Miles, Miles, and More Miles

Since my last post I have presented our ministry in churches in four states: Massachusetts, New York, Maine and Texas. We also squeezed a short visit to our daughter in Kansas into the schedule. I flew from Tennessee to Albany, NY in order to visit a church in Western Massachussetts and another in New York State. There was still snow on the ground but the temperatures had "warmed up" with highs in the 40's. After my return flight to Tennessee we all three traveled to Gatesville, TX near Waco for a missions conference. We thoroughly enjoyed the great hospitality in "The Spur Capital" of Texas. We visited a terrific museum in Gatesville that gave a wealth of information about life in Coryell County, Texas over the past couple of centuries.
We visited Alexis in Hutchinson, KS. She lives with my sister and brother-in-law and their family. We surprised Lexi; she didn't know we were coming. It was great to see her happiness as she hugged Joy's neck on the front porch. We got to spend a couple of days there; enough time to share a few meals, see her art on display at the local college, and encourage her a little bit. She recently had a car accident and is hunting for a new vehicle that will fit in her college-student's budget.
After returning to Tennessee, I got on a plane back to New England. This past Sunday I visited a church near Boston and another one in Portland, Maine. Both of these congregations have been part of our support team for nearly 20 years. We are very grateful for their faithful partnership in our work in Ecuador and for their ministry in their own communities.

A Week in Michigan

Well, spring hasn't yet arrived in Michigan. The tips of tulips are just starting to peek out of the ground to take a look, yet the snow was flying thick and fast just a week ago and the wind blew as March went out like a lion.
During our week in Michigan we got to spend a day with my sister, brother-in-law, and nieces in St. Joseph. A highlight was taking the children to a hands-on museum where Teddy got to slide down a lava flow, pick apples, and move a vehicle on the Martian landscape.
We visited three supporting churches during the week and were received with great hospitality. It is so good to see signs that we and our ministry are remembered in prayer by these congregations with prayer reports displayed and people picking up new prayer cards. One older gentleman said, "You have been on my prayer list for years. I pray for you every day." That is very encouraging because God's work is powered by prayer, and prayer is the main reason we work to keep the pathways of communication open with all of you.