minister and be ministered to. We pray for hearts that are Christ-pleasing.

We believe we have some good promises of support coming soon. We will keep you informed.

"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
Matthew 21:22

A double blessing is a double grace.

2007-11-01T09:02:00.000-04:00

"A double blessing is a double grace."

Shakespeare

We spent two weeks in Denver. We had a good time with family and took part in a great mission's conference there. While we were in the mountains one day, a pastor from Minnesota called and told us their church is taking us on for support. Also, we are praising the Lord for solid assurances from the Denver church that they will be voting soon with the desire to begin supporting us. While in Denver, Jim helped Joe work on a fence project. One Saturday, the family got together for a picnic and we snapped this picture of Dad and the three sisters.

We left Denver to travel to northern Michigan. (Yes, I finally got to see the Macinac Island bridge!) We had several opportunities to speak. While there we were privileged to meet another veteran missionary couple that have truly suffered physically for their missions call to the field of Russia. I was humbled and reminded to think little of my personal discomforts in light of this couple's faithfulness in suffering. We were also given strong assurances the church will be praying and hoping to take us on for support soon.

We are home now and the weather is pretty nice for the first of November. On Tuesday of this week the ladies in our home church blessed me with a shower of personal gifts and ministry items. I was so overwhelmed with the many gifts.

I cannot thank you all enough for praying for us. I believe God is encouraging us to keep hanging in there. We are home this week and then we travel to Georgia. Keep holding us up in your prayers.

"The power of prayer cannot be diminished by distance; it is not limited by age, infirmity, political changes or restrictions. The power of prayer in the life of an obedient Christian can only be undermined by neglect."
David Bentley-Taylor

Colorado

2007-10-11T14:13:00.000-04:00

We drove from Casper, Wyoming Sunday to the Denver area just to hang out for a few days until the missions conference begins this weekend. We have been catching up with family here and really enjoying the cool dry air. Last evening we decided to visit a church in Longmont (about 20 miles north from here) and to introduce ourselves. We hope to get a meeting lined up there sometime in the future. We did meet a former student of Jim's from about 27 years ago when we lived in the Philadelphia area! She remembered Jim as her history teacher. Pretty amazing... and what an encouragement to see someone from many years ago.

We will try to get all of the family together this coming Saturday. Hopefully we can work around schedules.

We are doing well. Please pray for Jim. He has several speaking opportunities next week and we would like to be a blessing to the church as we share our ministry. Following the end of the missions conference in Denver we will be driving to Mio, Michigan (with just one day at home to take care of things there.) Thanks for your prayers.

Heading out west

2007-10-02T07:48:00.000-04:00

We are planning on leaving at the end of the week to go out to Casper, Wyoming. We will present our ministry Sunday in the morning service. Following the meeting there we will drive down to Denver, Colorado for a missions conference.

Jim has several opportunities to speak during the missions conference, and he would certainly appreciate your prayers for those preaching times. Following the time in Denver we will drive back to the northern part of the lower Michigan peninsula. We have a missions conference at a church we have been in before. This church is located a short distance from the Mackinac Bridge. I am hoping to see the bridge for the first time. Yes, I know.... We have lived in Michigan for 23 years and one would think I would have seen it by now!

As always, thank you for praying for us.

Congratulations!

2007-09-29T08:34:00.000-04:00

Dan and Sara are going to have a new baby in May! Click on their link to see the ultrasound image.

Peter and Olivia

2007-09-28T15:46:00.000-04:00

We pray that they will "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3:18

Familiar...but definetly not the same!

2007-09-27T09:19:00.000-04:00

Just like the traffic jam in the photo, things can be so familiar and so different. I have been looking in one of our Portuguese books and smiled coming across these words.

- A shopping is not a type of trip but it is the actual mall itself.
- Futebol is not American football but it is soccer.
- Coco is not chocolate but rather it is coconut.
- X-salada is a cheeseburger with the salad works. There is a true word for cheese, queijo, but in this case, the X is pronounced sheeze which sounds like the English word cheese. So your order becomes a Sheeze salada. Nice sense of humor!
- time is not referring to the clock but rather means team.
- Notebook (pronounced notch-book-ee) is not a bound pad of paper but rather a laptop.

We have much to learn....

Next week we will begin traveling again to Wyoming and then to Colorado. Thanks for praying.

