All our adventures as missionaries, past and present.

Pending

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Last weekend at Calvary Bible Fellowship in Neosho, MO went very well. We had a great time of fellowship with Dan and Trish Frederick, the pastor and his wife. It was very refreshing to be able to have another young couple our age to talk to for a change, since there seems to be a shortage around these parts.

Tomorrow, it's off to Kirksville, MO for a meeting in Southside Baptist Church with Pastor Aaron Rodgerson. We're spending the day out there on Sunday, and are really looking forward to it. We'll be leaving tomorrow after I get off work to drive the three hours out to Kirksville. Pray for my wakefulness. This working a job, and then dashing off to churches without a break on weekends is very tiring. Case in point: on the way back from Neosho (5 hour drive), I fell asleep at the wheel and sideswiped a guard rail. No one and nothing was seriously damaged (Thank God), but it was quite a wake-up-call, no pun intended.

We have Monday off to catch our breath, and then I'm out of here on Tuesday for Operation: YUKON, my 8 church whirlwind schedule of meetings in Alaska for the next 25 days. While there, I will be missing a) my wife's birthday b) the World Series (with the Cards in attendance this time), and c) the General Election. I trust it will be worth it, and I'm very excited about going, but still, MY WIFE'S BIRTHDAY!! I'm renting a car, and will have to drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks and back, alone, with no one to keep me awake, so again, be in prayer.

I think God is really going to provide up there, which will be a great help to us so we'll be in good shape at the end of the year to go on full time deputation. Pray for us, and for me as I preach and present our work in Alaska, that I'll be able to minister and serve those folks up there well, and be used of God to encourage and edify them.

We’re Go

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God has provided for the plane ticket and almost the entire cost of car rental now. Praise the LORD! He is demonstrating clearly that Alaska was definitely what He had in mind, and that my vision of going there on deputation this early in the process was the right thing to do. Exciting stuff!

First Conference

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Had a meeting at William Gillespie's church, Maranatha Baptist Church in St. Louis, MO last Sunday. He is a missionary sent out of our church, and is planting solid, Biblical, black, Baptist churches in the St. Louis area. Maranatha is the first. They're great folks, and we've been involved in their ministry going back for years. What a privilege! To be a candidate missionary in a mission church started out of our home church. If that's not how missions should be done, I don't know what is.

We've just finished up our home church's missions conference. J.B. Godfrey, the Far East Director with BIMI was the main speaker, and it was Burdette Burgen (Germany, Baptist Mid Missions), Charles Chandler (King's Kids), and myself as the regular missionaries. We've always been involved in our missons conferences in the past, but now we were in it as an actual missionary couple. On Saturday night, we had our traditional international dinner (fun), and then our question and answer time for the missionaries. Anna and I both felt like complete newbs sitting there alongside these veteran missionaries, when we've hardly been anywhere or done anything. It was a great conference, and God really used it to deal with the issue of calling and vision, which is one of the primary things I wish to deal with in my deputation ministry. Our church gave us an exceptional love offering, which greatly helped ease our financial struggles of late, and will make it so we can get the new printer we've been needing (Anna's old Epson just isn't cutting it).

My tickets for Alaska are bought. It's going to be a great time, and I know God is planning to provide greatly through it.

First Meeting

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More Alaska news. As of now, I will be arriving in Alaska on October 19, and flying back on November 12 in time for the Missions Banquet on Nov 13 at Open Door Baptist Church. During my time up there, I will be in 5 missions conferences, and 3 meetings. Busy, but good.

Had our first real meeting, at First Baptist Church of Bellflower, MO, my Dad’s church. It went real well. I showed our slides, gave my testimony, and answered questions. Everybody was real pleased to have us, and gave us a great love offering, which will greatly help with paying for the prayer cards we had to get printed. Everything is going well.

28

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Lined up a missions conference with Todd Strickllin in Naragonsett Baptist Church in Rhode Island for October of next year. As to Alaska, looks like I can maybe swing eight meetings if I work it right. So, as of now, we have 28 meetings lined up.