Rain

Ministry Update

More than one English idiom deals with rain coming from the sky. Two come immediately to mind. The first is this: When it rains, it pours.

On Saturday, June 18, 2011, we took delivery of another trailer, having lived in our first one for nearly eight years. We had looked at the unit before and told the dealership what things needed to be done to fix it up. They had two weeks to get the work done. In addition, they gave us their assurance that they would run some tests on it themselves so as to ensure that it was all ready for us by the deadline. During the two weeks, we were away at camp, after which we returned to begin the tedious process of moving from one trailer to another. When we arrived to pick up the trailer, it was not ready, nor would it be ready for another two days. It seems that the promises of the sales team were never communicated to the service department. We should have checked things more thoroughly, but instead we were concentrated wholly on getting our things moved from one unit to the other.

After two very full days of moving things, we said our goodbye to the old trailer and headed out toward I-25 and our next meeting in Kansas. We would never get there.

As we negotiated the hills and mesas on our way to Albuquerque, we discovered that something was wrong with the truck. It still ran, but it was losing power at higher rpm—not good for pulling a trailer in the hills.

We found a place to park in Rio Rancho, NM, just north and west of Albuquerque, and began to settle in for the night. This would be our first night in the new trailer away from the campground. Operating the slide-outs, we discovered that the rear bedroom slide-out had some serious problems that we had not noticed in our preoccupation with moving. During the trip one of the drawers in the kids’ room had fallen out and broken into its component pieces, the next morning we discovered that the rear bathroom toilet leaked, and the next day my closet with my hanging clothes collapsed to the floor. When it rains, it pours.

The second English idiom comes from the time-honored pages of the King James Bible: showers of blessing. Many years ago, a man named Paul Schmidt worked for my Dad in SC. He had since moved to Albuquerque, married, and adopted a little girl. His church was where we parked. He had all the tools I needed to fix my trailer and after a few days of working, the toilet leak was stopped, the closet was back up and stronger than ever, the slide-out was completely fixed, and the kids’ drawer was back together. When it came time to pay for the repair on my truck (bad throttle position sensor; cost for the part alone over $600), he took care of the entire thing. As if that were not enough, his wife provided us with many meals while we were working on the trailer, and his little girl Monique had a great time with our children playing.

Now we are ready to go again, except that Daniel and Esther have been running fevers for a while. Please pray for their recovery.

And speaking of rain and water, we are now off to Minot, ND.

Out West

Ministry Update

Years ago when I was in college, I heard a seasoned evangelist remark that an evangelist must have bats in belfry to schedule meetings in the state of Arizona during June. Yet, we find ourselves heading to New Mexico for two weeks of meetings this month. Granted, NM is not AZ, but it is very hot.

The summer will be a full one with not only our own meetings, but also vacation Bible schools inherited from a friend who was unable to keep all of his scheduled meetings. Things will taper off slightly around the first couple of weeks in September, after which our fall schedule will begin in earnest. Thank you for your prayers for our safety over the thousands of miles that we will cover this year.

After living in our current trailer for eight years, seven of those full-time, we have come to the decision that it is time to replace our trailer. The reason for this decision is not because what we have is falling apart, but rather we can no longer accommodate our family with the present configuration. We would like to sell our current trailer and get another one that we have already picked out to replace what we have. With the present economy, anyone trying to sell anything faces an uphill struggle, a struggle only compounded by the fact that an RV is considered a luxury item. God has all these details in His hands and we can trust Him to do what is best in our lives.

Family Update

School’s out! We have been enjoying our summer break for almost two weeks now! I don’t know who is more excited – the students or the teacher! We are looking forward to a very busy summer of camps and vacation Bible schools. The Lord has given us safety in travel this spring, and provided for all of our needs.

Our house in Indiana is for sale, and we are looking for the Lord to provide the right buyer in His time. Please pray with us about this step. There are so many decisions to be made.

I had the greatest blessing this week. We stopped at a church for the night, and prepared to spend the midweek service with them. The assistant told us that we were welcome to peruse the missions closet while we were there. I was amazed when he opened a door and an entire store appeared before me! It was like a small Goodwill, with clothes on racks according to size, as well as household goods, shoes, jewelry, and miscellaneous craft items. The Lord knew that some of our clothing needed to be replaced, and He provided amply for almost every member of the family! It was such a blessing! Now I have to pray that the closet rods hold up under the strain!

Everyone is healthy and strong right now, and although we have had a bit of sickness now and then, it has passed quickly. Probably the only thing any of us are suffering from at present is torrential boredom on the long drives! I have endeavored to fill the hours by reading aloud several classics of literature. We most recently finished “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Graham. Even Paul enjoyed the rollicking adventures of Mr. Toad! Right now, we are forging our way across the prairie with Laura Ingalls Wilder in “Little House on the Prairie.” I am ever a lover of good books, and I am attempting to instill a love of reading in my own children. I anticipate a summer full of adventure and learning!