Christmas

 The Crow family is home for the holidays, or at least will be once our two college students come home in a couple of days.  We will work in our home church with the Christmas program this coming Sunday and then fill the pulpit in the pastor's absence the following Wednesday.

The past month has been one of constant breakdowns, not for the truck, but for other equipment.  Our trailer will be in need of more and more repairs as time goes on since it is probably near the end of its usable life as an evangelist's home.  It has given us seven years of service and we are grateful for the opportunity that it provided for us to have the family together.

As we were on our way back from our fall round of meetings, we had a new bearing fail on the trailer.  Before I could get the trailer off the road, the failed bearing damaged the axle, leaving us stranded in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Eastland Baptist Church was very gracious to provide for our needs while we were in Tulsa, even including a generous offering to help take care of the repair bill.  The axle we needed was unavailable, so I left the trailer in OK and traveled on to MS to get the family home.  While at home, I was able to get an axle from a local trailer shop with whom I have done business before.  I then drove back to OK with the part, got my trailer and brought it back home.

Meanwhile, Sarah's car broke down.  We have been told that it will cost $6,900 to repair it, which is greater than twice what we paid for the car.  So now, we are down to one vehicle again.  Thank God, the truck is running well.

As I reflect on 2022 in ministry, I am amazed by all that God did.  First of all, we celebrated 20 years in full-time evangelism.  "Celebrated" is a misleading term because our day of celebration was no different from days when we weren't celebrating.  Nevertheless, not many men can say that they have continued in evangelism for 20 years.  God has allowed us to be in the number that have been able to be in it for the long haul.

God gave us a truck this year as well.  You can find details about it in previous posts.  We are so grateful to the many people all over America that generously gave to help meet this need.  God was in it from the very beginning.

Mostly, as I look back over this year, I am overwhelmed by the numbers of people that have been saved.  The fields all around the world are white unto harvest, and God has allowed us to be a small part of the reaping work.

Please pray for wisdom for us as we schedule the coming year and beyond.  Travel costs are higher than they have ever been, and we need God's help as we make decisions going forward.  Thank you all for your prayers.

Fruit

 In most parts of the United States, harvest season is upon us.  Whether it is grain in the Great Plains, truck farms in the Southeast, or harvests elsewhere, this is the season of reaping.

Similarly, this past month has been a season of spiritual reaping for our ministry.  It has been many years since we have seen the numbers of people trusting Christ in our meetings like we have been seeing this year.  The year has had its share of distractions (see previous posts), but God has brought us through them, and we rejoice in the people that have professed Christ in different parts of the country.

Please permit me to share the specifics of one story.  Pax is a young man living in the panhandle of Idaho.  His brother first heard the gospel in our meeting a couple of years ago and eventually trusted Christ as Savior.  Beginning on Sunday morning and going through the week, Pax heard the Gospel.  The Holy Spirit was working in his heart, but he was not ready to fully yield.  He even came forward in a couple of the services, but declined to allow anyone to speak with him one-on-one.  Thursday, I preached from the story of Saul on the Damascus Road.  I entitled my message "When God Confronts Man."  After hearing the message, Pax came again to the altar and this time, he allowed the pastor to deal with him privately.  He finally surrendered everything to God and trusted Christ that night.  It was Thursday.  Pax's whole family has some headwinds to overcome.  It has been overwhelming, however, to see what God has done so far in their hearts.  We look forward to what He will continue to do in the future.

Our ministry has been in the Intermountain west this past month with the exception of one week in North Carolina.  Thank God for the invention of the airplane.  In a few days, Sarah and I will head to the airport once again and get on board a plane to a meeting in West Tennessee.  After that, it is Colorado and South Dakota before we head home for Thanksgiving.

One of the highlights for me in this month has been seeing my two younger children take the leap into greater ministry.  For years, Abigail did children's meetings every night of our meetings.  This is a tremendous addition to the service, especially considering the fact that many unsaved people are not in the habit of teaching their children how to behave in church.  When Abigail went to college in August of this year, we felt her absence in dealing with the children.  Esther has now stepped into her shoes, and I am grateful.

