Quick Update

Sunday, October 7: This Sunday found us at home with a day to rest. We always appreciate these times as we don't get to fellowship with our church family as much as we'd like. God has given us the opportunity to be involved in various activities and ministries of the church a bit here and there. This month a few of us were able to go to the annual hayride at one of the members' farms. Around 30 kids showed up and had a great time. Mom and Joanna enjoyed the hayride, too...Mom almost fell off at one point. She did live to tell about it, though. Monica took a much-needed sabbatical this month. She went to spend some time with Ted and Sharon (our fifth daughter and sister) for several weeks. Most of the month the rest of us did our best to fill up the dates on the schedule. Just when you think you're on your last leg, you realize you are now are on your last knee, crawling along! We did the best we could with the music. Dad and Mom are now full-fledged members of the music group! They've been sitting around too long, we think. They have really stepped up to the plate. The Lord also blessed in a special way this month...He sent some much needed funds for specific requests. What a great God we serve! Sunday, October 14: Our family started traveling full-time in 1976. At the time our ministry was based out of a church on Long Island. Shortly after we left, the church folded up. For a time we were without a pastor or a home church. Then Pastor Tommy Trammel from Deer Park Baptist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, invited us to come and join his church. When Mom was expecting Jessica, Dad and the five oldest girls went to visit Deer Park Baptist. Not long after the church received us into their membership. For many years they allowed us to park our bus on the property and use the church building as a home. At one point, we were living in the church basement as we did not have a bus at the time. Pastor Trammel was very gracious to us over the years and always supported our ministry. After a time he left the pastorate there, and we eventually moved our membership elsewhere, but we always maintained a friendship with the Trammels. And then, after several years of evangelism himself, Pastor Trammel once again took a church in the Cincinnati area. Recently he invited us to come and minister at Hartwell Baptist Church. We were glad to do so. Upon arriving Sunday morning, we realized our repertoire was quite low with Monica being gone. We fumbled through somehow and Dad did a great job preaching. Pastor Trammel couldn't make it to the morning services, but he and his wife were there for the evening services. We ate with them at Golden Corral in the afternoon. There were several members of Deer Park from the old days that came to see us. It was a blessing to see the faces we remember so well. We enjoyed a fellowship after the evening service. There was quite a bit of catching up to do! The next morning we spent some more time in fellowship at Bob Evans with Pastor and Mrs. Trammel. We even squeezed in some shopping...(of course, it was all necessary). What a blessing to see the Trammels again after all these years! It is wonderful to see the Lord still using them and we were thankful to be with them once again. Sunday, October 21: Pastor Jeff Vaughan very graciously allowed us to come visit him and his church today. Grace Baptist has always received our ministry well. It was uplifting to be with them. Dad preached and we did our best to sing. Another time of fellowship at Bob Evans with Pastor Vaughan and his family was a highlight. Their family has been through many trials, but they have such a sweet spirit. We were greatly encouraged. Sunday, October 28: Although we were just with Bro. Randall Larry at Victory Independent Baptist in Keyser, WV, he asked us to come back to kick off their Fall Revival. (Imagine that...they would want us back!) Dad preached with power. Folks responded well. From there we left the following day to spend some time in Virginia. We had planned a small get-away for Dad and Mom in honor of their 45th wedding Anniversary. We sent them to Williamsburg for two days while Joanna and Jessica stayed in Richmond with their cousin, Amy Long, and her husband, Chris, and new baby, Mercy. It was a much needed and much appreciated rest. The month flew by...with many challenges and yet many blessings.