Counting the Days

When I left off on our last update, we were beginning a missions conference in Virginia. I’m thrilled to say we had a wonderful time. It was one of those churches where we felt accepted as we were and didn’t feel the need to put on an act or wear a disguise. That’s always refreshing. In addition to our nightly meetings where we had the opportunity to present our burden and Jason preached, we also had regular meals at the pastor’s house with the other missionaries and some members from the church. There were a lot of laughs and stories, and even though we stayed up way too late most evenings, it was great fellowship.

On Friday morning, the church hosted an apple gleaning. For one hour, we gleaned apples (which means we picked up apples that had fallen from the trees but were still in good shape) for a local organization that feeds the hungry. During the second hour, we gleaned apples for the church outing that was to take place on Saturday. You wouldn’t think picking up apples would be hard work, but after that two hours, my body was protesting.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t attend the Saturday and Sunday evenings of the conference because we were previously booked for a couple of meetings in another part of Virginia. Both of these meetings went very well, and the pastors indicated they would like to take us on and would let us know for sure by the end of the year.

The following Monday, we headed toward Delmar, DE, to stop in and visit some family before continuing our way to Maryland and New Jersey, where we had mid-week meetings. Unfortunately, about two hours from our destination, our motorhome had yet another issue. That’s the bad news. The good news is, we were able to have it towed to a nearby mechanic and then drive the tow vehicle the remainder of the way to my aunt and uncle’s house. Not only did they provide us a place to stay for a couple of days, but they also allowed us to borrow their motorhome while ours was in the shop.

So, on Tuesday, we drove their motorhome to the mechanic shop and transferred our clothes and other necessities from one vehicle to the other. By the time we were finished, we were both ready for a long night’s sleep.

On Wednesday, after spending a little time with my family, we loaded up and made our way to Maryland for our evening meeting. It was an excellent service, and we enjoyed another opportunity to share our heart for the people of Wales.

On Thursday, we had a meeting in New Jersey. Being a small church, it was a casual setting. We had dinner in the fellowship hall, then Jason was able to talk about Wales. The people listened intently and asked great questions. The casual atmosphere made it fun and exciting, and we felt very at ease. It was just the experience we needed after such a stressful start to the week. To top it all off, the church voted to take us on for support. Hallelujah!

We spent Sunday at two different churches in Pennsylvania. This was our second time in Amish country, and it was fun to see the horse and buggies going down the streets. The services were wonderful, and the fellowship was sweet. We also enjoyed the peaceful farm country and the cool autumn weather.

Today, it’s very cool and rainy, but the fall foliage is spectacular as we make our way to Ohio. We have two mission conferences and one meeting in Ohio, so we’ll be here for nearly two weeks, then we’ll make our way back to Virginia and Pennsylvania. We’re looking forward to the upcoming meetings but also counting down the days until we get to Wales. Seriously, we’re counting the days. We’ve both set up an app on our phones that keeps a countdown. At the time of this writing, we’re at 83 days, 21 hours, and 45 minutes. We’ve purchased our plane tickets and are scheduled to leave out on January 18th.

I don’t remember if I told you this yet, but the Downeys are busy looking for a house for us and collecting furniture and appliances. Many items have been donated, and we’re so thrilled to see the Lord provide. And as if it weren’t enough to see Him making sure we have the “big” things, He’s also provided some books for me to begin my new personal library in Wales. That’s just like God. He not only gives what we need but so many times, He also gives us what we want. What a loving Father we have!