Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Across the country 2015

How do you restart a blog in the middle of a trip? This is day 10 of our journey across the country, seeking to share the vision of what God is doing in the Philippines with those who might be willing to participate. This past week we took a little break from this adventure, spending some time with our son and his wife here in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Our first leg of the journey actually had us in Carlsbad, reconnecting with our churches and friends there. They sent us out again, renewed in fellowship, and trusting in the Lord to ultimately heal us so that we can continue the journey.

Our second leg of the journey took us through much snow and ice, where we remained cold for 3 days at the Missionary Training Center in Camdenton. We were able to share with the students there about how the Lord desires a deep relationship with us, and it is only by this that we can make disciples in another country, in another language. How many there are who head out, desiring to follow God with their lives, and they end up placing their security in the ministry they are doing instead of the one who gave it to them. I am so thankful the Lord has led us to where we are now, and forgiven me for the times I have tried to do things in my own strength.

After Missouri, we headed out to Lynchburg, Virginia, stopping once overnight on the highway. The weather has started to warm up, which we are thankful for, because if we were trying to do this with the roads covered in snow and ice, it would be very dangerous.

Our week in Lynchburg was great, as we were able to spend good time with our kids here. They are happily enjoying married life as a young couple, and it was great to just be with them. We also had wonderful fellowship with the Christian lady who ran the bed & breakfast where we stayed – House of Lydia. All of these things are part of the big picture of what God is doing as He goes before us. We were able to share with people everywhere we go about the work that God is doing in the Philippines.

Now after a few days in Lynchburg, which was mostly focused on personal time with our son and his wife, we are heading further North, to arrive in New York tomorrow. Thankfully, the Lord alerted me to a problem in the cooling system of our truck we are borrowing yesterday afternoon, just before we were supposed to leave. There was a cracked t-joint, which caused all the coolant to leak out and the engine to overheat. I went to 2 different auto parts stores to find a replacement part, but they were out in both places and sent me to the dealer. They had a replacement part at the dealer, but it was not exactly the same as the one that cracked. The connections on the replacement t-joint were slightly bigger than the one that cracked, so the hose would not connect to the new t-joint. Or at least, I wasn't strong enough to push the hose on. Fortunately, one of the strong mechanics was there and was able to force the hose onto the t-joint so that I could install it and get the system back up and running. It took several hours, but we finally got it going.

I am so glad all that happened before we left, and not while we were on the highway! I was reminded of the Lord's faithfulness in going before us, and that I can have confidence in His provision for us as we go along the way. This is the sort of thing that He does – gives us little reasons to trust Him, so that when the big thing happens, we are prepared and ready.

the storm in Dallas before it snowed

At Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home

The frozen Susquehannah river


Liberty University library

New Tribes Mission training center

NTM training center friends

frozen gas station in Missouri

MTC in the snow

Dallas storm

MTC dorms

at the start of our trip

MTC in the snow

Liberty University recreation center

Liberty University

Liberty library

Thomas Jefferson's grave

Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home

Island in the James River



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