Summer Meetings

Sunday, July 6: The usual "camp" glaze was on everyone's face as we said our goodbyes on Saturday after a full week of Camp Berean. We had our camp shirts on and took our last minute pictures of a fun week. After the awards ceremony and the "goodbyes" were said, we headed out to Geneseo, Illinois. Whew. We were pretty wiped out, but the Lord protected us on the roads and we arrived safely in Geneseo at our motel. Pastor Joe Kobernat, his son, Joel, and another guy from church met us at Culver's (a real Illinois-type place with delicious food) and we ate and fellowshipped. They helped us get situated with our sound system and then we hit the sack (of course, after a quick stop at Wal-mart...we believe it is much smaller than even our Wal-mart in Kingwood!). It's been a couple years since we've been at First Baptist Church, but things look to be running just as well as ever. The church was focusing on Independence Day, and we sang some patriotic songs as well. There was a good response from the members as Dad taught in Sunday School and then again in the evening service. For dinner we stopped again at Culver's, and then got in a much-needed afternoon nap. We went to the Kobernats' house after the evening service for pizza and pop. Their family has certainly grown and we talked over some old times with much laughter. We thank the Lord for their faithfulness over the years. The next morning we left early for home. With only one day at home (Tuesday), we scrambled around to catch up on a few things like laundry and e-mails, orders and yard work before heading to Connecticut on Wednesday. Wednesday-Sunday, July 9-13: Halfway through the Campmeeting at First Bible Baptist Church in Plainville, CT, we showed up after our nine-hour trip from home. Pastor Tom Benson put us to singing immediately and we kept up that pace for basically the rest of the meeting. Dad preached several times during the week, as well. We enjoyed catching up with our friends at First Bible, as well as the other evangelists and preachers there for the meeting. One morning the wives and daughters of the visiting pastors and evangelists had a special meal together. It was nice to share with the other ladies and have some "girl" time. The three of us girls went shopping another day with some of the young ladies from the church. We also went to see a fireworks show late on Saturday evening with some of the girls. We enjoy the times of good, Christian fun and fellowship and try to soak it all in. Pastor Benson led a man to the Lord before the morning service on Thursday. The devil also fought hard again this week, but he was defeated as usual. Sharon was able to come Sunday afternoon with her two little ones and spend the night with us. She was planning to follow us home the following day, and decided to come a little early. We roped her into doing a couple songs with us. The poor girl hadn't played the banjo much in recent days, but she did fine! It's always fun to sing with family when we get the chance. We headed home on Monday, a small caravan of two white vans. We pray that God used us at First Bible, and we are truly thankful to have the opportunity to serve the Lord! Sunday, July 27: Pastor Jim Freeman and the Lighthouse Baptist Church in Salem, West Virginia, were very attentive to our ministering among them today. This was the first time for us to be here, and we were treated warmly. We sang and Dad preached in the morning service, and then a wonderful meal was served in the basement. As this was the church's 23rd Anniversary, there was an afternoon service with songs (from us) and testimonies from church members. It was encouraging to hear how the Lord has continued to use this great church here in Salem. The members seem to be behind the pastor and we enjoyed fellowshipping with them. Monday-Tuesday, July 28-29: We three girls left after lunch for the New Testament Baptist Church in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Dad had some things to get done at the cabin, so he stayed behind with Mom. We made it into town alright and arrived at our hotel. Dinner had been pushed back a bit, so there was a necessity to rush just a bit to get to the church and set up. The church is holding their 5th "God Save America" Conference. Pastor Marlin Fleck and his wife, Debbie, were so kind and attentive to our needs. They made us feel right at home, even though Dad and Mom were unable to be there. Pastor Jon Jenkins did the preaching and many other area churches were here. On Tuesday, we toured the Harley-Davidson Factory. Yes, we sure did! It was part of the weeks' events and we rode along with other pastors and their wives who were there for the Conference. We had a fun time trying to look "cool", sitting on some of the models in the museum. Then the pastor and his wife took the group to an Amish home for a delicious home-cooked meal. We had a great service that evening and enjoyed catching up with friends who came to see us. All around, it was a good time and we were so grateful to the Flecks and New Testament Baptist for their love and support.