God is Merciful

Praise the Lord for His mercy! Our vehicular adventure seems to be over. The mechanic has informed us that a line that runs to the auxiliary transmission cooler popped off its fitting causing the fluid to provide additional rust-proofing to the undercarriage of our van. The line is now doubly secured to prevent future mishaps.

The bottom line is that the repair came in at just under $100! God is so good! As we prepare to return to the field, the expenses are high enough without adding large repair bills to the mix. Hopefully, the transmission still has a good deal of life left in it. We will be testing it out over the next few days as we prepare for our weekend travels.

Thank you for praying for us, and many thanks to those who called or sent emails to assure us of your concern. Such circumstances are sent from God’s hand to drive us closer to Him and to make us realize how much we depend on His care. We have learned this lesson before, but it is good to review and pass the pop-quizzes.

Trusting God's Wisdom

Last evening the Lord presented us with another lesson in trusting Him. We always begin our journeys with prayer for safety, a timely arrival, and the opportunity to serve Him along the way. He has always been faithful to answer our cries, though sometimes in unanticipated ways. We attended a church in northern PA over the weekend with a Mother's Day banquet and afternoon service. It was a wonderful day, and the fellowship was great.

At 3 PM we headed south toward Altoona. As we traveled, we shared blessings of the day and the weekend. Less than 10 miles from our destination, a light began flashing on the dash. It read O/D Off. I wasn't sure why the light should be flashing, but we were nearly home, so we continued on. At the end of the exit ramp, we stopped to await a green light and noticed smoke billowing from under the van and discerned the scent of transmission fluid. If you don't know what that smells like, thank the Lord right now. Only those who have had problems recall that pungent odor.

We kept heading for Bill's parents' home, though the van was not able to accelerate as usual. Less than 1/2 a mile from our destination, the van could go no further. We parked, got a ride from a helpful neighbor, and continued praying. Later we returned to remove our luggage, then we called AAA to have the van towed to a garage. By 9:00 PM all was settled, except the knowledge of how much the repairs will cost.

Pray with us for the Lord's provision of either an economical bill or the funds necessary to make the repairs. We have noticed that the Lord has not panicked yet, so we are trying to emulate Him. Isn't it amazing that the problem did not occur while we were enroute to PA from SC? Isn't it providential that no meeting was scheduled for this Wednesday? Isn't it amazing that we were so close to "home" when the van could go no further? God is good all the time!

Back in PA

Our last meeting "down south" was in Conover, NC on Sunday evening, May 4. We had a good time visiting and sharing our ministry and then headed up the road a few hours before spending the night in a Comfort Inn that offered us a friendly rate for two rooms. The breakfast was incredible -- waffles, French toast, cereal, hard-boiled eggs, muffins, bagels, fruit, etc. That would have cost about $30 or so for our family if it had not been included in the price of the room. Praise the Lord for such blessings.

We arrived in Hershey, PA around 3 PM and began to plan for a few visits that needed to be made. Back in September, Bill led Thelma to the Lord. She speaks Spanish so the church is having difficulty in discipling her. She has also been approached and confused by Jehovah's Witnesses. Her husband still needs to be saved, so we had several reasons to visit.

On Tuesday, we were able to see Thelma and help her see Biblical truth regarding the person of Christ and the nature of salvation, but her husband was not home. On Wednesday, we returned and found Sergio. We had a very good visit which we hope will open the door for further ministry. Keep praying for this family.

On Wednesday evening we were able to visit Mountain View Bible Church and encourage them with the prospect of reaching out to Hispanic people in their area by starting an English class for adults. We hope to help them find suitable material which will help them meet a need in the Hispanic community while also evangelizing and discipling these folks.

Perhaps you need to start such a ministry in your area. You do not need to know Spanish (or any other foreign language) to teach someone to speak English. Many foreign language speakers would love to speak English since their new culture is dominated by this language. "If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost" (2 Cor. 4:3). How much more is it hidden from those with whom we cannot clearly communicate!

Ministry philosophy in foreign lands demands that missionaries learn the foreign language to communicate the Gospel clearly, but here in the States, the philosophy changes so as to teach them a social skill they desperately need (English) while giving them spiritual truth without which they cannot face eternity. If you would like additional information on starting such a course, please drop us a note. If you have some good suggestions or materials currently available, let us know that also.