Winning Friends or Winning Arguments?

Galatians 5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

I studied a bit this afternoon to try and make some progress in my Doctoral program. I enjoy studying Apologetics (defense of the faith) and meditated today on this thought: "It is more important to make a friend than to win an argument." Though not always true (Sir Neville Chamberlain found that it didn't work with Hitler), I feel a lot more heat is generated than light in many debates and both sides forget that good men can disagree on difficult issues.

We are working with students from many different churches and rub shoulders with different missionaries as we endeavor to work together to train believers through Puerto Rico Baptist College. A Bible college is not a one man show. I am thankful to God that we have been blessed with many seasons of peace in working with each other. My hope is that in our witnessing and evangelism may be as equally effective. In our work of church planting, we must find ways to go on the offense with the gospel without being unnecessarily offensive.

Come on down here and help us! We don't bite!

(I borrowed the photo from the blog of Joyce DeWeese, http://joycedeweese.blogspot.com/ Joyce is on staff with Continental Baptist Missions and is the mother of Leann, our intern last summer.)

We Made It! Prayer Protection Kept Us in Good Hands!

We just got our internet connection installed and running, so now we can update our recent activities.

We spoke at Amazing Grace Baptist Church in St Cloud, Florida, and the next day flew to Puerto Rico. The flight went so smoothly that the Puerto Ricans did not give the usual applause to the pilot and crew for a landing well done that they customarily do if we suffer a bit of turbulence in route.

We found the house in good condition and were happy it was not robbed in our absence. But 6 months away do make for lots of dust. Our cats apparently did not make it, but the next door neighbor has some cute kittens almost weaned, so it looks like we won’t have to endure a cat shortage. Our dog Cookie was well cared for and was ecstatically happy to see us.

There was some wear and tear on some items that we will need to replace. Kristin’s computer monitor had a bad contact and damaged the video circuits in her machine. I had an extra small monitor on hand but had to replace her machine. I got one from Sam’s Club for $550. Our dryer belt broke, but we bought a new one and will try to get it installed this next week. Our landlord raised the rent $50 a month. But that is the first raise in rent we have had in the last 8 years, so we are not complaining.

Our church people rejoiced to have us back. The attendance was low, but I have spoken to a good number of people in the last week and anticipate a rise in attendance, Lord willing, in the weeks ahead.

Conners Prairie, Indiana

The Kennedy family treated us to a visit to Conners Prairie, a living history community. It has two time zones, 1830 and 1880. There are actors in the many businesses, homes and schools that stay in character and answer questions, give demonstrations (Blacksmith, potter, oxen trainer, etc.) and even a small Quaker church where I preached a very short sermon to my family and friends. If you are ever in the Indianapolis area, this is a great place to visit.

Tonight we will attend a graduation ceremony for Sandy Kennedy, then drive 14 hours back to Pensacola. Please pray for our safety on the road.

Family Reunion

Our family at Pensacola Christian College. They even have an Ice Skating rink!

Family Reunion and Road Trip: From New York to Pensacola, to Indiana

From New York to Pensacola is quit a drive, but we made it safe and sound. We enjoyed seeing Bethany and Rachel again and the Pensacloa Christian College is very impressive. We attended a Shakespeare play, music events and the graduation of the Binzel brothers, whose parents served with us in Puerto Rico. Also, a family we know from Indiana (the Kennedys) were there visiting their sons, so we were able to enjoy there company as well.

We then drove a van full of teenagers to Indiana to visit the Kennedys on their home turf. We will be here a week and then have a meeting in Saint Cloud, Florida Sunday the 21 and will fly out to Puerto Rico the 22nd. Lots of miles on the road and in the air, so please keep us in prayer!

Long Lost Relatives Found

I have a computer program that helps you do a family genealogy and took some time off the other day to see how far I could go with it. It turns out that my wife comes from Pilgrim stock and that a group of her relatives from the early 1800's were from New York state. I looked up the little town of Bolton, where they were buried, and it was only an hour from the missionary apartment we are staying in. So I decided to take a little side trip and pay our respects to Tina's great-great-great-great grand parents. The cemetery is just a spot alongside the road out in nowhere, just a bit south of Fort Ticonderoga on beautiful Lake George. We took lots of pictures of tombstones and felt awe-struck, touching those stones and walking between the engraved names of these early pioneers who payed such a heavy price looking for a better life for themselves and their families.

