New Mexico Adventures | Deputation Trail | Consford Chronicles

We arrived in Artesia, New Mexico, and went to dinner with a staff member from the church we were visiting. We had a great time with that family. After that, we went back to the hotel and got a good night’s sleep because Sunday was going to be a busy day.

Sunday morning, we went to church, and I spoke for a few minutes during the main service. Then, we went down the hall and spoke to the children’s church. We got to meet a lot of people. As soon as church was over, we had to hit the road because we still had a little over four hours to drive in order to make the evening service in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Matt Hudson is the pastor there, and his son Daniel Hudson is the music director. Daniel was leading choir practice when we arrived. Matt’s wife was sitting on the front pew holding Daniel’s son, Matthew. I went and sat down next to them. Matthew is just 2 years old. I asked him if he could sing like his dad. He looked at me, smiled, started waving both arms dramatically, and yelled as loud as he could. I laughed so hard. It was funny because he did not even hesitate. He knew exactly what to do.

Then, I got to hold baby Roscoe. Daniel, his wife Anna, and Matthew had come to our missions conference back in November, and Roscoe had not been born yet. I got to hold him, and I sent a photo to his great-grandpa, Brother Bob Ross. Brother Ross has not gotten to hold Roscoe yet; so, I earned a few jealousy points.

We had a great service with Bella Vista Baptist Church. They put us up in a very nice hotel Sunday and Monday nights. On Monday, we got some very important errands done, and we also got to walk around and enjoy the Uptown area of Albuquerque. It is a very nice part of town, and we enjoyed our day there. On Tuesday, we finished up the rest of our errands and got some office work done that really needed attention. Then, we headed to St. Michaels, Arizona. We stopped to see Window Rock. We found our hotel for night. Then, we went and did some hiking; hiking is a little different at a higher elevation! We had Navajo tacos for supper and headed back to the hotel.

On Wednesday, we left St. Michaels and stopped in Gallup for breakfast. Jerry's Cafe did not disappoint. We walked around some shops for a little while and headed to Ramah, New Mexico, on the Navajo Reservation. We got there and spent some time with Russell Aaron and some of his kids. Russell is the older brother of Andrew Aaron. Andrew used to be a missionary with us in Ghana. If you have read our book, That’s My Goat!, you will remember some stories with Andrew in them. Russell and I went to college together at OBC, and we had not seen each other since those days. It was a lot of fun to catch up and spend time laughing together.

Russell is doing an amazing work with the Navajo and Zuni people on the reservation. It is an amazing mission field. That part of the world is dark and badly needs the Gospel. I hope you will pray for Russell and Melissa Aaron and their family as they serve the Lord there.

We enjoyed the church service. I presented our ministry and preached. It was a blessing to hear the "Amens" of the Navajo people. They have a genuine desire to serve the Lord.

Melissa got to church just in time. She had been in Albuquerque for a doctor’s appointment, and she drove straight to church. It was fun watching her and Laura visit after church. They laughed and carried on until very late at night, and Russell and I enjoyed watching them have such a good time.

Later that night, we stood outside and looked up at the stars. There is very little light pollution way out there on the reservation, and the sky was incredibly clear. We serve a God who hung all of those stars in their place, called them by name, and still holds every one of them where it belongs. I was showing the Aaron kids how wagon trains used to find the North Star at night and point the tongues of their wagons toward it before they went to sleep because that star was a sure thing. God hung it there, and it was a guide they could trust.

We also got to visit with several of the Navajo men who came to church. They were telling me their testimonies and how God had changed their lives. I am so thankful that some of my friends answered the call of God to go to the mission field and take the Gospel to those people.

Thursday morning, we left very early and drove to Farmington, New Mexico. We are staying at the Amanda Ranch. Billy and Wendy Hinson have a ministry to encourage grieving families and servants of God. They have a beautiful property, and they have a real desire to help people stay encouraged and do more for the Lord. Gilbert came here last June, and he made friends with them then. We are enjoying a sweet time of fellowship with them now.

I am sure what they are doing will see great rewards in heaven someday. They have a real burden to help people stay on the firing line.