South Carolina Missions

Rescheduled again

2009-05-18T16:52:00.002-04:00

We had a Baptism scheduled for yesterday, but we were forced to reschedule once again because the church that we were going to borrow a baptistry from was not prepared for us. When I called to remind their pastor on Saturday, he admitted he had forgotten about it, and asked if we would mind resceduling for later.

It will be nice when we have our own baptistry one of these days, and we won't have to depend on others to help with the arrangements.

We have used a loca pond in the past, but a couple of the people who were to be baptized this time are nervous about stepping into any water if they can't see the bottom. I can understand their hesitation. The last time we used the pond, I think I could feel some fish nibbling on my toes! Or maybe it was just my imagination.

The baptism has been rescheduled for June 14. We are expecting to baptize 2 adults at that time.

Our services yesterday were wonderful. It was nice to see our attendance was back up, after several weeks of low attendance.

Piedmont Missonary Baptist Association

2009-05-18T16:16:00.002-04:00

We enjoyed attending the 25th annual meeting of the Piedmont Association meeting. It is a small association, consisting of Landmark Missionary Baptist Churches in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Eastern Tennessee.

This is the kind of association meeting that I enjoy. Very little business to discuss, if any. More than anything, it is just an opportunity to fellowship with like-minded believers, and to hear some good preaching. The speakers this year were Bro. Tommy Kay, pastor of White Oaks Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville, SC, and Bro. Robert Branch, pastor of Tanglewood Missionary Baptist Church in Union, SC.

Tanglewood Baptist in Union was the host church this year, and they showed us all great hospitality while we were there, including a meal on Friday night, as well as Saturday afternoon, with plenty of fried chicken. Bro. Branch was fond of saying that preachers need to "eat the bird and preach the Word." I guess he's very fond of fried chicken, like most Baptist preachers.

It's been too long...

2009-04-24T17:55:00.003-04:00

It's been over a year since Brian and I have used this blog. It's a fantastic tool to keep in touch with anybody who is interested - but alas. Life tends to get busy and we forget.

There is a lot going on with us right now. I'll let Brian tell about everything that is going on at church. I am very excited about what the Lord is doing in Gaston, SC - but he really enjoys sharing the work so I will let him.

The kids are all doing great. Blakley is finishing up her last year in elementary school. She didn't play softball this spring (for the first time since she was 4 years old). Amazingly enough, I've kind of missed it. I didn't think I would. I think it was best for her to sit this season out, though. She has really struggled with school this year and she really couldn't afford to have one more thing to devote her time to. She has been in Girl Scouts this year, though. I am thinking about leading a Cadette Troop next year as she will be old enough to move up to that level. We'll have to see though. She is currently working on earning her Bronze Award. For a project she wants to organize a mini concert at a local nursing home. I think it's a great idea. She gets to share her God-given talent with some people who will appreciate the attention she wants to give.

Jacob is doing great. He's turning out to be something of a "talker" at school. He hasn't brought home anything lower than a 96 on his report card all year. His teachers only complaints? He talks a little too much sometimes and he can't keep his bottom in his seat. Ha! I don't know where he gets these talking tendencies. hehehe Jacob is in Eagles (Gifted and Talented) this year. I think that has been such a wonderful thing for him. It presents a challenge for him at school - which he DESPERATELY needs. I think he has such a problem with talking because he finishes his work so quickly and doesn't have anything to do. It's no excuse, I know, but I don't want him to be bored with learning.

Christian is finishing up his first year of school. He's getting to be such a big boy. They grow up too fast. He spends half a day every day in a Spanish speaking only classroom. He is learning quite a bit of Spanish. Brian and I are both very excited to see him learning a second language so young. It is going to be so beneficial to him in his life. We are praying that he will one day find a way to use the ability to honor and glorify the Lord. Brian is looking forward to having a visitation partner who can be of some help to him when knocks on the door of a Hispanic family. It will be so nice not to have that language barrier there. Back to Christian - it caught me off-guard when his teacher (of the english speaking class) asked all the students to write something. Christian wrote his IN SPANISH! He still hasn't gotten to bring it home. His spanish teacher was so proud of him she's insisting that she keep it til the end of the year. LOL I don't blame here.

Brian is staying very busy with church and family. We have an elderly lady in our church that ocassionally needs Brian to take her to her Dr's appointments or to the grocery store, etc. She was so sick last week. Brian went over to check on her one day and I think he did some light housework for her. She is such a sweet woman. We call her our "South Carolina Grandma". She considers us family, too. Every Wednesday night I pick her up to take her to church. She always has a smile on her face no matter how tired she is. She always has the Funnies from Sunday's paper for Jacob to read. It's such an encouragement to Brian and me to have her in our church family. She is our encourager so many times. Brian, of course, has also been doing a lot with the kids while I go to school. I don't know what I'd do without him.

Speaking of me going to school - that's not going to be happening for much longer. May 9, 2009 will be the day that I am officially a college graduate! YAY!!! I am so excited. Although while I sit typing this, I should be writing an extra credit paper. Or studying for a final... I'm just so excited about what is going on in my family. My kids are healthy. My husband is healthy and able to work. Graduation is just around the corner. My Savior lives - and is in control of everything under the Sun. He is taking care of us, sustaining us, and loving us. What more can a person ask for? God is so good - ALL THE TIME!