After that we lightened up a bit and had some ice cream and a nice walk past an old fort that was made famous by James Fenmore Cooper in his Deerslayer novel.

Other news: I met a number of pastors at a missions conference in Akron, NY that may schedule us for some future meetings. Also, we have bought our return tickets to Puerto Rico. We will be leaving for the field May 22. Come and visit! We stayed with so many folks here, we will look forward to returning the favor!

Quote for today from our ex-intern Leann: "You can't change the wind, but you can adjust your sails."

Hope some of you will sail our way soon!

Pause in Perth, NY

We are now in Perth Bible Church, in Perth, New York, about 40 miles west of Albany. We will be here in a missionary apartment for all of April and use it as our center of operations as we visit churches around New York state. We may even get a chance to rest before our next meetings in Florida!

Furlough Advantages: Washington DC Field Trip

Inside the Smithsonian we saw some amazing things, but some fun stuff too. The ruby slippers from "The Wizard of OZ," the first Apple computer, the Wright Brothers Airplane, hundreds of stuffed animals, even a 12 ton elephant! There was even a moon rock that we got to touch!

DC is a city that is wonderful to visit, but most every thing was open from just 10-5, giving us only 7 hours a day to see so much. I would like to return and see some of the things we missed, the National Art Gallery, a few more Smithsonians and a visit to Mount Vernon.

I saw a statue outside the National Archives with these words engraved on the base: "The Price of Freedom in Eternal Vigilance." If that is so, then maybe the price of eternal freedom is supernatural vigilance! Please pray for us on our travels and that we may be a blessing to the various churches we are visiting

Furlough Advantage: Super Field Trip

We got up bright and early and got on the DC Metro Subway ready for another big day. We arrived during the peak of the cherry blossoms, but before the festival, so we were fortunate to avoid many of the expected crowds. We walked everywhere that day. Our feet paid a heavy price, but we saw a lot of great stuff: The Smithsonian Museums of Natural History, American History and Space and Technology, the National Archives with the Constitution, Bill of Rights, etc. and close-up looks at the Washington Monument and Capitol Building, not to mention the worlds largest McDonalds! Almost all the stuff in DC is FREE, but the motels and food seem to make up for it. I am not complaining, an expensive cheeseburger is a small price to pay for this educational, patriotic and emotionally impressive experience!

Furlough Advantages: Extra Special Homeschool Field Trips

We were just a few hours from Washington, DC so we decided to take Sarah and Kristin to see our nations capitol. They were born in Costa Rica and raised mostly in Puerto Rico, so we wanted to show them some impressive things in the US before we returned to the field.

We stayed in Frederick, Maryland and drove 20 min. To the DC Metro station and took the DC Subway into the heart of Washington. The first day we took a night tour of the monuments and memorials. I always find the Lincoln memorial impressive, but this was the first time I saw the WWII memorial, the FDR memorial and the Vietnam memorial.

All these places are very touching and impressive. The most beautiful was the new WWII, with many fountains. The Jefferson memorial is good too, especially the view of the Washington monument reflected in the bay that separates them. We were very tired, but each place was fascinating and drew us to explore till we took the midnight train back up the line to the Shady Grove station and drove back exhausted to our hotel in Frederick, MD.

Hershey, Pennsylvania

We drove by Hershey, Pennsylvania on the way to a meeting and took a few hours to visit Chocolate World. Impressive! They had a little car you go into and it takes you past singing cows and you enter a ride/demonstration exhibit of how chocolate is made. You get free samples and then of course there is the gift stores and food area full of chocolate goodies everywhere. The entrance and exhibit is free, except the 3D corny movie, but that was well worth seeing. I think it was better than the Disney 3d we have seen. It was a nice two hour side trip on our 7 hour drive to Perth Bible Church, about 40 miles W of Albany, New York.

Furlough means Family

Our daughters, Sarah and Kristin, got a chance to met their cousins, Emily and Sarah. Our thanks to Wendy and Keith and our aunt Marlene for the hospitality and family fun we had during our meetings in Pennsylvania.

Signs of the Times?