September evening

2007-09-21T18:36:00.000-04:00

I went out back to take a picture of the corn being harvested and saw this really pretty rose on one of my two bushes. It blooms well all summer long and into the fall. Wish you were here!

Just appreciating the quietness of this evening.

Joys in the harvest time

2007-09-20T13:36:00.000-04:00

The air is cool. The sedum is blooming, and our neighbor has begun to harvest in the fields. This is a beautiful time of year and we are reminded of God's handiwork again. We are taking a few days to catch up on the mail, lawn work, and the opportunity to rest a bit.

Isaiah speaks of the joy of harvest relating it to the great joy experienced in the presence of Christ.

"They will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest." Isa. 9:3

Thanks for praying on our behalf.

Travels in the south

2007-09-18T13:14:00.000-04:00

The butterfly display we carry with us always attracts much attention.... The blue morpho butterfly is especially eye-catching!

We left on the 4th for Charlotte, NC. We were truly blessed and overwhelmed by the generosity of the church there. We enjoyed southern hospitality at its best with lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, and some shopping for both of us as a gift from the church. We had several opportunities to speak and saw some friends that had attended our home church in South Bend a few years ago.

From NC we drove to Chesapeake to spend a couple of days with Bob, Janelle, Olivia, Dan, Sara, and Peter. Peter took some of his first steps while we were there! Olivia tried solid foods for the first time. This will make future visits a hard act to follow. Every one there is doing well. Dan has begun a new year of teaching and is continuing with his seminary studies.

On the 13th we drove to Greenville, SC to spend a day and a half with my brother Dave. Patti has been in Virginia helping her mother. We also saw Andrew. We tried to find Tim but he was out and about and we missed him. We had a great time talking with Dave.

On Saturday morning, the 15th, we drove down to Agusta, GA. No we didn't play any golf! We presented the Brazil ministry in the services on Sunday and Jim also got to take part in an ordination council for another missionary while we were there. The Lord has truly blessed. We drove back home yesterday and will catch up with things in Michigan until we leave to head out to Wyoming and Colorado in about two weeks.

May I ask you to pray that these pastors would remember to pray about taking on our support? Out of sight can be out of mind, and we need them to remember us!

Voyageurs

2007-09-04T10:26:00.000-04:00

We are standing on the shore of Black Bay, an historic crossing area for the French fur trappers as they traveled around Lake Superior and between Canada and the United States. This is part of Voyageurs National Park in International Falls, MN. We had a great morning service with Jim teaching Sunday School and preaching in the AM service. After we went out for a Chinese buffet lunch, we took a short trip to this beautiful park. I am so glad that our country has tried to preserve these historic and grand places for us to enjoy.
We presented the Brazil work in the evening with folks listening and interested in the work.
We left yesterday morning and drove the first 100 miles in heavily forested areas and saw several deer. Thankfully we didn't get to meet any of them up close! We arrived home last evening and will leave in about an hour to head to the Charlotte, NC area. We would appreciate your prayers for safety, but so much the more for spiritual fruit and for the heart needs to be met through these times.

Jeitinho

2007-08-30T12:05:00.000-04:00

Jeitinho is an interesting term that describes the human heart. Brazilians, well all of us in one way or another, think of ways to circumvent the laws that rule us in everyday situations. It is like making a way for your will to be done in the face of someone telling you it isn't done that way. If one needs a document signed, he might speak to a close friend or arrange for a favor in order to move the process faster. One might need to cut to the front of a line to expedite his business...no problem....Jeitinho! Make a way for it to happen! Bribe someone...jeitinho...make a way!
Lest anyone think I impugn only Brazilians, think of, "Every man did what was right in his own eyes." (Judges 17:6) It's simply pride of life.

Please remember to pray on our behalf this week. In International Falls, MN Jim will be teaching Sunday school, preaching for the AM service, and presenting the Brazil work in the PM service.
Then in Charlotte, NC we start the missions conference on Wednesday. Jim has a children's presentation on Thursday, preaching in the PM service on Friday, two meetings with church folks on Saturday, teaching Sunday school Sunday AM and then doing our presentation Sunday evening to finish the conference. We will be in the NC conference with several missionaries. Please pray for our presentation to be clear, Christ-honoring, and remembered! Thanks.