Real quick - before I wrap this up - I want to share what we did last night. Brian, the kids, and I all went to a church about 5 miles from our home that was hosting a live simulcast event by Dave Ramsey. You may have heard about it. It was called "Town Hall for Hope". Brian and I have been on a big Dave Ramsey kick this year. We are determined to be debt free in 6 years - all except for our house. We've had a yard sale, we are looking into selling some of my old text books on ebay, we've almost got our van paid for... It's such a blessing to take control of our money instead of letting it control us. I am so excited about this, I'm telling everyone I can about it. Go to www.daveramsey.com. We are hoping to go through Financial Peace University this year. If you want to know more about it, you can find all kinds of info about it on this website.

Anyway - back to the Town Hall for Hope. Dave really laid it out for all the country and world to hear. I do not believe that our government is going to be able to get us out of this recession. I think the American people are going to have to do it - by being more responsible with our money. Pay cash - less credit... I know - sounds crazy, doesn't it? Normal is changing in our household. I've been telling people - "I am an American, and I refuse to participate in this recession." LOL The really great thing? By telling people about Dave Ramsey, I give myself an avenue to talk about the Lord. It's been so helpful for me.

Okay - I guess I've bored you all enough. (Did I leave anything for Brian to talk about?) Now I guess I know where Jacob gets his tendency to talk. :)

Take care, everyone. Please keep us in your prayers. We need them...

Christel

Easter 2008

2008-03-23T16:18:00.010-04:00

The Lord has been so very good. We enjoyed wonderful services today, both in the morning and evening. Our numbers were down a little bit, but the Lord still blessed.

Please pray for Desi Dawson - a teenager whose family has been visiting with us regularly for about a year now. She came forward this morning and made a profession of faith. We are planning to have our next baptismal service in May when the weather warms up a little. Hopefully, if everything goes as planned, Desi will be baptized then along with her aunt and a couple of others. Praise God!! It's so good to serve our Lord.

Her cousin, Dalton, also came forward this morning. He will be 7 in May, and he is asking some serious questions about salvation. Brian is so patient with the children and all their questions. Dalton is in my Sunday School class so he asks me questions from time to time also. Especially today since we spoke about Christ's death and resurrection. I have a feeling that soon there will be one more in that family that will come to know Jesus as their personal Savior.

Also, please pray for Desi's family. They are going through some hard times right now - the details of which I will not go into - but they desperately need our prayers. Please pray specifically for Chip, Desi's father.

After church, we stopped at Burger King for lunch. (I really miss getting together with my family on Easter Sunday after church. I would have loved to have had some of that good home cooking today.) When we got home, the kids got to hunt easter eggs. They had lots of fun finding the eggs and eating them as well as they candy they got. Blakley got to church this evening and told one of the church members that she sat on the couch eating candy and watching TV all afternoon. All I could do was laugh. Then another girl said she had done the same thing. Oh well - they don't get to do that but maybe once or twice a year (Easter and Halloween). I guess we could look at it as keeping the dentist in business...

I guess that's it for me. I'm going to let Brian blog about the remodeling we've had done to the house we are meeting in as well as the work day and some of the visitors we've had recently. We've been very busy over the last month. Brian is doing some deputation each month trying to raise support for the land/building fund. Please pray with us about having the mortgage for the land/house paid for by the end of this year. We are 1/4 of the way through the year - it's going to be a very big challenge. But God is all powerful - he can do what we can't. "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."

God bless!
PS Hope you enjoy the pictures below!

It's about time!

2008-02-18T10:23:00.002-05:00

Yes, I know, it's about time I updated this blog, since it's been a few months since I have done so. So much has happened during that time, it will be hard to bring this thing completely up to date without leaving many things out.

I think I'll start with the most recent things that have happened and work my way backwards...

Yesterday, I was proud to baptize my 7 (almost 8) yr old son, Jacob. I was so incredibly proud of him, and happy to have the privelege to baptize him myself. He was actually saved during a VBS right after we moved here in July of 2006, but he has been hesitant to come forward for baptism. We asked to borrow a baptistry from an Independant Baptist Church in the area, and they gracefully provided for the occasion.

Then, Sunday night, a lady who has been attending our mission for as long as I can remember, but had never joined, finally came forward to request baptism. I can't help but wonder if watching my son get baptized that morning influenced her to make the decision when she did.

Last Sunday, Feb 10, a couple came forward to join by promise of letter from a Baptist church in Hopkins, SC. They have been attending for several months, and we have been looking for them to join for quite a while now, but waiting for them to be ready to make the move. I'm glad they finally did, and they will be a welcome addition to our congregation.

In January, I experienced the loss of my grandfather, Johnie Oldner. He was an ABA pastor for many years, pastoring churches in Benton, West Helena, Colt, Grapevine, and perhaps a few other towns in Arkansas over his 40+ years of ministry. He also served in the US Navy during WWII in the Pacific. We traveled back to AR for the funeral.

