Going to the Dentist

We are blessed to be in a missions conference this week with Dr. Jack Mitchell & his wife Jennifer of Grace Dental Mission. As a ministry to the other missionaries, they volunteered their dental services to any of us missionaries who were interested. Micaiah and Miriam enjoyed their kind, gentle treatment, and now every time we see them across the room they start getting excited and saying, "There's Dr. Mitchell! There's Dr. Mitchell!" We were all grateful to get a cavity-free report! Thank you, Dr. Mitchell.

Spring New England Trip, Slideshow I

We traveled back up to the New England area on April 12th. Here are a few pics of some of the places we've been and the friends we've made so far on this trip.

Praise for God’s Protective Providence

Every mile that is successfully traversed is a testimony to God’s protective care. We have traveled thousands of miles since the middle of January, and we owe our safety through every mile of the journey to God’s goodness. There are times, however, when His protection has been more spectacular than at others. On Saturday, April 12^th, we were traveling north on I-495 in Massachusetts during a light rain, when a mechanical failure in a vehicle ahead of us caused that car to come to a sudden halt. In an effort to avoid it, we found ourselves skidding off the road and spinning around. We came to a stop in the emergency lane, facing the opposite direction and trapped between the guard rail and oncoming traffic. We praise God that there was very little damage done to the van (a blinker light broken and a few scrapes and dents are all we have to show for it). However, there was no way to safely turn the van around. The trooper who arrived at the scene deemed it best to have the van towed backward to the next exit, and since there was room for only one person in the tow truck, Ruth and the children got a free ride in the back of a Massachusetts State Police car!

A Visit to Clearwater Christian College

I enjoyed the privilege of being able to preach in chapel to the students of Clearwater Christian College during their annual missions conference, April 7-11, 2008. On Wednesday I preached on “The Lord of the Harvest” from Jonah 1, and on Thursday presented a historical analysis of France along with a theological and philosophical survey of the Great Commission. The only negative to the trip was that I had to go alone and was unable to share the experience with my lovely wife.

Fellowshipping with the Friendly People of Friendship

We enjoyed a wonderful missions conference with the people of Friendship Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. This is the church that Ruth attended from age 11 until she left for college. It was a blessing to go “home” and see many old friends, stay with "Papa" and "Me-Ma" Pahnke, and rejoice in the work that God is doing in that city. We were graciously treated and showered with gifts and kindnesses, shopping trips, brunches, children’s activities, breakfasts and more. A new fuel pump was purchased by the church and installed on our Dodge Caravan by Garry Loy. That was only one example of many things that we received, both tangible and intangible, during the missions conference. The children also enjoyed playing with their second cousins from Siberia, the five children of Kevin & Jessica (Bixby) Jones. The theme of the conference, “Praying God Will Open Doors,” remains our prayer. Thank you, Friendship, for your hospitality and gracious service to us.

With Friends in North Carolina

On Sunday, March 30th, we did not have any officially scheduled meetings, but we enjoyed visiting with new and old friends in Archdale and Burlington. Thank you Mrs. Ruby Wharf for the wonderful Sunday dinner and time of fellowship with Pastor Callahan and family of Mount Calvary Baptist Church. The top picture features Mrs. Carly Karns of Beacon Baptist Church doing a wonderful job of entertaining our children with on-the-spot stories. She really had them captivated. Thanks for a delightful time together!

Back in the Saddle Again

We are packing up the van, preparing to head out on our third major trip of the year. Our last trip lasted 35 days, averaging more than 120 miles per day (for a total of 4,240 miles driven). We were very grateful to be able to use Ruth’s parents’ Suburban for our wintry trip to New England.

Now we are back in our beloved (or, at least, familiar) ’94 Dodge Caravan for a trip that will last at least 49 days. We’re not sure how many miles we will add to the 183,001 miles it already has. Our trip will include a week in North Carolina (at the church where Ruth spent most of her growing-up years), then on through Pennsylvania to New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. I also get to squeeze in a trip down to Clearwater Christian College in Florida (thankfully, by plane!) to speak one day in chapel during their missions conference.

Please pray that God will give us safety, spiritual and physical health, profitable meetings, and the financial backing we need for our mission to France.