As I type this update, we’re working our way home from a missions conference in Milton, FL. We’ve had a great stretch of meetings lately, and many of the churches have indicated they would like to take us on for support. If all of it comes through, we’ll be around (or maybe even over) 70% of our needed support, making our departure to Wales in October seem even more possible. We’re so excited to see what the Lord is doing.

We have been traveling in our motorhome though it is still in need of rear-end work. It’s scheduled to go back into the shop on Monday of next week, and hopefully, we can get the issues resolved this time. We were told it was safe to drive and that the trip wouldn’t create any further damage. All in all, it’s been a bit noisy, but we’ve not had any real issues, and for that, we praise the Lord!

In the past couple of weeks, we’ve been in meetings in Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. We had a wonderful time at each of them and had the opportunity to serve in many ways. I’ve played the piano and sung specials on several occasions. Jason has preached, presented our work, and even did a radio broadcast at one church. It’s been an exciting time. We’ve enjoyed meeting new people and getting reacquainted with other missionaries we’ve met along our deputation journey.

One of the most exciting meetings we had recently was in Georgia. We had the privilege of being the very first missionaries to present their burden to a young church. The church currently supports one other missionary, a widowed lady already on the field in Haiti. If the church decides to take us on for support, we’ll be the second. We had the chance to explain missions and to help the pastor and his wife understand what deputation and furlough are all about so they could explain it to the church. It was like watching a new missions program being born, and we can’t wait to see what God will do through this precious church.

On the humorous side, the parking area for our motorhome at that particular church was next to a graveyard. When we first arrived, I was in the back of the RV and didn’t realize where we were until I pulled back the curtain and saw the gravestones. The one closest to the motorhome both confused and amused me. Instead of the name of an individual, it bore the name of a church and a year. After talking with the pastor, we learned the church building was originally a Methodist church, and the stone I saw was a marker outside the front of the church, commemorating the year the church was established. When the church was sold, the new owners moved the stone to its new location beside the cemetery, and now it blends in with the rest of the headstones. It was a bit comical to see.

What saddened me, however, was that it served to remind me how many churches are closing their doors. If closed churches were marked by tombstones, how many markers like that would there be in Wales? How many would there be in America? It’s a sobering thought and reminds me that time is short. We need to be about our Father’s business and reach as many souls as we can for Christ. By God’s grace, that’s what we’ll do.

Thank you for your love and prayers. We receive so many letters, emails, and text messages reminding us that you’re praying for us. That means so much to us. Thank you, and please keep it up! It seems like the closer we get to Wales, the harder the enemy is fighting us. We need all the prayers we can get.