Sunday we had the opportunity to be a part of two church services. We drove from McMinnville, Oregon, to Woodland, Washington, on Saturday night, so it was a last minute decision to participate in the Sunday morning service. Dad preached Sunday morning, and then Sunday night we did music, testimonies, and preaching. On this trip, the Lord has opened many doors to participate in Wednesday and Sunday services, and what a delight it’s been!
A family came early, and as we talked, we were excited: this family does a nursing home ministry twice every Sunday!Sunday evening--sharing through music and testimony.Christopher with a father. We think he looks a lot like Nathan 🙂 .
We had another incredible evening last night in Vancouver, Washington, and we’re headed up to Port Orchard to do a conference there tonight. The clouds are clearing, and we are seeing blue sky, sunshine, and yes, even mountains! 🙂
Thank you for praying. Today marks our fourth week on the road–two more left.
Spring seems to be just around the corner here in the Northwest (green grass, and even tulip shoots that are appearing), but the mountain passes are very definitely still full of snow! These photos are from last week…
“The cloke that I left at Troas… when thou comest, bring with thee… do thy diligence to come before winter… ” (2 Timothy 4:13, 21)
After the conference, my heart was so full of gratitude for what the Lord continues to do in each conference in our hearts and the hearts of those who attend.
The pastor’s family provided dinner for us before the conference Friday night, which was a treat and a blessing. Such a group came out for Friday evening, that there was literally standing-only room. I guess the choir seating could have been used, but for some reason people didn’t choose those seats. We love to spread out afterward and talk to people, and what a joy it is to learn more about the different families that come.
The bus has been an extra blessing in the factor of getting more rest on weekend conferences. We don’t have to drive to a hotel and then back again in the morning; we’re “home” already! Saturday morning, we were set up in plenty of time, and since this was a Christ-Led conference, sessions were different than our normal Encouragement conference weekend. So, while John and Anna spoke to the young people, Christopher and some other young men were busy ferrying chairs into the back of the session, as more people continued to arrive!
Preparing for her first session of the day.
Just this past week, we’ve talked to two families who are consistently having their family Bible time. One was as a result of Anna’s blog post on family Bible time in December, and the other was due to Dad’s Feed My Sheep. How that thrills our hearts! Another mom shared with me how Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit has blessed her (and we hear that often).
People seemed open to the message and very grateful for the conference. I think the furthest a family came from was Spokane. I mentioned to Anna that they looked familiar, and they had come to a conference we’d done in the Dalles two years ago!
Christopher giving his balloon evangelism workshop.John and Anna giving their Dwelling Together in Unity workshop.
We are so grateful that we have these six weeks to minister to others. Some may think we get tired, but that’s not a concern of ours! Jesus gives us the strength we need and times of refreshment in the midst of sharing. We have been around much illness, but so far, we’ve only had one round of colds, and with the exception of one person, we had minor cases.
We look forward to our last two weeks, with about nine more stops before we end the trip, including our adventure out of the country in Canada.
Sarah for the rest
A girl who helped others make balloons!This time I wasn't helping with pumping up the balloons, but the others did a great job.