Before that happened, we had an interesting first time visitor, a young boy (I think about 10 or 11 yrs old) who was invited by one of the other kids that come to our church. During his first visit with us, he came forward during the invitation and told me he wanted to be saved. After he prayed and asked the Lord to save him, we announced his decision to the congregation, and we all rejoiced together. He has only been able to come back once since then, and that is disappointing, but I'm glad for the impact we have had on his young life, and I am still hopeful that we can get him in church soon.

My memory of November and December are kind of a blur, with all the holiday busyness and excitement. I always enjoy the holidays very much, but I am also glad when they are over and the lights come off the house, and the tree comes down, and things can get back to normal.

Anyway, that's our recent past. To anyone reading this blog - please continue to pray for me and the mission work, as we face whatever challenges and struggles lie in our path ahead.

Father/Daughter Pumpkin Carving

2007-11-01T17:00:00.000-04:00

My daughter, Blakley, and I recently went to a father/daughter pumpkin carving event. It was a lot of fun. It was put on by her girl scout troop. We both got a little messy scooping out the guts of the pumpkin, but I think it turned out pretty well. I'll just let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Signing Day!!

2007-11-01T16:43:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, October 30, at about 12:30 pm, we finally signed the closing papers for our property. Yes, now it is OUR property! It seems like this has been a long time coming, and we've had to overcome many obstacles along the way, but it is now done.

Please pray for Mr. Rikard and his wife (they are the ones who sold us the property). They have lived in the same house for over 50 years, but because of their declining health, they decided it would be best to move closer to their daughter. It will be a difficult change for them I'm sure. Mr. Rikard told us of how he was saved in that house, when he came home from a revival meeting many years ago.

Below, you can see pictures of Mr. Rikard and I as we signed the necessary documents.

Under the Shadow of Our Steeple

2007-10-26T00:52:00.000-04:00

There is a song called “Does Anybody Hear Her?” by a group called Casting Crowns that mentions a woman in need, looking for hope, living within reach of Christians who fail to help her because they are too caught up in their own issues to notice her desperate need. Even though we don’t have a steeple on our rented building where we meet, I thought of this song when I encountered a young man named Jason outside the door to our church one Sunday night. He had been kicked out of his home and he was desperate, with no idea of where he was going to go or what he would do. He stayed for our services that night, and our church took up a small collection for him – just enough for a hotel room for the night and a little extra pocket money. The next day I offered to pick him up at the hotel and give him a ride to a shelter, or to a friend’s house, or wherever he needed to go. I also let him use my cell phone to call his parents who live in Texas. He ended up catching a bus back home to Texas. During the time he was with me, he heard the plan of salvation several times. Please pray for him, that God would touch his heart, that he will be saved, and that he can rebuild his life.

Let it be true!

2007-10-24T16:34:00.001-04:00

I'm going to post it here, and maybe that will make it true - we will finally be closing on the property in Gaston, SC next week - October 30. There have been so many delays, and it has been a little bit frustrating, but I hope that we have finally worked out all the details so that we can close the deal.

It will be so nice to finally have our own place in which to worship!!

Pray for Bro. Dennis

2007-10-24T16:27:00.000-04:00

Please pray for Bro. Dennis Richey, who is the pastor of Glendale Baptist Church in Mauldin, SC, which is our sponsoring church. He suffered a heart attack Saturday (Oct. 20). After a few tests, the doctors decided that he needs bypass surgery - quintuple bypass surgery! He should be having the surgery today (Oct. 24). In fact, he may already be through with the surgery by this time. Pray for him and his family as he recovers, and pray for his church as they cope without him for a little while.

A good video

2007-10-17T10:31:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try something new. I just want to see if I can post a video on this blog. Never done this before, though. We'll see how it goes. If it works, you should be able to see a pretty cool video that I saw online. It was very moving.

September 11 Memorial

2007-09-14T18:21:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, my wife, Christel, and son, Christian, and I went to see a September 11 Memorial that is beginning a tour of the country. the first stop was in Columbia, SC, because the company that is producing the steel beams for the Monument which will be in New York is in Columbia. There were a few speeches recognizing the great sacrifices that were made on that day in 2001 and in the years since. After that, we were allowed to walk through the displays, which featured several pictures showing the horrible events of September 11, but also the incredible heroism that was displayed. We also viewed a short video which told the story of that day. Finally, we were able to sign a steel beam that is going to be used in the Memorial at ground zero. We were some of the first people to sign it.

We actually made it on the news Monday night, but I don't have any pictures from that to show you. The camera captured us while Christian signed his name. I was holding him up high enough to reach, while Christel helped to guide his hand. We recorded the newscast, but I couldn't find it online.

Here's a link to a story about the Memorial:

http://www.wspa.com/midatlantic/spa/news.apx.-content-articles-SPA-2007-09-10-0012.html

And the website for the Memorial itself:

www.national911memorial.org

A trip to Arkansas

2007-09-01T10:04:00.000-04:00

I was unable to attend the baptisms Brian told about because I had made a trip back to Arkansas. Wild horses could not have kept me away from my brother and sister-in-law - and their new baby girl, Cassidy Lynn. Cassidy came into this world a little bit earlier than was expected, but did so well. She was in the hospital for a week - and now she and Mom are doing great! We are all so blessed by this new little life. I'm going to try to post some pictures of my niece (and no, Aunt Christel doesn't get tired of saying that). I think you'll agree with me that Cassidy is adorable.

