MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 08-04-2005

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Howdy, all! We're home. The drive home, other than the fatigue and the weary kids, went without a hitch, so thanks for praying for us. I'll be heading to Indy on Saturday to pick up the other van, so pray about that. We have paid the first of two payments on the remainder that we owe Mission Auto, thanks to God's provision with a $1000 gift we received last month. The final payment of $1280 is coming up on August 14, and I've got to register the vehicle by August 9 (another $365 in sales tax) so pray about that also. Anna and the kids weathered the trip very well, and thank you for praying for them. Pray that the lady who's buying our van would get her title for her other vehicle soon, so she can sell it and get us the money for our old van, which she's buying from us, cause we really need the funds right now. Pray for our finances, which are very tight at the moment. Our trip west went very well, and the churches out there took good care of us, but gas is just really, really expensive, and there's just no getting around it. I can't even imagine how missionaries handle it in countries where they pay twice what we do at the pump, or more. Gas gobbled up much of the love offerings we received, and the support just isn't there yet to pay our monthly bills properly so we can use love offerings for travel expenses like we need to. I know I bring up finances a lot, but that's our biggest need currently, and I figured folks would like to pray about it. As a missionary, it puts a lot of pressure on you, and makes it hard to make the trips you need to make to get the support you need to get to the field, so it's kind of a Catch-22. Should I use the love offerings to pay for travel expenses so I can travel to churches and get support, or pay my bills on time, but have nothing left with which to travel, to raise support, to pay my bills? You see? It's a vicious cycle. At the risk of being accused of begging, I thought I'd tell you what's really going on, so you could pray more effectively for us. Frankly, I feel better knowing that people know our needs and are praying about them.

We'll be in Old Paths Baptist Church in Jefferson City, MO (Pastor Alan Golden) on Sunday. Pray for our meeting, that we'll be a blessing to folks, encourage the Pastor, and be used of God to call more laborers to His harvest field. Pray for the trip to North Carolina that's coming up the week after, that Anna will be able to endure it without harm (she'd like to go, but it's getting down to the wire on the pregnancy). Everything after that is close, and we have no meetings in early September, in anticipation of the birth. Pray that the funds will be there to get us to the East Coast and back. I've got lots of phone calling to get done this month and the next, so pray that I'll be able to get in touch with Pastors, and that I'll be able to fill up the first six months of next year entirely, and all of 2006 by year's end. Pray that God will lead us to the churches where He wants us, and that He will lead them to partner with us financially to get us to the field.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 08-01-2005

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Greetings from South Dakota, once again. We're back in Rapid City for the night, and on our way back to St. Louis. Our trip to Yellowstone went great. The weather was perfect, and we got lots of great pictures, some of which I'll get up on the website as soon as I get a chance. It was without a doubt one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. It was my first time, and the fulfillment of a lifelong ambition. Our meeting in Missoula, MT went great (Lighthouse Baptist Church, Pastor Tommy Lemmons). I showed the slides and gave our testimony, and God blessed. I went on outreach with them on Thursday night, and we got to witness for a while to a guy named Lance. Lance is very confused, about many things, so pray for Lance that he'll show up to church, and hear the gospel again, that he'll have understanding, and get saved.

We went to Florence Baptist Church next (Pastor Tim Johnson) in Florence, MT. They put us up in their prophet's chamber for a few days. It was most restful. Necessary, too, because we were running out of clean clothes, and were able to use their laundry facilities. As it turned out, they were having a Men's Prayer Breakfast on Saturday morning, so I was able to be there for that, and helped with some work projects afterward. Our meeting Sunday morning went very well, and then it was off to Great Falls, MT that afternoon. We had a meeting in Fairview Baptist Church (Pastor Richard Dion). He was out of town for a Sword of the Lord Conference, but we had a great meeting, and a great time of fellowship with his Associate Pastor Marc Elledge.

We were up bright and early this morning, and made the drive all the way from Great Falls, MT to Rapid City, SD. Tomorrow, we'll continue all the way across South Dakota to Council Bluffs, IA, and on Wednesday, at last, we'll drive back to St. Louis, MO. Whew! It has been a great trip, and we have greatly enjoyed our Grand Western Tour, so much so that we're thinking of making another trip out this way next year, but we're mighty tired and looking forward to sleeping in our own beds.

Pray for the trip home, that all will go well. God has provided all but $1000 for the new van (Praise the LORD). Thank you, everyone, who has prayed, and given. Pray that the remainder will come in by the second August 14 deadline to finish paying for it. Also, if you would, pray that God will provide the money (approximately $1500) to get a good laptop computer. We're at the point now where we're really starting to need one. That's the reason I haven't sent out an update before now, because I haven't had access to a computer before this. If I had a laptop, it would make it a lot easier to keep in communication with everyone, as well as helping me with my computerized language studies on the road.

