Busy, Busy, Busy!
We were well aware that life would become increasingly busy now that we’re on deputation, but nothing could have prepared us for just how busy we would be. Some days, it feels like all we do is run from one place to another, but I admit, it’s also exciting to watch God work. Let me briefly sum up the past couple of weeks.
On Wednesday, February 27th, we were invited to join the sweet people at Cannon Mountain Baptist Church in Pickens for their evening service. It was a little odd to be so close to our home church yet not there, but we had a wonderful time of worship with this dear church. Jason presented our burden and preached a moving message, and I sang a special. Afterward, we had a great time of fellowship with the pastor’s family and some of the other church members.
On Sunday, March 3rd, we were once again with the precious people of Wrenn Memorial Baptist Church, just down the road from our house. This time, we were there for an official meeting. As before, we felt very at home and welcomed by everyone. Once again, Jason preached and presented, and after the morning service, the pastor and his wife took us out to eat. (If you haven’t figured it out by now, everyone wants to feed the missionaries, which is a blessing and a curse.) We had a wonderful time of fellowship, and the church took great care of us.
That evening, we dropped in on Agnew Road Baptist Church, who had a special choir in for their service. We had the opportunity to chat with several people about our mission work and handed out a few prayer cards.
On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, we attended the day and evening meetings at Tabernacle Baptist Church here in Greenville for their annual alumni days. Since Jason and I are both graduates of the college, it seemed only right to be there as much as we could. We missed a few meetings because of Jason’s work schedule, but the Lord allowed us to attend most of them. It was a sweet time of reunion and though it was tiring, it was also refreshing. Wednesday evening was a real treat for us as our pastor preached and many members from our home church were in attendance. The meetings offered us the chance to catch up with some people we haven’t seen in years and also the opportunity to speak with some pastors about presenting our burden for Wales. All in all, it was a successful—but exhausting—week.
This past Sunday, March 10th, we dropped in on another little church in Pickens, Gilead Baptist Church. Interestingly enough, we met a man who was a missionary in Scotland many years ago. He told us some amazing things about his time there and also gave us some wise advice we’ll carry with us through our missionary journey. It was a joy to speak with him, and he even gave us a generous love offering. We would have probably enjoyed ourselves even more if we weren’t both coming down with some form of the flu or allergies. By the afternoon, we were both ready to go home and crash, and that’s where we stayed until Jason had to go to work Monday afternoon.
We’re both still dealing with quite a bit of congestion, but we’re praying God will bring healing soon. We have several more meetings in March, most of which are out of the state, so please pray that the Lord will help us gain back our health and strength. We also have a couple of unspoken requests we ask you to pray about. We’re not ready to mention them by name just yet, but God knows the need, and He knows best how to answer our pleas.
As you can see, we’re staying busy, and the calendar is filling up more all the time. Just this week, we received requests for our attendance at three different missions conferences. This is a great thing, and we’re praying God will use these meetings to raise our support in record time. Jason has informed his boss that some time in April will be his last day. As each day passes, we feel the Lord urging us that now is the time to take that leap of faith to go on full-time deputation and trust Him to provide. So, that’s our plan.
Thank you so much for your love and prayers. We truly appreciate them! I’ve posted a video below of one of the meetings of the alumni. You’re welcome to watch it all, but if you’ll forward to about 9 and 1/2 minutes in, you can hear Jason’s sermon. He was a bit intimidated preaching to a group of fellow preachers, but he did a great job. I hope you enjoy it!