I miss my family, and I frequently thank God for the little things like phones and email. It's so easy to keep in touch with those you love now. If I want to hear someone's voice, all I have to do is give them a call. And when things come up, as they did the 1st of August, it doesn't take very long to get home when you can fly. 150 years ago if I had moved this far from my family, I think I can safely say that there is a good chance that we would not see each other again, this side of heaven. I say all this just to remind everyone to thank God for the little things. We remember to thank him for big things - our family, friends, church, etc... But how often do we thank him for the smaller things? Have you ever thanked God for a telephone or for the ability to so easily stay in touch with far away friends and family? He gives us everything - even the small stuff.

Now - I'm through preaching. Maybe I should leave that up to Brian. Ha! I hope this blog finds everyone that reads it doing well. To all our far away friends and family, we miss you and you're in our prayers. We love you!

Now for the pictures.... Meet Cassidy Lynn Blakley

This is Cassidy and her mom, Amy, who has also been such a sweet blessing in our family...

You win some, you lose some

2007-08-28T16:59:00.000-04:00

One more post to get things up to date a little bit

The last few months have been difficult in some ways, because we have lost a couple of families that had been very involved in the work with us. It is discouraging, mainly because they have been lured away to a church that does not practice and preach the truth. A former member of our church has moved back into the area, and because he apparently has some problems with our church, he began to seek out those who he thought he could lure away. He successfully sowed discord and spread gossip which led to these two families leaving and joining a "non-denominational" church in the area. I think by now he has already reached the extent of his influence with our congregation, so I hope there will be no more problems from him.

While we could have allowed this to seriously discourage us in the work here, instead we chose to press on, and with God's help we will persevere. Since those families left, we have been having several regular visitors, that show signs of wanting to join our church and serve the Lord with us here. The Dawson family is one of those (We used their pond for our baptisms). Also there is another nice lady that has visited several times this month (her husband came with her once, but he often has to work Sundays). And just this past Sunday a family of 3 came, bringing another friend with them. It is encouraging to see all these new visitors, especially when they come back for a repeat visit.

5 baptized this month!

2007-08-28T16:39:00.001-04:00

The first Sunday this month, we had a baptismal service scheduled. There were 4 young people wanting to be baptized - Dorthy, Chris, Lyndsey, and Ashley. Unfortunately, Ashley was running a fever that day, so her baptism had to be rescheduled. That left 3 to be baptized.

We went to a pond belonging to the Dawson family, who have been regular visitors to our church. It was the perfect setting for an old-fashioned style baptism. Before we started the baptismal service, Chip Dawson approached me asking if he could be baptized as well. I had talked to him previously about his salvation, so I was comfortable with his profession of faith. As we gathered together to begin the service, I asked Chip to come forward, and he shared his profession of faith with the church, and they voted to add him to the list of candidates waiting for baptism. We were at his house, so it was no problem for him to find a change of clothes afterward. That brought the total to 4.

After all 4 were baptized, Wade Dawson, who is Chip's son, asked if he could be baptized too. I had talked with him a few times before, but I asked the church if they could give me a few minutes to talk to Wade privately, and after talking with him again, I presented him to the church as a candidate, and then he was also baptized. So there were actually 5 baptized that day. It was truly an exciting day. Below are some pictures that were taken at the baptism service:

Property Update

2007-08-28T16:30:00.000-04:00

It is now August, and the progress has been slow with the negotiations for the property that we wanted for the church. It is frustrating, I admit. Everything seemed at first to fall right into place, convincing me that it was the Lord's hand guiding us. As a few obstacles have begun coming up, my confidence is a little shaken, but I still believe that God will lead us to the right place. I am resigned to the fact that if this property works out, we will know that it is because of God's provision, but if it doesn't, that will prove that God has something else in mind for us.

The owners of the property are not willing to negotiate, it seems. Their asking price is $179,900. Each of the offers we have made have been refused. We may make one more offer, and see how it goes. Please pray that the will of God will be made clear to us, and that He will give us the wisdom that we need to accomplish His will.

Pictures of a prospective property

2007-05-16T12:37:00.000-04:00

I returned to the property we looked at last week, this time with Bro. Dennis Richey, the pastor of our sponsoring church, Glendale Missionary Baptist Church. This time we got a few pictures that will give you an idea of the size and potential of the property.

The first is a picture taken from Meadowfield Rd, showing the house and much of the current yard. (The property also includes some uncleared land beside the house, which is probably where we would build.)

Here are a few more pictures of the property, from different viewpoints:

These two pictures show the inside of the house. There are only two bedrooms, but if we get creative, there is room for 4 or 5 separate classes going at the same time. These two pictures show the living room and den, which I think would accomodate our current congregation and a little more, while we build a church building on the property.

A Soul Is Saved

2007-05-15T16:18:00.000-04:00

Also this past Sunday, a young woman named Dorthy came forward wanting to be saved. Dorthy is 14 or 15 yrs. old, and she has been coming to our church for a while. I think she began coming back in July when we had Vacation Bible school. She's a very sweet girl, and very curious and inquisitive. In the time that she has been coming, she has probably done a better job of promoting our church than anyone else, because it seems like she's always bringing a new friend or relative to church with her. She has brought her mother, brother, uncle, and several friends.