Daniel was asked to lead singing in our last meeting.  For a 13-year-old, he doesn't do a bad job.

The bottom line is that I love seeing my children step up and take on more ministry responsibility.  

We lack a little bit of fully paying off the truck.  I will let everyone know when that need is met.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers.  

Supply, Continued

 The round of meetings is in full swing with us traveling through the Midwest and into the Intermountain West.  In meetings in Minnesota, Nebraska, Virginia (thank God for the invention of the airplane), and Wyoming, we have seen some wonderful results from the Lord's working in hearts.  Best of all are the souls that have trusted Christ at different places along the way.  We praise God for each of these baby Christians and covet your prayers for their growth in the Lord.

Another blessing along the way is how God continues to call men into His ministry.  This trend seems to be growing in this country and others in which we have ministered.  Thank God for calling laborers into His harvest!  Thank God also for those who heed his call.

The truck fund is growing steadily.  You may remember from our last update that we decided to get another truck.  We found something to meet our needs in Hickory, NC, and have made the purchase.  The new truck is a 2021 Ram 3500 having just over 20,000 miles on it when we purchased it.  An individual put up the entire purchase amount and said that when the money comes in, we can simply reimburse him.  Out of a total of $68,000 needed for the purchase of the truck, $61,250 has come in so far.  The funds are all run through the Clearview Baptist Church of Southaven, MS.  Churches and individuals have given generously to this need so far, and we are confident that God will continue to supply.

We had no sooner gotten a working truck than the trailer gave us major trouble.  On the way from Duluth, MN, to Omaha, NE, a leaf spring broke on the trailer.  After looking at the other springs, the man at the trailer parts store informed us that the others would break soon, hopefully not all at once.  I decided at that time to do something that I should have done much earlier and upgrade the springs to heavier ones.  This trailer is a 16,000-lb. unit designed with 14,000 lbs. of suspension.  It is a wonder that we have not had greater problems than we have had with the suspension.  The new suspension is now rated for a 16,000-lb trailer.

In the process of all the work, a trailer slide-out motor failed on us and we had to push and pull the room in and out by hand.  The good news is that this motor has failed enough that Daniel and I are pretty good at changing it out.

Now, it would seem that all our equipment is in good working order.  Best of all, the Lord is blessing in our meetings.  Sometimes I fear that the mechanical issues can distract from the main thing of preaching the Gospel and ministering to churches.  (This fear becomes particularly acute whenever I am trying to work on the trailer.)  In the end, every soul that professes Christ reminds us of why we do what we do.

Thank you all for praying.

Supply

The fall round of meetings began with dropping off two of our children in college at Ambassador Baptist College.  The drive to North Carolina was uneventful until the last 14 miles.  In the dark as we were driving up a winding two-lane road in Western North Carolina, we heard a rather disturbing noise from the rear of the truck.  There being no place to stop along the road, we determined to stop in the middle of it, wrongly assuming that there would not be that much traffic at that hour of night.  After looking the entire rig over, my son Daniel spotted two rear wheels on one side of the truck that were at an awful angle.  Further inspection revealed that the lug bolts had completely broken off on that side.  The truck was held up by an axle that went through the center of the rim, but there was no going on until the problem was fixed.

There were no parts to be found at that hour of night--even a 24-hour parts store in Charlotte didn't carry what we needed--so the only recourse we had to take lug bolts off the other side and try to move them to the broken side.  That way we could at least get the rig out of the middle of the road.

Of course, that meant that both sides of the truck had to be lifted off the ground at the same time and the two wheels taken off the other side as well.  We lifted the trailer off the truck and jacked up the rear of the truck to begin the complicated process of moving some lug bolts.  While both sides were jacked up and Paul was working underneath, the jacks started to move sideways.  This should have come as no surprise since we were on a hill.  Paul did not notice the jacks, but Daniel did and said something.  Everyone immediately got out from under the truck just before it crashed all the way to the ground.  No one was hurt, but our truck problems had grown worse.

