January 24, 2012

• What a weekend!!!

  This past weekend was VERY special for my family. It was our last time to be with our church family of Living Word Nazarene before we head to Kiev, Ukraine. I was SO excited for the day to come. When I woke on Sunday morning, I was nervous as a cat! It was as if it was my first Sunday again. I was ready to go to church by 7:30 AM! God blessed our day in every way. We reflected on 8 1/2 years of ministry… while at LWN, I baptized 321 believers, married 36 couples, dedicated 87 children, and grew in average attendance from 475 to 706. Thank you, God, for your blessings!

  The church was so loving and generous to us. The kind words, standing ovations, distinguished service award, offering, meal, and hugs were overwhelming. We are so thankful for our church family. YellowBlueBus, Living Word!

  Just for some fun, we arrived late to the meal because of greeting folks in the sanctuary. By the time we arrived, most people were already done eating. We went through the food line and found seets at a table in the center of the gym. As people were leaving, we had so many wonderful conversations and hugged everyone we could. By the time we were finished with the goodbyes, the gym was completely cleared. Every table was down… every chair stacked… except our table with two chairs in the very center of the gym. So Jenni and I sat down and ate our meal right in the center of the gym by ourselves. It was hilarious… and very romantic ! Ha

  After lunch we left for Pasadena First Nazarene (Pasadena, TX) for the evening service. Pastor Brad and Emily McKenzie were great hosts. What a joy to be with them and their wonderful church. We were surprised and blessed that Pasadena Care Chapel (led by Rev. Sylvester Ballard) also joined with the service. We had a great night!

  Since January 10, we have been staying at Ben and Isabel Geerdes’s home. They were so gracious and made it feel like it was our home. Thank you, Ben and Isabel! On Monday, we packed and left Houston at 3:30 PM for our journey to Florida. We stayed the night at Lafayette, Louisiana.

  To understand our lives right now, we are completely mobile until April 9 when we move to Kiev. From this past Sunday, January 22 through Monday, April 9, are you ready? Pause for effect… wait for it… we will be in 26 different beds! We are going to be SO ready to arrive on the mission field!

  Tonight, we arrive in Holt, Florida, where my brother and his family live. We will be with them through Friday morning. On Wednesday night, I will speak at Holt First Baptist where my brother is the lead pastor. I CAN’T WAIT TO SHARE STORIES ABOUT CHIP WITH HIS CONGREGATION .

  On Friday, we will drive to Orlando, Florida, for CIS Partnership Meeting on Friday night and all day Saturday. Partnership meetings are gatherings of lay leaders who are interested in “partnering” with the CIS field. We connect, we share, we brainstorm on ministry, but most importantly we pray.

  On Saturday evening we drive to Tampa, Florida, where I will be preaching four times on Sunday! 

  I will be at Tampa First Nazarene with the English-speaking congregation at 9:45 AM, a combined adult Sunday School class at 11:15 AM, Tampa First Spanish-speaking congregation at 1 PM, and finally at Bradenton First Nazarene at 6 PM. While in Tampa and Bradenton, we will get to see Jenni’s great aunt and great uncle, Dick and Sandy Allen, and I believe we may have some surprise guests (snowbirds from Fort Wayne, Indiana). Should be a great week of many blessings from the Lord! It is a joy to serve the Living God!!!

  • 10:23 am
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