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.