Story of Our Lives…

We often tell people that there is never a dull moment during deputation. This past week was definitely no exception!

Chapter 1

Nikki and I spent a wonderful few days with Bethel Baptist Church of Hampton, VA for their missions conference. What a great spirit there was at this meeting! The church was friendly and excited for missions. We spent time explaining our mission to the students in the Christian school from K4 all the way up to the high school. In the church, we were able to minister through preaching and song. God used the amazing generosity of this group of people to provide for many of our needs, including a projector that we can use to show our ministry video in churches without an audio-visual system. Many wonderful friendships were formed with the pastoral staff, our gracious hosts, and the faithful church members. By the end of the conference, all of us were excited for missions for the glory of God!

Chapter 2

Next stop was beautiful Huntingdon, PA, in the mountains of rural Central Pennsylvania. Calvary Independent Baptist Church hosted us for their annual missions conference. We once again had the opportunity to speak with the young people in their academy, as well as spend a few minutes with the kindergarten class. Our mission to Cambodia was well received by both young and old. We enjoyed the beautiful area, cooler weather, and the remarkable hospitality of this warm-hearted church. Several church families hosted us for meals, and as always we cherish the opportunity to form relationships with fellow Christians.

Chapter 3

Driving over the hills of Pennsylvania proved to be a different matter than just admiring them. Our 13-year old clutch simply couldn’t handle it, and burned out entirely on us. By God’s grace, we broke down close to the small town of Ebensburg, PA rather than by the side of the road somewhere in the woods. We were able to get towed to a local garage and obtain a rental car without too much difficulty. God’s hand was certainly evident in all – the amount we needed for a new clutch, rental car, as well as gas for the rental was provided almost exactly to the dollar by the generous love offering we received from Calvary in Huntingdon. It is wonderful to remember that He knows what is in store and provides before we even know we have a need!

Chapter 4 

Unexpectedly, our journey this week took a detour to Ohio as we learned that our ministry partners’ baby was coming! While broken down in Ebensburg, we learned that Diana had gone into labor, and we arrived in Youngstown just in time to greet Allatha into the world. We have enjoyed a season of fellowship with the Stivers during this special time, as we prepare to head back to Pennsylvania for another meeting this weekend. September so far has been a busy, yet exciting and joyful month!