Red Sox fan

2007-08-29T09:03:00.000-04:00

I just couldn't resist borrowing this picture of Olivia from Bob's blog. We saw the grand babies just a couple of weeks ago, and we are looking forward to seeing everybody again after we finish a missions conference in the Charlotte, NC area. Praise the Lord for these little ones.

Minnesota!

2007-08-28T11:46:00.001-04:00

We are headed up to the border to International Falls this weekend. Please pray for safety as we navigate through the Labor Day traffic.

I am still reading A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael. I am continually reminded of her single focus and drive to do the work in India. She was buffeted with sickness and death in her Indian family as well as her birth family in Great Britain. She thought often about her call to be faithful in the face of both good and bad. I am thinking about our future and pray for that kind of faithfulness.

Please know we are grateful for your prayers on our behalf. If you haven't stopped by Jon and Patty's blog about the work this weekend in Porto Alegre, please take a few minutes to read. It will be a blessing, I'm sure. The link is printed below in a previous blog.

Check this out

2007-08-24T19:02:00.000-04:00

Once we get through language school in Sao Paulo, this apartment building is where we will live.

You can stay updated on some of the work in Porto Alegre by reading Jon and Patty's blog. They just returned to Brazil and are working to get a new church planted.

Please pray they will make good contacts and get some folks interested in learning about the Lord.

http://hutchinsinbrazil.wordpress.com/

Thanks!

Blessings to share

2007-08-24T09:25:00.000-04:00

We have just returned from our first trip south this fall. We spent a few days in Virginia with family. Because schools are beginning again, the beach was not crowded and we had a nice walk in the sand and waves with everybody. See Peter enjoying learning to walk!

From Virginia, we traveled to Winston Salem, NC for a meeting in a large church there. We were struck with the tremendous love the folks have for their ministry, pastor, and for each other. Nearly everybody we met told us enthusiastically how much they enjoyed being a part of that ministry. Just imagine how much we were blessed when the church voted on Wednesday evening at the end of the missions conference to begin supporting us immediately. Other missionaries at the conference were also taken on for support. Praise the Lord for His encouragement to us this week.

Thanks for remembering us in prayer.

Our schedule

2007-08-11T09:47:00.000-04:00

We leave Monday and will be in Virginia for 5 days seeing Bob, Janelle, Olivia, Dan, Sara, and Peter. After that we will be driving to Madison, NC for a missions conference. The following Sunday we will be back "home" with Jim doing pulpit supply in North Liberty, IN. Then we take off and head to International Falls, MN and than back to the south for another missions conference in Matthews, NC. Then we will head down through Greenville, SC to see my brother and sister-in-law on our way to Martinez, GA. And that's just September! We will, of course, take some pictures and update regularly. We absolutely need your prayers. Thanks!

Little "thorns" in the flesh

2007-08-10T19:08:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon I went to mowing in the ditch and ran over a yellow jacket nest. Before I realized that the yellow jackets were riled up (the mower was loud), I was stung quite a few times on the feet and lower legs. I put ice packs on the stings, took benadryl, tylenol, and advil. After awhile the pain reduced. Today I am feeling better. We plan on traveling Monday, so I am glad now to wait a couple of days before we go on a long trip.

Jim went out and sprayed a can of wasp and hornet spray into the nest and then burned the hole out with kerosene. I think he made a major dent in their population.

I am thankful the situation was bearable and the Lord helped me not to have a bad reaction to the stings.

Pray for us to have not only safety as we travel, but also for us to be tender to the Lord's help and leading. Thank you.

A Chance to Die

2007-08-09T11:43:00.000-04:00

This is the title of Elisabeth Elliot's biography of missionary Amy Carmichael. It has been interesting for me to read of her personal struggle and final decision to go into foreign missions. Initially she did not have clear direction concerning the field or work. Amy simply offered herself in obedience. She received counsel from family, friends, and the China Inland Mission (1892).

Though I have not finished the book, I am understanding that she had a call and worked on her walk with God along the pathway. She had certainly not "arrived" spiritually and then decided to answer her call. I am encouraged.

If there be any reserve in my giving to Him who so loved that He gave His dearest for me; if there be a secret "but" in my prayer, "anything but that, Lord," then I know nothing of Calvary love.
Amy Carmichael

We have received an increase in support this week. We are very encouraged. Thanks for your prayers.

