5 states
10 plane flights, 4 rental cars, 5 Uber rides
11 different beds slept in and 3 different times zones
1 Moose seen
1 Navajo Taco and 1 Alaskan Salmon dinner eaten
Coffee, coffee and more coffee (I don't know how much...a LOT)
Club Visits
Awards Ceremonies
Lot's of new friends met and many laugh's shared
Thank you again for your faithfulness in supporting our ministry through prayer, financial support, missionary housing, loaned cars, meals, late night coffee and gift cards that help so much with our on the road meals and fuel when we drive. Most of all, though, thank you for your friendship and for sharing your lives with us.
Please know, Judy and I feel incredibly blessed to know you and partner with you to reach children with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. When we became missionaries, we thought that we would be the ones to minister to others, but we soon discovered that in many cases others minister to us just as much...what a unique partnership we have. Indeed, we are very humbled by our relationship with you.
I hope you are all well and enjoying God’s goodness. The Lord has been keeping us busy over the last few months. Here is report of what we've been doing...
In March I was invited to MC a very fun and unique Games Day/ Parent outreach event hosted by Green Valley Baptist Church in Henderson. I purchased banana's, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and Oreo cookies, and we played some food games. We used the traditional games props of batons and games pins but also added some of our own; bike tires and hoola hoops. We played old games like Sparky Safari and the Sparky Crawl, but also played new games like T&T Balloon blow and Bike Tire roll. Afterwards, Green Valley donated and cooked hot dogs for parents and children and we had a great time of fellowship (thank you Carmen). Highland Hills donated Peppermint Patty candies and turned them into award medals (thank you Shari). Although it was a little different, most importantly...kids and parents had FUN (smiles were everywhere) and the Gospel was proclaimed as Pastor Brian Jenkins shared the message of Jesus. What a great day.
Judy and I attend Journey Weekend in Sacramento, CA. Journey Weekend is a high school event featuring a Fine Arts competition, AwanaGames and Bible Quizzing. We attended this event to thank and encourage Journey volunteers from our area who spend all year ministering to these high school students. It is so much fun to see these students serve God by showing their talents in music, art, sculpture, Bible Quiz and athleticism.
We were invited to be quizmaster at the T&T Bible Quiz hosted by Spring Valley Baptist Church in Las Vegas. What a joy as I listened to these T&T students share from and recite God's word. I wondered what our Lord experiences when he hears His word being declared by these children.
2018 Nevada Summit Bible Quiz Team
Summit 2018- Coaches Dan and Karla Harker from Summit Christian Church in Sparks lead our team from Nevada to the National Summit Competion in Springfield, MO. Summit is a national high school event holding Fine Arts, Volleyball, Bible Quizzing, and AwanaGames competitions. This year, the keynote speaker was Sean McDowell.
Basic Training at Gallup Church of God in New Mexico- we provided training for this church and also made connections for future training and equipping on the Navajo Reservation. Please be praying for this ministry.
Our ministry team member, Marigrey Francis trained a new club in Las Vegas at Church of the America’s. What a great ministry team we have...THANK YOU to all of our Ministry Team members.
We also attended a SEND NORTH conference at the Alasks Christian College in Soldotna, Alaska with our missionary colleagues, Dan and Geraldine Bylsma from Anchorage. SEND NORTH is a missions agency that sends missionaries into the Alaska bush to minister to Alaska Native villages. We went to build partnerships and look for ways to partner with these folks to help and support them in their efforts to reach the children in these Alaskan Villages with the love of Jesus. There is a huge need for the gospel in these villages. We also met and built relationships with the Alaskan Baptist Convention and Arctic Barnabas, an organization dedicated to serving and supporting these missionaries. Stay tuned for future developments.
I was blessed to 16 clubs over this time. This is one of my favorite things to do as I get to see God working, thank and encourage leaders as I see their passion for reaching children and spend time with clubbers as they are discipled in the word of God. Sometimes I'm asked to share and sometimes I just get to go a be a spectator. I was blessed to visit clubs in Reno, Las Vegas, Carson City, McDermitt, Bullhead City and Fort Mohave. ..What a joy!!
Thank you again to everyone who prays, supports, encourages, shares, serves, laughs and seeks after God. Together, we are reaching children with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I praise God for you and the work He is doing in and through you. See you again down the road.