A tow truck happened along carrying a wrecked car to another location.  After dropping off his car, he returned for my truck, carrying it to Ambassador Baptist College while a friend towed my trailer there as well.  After a day in God's house and a couple of days of repairs, the truck was back on the road again.

After saying goodbye to our children, we were off toward Staten Island and our first meeting of the fall.  While traveling up I-81 in Virginia, our front driver side wheel came off.  No warning or anything.  There was a loud pop, the tire started rolling off, and the steel rotor hit the pavement.  Another tow truck, another tow, another two days of repair.

Finally, we were ready to head the rest of our way to the meeting.  Except that once the truck was all back together again, we could scarcely drive it because of a terrible vibration in the front end.  We were able to get the truck and trailer to a church that allowed us to park the rig.  A member of the church loaned us their car so that we could go on to our meeting in New York.

Many have heard about the problems with our truck and have pledged to give substantially toward this need.  One man has pledged $10,000 while a friend of his has matched that sum.  Others are considering giving to this need as well.  This has all been without solicitation on our part.  We praise God for His supply for our need.

It would seem that God would have us replace this truck with something else.  You may know that the price of vehicles has risen above the cost of other items in this country.  Buying a truck is a very expensive endeavor.  If you would like to give toward this need, you can do so by contacting our home church: Clearview Baptist Church, 3345 Goodman Rd E, Southaven MS 38672.  The phone number is 662.349.2233.

Whether or not you can give to this need, would you take some time right now to thank God for His provision for us?  He is worthy of our praise.

Italia

 Beginning July 5 and ending August 2, our family was ministering in the nation of Italy.  It was our first time to go to Europe to preach the Gospel.  What an incredible trip it was for us!  Whenever we as Americans think of missions, the tendency is to imagine developing nations with windowless grass huts, abundant insects, and an occasional snake visiting the village.  We imagine congregants whose pre-salvation wardrobe included feathers in their hair and maybe a bone through their nose.  Italy fits none of these descriptions.  As a nation of Europe, tile roofs replaced thatched ones centuries ago, and modern automobiles traverse paved highways at what Americans would consider reasonable speed.  The problem is that all of Europe's innovation and education have not brought them any closer to God.  In fact, Europe today is the dark continent spiritually.  

When it comes to religious freedom, Italy is the newcomer of western Europe.  Many alive today remember all too well the persecutions of the Catholic church well into the Twentieth Century.  Today, those persecutions are passed and Italy is ripe for the Gospel.  Speaking of his ministry in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul noted, "A great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries."  This same could be said of Italy.

For four weeks, our family traveled in Italy preaching the Gospel in four different churches.  We were in churches in Grosseto, Pisa, Sardinia, and Sicily in that order.  In every church, there were people in the services who were lost and needed to be saved.  Some of the adults were hearing the Gospel for the very first time during our services.  Although our Italian ministry did not meet with many professions of faith--there were only four--we were able to see some great things happen.

Giuliano is a converted atheist in Grosseto who is now being used of God as an Italian Bible teacher.  His work is print-worthy and his grasp of the Italian language is superb.  Please pray that the obstacles will be overcome to get his works into print for the Italian people.

Marco was saved years ago, but spent a lot of time in New Evangelical churches in Italy.  Having had his fill of interpretive dance, contemporary music, and shallow preaching, he found his way to the Bible Baptist Church of Pisa.  He believes that God has called him to be an evangelist and has just begun a course of study toward that end.  Please pray that Marco would continue to let God work in his heart.

Antonio had never stepped foot inside a Baptist church, but came to hear me preach in Sardinia.  The obstacles that Satan erected to his attendance were mind-boggling, but in the end, the Spirit of God won the victory.  Antonio heard the Gospel for the very first time in his 74 years.  At the end of that Sunday, he told the pastor, "The Crows are family now.  It is time to look for an apartment for them."  Please pray for him that he would be saved.

God is at work in Italy, but there is a great need for laborers.