Please pray for our coworkers Jon and Patty Hutchins. They have just arrived back in Porto Alegre and are beginning a new church plant, Hope Baptist Church. A church team from New York is coming in a few days to make many contacts in the target area and help to get the work started.

August blessings

2007-08-04T07:20:00.000-04:00

In our family we have 7 birthdays and 6 anniversaries this month. We praise the Lord for His mercies and goodness.

I am spending several days here refinishing some doors and painting two of the bedrooms. One bedroom was started 2 summers ago, and I never finished it. We will begin traveling next week so these projects need to be finished.

Tomorrow Jim has been asked to preach in a church locally, and I will teach a ladies Sunday school at our home church. These opportunities are appreciated. In the following weeks we will be traveling to NC, VA, MN, GA, WY, CO, and northern MI. Please begin praying for us as we will be in two churches we have been in before. Thanks for faithfully praying.

Winter in Brazil

2007-07-27T13:12:00.000-04:00

I was looking through some pictures of Porto Alegre and thought you might like to see one of the many shopping areas in the commercial district of the city. In 2005 we went shopping here to purchase a Brazilian soccer jersey to display on our table. The salesman tried to convince us it was a genuine jersey and wanted, if I remember correctly, about $50 or $60 U.S. for the jersey! We negotiated the price down to under $10 and I'm sure he still made his profit.

This time of the year is usually cold. This weekend low temperatures will be in the upper 30's(F). Some of the inland area is higher in altitude and gets down to freezing. This would not normally be a problem except that buildings aren't heated. The chill sets in and the warmth you might normally expect as you enter a building is not there. Grocery stores, churches, and homes are cold and you have to be creative in clothing and trying to keep one room in a home heated. One Brazilian lady told me that Brazilians believe you make yourself susceptible to sickness when buildings are either heated or air conditioned. Abrupt temperature changes from outside air to inside air are "unhealthy." I am hoping to purchase some good leather boots when we get to Porto Alegre.

Please continue to pray for support to come in. I believe some churches are in better positions to start taking us on soon. We will be going to North Carolina and Virginia in the middle of August. Thanks for your prayers.

Loose ends...for now

2007-07-20T09:50:00.001-04:00

We were gone for a month and things have happened here at home while we were away.
First, I came home to see the lawn was very dry. We needed rain, and that came the last two days, thankfully. Second, I noticed some new critters around the outside of the house. We have a mother rabbit with five babies that are still nursing. When I surprise them, the mother runs and the babies stay very still like small stones.

Also, I found the window well full of dirt! After a bit of investigating we discovered a ground hog had decided to dig in for new quarters. It has dug in the well and down deep by the basement foundation. This is a problem we still have yet to take care of.
We also have a small ribbon garter snake that makes its home along the back of our house. I jump sometimes when I see it, but I figure it helps the small critter population to be kept at bay.

Our computer has been using its security package to protect us from getting onto the server.... Don't you love computers? Hence, it's been a challenge to get onto the internet some days this week.

Jim has three Sundays in a row to teach Sunday School at our home church. So that's a praise. We continually thank the Lord for service opportunities and for help from our home church. They encourage us greatly. Our next meeting will be in North Carolina the 3rd week of August.

A book I have enjoyed on and off for about 10 years is 31 Days of Praise by Ruth Myers. In the appendix (part IV) she reminds us,
"Lord, I'm Yours. Whatever the cost may be, may your will be done in my life. I realize I'm not here on earth to do my own thing, or to seek my own fulfillment, or my own glory. I'm not here to indulge my desires, to increase my possessions, to impress people, to be popular, to prove I'm somebody important, or to promote myself. I'm not here even to be relevant or successful by human standards. I'm here to please You."

This is a small pocket-type book, and I would recommend it for your devotions.

As always thanks for prayers on our behalf.

Yellowstone and the Tetons

2007-07-09T16:07:00.000-04:00

We came through the mountains of Wyoming on Saturday morning and arrived in Green River, WY in the evening. We have been provided another beautiful home to stay for a few days. Jim will present the Brazil work on Wednesday evening. We thought we would present yesterday, but the plans needed to be changed.
We really enjoyed seeing Old Faithful and some of the sulfur springs around Yellowstone. As the old saying goes... wish you could have been there with us.

