From North Carolina to Ohio (and Kentucky)

The past couple of weeks have been absolutely amazing. First, we went to Magnolia, NC for my cousin’s wedding. Allow me to set the stage for you. Because the groom is currently in the military and under strict regulations due to COVID, the couple was not able to have their wedding at their home church. They had to marry somewhere in North Carolina because the groom could not leave the state. This left them scrambling to find a church that would allow them to use the facilities. The Lord blessed and led them to one of the sweetest churches we’ve ever visited. The pastor, his wife, and the people were so very kind even though they didn’t even know the bride and groom or any of the family. The wedding was beautiful, and it was such a joy to be there and to see some of my family from Delaware. We even got to host a few family dinners in our motorhome. How cool is that!!!

Since we were in the area, the pastor of this church invited us to come on Sunday morning and present our burden for Wales. This was so unexpected but so very appreciated! The church gave us a generous love offering, and the pastor and his wife took us out to eat after the service. We were completely overwhelmed by their kindness and left that afternoon with a spring in our step.

This week, we were in Ohio. We began our journey Sunday morning in London, OH. We met with the pastor and his wife the night before for dinner and realized right away we had met kindred spirits. We talked long after the food was gone. On Sunday, Jason joined the pastor for the Truck Stop Service the church holds every week. The Lord truly blessed during this time, and one of the truckers made the decision to trust Jesus as his Lord and Savior. It was an exciting way to start the day.

During the morning service, Jason preached and presented our burden, and I sang a special number. The crowd was light, but the spirit was sweet. Afterwards, the pastor’s family took us out to eat again, but this time we couldn’t talk quite as long because we had to get on the road to head to our next meeting.

For the evening service, we were in Lebanon, OH. This was a very last-minute meeting, and I know God’s hand was in it. We had called the church to ask about staying in their parking lot because we had been told they had RV hookups. But when the pastor found out we were missionaries, he asked us to present our burden during the Sunday evening service. We were so shocked at this gracious invitation, but we were even more shocked by what happened next. After our five-minute video and five-minute spoken presentation, the pastor got up and told the church he felt the Lord wanted them to take us on for support. The church voted and promptly welcomed us into their family. Right after that, the pastor asked if I would sing. The only song I could have possibly sung at that moment was “God’s Been Good.” So I sang and smiled and cried. Yes, God has been so good!

During that service, we also found out the church was having a revival service through Wednesday night, so we decided to stay a little while and join in. Words cannot describe what a blessing each night was. The singing was fantastic. The preaching was impactful and straight from the Word of God. The Spirit of God was in each service, and our hearts were full to overflowing. What an awesome encouragement!

During the day on Monday and Tuesday, we took the opportunity to visit the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter since we were less than an hour away. Words cannot describe what a fun time we had each day. The sun was hot, and our feet were tired, but it was worth it. If you’ve never had the opportunity to go, I encourage you to do so. You’ll never be the same! There’s something surreal about looking up at that ginormous ark and contemplating how a mere man and his three sons could have accomplished such a task. It had to have been God!

Wednesday, we spent the day catching up on some work. Jason scheduled a few more meetings while I made updates to our mission calendar and filled out our quarterly expense reports. Jason also had the opportunity to attend the morning prayer meeting at the Fellowship Tract League and to get a personal tour of the facilities. It was exciting to see this ministry responsible for sending billions—yes, billions—of tracts around the world.

Currently, we’re on our way back to South Carolina. We have a meeting in Enoree on Sunday, a few tasks to take care of while we’re in town, then it’s off to Florida for a couple of weeks. As you can see, we’ve been busy, but we’re so grateful for all the doors the Lord has opened and the many opportunities He’s given us along the way.

We’re also grateful for you and your prayers. They make all the difference!