Graduations, Good Churches, and a Kid Who Won’t Slow Down

We made it home from all of our previous adventures and got unpacked, which is always a relief. The timing worked out well because Bonnie got to go to the mother-daughter banquet with both her mother and her grandmother. The three of them had a great time together, and we even took my mom shopping to find a dress for the occasion. A good few days at home.

On Sunday we didn't have any scheduled meetings, so we decided to drop in on a couple of churches. Sunday morning we visited Heritage Baptist Church in Jefferson, Texas. I had never personally met the pastor, but I know people who know him. He happened to be out of town for his two sons' graduation at Indiana Baptist College. The man filling in was warm and gracious. He asked me to give a testimony about deputation, and it turned out to be a really good service. Laura also got to reconnect with a friend who attends there, which was a pleasant surprise.

Sunday evening we drove to Indian Hills Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. This church supported us all through our previous years in Africa, and it was good to be back. The previous pastor, a dear friend, has gone on to heaven. The church was a lot of fun that night. They've recently started Sunday evening bus routes, and there were a lot of young people in the service. They let me give a testimony, and it was a blessing to reconnect with people who have supported this work for a long time.

We got home late that evening, and Monday morning we packed up and headed to Kentucky. We drove to Memphis and stopped for the night, then pushed on the next day to stay with our good friends Russell and Teresa DeSpain. Russell and Teresa are friends from Bible college days, and we had a wonderful time with them and their son John. I think we laughed more than we should have. Good fellowship is hard to beat.

While staying with the DeSpains, we visited several churches. One of them was Deer Stable Baptist Church, a small country church tucked back in the mountains. You cannot get there without earning it. The roads are something else. But the people love the Lord, and it was a genuine blessing to present our ministry to them.

While we were in Kentucky, we missed our son Danny's college graduation. He earned his Associate's Degree in Paramedicine from Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas, and graduated Summa Cum Laude. He is an exceptional young man, and we could not be more proud. His goal is to use his medical training on the mission field one day.

Here's what makes his graduation even more remarkable: the two weeks surrounding it, Danny worked over 100 hours each week on the ambulance, on top of finishing finals and completing his coursework. And he didn't miss a single church service or his bus route and visitation duties. Not one.

We also got to spend time at Landmark Baptist Church in Winchester, Kentucky, where Pastor Jeff Harris is a longtime friend. He invited me to preach Sunday morning, and afterward we got to go to his house for lunch. That was one of the highlights of the whole trip. Pastor Harris has a growing church and a great family. Time with people who love the Lord is never wasted.

Sunday evening we got to present our ministry at Central Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, Kentucky. This church supported us before, and it was good to reconnect with them. Pastor Mark Eaton has been a faithful, steady servant of the Lord in that area for a long time.

Monday we headed back. Stopped somewhere in Arkansas for the night and made it home on Tuesday. We had a lot of unpacking and cleaning ahead of us because friends and family were coming in for Bonnie's graduation.

Gilbert had been keeping a secret. He works at Bible Tracts, Inc. in Odell, Illinois, and he drove all the way home on his own to be there for his sister. We went to school on the last day to pick Bonnie up and take her to lunch. When she opened the car door and saw Gilbert sitting inside, she screamed, called him a skunk, and took off running to tell her friends her brother actually showed up.

Thursday was the 57th graduating class of Central Baptist Christian School, a ministry of our home church in Center, Texas. They asked me to preach the charge to the graduates. Bonnie was asked to give a speech at the ceremony. And at the ceremony, I was given the Missionary Bob Hughes Award. That was a big honor for me.

Bob Hughes was a hero of the faith and a man from my own hometown. He deserves to be remembered. You can hear his messages on my YouTube page in this playlist.

Sunday we had an all-day meeting with Mid-County Baptist Church in Nederland, Texas. Pastor Trenton Stevicks is working hard to serve the Lord in that area. Please pray for him: pray he stays encouraged and that God gives him fruit for his labor.

One more thing. Danny flew out of Houston on Saturday evening for his second medical-missions trip to the Philippines. He is in Tacloban City, the place where Douglas MacArthur said, "I shall return." Danny will be involved in youth camps and medical outreach to remote surrounding islands.  He is working with some of the graduates of Bob Hughes' Bible College. 

Pray for his safety. He made it there safely and has already hit the ground running with the youth camp. He said he'd try to send updates, and I'll share them here on the site as they come in.