We have had another church in Michigan re connect with us today. We were there last fall, and they are desiring to take us on for support. We will keep you updated on that. Please pray for them to take that step.

We have a very busy end of August through end of October. Pray for us to keep filling up more of the schedule. We have some new possibilities from lists that have been given to us.
As always we appreciate you remembering to pray for us.

Eastward

2007-07-06T10:21:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we left Oregon. We drove through the high desert of eastern Oregon where the truck thermometer registered 108 degrees at one point. Air conditioning is a wonderful thing! We are now in the mountain time zone and will make our way to Green River, Wyoming by tomorrow evening. Since we have some extra time this afternoon, we are going to drive into Yellowstone National Park and try to see Old Faithful and other sights.

I am sure we will get pictures today....

The cup runs over

2007-07-03T18:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we got to drive up to Portland to see Alicia for a few hours. She has an incredible view from her deck. In the thick trees birds are chirping, and you can almost feel a calm descend... pretty nice place to relax.

We drove to Eugene, Oregon on Friday and once again have appreciated the great hospitality of the church here. We are staying in an apartment in the church building, and we have been treated to several wonderful meals with good fellowship. Jim preached both Sunday morning services, and the brass group from Maranatha Baptist Bible College did a beautiful concert in the evening. We were blessed.

Tomorrow we will be joining the church folks here for a July 4th picnic and ball game with some fireworks. Our plans are to be in Green River, WY by Saturday for a meeting there Sunday. We are beginning to make our way back to Michigan.

In my devotions I was reading again about Ahab making himself sick over not getting Naboth's vineyard. Jezebel "acquired" the vineyard and hastened judgment on her family. I was reminded again that only God truly knows our every need. Something wicked in us drives us to get the things we feel we must have. I want to keep a loose hold on things and really trust God for His perfect provisions. He is good.

Thanks for remembering us in prayer.

Having Heart

2007-06-28T13:42:00.000-04:00

"...at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart..."
Luke 18:1

We would ask again for you to pray specifically about two churches in the mid west that have indicated a desire to begin supporting us. Both have said money is tight, but they have not forgotten about us. One church will be voting sometime in the next few days to support us.

We have had our needs met above and beyond the necessities. God has seen to it that the expenses of this trip appear to be covered now. For that we are so thankful.

Tomorrow we must say good bye to this great Grants Pass, Oregon church family. We move on to Eugene, Oregon for a few days. Hopefully we will be able to take a short trip back to Portland to see our niece, Alicia. She is moving from Corpus Christi, Texas to Portland to begin work in a medical practice. We hope to see her before we begin making our way back east.

Jim will be preaching and presenting the Brazil work this Sunday in Eugene. Thanks for your prayers. Those prayers help us to "have heart."

Postcards

2007-06-26T19:17:00.001-04:00

Redwood National Park in California

One fond memory I have for Janelle, Dan, JD, and Jim is their grandparents would send them postcards from places they visited. The postcards were greatly enjoyed and kept on display for quite some time. I hope we can send along a few postcards to our grandchildren in days to come.

I am really small next to those great redwood trees. They are said to be several hundred years old. We also went a few more miles to the Pacific and hiked down to the shore where a couple of brrrr-ave souls were swimming in the icy waters.

We had a blessing seeing those great trees and the ocean today.

Getting around

2007-06-24T23:11:00.000-04:00

For those who have trouble finding their way to church....

We drove to Lacomb, Oregon yesterday morning and back to Grants Pass this afternoon. The truck turned over 100,000 miles on the way through Montana a couple of weeks ago. We certainly praise the Lord for a dependable vehicle. Today Jim taught a combined Sunday school, and then he preached for the morning service. We have been invited out for some lunch and fellowship tomorrow, and look forward to keep getting to know the folks here better.

I have been reading one of my favorite authors again. Elisabeth Elliot writes in, A Path Through Suffering, that the "sign" of the cross for every believer is to die to self daily, surrendering the will in obedience to the Father. I have heard this before and probably need to hear it daily.

Time and expectations

2007-06-21T22:13:00.000-04:00

On our way to Crater Lake National Park we stopped for a bit to see this waterfall. Further up the river the water has carved out holes and come through rock to create a natural bridge. Water is so life-giving and so powerful that it can tear rocks apart.
But it doesn't happen quickly.

