All our adventures as missionaries, past and present.

Van Update

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Last night we called Anna's Aunt Cynthia and Uncle Brad. They called friends of theirs, Norm and Dawn Breece, who lived close by. They really came through for us. Norm called a tow-truck for us, and he and his wife ferried most of our belongings and us over to their house to warm up and wait while Cynthia and Brad were en route (they live an hour away). Then we loaded up and headed to their house in Carroll, NE. We crashed that night. I slept, but Anna did not, being all wracked with guilt and worry like she was.

We just got the word on the van, and it wasn't good. It's totalled. The frame is badly bent, and can't be pulled out without significant expense. So, this wonderful van that God provided is now ruined. I have to rent a car to get us the rest of the way to St. Louis, and we
have my work van to get around in. We won't be able to make any long distance trips in it because it's too small for us and our stuff. Fortunately, our meetings in the next week or so are relatively close, but I don't know what we're going to do after that. Please pray. Not the way I was planning on beginning full-time deputation…

Prayer Request

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Howdy folks! We are in Sioux City, Iowa at the moment. We took a special trip up to Rapid City, SD to visit Anna's Grandfather, Burton Brush, who is dying from cancer. On the way back today, we got in a wreck. Anna was driving while I was trying to get some sleep. It has snowed and iced pretty bad in the Midwest the past few days. She was pulling over to use the bathroom at the Sioux City welcome center of all places. While coming around a turn , she hit a curb that was covered by the snow, and skidded into an oncoming vehicle. The other car was taking up more than its fair share of road apparently, and she was trying to stay out of the way. Everyone is fine, thankfully, but it doesn't look good for the van. We have family in the area, so we have a place to stay while we get it fixed. However, we only have liability insurance. The van's a 92 Chevy G20 with 138,000 miles on it. It's spacious and has plenty of room for all six of us (my 6' 6" frame included), and all our stuff. It was supposed to be our deputation vehicle for the next little while. God provided it, and now it seems He has taken it away. I have nothing to replace it with and no way to do so. We had just gone full-time as missionaries, meaning, I quit my secular job. Then, as if it wasn't already bad enough, the Sioux City Police saw fit to give her a ticket for 'failure to control the vehicle'. Awful nice of 'em to kick us when we're down like that. I don't know what we're supposed to do. I have a meeting in MO in a few days, and we need a way to get there. Please pray for us. Pray God will provide. Pray that Anna doesn't kick herself over this too bad (she was pretty broken up about it). Pray that we'll be able to get back in town soon, if possible. Pray for safety for all missionaries who are on the road, and wisdom for me as I try to figure out what to do about this.

Wrapping Up

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Welcome to 2005! We got a much needed rest around the holidays. I've been pushing very hard so as to make a successful conclusion to the year, in an attempt to get us on firm footing for the big transition to full-time mission work on January 1. So, we were all quite tired, and it was about time to just rest. We got lots of sleep, spent time together with family and with each other, and just caught up a bit.

The kids had a great time of course. The boys got a wooden train set, and Spider-man action figures. Elizabeth got one of those Little Tikes kitchenettes with all kinds of pretend foods, and dishes, and a stove and a sink and a microwave and a phone, and she is, of course, loving playing with it. The LORD provided some much needed money to buy these gifts, and it was very encouraging to me to be able to give some good presents to my children.

The end of an era has occurred. I have worked a job in one form or another since I cut grass for money as a 12 year old kid. That ended on December 31, 2004. I am now a full-time missionary, on deputation and on the way to Uganda, East Africa. It feels kind of odd, and, although I won't miss having to race out in the morning every day to get to work, there is a slight sense of loss. My employer was sad to see me go, because God had really prospered me in that job, and I hated to go as well. Nevertheless, it is truly great to be able to serve one master, and be focused fully on the great calling of God that He has placed in my heart. I can set my own schedule, manage my time more efficently, and get the work of the ministry done more easily now that I no longer have to answer to a secular job.