Sunday I was so pleased to see her walk forward during the invitation and give her life to the Lord. She had some questions about baptism, so I didn't immediately present her to the church as a candidate for baptism, but I expect she will come forward soon wanting to be baptized. Be praying for this new child of God.

Hablas Espanol?

2007-05-14T13:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we had an interesting visitor. Of course, I'm grateful for all of our visitors, but this one was interesting because of the challenge that he came with. His name is Alejandro, but he goes by Alex. He is from Mexico and his English is very limited. It was a challenge to communicate with him. I have had some exposure to Spanish in the past, and my wife has recently taken a Spanish class in college. Some other members know bits and pieces of Spanish. So we were able to communicate to some degree. I doubt that he got very much from the sermon or from the class he was sent to, but you never can tell. Perhaps the Holy Spirit communicated to him in a deeper way when words failed me.

He came to us because he was invited by one of the children that ride with us in our bus ministry. He said he would be coming back, and that he would bring a few friends with him - one of which is better with English, and should be able to translate for the others. I hope that he will.

Looking for a place

2007-05-09T15:26:00.000-04:00

Another thing worth blogging about - On Monday, a group of church members and I met with a realtor and went to look at a property in Gaston that looks promising as a potential future meeting place.

The property is 5.9 acres of land on a well-traveled road, just off of the main highway through Gaston. There is also a house located on the property that is large enough for us to meet in while we build a permanent meeting place on the property. Those of us that saw the property were very excited to think about the possibilities, but we are trying to remain open to God's leadership if he should take us in a different direction. We are going to be praying about this decision, and we would appreciate any other prayers that are lifted up on our behalf.

Homecoming 2007

2007-05-09T13:51:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday we held special homecoming services in celebration of our third anniversary as a mission. I know that I have only been here for 9 or 10 months, but the mission actually began meeting over two years before I arrived on the scene. They started out meeting in someone's garage, and they have come a long way since then.

We had a special guest speaker for the occasion. Bro. Bobby Bear, a missionary in Greensboro, GA, delivered a sermon about Christ using three symbols from the Bible to describe him and his work on our behalf - the Lamb of God, a hen protecting its young, and an eagle.

There was an excellent attendance of 41 for the homecoming service, including several visitors. After our morning worship service, we enjoyed some good food and fellowship, in the traditional Baptist way. There wasn't any fried chicken, but there was some good barbecued chicken, along with so much other food that it was hard to decide what to put on your plate. It was all good, of course.

Following that, we had an afternoon service. There was some special music, and then Bro. Bear spoke to us again, but he used this opportunity to talk to us about some of his experiences as a missionary. He shared his wisdom with us, and we soaked it up like a thirsty sponge. He also allowed some time for questions.

All in all, it was a great day! I'm confident that the Lord was present, and I believe He was pleased with our worship and service to Him that day.

A wonderful Easter!

2007-04-09T14:40:00.000-04:00

How wonderful it was to be in the house of God yesterday!

My heart was lifted, my spirit was renewed --- WORTHY IS THE LAMB!

Brian, the kids, and I enjoyed our first Easter in South Carolina so much. We got up early Sunday morning and got ready for church - everyone excited, although probably not for the same reasons.

Brian: It was Easter! What preacher doesn't get excited about Easter Sunday? You get to preach about the resurrection of Jesus Christ! There may be preachers out there that don't get excited about that - and I feel so sorry for them. We were also having the Lord's supper for the first time at Providence Missionary Baptist Mission yesterday, and Brian and I both were excited about that.

Blakley, Jacob, and Christian: Well, folks. The kids were probably most excited because Blakley and I had baked a cake the night before so they knew they were going to get cake at some point. And my kids love to hunt eggs (which we had colored on Sat. night). But they, too, were excited about going to church. They enjoy seeing their friends there, but they were so excited to learn a little bit more about the Lord's Supper. Christian was feeling a little under the weather, but he was still very happy to be going to church.

Christel: I looked forward to getting to participate in the Lord's Supper, for one thing. Having been on the deputation trail for a year, and not being in regular attendance at the church where our membership was, it had been a while since I had gotten to partake. How humbling it was to remember what it was our Lord went through in our place. Brian sang a special, "I Should Have Been Crucified" yesterday morning, and did such a wonderful job, but that song is so true. Jesus took my place - and the place of everyone else that has ever or will ever walk on this earth. What an enormous undertaking that only one man was capable of doing. Again, all I can say is PRAISE GOD!

Yesterday did have it's hard moments for me, though. Easter is a time in my family to get together. All my family on my mom's side that are able and that live close to Benton, AR gets together at my grandmother's house for dinner on Sunday afternoon after church. Of course, being in South Carolina, we missed it. But I called and talked to my grandmother on Saturday for about 45 minutes - another blessing to my heart. Easter Sunday was my mom's birthday this year - and I got to talk to her for a little bit (while kids yelled "Happy Birthday, MaMaw!!!!!!!!!" in the background.) :-) I did cry after that phone call. I ask that everybody who reads this pray for me and my family. We all have moments of feeling homesick and all we can do in those times is pray and rely on God to get us through. Sometimes the desire to go "home" is so great. But then God reminds me, "Christel, bloom where you are planted. Your only here temporarily - your true home is here, with me. Be happy where you are. Be happy doing what I want you to do - and I will bless you." And all I can do is smile and say, "Thank you, Lord."