The next weeks will be whirlwind ones for us as we recover from jetlag and take our second child off to college.  After that, we hit the road again in meetings in the United States.

As always, thank you for your prayers.

Healing 2

 Our last update highlighted Josiah's skin problems and asked for prayer for his healing.  Thank the Lord for answered prayer.  He is well now and traveling with a group representing Ambassador Baptist College.  Each of the family has dealt with a measure of what Josiah had.  None of the symptoms that the rest of us dealt with were as bad as what he had to endure, but we all had something of skin problems to deal with.  Other than Josiah, Sarah has had the worst time of it.  The doctor says that it is a virus, and she is on anti-viral medication to help prevent the spread of the disease.  There are also measures that she is taking to alleviate the awful itching that comes along with it.  This itching has kept her awake many nights.  Please continue to pray for her and the rest of the family as we deal with this illness.

Camp in New Mexico is a highlight for our family.  This year, we had the privilege of serving alongside some great people, most of whom we knew, but one of whom was a bit new to us.  Jack Martinez from Cornerstone Baptist Church of Phoenix, Arizona, proved to be a great asset to camp this year.  Though our numbers were small, we did see professions of faith as well as other decisions for Christ.

For the present, the Crow family is making preparations to go to Italy in the month of July.  We leave Tuesday, July 5, and return in early August.  During our time in Italy, we are scheduled to preach in four churches, vacation Bible school, and a camp meeting.  Please pray that the Lord would use us to be a blessing and help to the churches in Italy.

Before we fly to Italy, we must have a negative COVID test.  Due to our leaving the day after July 4, it might prove difficult to get these tests in a timely manner.  Please pray about this detail.

Around our nation right now, there is anxiety over rising prices.  From the filling station to the grocery store, every American has seen their paycheck not go as far as it once did.  I would urge you to look at the situation, not from a fretting standpoint of wondering how we will survive, but from a standpoint of anticipation at seeing how God will work.  God is using less traditional means to supply our needs.  Is He doing the same with you?  Through whatever means He chooses, we are confident that God will supply, inflation or not.  Thank you for your prayers.

Healing

 This update comes very quickly on the heals of another just released a couple of weeks ago.  Nevertheless, there is a need for which we need urgent prayer at this time.  More on that at the end of this update.

God has blessed our time during Abigail's graduation.  It was a wonderful night for her surrounded by family and friends.  Although Sarah's parents were unable to attend due to her mother's recent stroke, Paul's parents made the trip down from Indiana and spent some wonderful time with the entire family.  The days were filled with labor as we prepared for the ceremony and the reception at our house to follow.  In the end, everything came together well, and Abigail had a wonderful night.

The day after Abigail's graduation, I (Paul) flew to Northern Virginia to preach in the Grace Baptist Church of Woodstock.  We had a wonderful meeting there with Pastor Ken Sparks and his dear people.  One of the highlights was seeing the camp that God has given to that church and seeing the progress being made.  Pastor Sparks showed me the chapel and I was sold.  While not ornate or fancy in any way--it is camp, after all--the chapel was obviously constructed on purpose to bring about a preaching atmosphere.  It was a preacher's dream and spoke volumes about the camp philosophy.

While I was in Virginia, Sarah drove to Michigan to see her dear college friend Erin Thompson who is in the latter stages of cancer.  The time was bittersweet for her, but she was glad for the time, knowing that it may be their last together on this earth.  On the way, Sarah was also able to spend more time with her mother.  All told, she drove 1,800 miles by herself.

While we were both gone, Josiah, who was with the rest of the children in Mississippi, developed a skin rash so bad that it was debilitating.  The rash resembled first degree burns all over his arms and neck.  He has had problems of this nature before, but nothing as bad as what he is dealing with right now.  The problem is that when we take him to a doctor, they typically prescribe some cream to rub on the skin without delving into the cause of what brings about the rash.  This has never fixed the problem in 20 years, making us reticent to try the same tactic yet again.  Please pray that God will give us wisdom to know how to help Josiah.  We are to leave for New Mexico in two days, and he is to travel with a music group from Ambassador Baptist College beginning two and a half weeks from now.  From a human standpoint, we need answers soon.