No sooner had the year ended, than we were driving up to Scotts Bluff, Nebraska on January 1 to visit my wife's uncle, Donald Brush and his family, and to be in a meeting in Bible Baptist Church in Scotts Bluff. The main reason we made the trip is because a) Don recommended that if we could, try to get a meeting in January, and this was the only weekend still open, and b) Burton Brush, Anna's grandfather, is probably dying, and we felt an urgent need to get up to Rapid City, South Dakota quickly to visit with him and Mildred. It seemed very apparent what God was setting up for us to do, so we changed our plans and made the trip. It's been great. It was a real pleasure to get to visit with the Brush's (Donald). Our kids and their kids are close in age, and they had a great time playing together. The meeting in Bible Baptist went well, and we were able I think to be a great encouragement to the Pastor, and ministered to the Church. There a great bunch of people, and it was a joy to be in their church. Afterwards, we drove to Rapid City, SD to visit with Grandpa and Grandma Brush. Got to see Mt. Rushmore on the way (coolness), and some buffalo (more coolness). While in Rapid City, we have a Wednesday night meeting in Emmanuel Baptist Church, and will be showing our slides. We'll be here 'til Thursday, and then back to St. Louis to crash, catch up, and get ready for a meeting in Sweet Springs, MO on Sunday.

Be praying for Bro. Brush. He's having a lot of trouble sleeping these days, and is very tired. His illness is wearing enough without the lack of sleep to exhaust him on top of that.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 12-22-2004

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Greetings, folks!

We were in Philadelphia Baptist Church in Philadelphia, MO (close to Palmyra, outside Hannibal) for their missions conference this past weekend. We were there, on our way to Uganda, East Africa, and so was Lenelle Smith, on her way to Ivory Coast, West Africa, so it was all African missionaries. It's always good to meet other folks on their way to Africa, who share your burden for the continent. Africa's a big place, and you can't really run out of work to do or places to go and work as a missionary. The need is ever present, and never diminishes. We had an all African dinner on Saturday, featuring food from Ivory Coast. It had a lot of curry in it, which I thought was really tasty, but which apparently lit some folks on fire. We all wore our African garments, and had some good fellowship with the people.

Sunday went well. We all slept like the dead on Sunday afternoon, and then got up to pack. My nimble-fingered, future pick-pocket daughter spirited away my travel alarm clock, which I need to make sure I wake up on time in the morning. My wife set it down for second, and turned
to get something, and <POOF>, it was gone. It turned out later that she'd been "helping pack", and had put it in her suitcase. Overall, it was a great conference, and I'm glad we got to attend, especially this late in the year.

We're getting ready for Christmas now, as, I'm sure, are all of you. We're looking forward to the break. It's been exceptionally busy, which is good, but physically very tiring. God bless all of you during the Christmas season. Looking forward to the many exciting adventures that lay ahead in the year to come. Be praying –> the sun goes down on my secular employment on January 1. We will officially be full-time then. We'll be driving up to Scotts Bluff, Nebraska on January 1 (hitting the ground running) for a Sunday meeting up there in Bible Baptist Church (Don Brush, Anna's uncle, is a deacon there). Then we'll swing north and spend a few days in South Dakota with her grandparents, Burton and Mildred Brush. Grandpa Brush is not doing well. The cancer appears to be winning, so we wanted to go see him while we still can. Pray for his health, and for his family's comfort. The board of Pioneer Bible Institute is meeting near the year's end to transfer leadership to his son, Don Brush, so pray for him as he takes on this huge responsibility. Pray for us as we engage in an insane amount of driving, that we won't have any car trouble, or accidents, and that I'll be able to stay awake.

Merry Christmas, one and all!!

MISSION: Uganda Email Update 12-13-2004

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We were at Lifegate Baptist Church in Ellisville, MO last night. I have no idea what great thing God was attempting to do last night, but the Devil was surely fighting us. What a day! None of the kids took naps, which meant neither did we. They all had to be spanked, and were all crabby and hard to deal with before we left. Plus, there was a lot of last minute stuff that almost made us late to church. It felt like walking into the wind all day until we got there. Like I said before we left "Well, we must be going the right way, because the Devil sure is fighting us." The meeting went well. Pastor Squires and his wife Marion were very gracious, and everyone was very helpful. They gave us a very generous love offering, which is very important in these weeks remaining before I quit my job. I'm going to be leaving my job a week earlier than planned, because Anna's grandfather is doing worse. We'll be taking a meeting up in Scott's Bluff, Nebraska on January 2, then spending the rest of the week with the Brush's in South Dakota. I think God is motivating these churches to be generous to us because he planned all along for it to be this way, and wanted to reassure us that everything is in His control, and that we will be provided for. We have a conference in Philadelphia, MO next weekend (Philadelphia Baptist Church, Roger Stevens), so be praying for us as we drive, and attend the conference. I am going to have to take a half-day off on Friday, and again on Monday so we can crash when we come home Sunday night (it's a four-hour drive from here). Also, I have to give my boss the news of my looming resignation soon, and I dread it a bit, because I hate to leave a good job where people are depending on me. And yet I must.