All our adventures as missionaries, past and present.

MISSION: Uganda Email Update 09-29-2013

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Greetings! The first light touch of Fall air has embraced the Saint Louis area. It’s so novel to feel the change of seasons again after three years on the Equator. Don’t get me wrong – I love living in the land of NeverSnow! It’s just kind of cool to enjoy Fall in the Mid-west after a brief respite.

Our trip to the Northwest was successful. It was great as always to see some folks we haven’t seen for awhile. Due to some problems getting the rental car on Saturday before Labor Day, and Monday being Labor Day, we wound up having to make our trip to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in two days instead of three. If it hadn’t been for Pacific time… We had a great meeting with the good folks of Foundation Baptist Church. Then, we drove 500 miles back to Billings, MT for some meetings down there with Pastors Miller and Austin in Grace Baptist and Bethel Baptist. Pray for the churches in the West. Westerners are rather difficult to reach with the Gospel. They are hard and independent, like the land they settled. Unlike the East, in particular the “Bible Belt”, they just don’t feel the same cultural need for church. Consequently, it’s REALLY challenging to plant churches. It takes your whole life, because all the people are so accustomed to guys from out East or South migrating to the West to plant churches, and then sputtering and burning out after 3 to 5 years. So, they don’t have very high expectations for church planters. You have to remain, and demonstrate the same level of stubborn commitment to the land that they possess, which means living in little towns in the West for decades, with little support, small congregations, and slow growth. Not everybody has the patience or the stamina to stick it out. They are worth the effort, however, as are all people everywhere. Pray for the churches of the West, and the church planters who labor there.

We returned to Southside Baptist Church in Kirksville, MO (Pastor Aaron Rodgerson). This was the first church other than our home church that ever supported us. They stuck it out with us through 5 long years of deputation, and were a great encouragement to us at a time when we wondered if we were doing the right thing, as the support just trickled in and money was so scarce. They didn’t quit on us, and were willing to let us take the time we needed to raise our support. Pastor Rodgerson and his church have planted a new church in nearby Edina, MO. This is a tiny little town in need of a Gospel preaching church. Bro. Rodgerson has a vision for church planting. There was a time when Baptist churches were all church planting churches. They can, and should be, once again. Pray for this church, and for the people of Edina. Pray they will be able to get a permanent Pastor for this community so Pastor Rodgerson will be free to plant more.

Our home church had it’s missions conference. Of all churches, I love my own the best. It was good to be with my church family, talking about missions, preaching about missions, to a bunch of people who are deeply, intimately invested in missions with us. They had to give us up so we could go, and have made endless labors of love on our behalf over the years. We’ve got the greatest church in the world here. Pray for Pastor Spilger and Pastor Gillespie and Grace Baptist Church and Maranatha Baptist Church as they continue to hold forth the Gospel in Saint Louis.

Next we have to make a trip to the Southwest and California. Pray for our journeys, as always.

Thank you for all your prayers!

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 09-06-02013

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Greetings from the Northwest! I have returned from Alaska, and we had to immediately load up to head North for meetings in Idaho and Montana. We are keeping the big blue beast for driving around town when we’re in St. Louis, but we had to rent something to make this trip. It’s expensive, but the folks at Enterprise gave us a good deal. It’s cramped, cramming eight people and their luggage into a vehicle made for seven. The alternative is to have our junk van strand us somewhere.

My trip to the great white North went great. In Ketchikan, I assisted Pastor John Judson with his cruise ship ministry. The cruise ships dock at Ketchikan and dump thousands on the town every day in the summer. Every time, Pastor Judson is right there, smiling, giving a warm greeting to the inbound tourists, and a friendly, non-threatening Gospel witness. The tourism industry brings the mission field right to his doorstep. It’s a marvelous opportunity to give the Gospel to folks from all over the world. Pray for this ministry. He’s thinking of raising money to be able to do it full time, and for the immense cost of professional printing, so it can be done right.

Meanwhile in Craig, Pastor Ensley is about to start a Christian school. Their ministry to the people of Prince of Wales is progressing well. Pray for this work.

In Fairbanks, the brothers Hamilton are each pastoring churches to the people of inland Alaska. Pray for Bruce’s growing Christian camp he puts on for village children from the Inuit tribes. Pray for Mickie’s country church, reaching our military men and women, and Alaska residents,

Independent Baptist in Anchorage and Valley Baptist Tabernacle in Palmer are both doing well. Pray for Pastors Roach and Hull. Pastor Wes Hudson and his family are holding forth the faith in Talkeetna, and Pastor Boutwell and Pastor Wood at Immanuel Baptist and Jubilee Baptist in Kenai and Sterling. Pastor Harbaugh in Homer is still going strong. Pray for these churches, as they continue in the face of fluctuating memberships, fluctuating economies, long, cold, winters, and all too brief summers where everyone is too busy for church it seems sometimes.

Pray for Darryl Serino and his family up in Barrow above the Arctic circle. He coaches the high school hockey and soccer teams, and is in every sense a good part of this 5,000 member community, of which 60% are Inupiaq natives, still hunting whales as their ancestors did for countless generations before. Pray for the spread of the Gospel to these dear people.

My personal thanks goes out to Tim and Julie Tuttle, our good friends, who hosted me for much of my time in Alaska. Their making me part of their family helped ease my loneliness at being separated from my family for 5 weeks.

It was a fantastic trip, and I was able to accomplish much. However, it is so good to be back with my family. Pray for us on our journeys in the Northwest. Pray for our support. I have been to several new churches now, and have many more to visit. Pray we will get the 10-15 new churches we need so we can be fully supported, and make up the loss created by inflation before we return to Uganda. Some of you have raised our support, which is a tremendous help – thank you! Every church that raises our support some helps us stay ahead of inflation and eases the pressure on me to need to raise more support. If your church is in a position to help us in this way, and would like to do so, I would be very grateful.

