Greetings from Rhode Island! Our conference in Narragansett Bay Baptist Church (Pastor Todd Stricklin) went great. We had great preaching from Dr. Ron Bragg all week. The people are wonderful. They just went out of their way to make us feel welcome and loved. The family we stayed with, the Brandenburgs, treated us like family and made us feel right at home. Our whole time here has just been a marvelous blessing.
On Friday, we went to Newport, and my wife and children got to see the ocean for the first time. It was magical. I took them right down to the water, showed them how to look for little crabs and starfish in the tidal pools, how to keep from getting wet by observing the waves and staying out of their way, and how to look for cool seashells. They loved every minute of it. The weather was supposed to be nasty on Friday, but we all prayed for good weather, and the LORD granted it. The clouds cleared, it got warm, and the sun came out long enough for our outing and gave us the opportunity to get some great pictures. Hurricane Tammy had added to the splendor of the whole thing, by way of the massive breakers it created. For lunch, we ate on the pier. Anna discovered what I meant when I said that seafood bought in the Midwest isn't fit to eat. Until you've had really fresh fish, you can't appreciate how delicious it can be. Ours was outstanding. What a great day!
Best of all, this church will be supporting us! So it's been a very worthwhile trip. On Wednesday, we'll be in Southington , CT. We'll be in Central Baptist Church's Missions Conference (Pastor Jim Townsley). In the meantime, today, one of the members here has arranged for both Anna and I to get eye exams and new glasses (she's an optometrist). What a blessing! We've been needing that for ages, but neither of us have insurance, and had no way to pay for them.