Pennsylvania apparently has a sense of humor. We saw many odd signs. One official sign read "Seat Belt Zone: Next Million Miles" We saw many Amish buggy warning signs. The oddest signs were these signs directing folks to the towns of Paradise, Panic and Desire. Look where we ended up!

Family Time: Cousin Reunion: Groundhog Greetings

My cousin Wendy and her husband Keith put us up and put up with us for just over a week. It was a lot of fun seeing them and being shown around the sights of central Pennsylvania. We saw lots of Amish folk, and of course the famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil!

Pennsylvania Passage: Ministry and Family Time

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (Groundhogs Day Capitol) is near the town of Dubois. We presented our field at First Baptist of Dubois. The Pastor and church made us feel right at home. I have an aunt and a cousin who attend, so it really was a great blessing to see them all. They took us to see the groundhog and we spent a wonderful week with them all in central Pennsylvania

Niagara Falls Between Sermons

We spoke at two churches pastored by a very busy pastor, Jose Rodriguez. He has two churches, one in Buffalo and another in Rochester New York. He preaches two services in Buffalo, first in Spanish and then in English during the next service. Afterwards, he drives to Rochester and preaches a third time in both languages, translating for himself as he goes. I got a real work out visiting and ministering with him recently. And in between services, they even took us to Niagara Falls! No siestas that Sunday afternoon!

From Fishers, Indiana to Rochester, NY

Randy and Dale Gilmore were our hosts during the busy missions conference week we spent in Fishers, Indiana. Fishers is a town northeast of Indianapolis. Randy Gilmore is the Pastor of Hamilton Hills Baptist Church and we had a lot of good talks, good fellowship and plenty of opportunities to minister in the many church activities that week. Our thanks to the Gilmores, the church staff, especially Youth Pastor Doug Baker and his wife Mindy as well as all the other new friends we made at Hamilton Hills Baptist Church.

From Fisher we went to Cleveland, Ohio and spent a few days with my Uncle Tom Long and then drove out to Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Rochester, New York for a few more meetings. Lots of snow and cold up here! I think we are ready to go back to Puerto Rico!

Big Wisconsin Welcome

We traveled about Fourteen hundred miles from Kalispell, Montana through North Dakota and arrived in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin a week ago. In our voyage we saw a few buffalo, deer, elk and even a rabbit hopping around a hotel in Fargo, North Dakota. It was all very pretty, until I got out of the car and had to pump gas in some sub-zero, windy places. When your face goes numb from the cold, it takes your mind off the beauty of the scenery!

When we got to Wisconsin, we were able to stay with Tina’s aunt Yvonne and her husband Don Yeager. Tina spoke to the Stonecroft Women’s Group Tuesday and I spoke to the youth group at Landmark Bible Church Wednesday night. Sarah and Kristin met some nice teens at the church. We were happy with the good response from the youth group.

Tina was born in a town about an hour from Chippewa Falls called Neillsville. The Yeagers took us on a tour of the town, including the not to be missed “Chatty Belle: The Worlds Largest Talking Cow!” We had fun seeing Tina’s childhood home and hearing a lot of cute stories.

We are heading out to drive about 520 miles to Fishers, Indiana (near Indianapolis) where we are participating in a week long Missions Conference. Please pray for our safety on the road and blessings during our time with Pastor Gilmore and the people of Hamilton Hills Baptist Church in Fishers, Indiana.

All Gave Some, Some Gave ALL

A friend showed me this huge rock near a gravel pit on Hwy.25 in rural Iowa. For generations, kids have painted slogans, names, and obscenities on this rock, changing its character many times. A few months back, the rock received its latest paint job, and since then it has been left completely undisturbed. It's quite an impressive sight. I thought the flag was draped over the rock, but it's not. It's actually painted on the rock.

Tomorrow we leave Kalispell, Montana and head out towards Wisconsin. Lots of icy roads out that way, so please pray for us.

The Wild Game Night was great. We had many wild game dishes cooked by the men and a Turkey shoot afterwards. They turned a hallway into a shooting gallery for pellet rifles and who ever got the best group of three won a 14 lb frozen Turkey. I preached a sermon on how to be a good marksman for God, and then had to put my sermon into practice. I lucked out and won the contest and the turkey, but we don't have a freezer in our Honda mini-van, so I will have to leave my prize behind in Kalispell, Montana. That is OK though. The real prize was getting to know some great people up here in the greater Flathead Lake area of Northern Montana.

