Praise the Lord, Jason and I recovered from our head colds in time to attend our scheduled meeting on Sunday at Caraway Baptist Church in Sophia, NC. Though we weren’t presenting our burden until the evening service, we worked things out with the pastor for us to be there for the entire day. We enjoy taking the time to meet the people and fellowship with those we’re meeting along this deputation journey. Being at both services on Sunday (when we can) allows us that opportunity.

The downside to being there all day was we had to get up around 4:00 in the morning so we could be out the door by 6:00. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like getting up that early. As it turns out, though, it was worth it as we had the opportunity to witness a truly breathtaking sunrise on our drive. It was gorgeous and served as a reminder that even in dark times, God makes things beautiful.

We had a great day with the people of Caraway and enjoyed having lunch with the Pastor, his family, and some other members of the church. It was a lot of fun. . .and a lot of food! Jason and I spent the afternoon doing a bit of window shopping, which gave us a chance to stretch our legs after all the sitting time, not to mention the opportunity to walk off some of the food we ate.

During the evening service, Jason preached and presented our ministry, and I sang a special. It was a memorable evening for me because as Jason was preaching, my heart was pricked with a new wave of compassion for the people of Wales. They need the gospel. They need to know that God is not some figment of history. He’s real today, and they need His saving power. I prayed then and there that God would help us not to become so busy raising support (which is a necessity) that we lose sight of why we’re going.

After the service, we packed up and headed out for the three-hour ride home. It was a fairly quiet ride as we were both tired from the long day, but we enjoyed some good gospel music on the radio and the time passed relatively quickly. We’re grateful to Pastor Meadows and the people of Caraway for allowing us to be with them and taking such good care of us while we were there.

This week, we’re preparing for a trip in Alabama and then a trip in Georgia the following weekend. As you know, Jason is still working, and his schedule has been hectic of late. Please pray for strength as he finishes out his time. We’re still planning to take a leap of faith at the end of April and go into full-time deputation. We call this a leap of faith because we don’t currently have enough support coming in to make ends meet without the addition of Jason’s paycheck. However, we both feel God is urging us to make this commitment, so even though we’re a bit anxious, we’re choosing to trust in His provision. We also have a couple of unspoken requests we’d like you to keep in your prayers if you would. God knows the needs, and we know He will do what’s best.

Thank you for your loving care and support. It’s a blessing to know others are praying for us as we work our way through this challenging—yet rewarding—territory. May God bless you for your faithfulness!