Thank you, as always, for praying for the Crow family.

Graduation

 Much has happened in the last month in the ministry of the Crow family.  Our spring meetings have been blessed by God to see people saved and lives strengthened.  We are so blessed to be a part of the Lord's work.

Our schedule calls for a lot of flying this year to different meetings.  The day before Easter, I was scheduled to fly out of Memphis to the Black Hills of South Dakota for a meeting in the town of Custer.  My flight from Memphis to Minneapolis was delayed 11 hours.  Needless to say, I missed my connection to Rapid City.  Delta Airlines took me through Atlanta where I was able to get a flight to Minneapolis, arriving just after midnight on Easter Sunday morning.  The airline payed for a hotel room for me to get a little sleep before catching a flight later on that Sunday morning.  At 9:00 am CDT, I left Minneapolis on my way at last to Rapid City.  Sunday school was in full swing in Custer when my plane landed, around 10:20 am MDT.  The church was about an hour away from the airport, so I arrived during the song service.  The congregation was shaking hands and greeting one another on Easter Sunday as the guest preacher arrived in his blue jeans and collared shirt.  The airline kept my checked bag in Minneapolis in which I had packed all my suits.  Although the bag made it on the plane with me to Rapid City, I opted to spend more time with the people rather than change before coming to the service.  Therefore, for the very first time in my life, I preached on Easter Sunday morning in blue jeans.  The pastor has promised to hold it over me for the rest of my ministry.  The meeting was a good one, despite my violation of the church dress code for platform participants.

A scheduled work week to camp in New Mexico had to be canceled, leaving us a little time at home to get some things done.  During this time, Sarah received a call from her family in Ohio informing her that her mother, Terri Easterday, had suffered a stroke.  We decided that, despite the distance, Sarah was the best situated of all her siblings to go to Dayton and be with her mother as she recovered from the stroke.  Because everyone recognized the symptoms so quickly and got Terri to the hospital so quickly, the stroke was not as severe as it might have been.  After spending a few days with her mother during the initial stages, Sarah came back home.  Terri is currently in rehab and hopes to return home before too much longer.

Back here in Mississippi, we are feverishly preparing for our second child to graduate.  Abigail completed the class work several months ago, but the ceremony is coming up on Friday, May 13, 2022.  Sarah and I are thankful to be have two homeschooling projects completely done; two more remain.

Right on the heels of graduation will be camp in New Mexico.  Please pray that God uses our ministry there in the Gila.

Thank you always for your prayers.

Spiritual Birthdays

 One concept dominates this month of ministry for the Crow family: born again.  God has visited us with many professions of faith this past month as we traveled in meetings in different places around the country.  Thank you so much for your prayers.  

We have been in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and currently Ohio.  After a week and half more in Ohio, we head for Brooklyn, New York, to preach there.  Please continue to pray for souls to be saved in our meetings.

One of the greatest parts of serving the Lord in evangelism is seeing people saved who have been the object of prayer for some time.  This was the case in Semmes, Alabama, on a Sunday morning when a couple responded at the invitation.  The man knew he was saved, but his wife was unsaved.  The church had been praying with this man for his wife for some time.  It was glorious to see her trust Christ after hearing the Gospel preached.

Our equipment seems to be running well right now and all are healthy.  There is hope that we can travel for a while without having things break down.  Time will tell.

In the end of April, the entire family will be going to Gila Christian Ranch in Silver City, New Mexico, for a special work week ahead of camp.  We are looking to be able to take some friends from our home church to help with this project.  The goal is to redo some plumbing lines in the bathhouse, tile the showers,  and replace some damaged drywall.  Please pray that the right people will be able to join us, and that we will get everything done in the time we have.