My prayer for all of us is that we can have the attitude laid out in the chorus of the song I sang in church yesterday morning, "Broken and Spilled Out":

Broken and spilled out

Just for love of you, Jesus

My most precious treasure

Lavished on Thee

Broken and spilled out

And poured at your feet

In sweet abandon,

Let me be spilled out

And used up for thee.

Many blessings to you all,

Christel

Summary of January

2007-02-05T13:18:00.000-05:00

It's pretty bad when I only blog once a month. That's not near as regular as I'd like to be. I guess I haven't fully entered the 21st century. I'll get there sooner or later. Hopefully sooner. I'm not really sure if anyone's actually reading this right now anyway. If you are, it would be great for you to leave a comment every once in a while, just to let me know you're out there.

The month of January seemed to be a tough one. Of course, the start of a new year has a way of making you evaluate how you've been doing, and make some goals and plans for the coming year. My next blog, which I plan to enter this week, will show you some of the goals I've set for the coming year of 2007.

In January, it seemed like everyone in the church was sick at one time or another. In a large church, that just means a drop in attendance. But in a congregation like ours, where nearly every member has an active role to play, it hurts when not everyone can be there. We were supposed to resume our AWANA program on the first Sunday after the New Year, but for two weeks after that, we were unable to do so because of sick members who have key roles in our AWANA. The kids were very anxious to get that going again. The last Sunday in January, we had one adult to teach each of the four classes, and no more, but we thought we could get by. Unfortunately, though there were some discipline problems that came up that night, and with so few adults, there was really no one to deal with the problem. I have decided that we need at least one extra adult available to deal with disruptive kids if we are going to split into our AWANA classes. If we don't have that, then we would be forced to cancel our AWANA for that night.

Now that another month has arrived, I'm anxious to put January behind me, and move forward. February, here I come!

That Man Called Jesus

2006-12-15T14:45:00.000-05:00

Well, we did decide as a church to go to the Sunday afternoon production of the play, That Man Called Jesus. Apparently, it is a really big production, and it draws people from all over the state, and even some from out of state. The play started with the announcement of the angel to Mary that she would give birth to the Messiah, and it goes through the life of Jesus, all the way to his ascention into heaven following the resurrection. It was a long performance, probably about 3 hrs long. But you really didn't notice the time. The real animals added a lot to the performance. There were sheep, goats, a horse, a camel, and a dove.

The seating and the stages were set up in a very interesting way, too. There were large stages at either end of the room, with a narrow stage making a pathway from one end to the other. All of the seating was on either side of the narrow stage that ran down the center of the room, with the seats facing the middle. The action took place at both ends and down the middle as well, so there was really no bad seat in the house.

To make it even better, the performance was free. That was part of the ministry plan of Lake Murray Baptist Church of Lexington, SC. They do this program every year, for about the last 20 years, and it has always been free of charge. (That means you should get there an hour early though if you want to make sure you get a seat.)

It was a great program. I may have to make plans to go again next year as well.

What's next???

2006-12-09T22:21:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't been blogging very regularly. I have no excuse, except that I forget about it. I suppose I haven't fully moved into the 21st century. I'll try to correct that.
I wanted to write about my crazy day today, however. We had plans for a church fellowship at 11:00am, after which we planned to go as a group to see a Christmas play put on by Lake Murray Baptist Church. Sounds like a good plan, right?
Well, since we expected a large group, we decided to use two 15-passenger vans. (We have 2 vans that we recently purchased, plus we still have the van that we borrowed from Glendale MBC - our sponsoring church.) Bro. John and I would be the van drivers. The problems began when I went to the gas station to gas up the van I was driving. While it was filling up, I discovered that fuel was leaking out and spilling on the ground. I probably shouldn't have, but I drove the van back home (safely!!) and we then had to scramble to figure out how to get everyone picked up that needed it. Thank God we hadn't yet returned Glendale's van (we plan to this Tuesday). With a little quick thinking, that problem was solved!
Next problem! The building we rent for our meetings is owned by the Gaston Masonic lodge. They allow us to use the building on Sundays and Wednesday nights, and occasionally on other days, if necessary. They rarely need the building on those other days, but if they do, then their need takes precedence over ours. For example, after we had planned our VBS for 2 months, we found out that they would need the building on the Tuesday of our VBS. It was too late to change our VBS dates, so we just had to cancel it for Tuesday night. Usually, we check with them to make sure they don't need the building when we plan events, but this time we didn't. Oops!! After we get there, we realize that they are already using the building for a Christmas meal of their own. What to do, what to do??? More scrambling, racking our brains for a solution. We finally are able to use the Gaston civic center to hold our fellowship.
Could it get any worse? We rush everyone through the meal, because the Christmas program we are going to starts at 2:30pm, and it is 45 minutes away. Everyone gets loaded up and we drive to the church where the play is to be, only to find out that it is full. We could not plan for this, because they did not sell tickets or take reservations. We had planned to get there an hour early, but with all the scrambling we had to do to fix our other problems, we only managed to get there about 15 minutes early, but that was already too late. At this point, the only thing left to do was to take everyone back home.
There is some discussion about going to an afternoon performance tomorrow. We'll see. Tomorrow is another day.