Project Libris is advancing well. We have collected enough nearly to fill a 40 foot container with books, and more are coming. As always, if you want to send us books, you can use our church address, Grace Baptist Church, c/o Project Libris, 11642 Riverview Dr, Saint Louis, MO 63138.

God bless all of you!

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 07-15-2013

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Summer is half over. Sure goes by quick, doesn’t it? We are home for a few weeks, which is a blessing. That means I can finally sit and think about prayer letters and what not.

We finished up our trip out East. We haven’t seen some of these folks since Gaelin was a baby. It was awesome to visit with everyone again. I spent an afternoon at the book warehouse picking out books. I came away with a couple thousand. Our library has become quite huge. We are on track to having enough to easily fill a 40 foot shipping container. Pray about the funds for the shipping of the container to Uganda. If you’d like to help, you can send it to BIMI, marked Project Libris. 

We took a trip to Branson with my wife’s family. As you know, you only really go to Branson for one reason: SILVER DOLLAR CITY! The kids were super excited. Gaelin and Elizabeth were tall enough this time to ride the cool rides, of which they were immensely proud. They had this new ride called Outlaw Run. It’s a realtime simulation of a high-speed descent from low-Earth orbit without a parachute – awesome! While there, Anna and I spent some time over at the outlet mall buying the clothes we’ll need in Uganda for the next couple years. The folks at Old Navy gave us a huge discount. What a blessing! 

Immediately after the 4th, we drove to Gettysburg, PA for the 150th anniversary re-enactments of the battle. The final day, Picket’s Charge, was epic, and very moving. To think of the terrible price that war cost in human lives and suffering, just to make a nation where all Americans could be equal and free, not just the white folks. 

Next, we’re heading up to Grand Island, NE for a family reunion, then a meeting in Utah. Afterwards, I fly up to Alaska for a month’s worth of meetings there while my family gets a needed break back in St. Louis. Pray for my family’s safety in my absence, and my own as I travel about the great state of Alaska. 

God bless you!

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 05-29-2013

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Greetings! We are traveling hard and making good headway with our meetings. We’ve been down to Louisiana, then Florida with a stop in Pensacola to visit some friends (Stephen Spilger and Kristen and Garrett Tracht) at PCC, where some of my kids are wanting to go. It was instructive, getting to tour the campus – seems like a great school. Then we swung back home by way of a meeting in Georgia so I could swap vans with another missionary (I made sure I covered it with Obama bumper stickers first, Nate Wright – kidding!). 

We had another meeting with our friends Bill and Tresia Gillespie at Maranatha Baptist here in St. Louis. Then it was an all day jaunt the next day to North Carolina for some more meetings. Those meetings went great, and then we got back to NW Pennsylvania for a missions conference. Thanks to a cancellation, we got some extra meetings, and my kids got to spend a lot of time with their new friends. It was very pleasant just to be stationary. We spent some time hiking in the Alleghany National Forest, which was gorgeous. It felt like home in Uganda, being in a small town, surrounded by green trees.

We have loads more meetings this year. Pray for our safe travels. Pray I will be successful in raising more support. I need to make up the difference of what we didn’t have when we went to the field under supported, and also what we have lost in the way of churches dropping or reducing support, and also the losses brought about by inflation and the meteoric rise in cost of living. 

We have gathered many books. I heard from a lady in Connecticut that has a book re-selling business. I will be able to walk through her 4,000 square foot warehouse and pick out whatever we want. Also, she may have 20 school desks and chairs to take back with us as well. Pray we’ll be able to raise the funds for shipping. Keep bringing us boxes of books. We will be carrying those in our van back to St. Louis every time to add to the pile.

God bless you!

 

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 04-29-2013

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Howdy, y’all! Furlough continues apace. April has zipped past, with much to accomplish. There were multiple tasks queued up that all had to be done at once nearly as soon as we reached the States. When we weren’t in meetings, we worked on those. 

We got all our shopping done, finally. I personally hate shopping for clothes, but I tolerate it as an occasional, necessary activity. In this instance, there was no choice – everyone had to have new clothes. It’s nice to have new things that fit and aren’t worn out, but what a tiresome process. 

The kids’ passports are renewed. <Groan> Passports for 5 kids are expensive! It was a pleasure to be able to just go to our local post office and get those done, efficiently, and as quickly as all that paperwork can be done. It sure beats having to take a trip to Kampala, get them processed there, stay overnight, drive back the next day, and then have to return to Kampala AGAIN when the new passports finally arrive weeks later.

We’ve been able to spend a lot of time with family, which is awesome. Family is the biggest reason we come home on furlough, and it’s been wonderful to see them all again.

We received a shipment of books from Texas and got those down into our mission house basement. There’s currently enough books down there to fill a 20 foot shipping container, or close to it. I am very grateful to all the people who got on board with this project before we ever arrived in America and started gathering books for us. So far, we have been getting books at most churches we visit. We don’t need truckloads (unless, of course, you have truckloads, in which case, we will take ’em), so we can take anything you have, as long as it’s in boxes. Then we haul them back to St. Louis in our van, which has ample space in back for cargo. If every church does this, we should easily get enough books to fill a 40′ shipping container. Pray about the money we will need for the container, the shipping, and the lesser cost of constructing a library building when we get back to Uganda.

We are in the beginning of some of the first of our long travels East. Pray for our safety and health. Pray the meetings will go well, and we’ll be able to secure additional support along the way. Keep praying for our churches, workers, and property back in Uganda.

God bless you!