Another item of prayer is a planned missions trip to Italy in the month of July.  We had to renew the children's passports through the US State Department and chose not to pay the extra money to have them expedited.  (They were expensive enough as it was.)  Please pray that they arrive in time.  Also of concern is the COVID-19 testing that still has to be done.  God knows all of that, and He is well able to work out all those details.  While in Italy, the plan is to preach in several churches in the country, as well as minister in a Christian camp to young people.

Thank you all for your prayers for our family.  Know that people are being saved, and many lives are being transformed by the truth of the Word of God.

Meetings again

There are times when we are home for the Christmas holiday that I walk into the trailer and think to myself, "I surely do miss living in here."  I know, it seems like such a crazy thing to say, given the fact that God has given us such a wonderful house to live in.  Still, the trailer means that we are out in ministry rubbing shoulders with people and preaching the Gospel from place to place.

We are in the trailer now, and in the round of meetings that God has provided for us.  Last week, as I preached a men's meeting in Shelby, North Carolina, a man came in having been asked to take care of some younger boys who were in attendance.  (They were his younger brother, I think.)  He never gave his name, but the more I preached, the less he looked at his phone and listened to what was being said.  He declined to give his name to anyone there, but needs to be saved.  God knows exactly who he is.

I just finished preaching another men's meeting in Georgia.  We finish here tomorrow.  Next week, we begin a meeting in Beaufort, South Carolina, just down the road from Parris Island Marine Corps base.  Please pray that many would be saved in this meeting.  The need is great, but God is able.

Family Update

The trailer had a lot of things that had to be fixed as we entered the holidays, and we were thrilled when the repairman came and finally got the back slide-out working again in the first part of February.  We packed up our belongings and dutifully made the requisite 367 trips from the house to the trailer and back, with a sense of excitement. Some of us even had a sense of urgency, having waited until the last minute to begin packing, perhaps due in part to a lack of confidence that the trailer would actually be fixed in time to make the trip, but I digress. 

The important fact is that by the time we were ready to leave, everything necessary was in the trailer, and even a few things not so necessary.  We will not talk about the chronic optimism of the resident crafter and her compulsion to make sure that she has enough yarn, fabric, and accompanying tools and totes to last through an apocalyptic event, let alone eight weeks on the road.  There seems to be a slight disconnect between the amount of supplies taken and the actual amount of time needed to complete the projects that would require that amount of supplies.  The good news is that if there is a blizzard that suddenly overtakes us and we are snowed in for six months, we will have plenty of time and material to make all the hats, sweaters, gloves, and scarves we would need.

 We stopped in Georgia overnight on our way to North Carolina, and set up the trailer. Everyone has specific tasks to complete when setting things up, and we work like a machine - not always a well-oiled one, but it gets done.  I (Sarah) came down the steps into the kitchen to see water spraying all over the place from the faucet.  I hurried over to see what was going on, and realized that there was also water pouring out from under the island cabinet and ponding on the floor. This is generally not a good sign.  I screeched for someone to turn off the water, while running to the cupboard to grab some spare towels.  As I mopped up what seemed like ten gallons of water, Paul came in to see what was happening.

He stared forlornly at the still dribbling faucet, and we both realized that we wouldn't be able to turn on the water until the faucet was replaced.  It was already late, and after a long day's drive, I decided that fixing dinner was probably the better part of valor.  Sometimes the best thing you can do in a time like this is to eat, rest, and deal with it in the morning, and that's exactly what we did. 

The next morning, sans showers, we headed to the nearest Home Depot with our defective faucet in hand.  Thankfully, they had a comparable unit that only cost an arm, so we were able to walk back to the truck with  no problem, our legs intact. Skip forward a few hours and another trip to Home Depot for special fittings (RV life), the faucet was fixed to everyone's satisfaction, and we hurriedly packed up and hit the road again.  