Reach America Huddle

2006-10-30T13:38:00.000-05:00

This past week I attended the second annual Reach America Huddle in West Memphis, AR. It was a great experience for me. The seminars covered some very pertinent topics - things that would benefit any church planter or pastor. The Huddle also provides a great opportunity for fellowship between missionaries who are having similar experiences in different parts of the country. I returned to my church with a fresh energy and vision about what God has called me to here in South Carolina.

Thank you to Austin & Alesha Taylor for hosting me in their home. I enjoyed the fellowship, and hope that we have begun a long friendship.

The squirrel has moved in!

2006-10-16T16:45:00.000-04:00

I thought our little pet was cute when he would sit on the railing of our back porch and chew on pine cones. Now he's not so cute anymore, because he and at least one buddy have invaded our home. They chewed a hole in the vinyl siding close to the roofline and are trying to build a nest in the attic. I can't allow this to continue. Saturday I tried to seal up the hole that they made in order to prevent them from getting back in, but that didn't work. They just made a new hole to get through. I finally went and bought a trap. Hopefully I'll be able to catch them and get rid of them. We'll see. Anybody want some squirrel stew?

Happy Birthday!

2006-10-12T15:00:00.000-04:00

Wow! I didn't realize it had been almost a month since my last post. Sorry for that! I wanted to get back on here to wish my lovely wife a happy birthday! Actually her B-day was two days ago on the 10th of October. I don't think she would mind me telling you that she turned 30 this year! We enjoyed a visit from her mother and grandmother this past weekend to help celebrate her birthday. It was nice to have them with us. One of my wife's birthday wishes was to have some of her grandmother's chicken & dumplings. That wish came true. Hope you get many more wishes fulfilled, sweetheart!

Our new pet

2006-09-13T11:57:00.000-04:00

It looks like we have a pet squirrel at our house. He likes to perch on our back deck and chew on pine cones. He's not entirely tame. He usually runs away and barks at us if we get too close. And I think he might be trying to hit us on the head with the pine cones he's dropping out of the trees. He's kind of fun to watch, though. If you want to help us think of a name for our new pet, let me know.

AWANA Adventure

2006-09-11T14:13:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we had our first AWANA meeting. For those who don't know much about AWANA, it is a fun-oriented youth program that focuses on Scripture memorization and hands-on learning. This is my first experience using this program. This year, we are using AWANA for 5th grade and down. Our 6th graders and up are in the Teen Discovery program. During the summer, we have been taking a break from both programs. That gives our teachers and leaders a chance to catch their breath and helps to keep them from burning out.

I'll admit that everything was a little chaotic yesterday, as we tried to get back into the swing of things, but overall I was pleased at how everything turned out. Below you will find some pictures of last night's activities.

Our First Hurricane

2006-09-03T08:32:00.000-04:00

We endured our first hurricane this past week, although I must admit it was not a true hurricane by the time it hit land in the Carolinas. We watched Hurricane Ernesto for a week or so before it finally came to us. If it hadn't been for the news coverage, I wouldn't have even known it was a hurricane. All we got in the Columbia area was a nice steady rain for a day or so. I wouldn't mind if every hurricane was this mild.

Visitors from Home

2006-08-29T15:07:00.000-04:00

This weekend we enjoyed some visitors from Arkansas. My mother and Christel's mother drove out here together. I suspect they came more because they missed their grandchildren, than because they missed Christel and me. Oh well, whatever their motives, it was good to have them visit. They were our first visitors since we moved out here.
They came Thursday and left early this morning. On this trip, we didn't really do anything special, just spent time together. Maybe on a future visit, we could take them to see Charleston, or something like that.
We hope for many more visitors. In fact, we are so anxious for familiar faces, we invite everyone we know to come for a visit. Just let us know you're coming, and we'll gladly put you up for a few nights.

Another Good Day

2006-08-21T11:43:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was another good day of services at Providence MBC. We had an excellent attendance in the AM service of over 40. That is very good for us. Many of those were kids who don't normally come on Sunday mornings, usually just for AWANA. I teach the Teen class (actually 6th grade and up) for Sunday school, and there were 11 in my class. We were hunting for more chairs before we could start!

Sunday night there was a young lady who came forward for baptism. Chelsea was saved a while back, but she had never been baptized. I think she was a little nervous about it. But she finally stepped out in the aisle and came forward. Praise the Lord!

It will probably be September before we can arrange for her baptism. By that time, maybe there will be even more lining up to be baptized!

Please Don't Litter

2006-08-19T21:40:00.000-04:00

Today we participated in an Adopt-a-Highway program for one of the local roads. That means we patrolled a 2-mile stretch of Meadowfield Rd. in Gaston, and picked up trash. Evidently it had not been done for a while, because we found a lot of trash to pick up. I thought it would be a very simple job that would take maybe 2 hours to do. Boy, was I wrong. In the end, it took 5 people 4 hours to clean up that 2-miles of road. We filled up 50 bags of trash. That's a lot of litter. Needless to say, I will not be throwing any trash out of my window, and if my kids do, they'll be in big trouble.
This trash pick up is one way for the church to make the community better. We also benefit by having our name put up on the Adopt-a-Highway sign, at both ends of our stretch of road. I think next time it will be a little easier, because there won't be quite so much build-up. I think we will also try to get a larger crew together than we had this time.