As always, it is a tremendous pleasure to serve the LORD.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 07-25-2005

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Greetings from Billings, MT. We had our meeting in Grace Baptist Church (Pastor Richard Miller) yesterday. Everything went great. The preaching services went well, and folks were encouraged. A new family visited Sunday morning, so be in prayer about that as they ponder church membership (they need some more families to join the church).

We will be with the Millers until Wednesday morning, when we'll be heading to Missoula, MT for a meeting in Light House Baptist Church (Pastor Tommy Lemmons). Tomorrow we'll be driving down to Yellowstone, so we're looking forward to that.

Things are going great here. Continue to be in prayer for us as we drive, that things will continue to go well with the van we're using so I can get that back to Mission Auto without incident. Pray that the lady who's buying our van will get her other car sold soon (she's waiting on a "quick" title) so she can buy our old van (we need the money to pay for our new van), and pray that the remainder ($1700) will show up by Aug. 14, so we can pay Mission Auto on time as promised. Pray for our remaining three meetings, that we will be a blessing, and that God will move them to support us financially.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 07-21-2005

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Just a quick note before we pull out of Dillon, MT (and while have access to the hotel broadband). Our meeting last night went great. Pastor Rick Hammond has a great little church going here, in Stone Creek Bible Baptist Church. He has a real heart for God, and for his community. Pray that the church will grow, and that he and his wife will not be weary in well doing (I don't think they are, just that it would be a good idea to pray as such), and that God will continue to encourage them.

On the way to Billings the night prior, we had an encounter with a deceased deer, just over a rise, in the dark, and right smack in the middle of the lane. All I had time for was to try to center us in order to minimize the damage. As it turned out, he, well, "a'sploded", and sprayed the underside of our van with blood, hair, and deer guts. Nasty. So, we got to smell the lovely smell of cooking deer guts 'til this morning, when Pastor Hammond came over to the hotel and helped me clean all that mess out of there. Talk about a servant's heart! We swung by a car wash out of town to clean up the remainders, so we should be alright.

We'll be with Richard and Candy Miller on Sunday in Billings, MT (Grace Baptist Church). Pray for our continued driving, and that God will bless in the meeting on Sunday.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 07-18-2005

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Greetings, all! We're still in South Dakota at the moment, in Rapid City. On Saturday, we drove to Hovine, SD for a meeting. It was 106 degrees. Hot, hot, hot. Thank God for air-conditioning. Our meeting in Glory Bound Baptist Church (Pastor James Ruckman) went very well. Hovine is a small town in the middle of what some folks might consider to be "nowhere", but it is the epicenter of a thriving local, NT Baptist Church. Pastor Ruckman is doing a great job here, and his people are just the greatest bunch of folks. Before he came here to plant a church, the only "church" in town was the Catholic "church". Needless to say, they were not happy when they heard a Baptist was coming to town to challenge their unscriptural supremacy, and fought it tooth and nail. Didn't work. Way back when I scheduled this meeting with Bro. Ruckman, he guaranteed us support if we could come to his church. That's something that rarely happens, and is a definite blessing and encouragement to us, seeing as how we've been hovering at 10% for six months. It was a real pleasure to be here. We stayed in Gettysburg, SD, which has a sign as you enter town that reads, "Gettysburg, Where the Battle Wasn't". We took a picture, which I'll get up on the site as soon as we get home and I get a chance.

On the way back today, we drove through the Badlands National Park. It's this beautiful collection of intricate geologic formations, with lots of box canyons, gullies, and what not. We stopped to take lots of pictures, and while we were at one these spots, I took the boys rock-climbing. Ethan and Elizabeth were too little to do anything ('cept cry because they kept sliding in the loose soil), so Anna kept an eye on them while I took James and John with me. They loved it! They're naturals it seems, and are quite adept little climbers, to the extent that their small bodies will allow. So, I escorted them, to keep them away from the dangerous ledges, and to lift them places they couldn't reach. They were on top of the world, literally, and loved every minute of it, my bold, adventurous little men. I'll get all these pictures posted as soon as I get to a place where I can so y'all can see.

Tomorrow, we're going to Deadwood (where Wild Bill Hickock was shot), to "see the cowboys", so the guys are really excited about that. On Wednesday, we'll be driving to Dillon, MT for a meeting in Stone Creek Bible Baptist Church (Pastor Rick Hammond), so pray for us as we drive. Pray for the meeting, that we'll be used of God to call others to the harvest field, and that we'll be an encouragement to the Pastor and the church. Pray that they'll be moved of God to partner with us financially to get us to the field. Please continue praying, as always, that the rest of the $2500 we still need for the new van will come in in time to pay them on July 31, and that the churches where we've been will be moved and enabled by God to take us on for support.