Perhaps we packed up a bit too quickly.  The first thing I noticed when I opened the trailer door in the church parking lot in North Carolina was a weird smell. While not entirely uncommon, it was different than the usual strange smells that are associated with RV life.  As I gazed into the dim recesses of the trailer kitchen, it became immediately apparent that I had forgotten to close and store my fledgling sourdough starter in a safe place.  Most of my hard work was spilled in a great, gluey puddle on the the floor and carpet.  As I assessed the situation, I realized that not all of it had spilled out, and the glass jar had, miraculously, remained intact when it took the flying leap off of the counter.  I figured as long as I had a little bit left, I could keep it going.  You know -- a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump!  So I scrubbed up the mess and proceeded to open the slides.  

It was at this point, we realized that all was not well.  The newly repaired back slide-out has two motors which propel it back and forth.  We had just replaced the defective one two days before we started the trip.  The other motor decided to call it quits on this dark night.  Unfortunately, the way that the trailer is designed makes it impossible to access the back room if that particular slide is not operating.  We were able to get it open about eight inches, but since all of our family members are slightly wider than that, we could only peer into the room.  We called the pastor and asked if we could borrow one of his children.  He kindly loaned us the smallest one, and she was able to squeeze in through the tiny space and open the emergency window.  Once the window was open, we got a ladder and squeezed two of our children through the opening, where they worked to push the slide-out out a little more.

I won't bore you with all the details, but suffice it to say, we had a weekend that would rival any episode of Tim the Tool Man, and my husband came out looking like a champ.  As of this minute, all slides are operational, there are no leaking faucets, and everyone is very happy about it.

We had the opportunity to see Josiah while we were in the vicinity of Ambassador Baptist College, and even were able to be there for his debut as the main accompanist for Thursday's chapel service.  This is a position not lightly bestowed, and takes a great deal of work and practice on the part of the student to be considered for the task.  This mama was so incredibly proud!  His hard work is paying off in so many ways, and it is wonderful to see how the Lord is using and preparing him for ministry.

The rest of the family is well, and day-to-day life hasn't changed a whole lot.  Esther and Daniel are plugging away at school.  Abigail has finished all her classes at home for the rest of the year and is taking some classes online through Ambassador's Step Up dual high school/college credit program.  We are trying to plan for her graduation and all the accompanying details of finishing high school and getting ready for college. (How can this even be possible?) 

This has been a rather long and detailed update, but it will give you a good idea of what has been going on behind the scenes, and hopefully, help you to more knowledgably pray for our family.  We appreciate your prayers and words of encouragement more than you will ever know.  

Until the next time!

Holidays

What a wonderful Christmas season we had last year!  The Victory Gospel Crusade in Shelby, North Carolina was a great time with souls being saved and many believers encouraged.  No one froze to death, despite some cool temperatures under the tent.  The heaters didn't catch the tent on fire--another detail for which we are very grateful.  After the Shelby meeting, most of the family went to Ethel, Mississippi where I preached for a friend in his absence.  After that, it was my home church in Southaven, Mississippi.  There was only one Sunday last month when I was not preaching somewhere.  It was a great blessing to see God work in the lives of people.

Something else unusual happened in December.  I got sick.  It would be easy for those who knew me to assume that I just had a mere head cold that would soon pass.  This was definitely my opinion of my wife the situation.  What she and so many other women fail to realize that childbirth is a hiccup, but a man cold is serious.  I still don't believe that she realizes that I was at death's door during those long nights of December.  It was unusual for me to be sick because my immune system kicked into ninja mode after I contracted COVID-19 in 2020.  For a period of 17 months, I did not have so much as the sniffles, so active was my immune system.  In North Carolina, however, I did contract something that made ministry more difficult.  Nevertheless, all are healthy now, and we are grateful.

Abigail begins college classes this semester even though she has not yet graduated from high school.  The goal is to lighten her load once she actually gets to college.  The day we drop her off as a freshman in college is fast approaching.  Due to this reality, the family will stay home for some of the meetings in our spring round in order to allow her to work and earn some money.  Not yet sure how this will go, but it will probably work out just fine.  The day is coming in the not-so-distant future when the Crow team will be reduced to Sarah and me, the way it was at the beginning.

Until February, our meetings are fairly local, after which we head out again for the east coast.  Thank you always for praying, and we trust that God will give you fruitful year in 2022.