Well now we know. We are only having one child, who is apparently exceedingly active, and he's a boy. So, the 2005 model will be singular, and go by the monkier of Gaelin Joseph Huckabee. Everything looked good in the ultrasound. Boy did he hate that thing! He was prepared to fight over it, and kept kicking at the scope. Big kid, too. If anyone knows a farm that's up for sale, let us know (just kidding). I'll try to get some ultrasound photos up on the website later tonight.
Howdy, all! Things went well at Calvary Baptist Church in Campbell, MO. It's a town almost on the Arkansas border, about an hour from Walnut Ridge. Our boys had a great time playing with Pastor Tony Woods' kids, Anthony and Loren. Anthony had this battery powered, toy 4-wheeler, and the guys drove it all over. I'll get pics up soon so you can see for yourself. It was good to fellowship with the Woods'. They're our age, so we had plenty to talk about. They've got this vibrant, Independent Baptist church, surrounded by all these General Baptist churches. The General Baptists think you can lose your salvation. So, it's nice that there's a Biblical church in the area, not only soulwinning, but believing that once the Gospel "takes", it stays with you for eternity. I preached with a lot of liberty in the evening service. It's always good to know that God is using you to call people to Himself, and it was apparent that He was present in the service. It was a great meeting, and we were glad to get to be there.
Just a quick FYI. We were contacted by MissionAuto in Ohio (they're a ministry that helps missionaries obtain low cost vehicles for deputation and furlough). They have a 2000 Pontiac Montana, 78,000 miles, asking price $6995. You can view pics and specs for one of these here. What sets this minivan apart from others is that it seats eight! It's spacious, and has two sliding doors (one on each side of the vehicle). It gets 25 mpg on the highway, which would be a big plus these days with the astronomical gas prices. It's front wheel drive, which would make it more nimble in slick road conditions. It has dual airbags in the front, so overall it sounds like a very safe vehicle, borrowing some design specs from SUVs. We would get the seating of a passenger van, without having to have a massive passenger van. This would suit our needs perfectly. We only have $1000 to work with at the moment, so pray that the remaining $6000 will arrive in the next week so we can purchase this thing. If we do so, they fix it up for you (part of the ministry), and they have folks who volunteer their time to drive it to you, so we wouldn't have to go get it. We're driving down to Campbell, MO (3 1/2 hours away) this weekend, so be in prayer for that as well.
God bless,
James Huckabee
Missionary to Uganda
Greetings! Quiet day today, so I reckoned I'd better take advantage of it to send an update. We were home this weekend for the very simple reason that I couldn't line up any meetings for April 17, try as I might. Not a problem, tho', because it's nice to get a break from meetings in order to be in your home church once in a while, and to get caught up on the stuff (translation: laundry and yard work) piling up in your absence at home.
Week before last, we were in Gethsemene Baptist Church in Walnut Ridge, AR. This is Kyle Guimon's hometown and boyhood church, and is where his parents attend. It was a very good church, and it was a great encouragement to us just being there. Derek Collins has a real heart for his community, and for soulwinning, as does his church. 97 have been saved through their ministry in the last year, which is a prodigious achievement. God is plainly at work there, and the people are joyful to be a part of it. Since they're the only ones doing any kind of community outreach, with the exception of the Jehovah's Witnesses (and they don't count), they have been tagged with the derisive term of "Walkers". Walkers, indeed! You know, the LORD needs some more Walkers out there, folks who will get out and do the daunting task of sowing the gospel seed. They're doing it in Walnut Ridge, and it's clearly bearing fruit. While there, we got to visit with the Guimons and be an encouragement to them. We'll be heading back to Walnut Ridge in June for their missions conference, so we'll get to spend more time with these wonderful people and their great pastor and wife then.
Howdy, folks! We're back in town again. We just finished a missions conference in Ash Street Baptist Church (Pastor Jerry Pyle) in Nevada, MO. They've got a problem, the best of problems – they're outgrowing their building. Be in prayer for them as they seek other property elsewhere in town where then can build a larger building. Bro. Hathcock from Tulsa Baptist Temple preached, and did superbly. He preached a message from 2 Corinthians 5 on the Great Commission, how we are ambassadors for Christ. The phrase that stood out the most to me was in verse 20 "as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." Ours is a ministry of reconciliation. We beseech the world in Christ's stead: be ye reconciled. There is no greater calling, and no greater privilege, than that God should include us in His great ministry of reconciliation. The church loves the LORD, as does their pastor, and it is evident to witness. It was very refreshing to be there. We had some good fellowship with Jason and Sarah Knabb, missionaries on their way to Vera Cruz, Mexico. They were just regular folks like us, trying to do God's will and get to the field, and it was a pleasure getting to know them. Pray for Larry, a thirteen year old young man who got saved while Jason and I were out soulwinning on Saturday. Also be in prayer for Curtis and Pat Hollingsworth, and older couple who were under great conviction as we witnessed to them, but were unwilling to be saved.