Three Baptized August 6

2006-08-18T22:12:00.000-04:00

August 6 was a good day for us in Gaston, SC. We had five additions to the mission work - two by statement and three by baptism. I just got some pictures from the baptisms, and that's why I hadn't posted anything about it yet. Bill and Joyce Wilson joined by statement. They have been coming for quite a while, when they are able. There are some health issues that sometimes prevent them from coming. (Pray for them please.)

Below you will see pictures from the baptisms. We do not have a baptistry, but we were fortunately able to borrow the baptistry of an Independant Baptist church nearby. It was much nicer than the swimming pool that we used last September. The pictures are of Freddie (16), Hope (8), and Houston (7). Please pray for them as they begin their walk with the Lord.

2006-08-14T20:02:00.000-04:00

It has been so nice reading the comments from all of you. It's always nice to get news from home. Brian has posted a few blogs letting you all know what's going on with him. I thought I would fill you in on the kids and myself.

Blakley and Jacob started school last week. They both have wonderful teachers that they like and things seem to be going well. We got off to a rocky start, but it has definately gotten better. The first day of school I asked Jacob who he played with at recess. His answer about made me cry. "Nobody," he said. I asked why not and he told me it was because he didn't have any friends. But he and a boy in his class, Xavier, have really hit it off and I am so glad. Blakley, of course, had made many friends her first day. The only problem we had with her on the first day of school is nobody could find her when I got there to pick them up. I was starting to panic (this school is twice the size of the one they went to in Benton). After 20 minutes, 4 teachers and the principal looking for her, and me worrying myself to tears, she comes running out. She didn't know anything was wrong until she was told that her mom was looking for her. Then she got upset. That is a fear that I don't ever want to feel again. EVER! Things have been great since then though.

Christian loves getting all the attention during the day. But he also loves waking up from his nap and seeing that Bubba and Sissy are home. He likes having Brian and me all to himself, but he misses his brother and sister, too. He wants to go to school so bad. He shows off his abc's and numbers to just about anybody who will listen. Walking through WalMart, all we hear is "A-B-C-D-E-F-G..........." People just smile and keep on going. He's pretty cute.

I am finally getting to where I know more than one way to get places. I'm still not always comfortable going someplace new, but it's getting better. Saturday night I went to Home Depot for a workshop they were having. I did just fine getting there, but I got lost coming home. Which, if you knew anything about Columbia, you would laugh at me because Home Depot is right on I-26. I got turned around and went about 20 minutes out of my way. I had to find a part of town that looked decent so that I could stop and ask for directions - it was night time and I didn't want to just stop anywhere. I finally got home - after Brian had to call and ask where I was because he was worried about me. Boy, did I feel bad for not calling him. But he forgave me, as he always does. Ha ha!

The boxes are getting close to being unpacked. I am so glad. But what will I do with myself after I'm unpacked? Just kidding - there is plenty to do. I am teaching the beginners in Sunday School and the same age group in Awana on Sunday nights. I am really looking forward to it. This is my first experience with Awana, and I must say that I was somewhat apprehensive about it at first. I'm not going to go into all that here - if anybody would like to hear more about what I have discovered about AWANA, all you have to do is ask. I'd be happy to talk about it. We voted at our July business meeting to start a Ladies Auxiliary and monthly men's meeting. We do so much with the youth at our church because in the past, that's really all we had. But we are getting more adult members that don't have children, and we would not be doing our duty as a church if we did not provide for their spiritual needs as well. I'm excited about this as well. It will be nice to be able to fellowship with the other ladies in the church without the kids around. I've been missing that.

I better wrap this up. It's getting long. Thank you for taking the time to read it all. Our prayers are with all of you while we are apart. Please drop us a line whenever you can.

Grace be with you all,
Christel

2006-08-11T15:25:00.000-04:00

My Family

This is a picture of my family and me, taken about 9 months before we moved to South Carolina. The kids are growing so fast, we will have to post some updated pictures soon. As you can see, my wife, Christel, and I have three lovely children: Blakley (8), Jacob (6), and Christian (3).

2006-08-11T15:10:00.000-04:00

"Go ye therefore..."

This is an image that was designed by my wife and I. We initially used it for the display board that we carried around as we went to different churches on deputation. The point of the arrow is in the approximate location of Gaston, SC. If you know your Bible, you will recognize the phrase "Go ye therefore..." as part of the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28:18-20.

2006-08-11T13:56:00.000-04:00

First Blog

Blogging is new to me. I know it can be a great tool, but since I've never tried it before, I hope anyone reading this will allow me some time to learn the ropes before they set their expectations too high.
My goal is to use this blog as a simple way to keep people informed about my family and the mission work in Gaston, SC. I hope to post at least once a week, probably more after I get accustomed to how this works. I also hope to get Christel involved from time to time, so she can share things from her unique perspective. Feel free to share comments, and let me know what you think. Especially if you have any ideas of how I might improve this blog.