MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 05-02-2005

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We have returned from Minnesota. We were in Heritage Baptist Church (Pastor David Watkins) in Blaine, MN this weekend. It's a bit of a drive, but the kids weathered it very well. It was May 1 on Sunday, but you'd never know it from the weather – we got snow flurries and some sleet. It was a great meeting, and God truly met with us. Pastor Watkins has a great church there, and the people seem to really love the LORD, and each other. They're currently meeting in the gymnasium of a Christian school, and are saving money and looking for property to buy in the Minneapolis area so they can have their own building. Be in prayer for Heritage Baptist Church that God would provide for this need.

The trip back went well. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel in Devils Lake (intriguing name, eh?), WI on the way. The kids were starving. To give you an idea of how hungry they were, they got an orange slice with their egg, and, having eaten the orange, Ethan wolfed down the skin too before I could stop him. "Was it good?" I asked. He grinned and nodded with a full mouth. John, not to be outdone, decided he'd try his orange slice, but, based on his prune-faced expression, I don't think he enjoyed it. Kids…. We're home this weekend on account of it's Mother's Day. Be in prayer for us. That van in Georgia is still available, and we'd like to put a deposit down on it if God provides. We're praying that He would do so in the next few weeks so we can go ahead and buy it, because we really do need it. I'll keep you posted as to how He answers.

Now We Know

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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.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 04-26-2005

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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.

The big day is coming tomorrow, when we finally get an ultrasound and get some reconnaissance photos of what's going on in Anna's womb. Will it be one baby or two, and what gender are we talking about here? Enquiring minds want to know. I'll send out another update tomorrow when we know. We'll be driving to Blaine, MN on Saturday, so pray that the drive goes without difficulty, and that our rickety old Astro holds together to get us there and back.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 04-21-2005

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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. 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.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 04-18-2005

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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.

You’ve no doubt heard by now of the Guimon’s house fire over in Uganda, so be in prayer for them. It wasn’t a total loss or anything, but it did do about $6000 worth of damage, and the cleanup and repair will take some time. Our church, Kyle’s and our sending church, is sending a team over to teach some classes in Bible Study Methods and the Pastoral Epistles to their class of would-be preachers at the end of May, so the timing is not good. They’re wore out (yes, I know, the correct spelling is worn, but chalk it up to southern color). God is using ’em, and the Devil is evidently resisting their efforts, but flesh is flesh and they’re just tired. Pray for them in the month ahead as they, and our Pastor, Ken Spilger, get all the remaining details worked out in lieu of the trip over. What they will be doing is of critical importance, and is a key component of the sort of training that you have to have in order to have reliable men trained to take over church plants in the area.

Pray for us. The summer months are very full and very busy, which is good, but the logistics are real, and the doing of it can be tiring at times. We have a birth looming in September, which, praise the LORD appears to be paid for. We still need a passenger van large enough to carry the new passengers that are currently in production. If God would provide that soon, or the remaining funds we need to go with the $1000 someone graciously gave to us to help buy a van, it would be a big help, as the long driving is coming up starting on May 1 with a meeting in Minnesota, and carrying through the remainder of the year. Plus, our current vehicle has no air conditioning, and the heat’s a little rough on the little guys. Pray for the remainder of the pregnancy. We’re about halfway through right now. We had our first doctor’s visit last Tuesday, but it was more an interview, paperwork kind of thing, so I’m afraid no news until April 27. Anna will be having an ultrasound then, which will yield the two bits of information of greatest interest at the moment: 1) How many? and 2) What genders (s)? I am greatly encouraged by our deputation. I can see things coming together. The meetings are lining up great, as you’ll see once I get the online version of our itinerary done (check General Info from time to time). We seem to be making clear progress, and God has let us be a part of ministering to folks and churches all over as we travel hither and yon on deputation.

Well, I reckon that’s all I can think of for now. Thanks for praying for us, and for the kind words of encouragement that different ones have emailed our way.