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him." Psalm 62:5
Waiting for things is one of my biggest heart challenges. Please pray that we will not wait upon churches or people to have our expectations met. We need to learn to wait on God and make Him the only true satisfaction of our souls.

Jim preached last evening from the book of Haggai. It was a blessing. Please pray for the folks here in Grants Pass to consider supporting the work in Brazil.
This weekend we will travel to Lebanon, Oregon for Sunday services. Keep us in those prayers. Thanks.

Also we congratulate our nephew, JD, and his wife, Danielle on the birth of their daughter, Lily Grace. Lily Grace is our first great niece. Some pictures are posted on JD's blog. See the link to the right of this post.

Snow in June?

2007-06-19T13:28:00.000-04:00

We left Michigan on Tuesday the 5th, exactly 2 weeks ago. The weather wasn't good when we left. On our way through Minnesota, South Dakota, and Montana we continued to have tornado-like storms and got caught in a hail storm in Gillette, Wyoming. All along, the weather has been "unseasonably cold." So it only makes perfect sense to find snow on all the east facing slopes at the park yesterday. The air temperature was in the 60's, but the snow is still being removed from roads around the rim of the crater and from off the tourist paths.

The red sweet Bing cherries are in season here and absolutely delicious. We have also been enjoying fresh, 33 cent, California avocados.

The second picture needs a bit of an explanation. The stump in the picture remains alive because its underground roots are grafted naturally to the large tree next to it. Even though the stump appears to be dead, it lives because it abides in the life-giving forces of the living tree. Some spiritual applications there, eh? I did not know until yesterday that it was possible for trees to graft their roots together underground. Pretty amazing!

Jim has been invited to preach tomorrow evening here in Grants Pass. Please pray for him to be clear and Christ-honoring in his speaking. Thanks.
We will travel to another church this coming weekend and then return to Grants Pass for a few more days.

All I can say is, "WOW!"

2007-06-18T21:36:00.000-04:00

Today, for the first time, we visited Crater Lake National Park.

We heard the Indian myths about how the crater was formed....
We heard the progressive secular explanation: "millions of years ago"....
We saw the handiwork of the Lord.
It completely defies human words to describe the beauty.

Yesterday's presenting of the Brazil work went well. We were blessed and pray for the good folks here to keep their wonderful heart for missions. Please ask the Lord to help them think about supporting us. Thanks.

Thanks Dad

2007-06-17T08:36:00.000-04:00

I am NOT kidding....this is the great view from the back door of the mission home looking east!

In his book, Humility: True Greatness, C.J. Mahaney reminds us to be always watching for evidences of God's grace in other's lives. Thanks Dad, for your faithful walk with the Lord. Thanks for working hard and keeping a Christ-centered world view about family, church, and work. You are a truly generous person. Happy Father's Day to you as a Dad, Grandpa, and now a Great-Grandpa.
Today Jim is teaching a combined adult and teen Sunday school, we are doing a children's program during the morning preaching service, and tonight we will show the DVD. Jim will also speak on Brazil and then preach. It's a wonderful day with much to do. Thank you for remembering to pray for us.

Pioneers

2007-06-16T11:27:00.000-04:00

See the roses along the front walk of this missions home!

It's interesting to think of the early settlers who left their known homes for the unknown, unclaimed territories out here on the west coast. I know some came in search of earthly fortunes in the gold mines; others came due to restlessness in their spirits. Many came and stayed and worked through the hardships.
I have just finished reading King of the Cannibals: The Story of John G. Paton by Jim Cromarty. In 1858, Paton left all his comforts of home in Scotland and set out for the New Hebrides islands in the south pacific. He took his first wife and shortly lost both his wife and child to disease. He continued on, though, for many years with a second wife, several children, and most important... many he saw saved and discipled in Christ. He came, he stayed, and he worked through tremendous hardships, and God blessed him with eternal rewards. Paton was a true missionary pioneer.

Beautiful southern Oregon

2007-06-15T17:48:00.000-04:00

Rogue River

Jim and I are staying for a few days in Grants Pass, Oregon. We are surrounded by mountains, sunshine, and lots of roses. Apparently this is an ideal climate for growing things. We are told snow rarely falls here.

We have the blessing of staying a few days in a mission home. We will present our Brazil work on Sunday here and then travel next week. We were in two Portland churches last Sunday and the hospitality has been great.