Wild Game Night in Montana

It may not be what you think! Wild Game Night in Montana is not what you DO, but what you EAT! I will be speaking at a church on the Flathead Indian Reservation territory in Kalispell, Montana. I thought being on the mission field was an adventure, but visiting churches back home can be very interesting as well!

We had a good Sunday in Missoula visiting a church pastored by our friend Gordon Dexter. He and his church received us warmly. We stayed with the Lambs, who treated us to good food, great hospitality and to fascinating conversations. We hope to have a reason to visit them every furlough!

We will be out of cell phone range for a while, but you may leave a message with Janis, the church secretary of Bethel Baptist in Kalispell, Montana at this number: (406) 755-5062

So Friendly, the -3 Degrees forecast Didn't Scare Us Away!

We drove up to the beautiful Flathead Lake valley, 2 hours north of Missoula, Montana to speak at Bethel Baptist Church. We heard on the news that the temperature will drop down to -3 degrees this week! But the warmth of the church made up for that! Bethel is a supporting church, in the best sense of that word. The people provided a home for us to stay in, scheduled meals for us through the week and even increased our monthly support. Pastor Pestel and the membership have included us in their family activities and made us feel more than welcome. This is definitely a place we will circle on our maps to pass an extended visit whenever we get the chance! We hope to come back some summer soon and help them with their Summer Camp Out-Reach at Lake Blaine Bible Camp.

Quincy and George, Washington

We spoke in Quincy, Washington where the church warmly welcomed us last Wednesday. We met an associate pastor, Juan Carlos, who had us over for his house for dinner. His family is from Peru and is helping out in the church by developing a outreach to the many immigrant people in central Washington State. We got to speak Spanish and eat some Peruvian favorites and met his entire friendly family. (Gracias, Juan, y Dios Les Bendiga! = Thanks, Juan, and may God bless you all!).

After prayer meeting, we spent the night at a deacon's home in George, Washington (no kidding). We enjoyed the tour of the potato farm they operated and the great fellowship this friendly family allowed us to share with them. We then had a 6 1/2 hour drive to Kalispell, Montana about 2 hours north of Missoula. Beautiful country, but a bit colder than Puerto Rico!

Super Time at Nooksack Valley Baptist Church

In spite of the Seattle Seahawks losing the Super Bowl, we managed to have a great week-end with the fine folks of Nooksack Valley Baptist Church in Everson, Washington. After a three hour drive, we were welcomed by Pastor Craig and were pleased to stay with our Nooksack friends, the Fullners. The Fullners, besides being great hosts, have many hobbies and are skilled at them, so we were able to pass a very agreeable and interesting week-end with them. Sunday, I got to present our field twice as the church has a large congregation and has two morning services to accommodate everyone. After the morning service, we were treated to lunch by the pastor and attended a Super Bowl party in the afternoon. We enjoyed the excitement, food and fellowship, but the best thing was bonding with these fine folks. We feel we have renewed friendships, but also made new ones this weekend in Everson, Washington!

Driving, Singing and Driving Some More

Last week we drove to Enumclaw and Graham, Washington, where we met some great people and had an encouraging response to our missionary presentation. Now we are headed for Everson, Washington up near the Canadian border. Our daughters have a big songbook they have constructed and sometimes bring it out for a song time during our drives. The article below says we are doing something good for our health! Amen!

IRVINE, Calif. - Singing in a choir may just make you healthier, according to a study by the University of California, Irvine.
Researchers at the school found increased levels of disease-fighting proteins in the mouths of choir members after they sang Beethoven's choral masterwork, the Missa Solemnis.

According to the study, a protein used by the immune system to fight disease called immunoglobulin A increased 150 percent during rehearsals and 240 percent during performance. The boost seemed directly related to the singers' states of mind, which many participants described as happy or euphoric.

"The more passionate you feel while singing, the greater the effect," said education Professor Robert Beck, who authored the study with Thomas Cesario, dean of the university's College of Medicine. The study was published this school year in the scientific journal Music Perception.

The difference in the increased levels between a performance and rehearsal, scientists theorized, may be because the singers had achieved mastery of the complicated piece after often-stressful rehearsals and were enjoying the thrill of the performance itself.