Traveling in the Southwest Part 3

The first day of our trip was long. Approximately eight hours after we left our house we picked up our rental car at the El Paso airport and drove east. It was a strange thought that we were driving east after flying west, but we had a reason for backtracking: encouraging some friends and learning about the ministry they were involved with.

I enjoyed the scenery as we drove through western Texas, simply because it is so different from the scenery in Ohio. I was amazed at how big Texas was. You can go miles without seeing any houses. As we drove down the road at 80 plus mph (the speed limit is 80 mph in west TX), every once in a while Daddy would interrupt our conversation with an observation of the car and how it was driving. A couple times he asked me, "Does it sound like we have a flat tire?". I answered, "Kind of, maybe it's ....." My experience with flat tires is small. The tire noise persisted and became more noticeable. Daddy pulled to the side of the road, and yes, we had a flat tire.

Daddy was disgusted that such a thing would happen on a rental car. He started to change the tire. He got out his tools including the lug wrench, and alas, it was the wrong size! We were out in the middle of nowhere, with a flat tire that we couldn't change.

After opening the hood to show our need to fellow motorists, he called AAA for their roadside assistance. They wanted to know where we were (besides west Texas). We hadn't been observing the mile markers, so we didn't know what mile we were on. So Daddy began to walk/run down to the last marker with me trailing in the dust. A fellow motorist on the other side of the highway saw us running, slowed down, and called out, "Do you need any help?" We said "Yes!" (Daddy was cautious about him at first, but was soon at ease.) Mr.D. pulled through the median and parked ahead of us.

He got out his 4-way and within five minutes the tire was changed.

How thankful we were for his help. He was an answer to unspoken prayer. It would have taken hours for AAA to arrive.

He called out, "God bless you," as he went to pack up his van. Daddy boldly followed that up with a gospel CD. After talking for a moment Daddy discovered that Mr. D. was Catholic who knew what he believed. He asked Daddy (as a testing question), "What is your view of transubstantiation?" Daddy wisely answered, "What do you mean by that?" Mr. D. replied, "Good answer," and they continued their conversation.

One hour after pulling off for the flat tire, we were on the road again. Daddy was a little bummed, because now he could only go 65 mph max. Oh well, we still got to our destination on time.

Our destination? Midland,TX. We stayed with the parents of the young family we were visiting/meeting. It was a great time getting to know them and how the Lord is at work in Texas. The believers in Midland are not just reaching out locally, but internationally.

Part four will be about the local work, that has a vision to reach out internationally.

What a great God we have! I was reminded of this in when I got a bird's eye view of part of our country and when I learned how He was working through the believers in Midland.

~JoAn

The Beginning of Harvest in Richmond

"The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few."

Last week six of us joined other believers from Ireland, Canada, and the United States in Richmond, KY to share the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost.
From prayer, to door-to-door, to kids clubs, to gospel meetings, to car washes, we were privileged to work with zealous believers in telling the Good News, that Christ came into the world to save sinners.

Some highlights of the week were (in no particular order).....

1. Seeing sinners saved.
2. Long conversations on door steps.
3. Being challenged by the the zeal of young people.
4. Tasting some Southern hospitality. One of the ladies I met at the Corrie Ten Boom drama kindly invited us to her home for dinner. It was a treat to be in a home and not a restraunt for supper. Miss T. served us a simple dinner in an elegant way. After dinner she let Thomas and I play her grand piano for her. She also let us examine old toys from past eras. It was delightful.
5. Learning new group games...."Meet the Press".
6. Lunches at Lake Reba kindly provided by Mr. N.
7. The singing of hymns accompanied by piano, violin, and viola.
8. Seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
9. The Lord's Supper. I was reminded of popcorn by the way men, young and old, stood up to share something about the Lord Jesus.
10. How the Lord used a young woman's fluent knowledge of Spanish to make known the gospel and Biblical truths to R. and his friend.
11. Being reminded in a powerful way of the value of prayer.

Many, many, many contacts were made. Please pray for the local believers as they have a LOT of follow-up visits and Bible Studies to do.

Next place? Our area. (just not so many people)

~JoAn