We had a great time at home! We left Jacksonville, AR later than we had expected. A lady in the church owns her own salon and she wanted to give me FREE highlights before we left. How could I say no? They took longer, much longer, than I thought they would and we didn't leave until after noon. We got home at around dinner time, unloaded our stuff, and then went to pick up the kids from Nana and Papa. It was SO good to see them! We stayed up late talking about things they had done, and then we went to bed, I was exhausted.
Friday we unpacked and tried to organize the house, Saturday was visitation and things all day, and then Sunday was church, of course! We dedicated Anna on Sunday that 6th. We have forgotten to do it in the past and we wanted to make sure and get it done. We tried to take family pictures but, unfortunately, we couldn't get one. Nobody was in the mood, really, and we couldn't get a picture where everyone was smiling and looking at the camera! We're going to try again when we go back home next time.
That following week, the 7th-13th, was our revival. We had a wonderful week, and we had a good crowd for each night. There weren't a lot of big decisions made, and the altars weren't filled every night but as our Pastor said, it doesn't where the decision was made (at the altar, in bed, in the car) as long as decisions were made, that's what counts. There was a lot of rain, but it was a good week regardless!
That Monday, the 14th, my plan was to do laundry and pack and then clean the house on Tuesday. I had about 6 loads of laundry to do that day. After the 2nd load of laundry and only one sink full of dishes, the water pump went out and I was unable to do anything that involved water! We're hoping to be able to fix that next time we go home. Fortunately we were able to catch rainwater to flush the toilets and Caleb drained the hot water tank so I could wash dishes! The laundry I just stuffed in bags and I washed it here later.
We arrived in Lincoln, AR on Wednesday the 16th. The Brays arrived on Friday, and the men were able to get some work done on Saturday. While we are here we will be building a parsonage for the Pastor. Kevin Alexander and his family have been in Lincoln, AR for a little over a year. They started out in a rental home but when that wasn't working out, the Lord worked it out to be able to build a house on the property. Until that is complete, they are living in the top floor of the church building. It's and attic-type floor with no windows and slanted roofs. They were able to put in a bathroom and outlets for a washer and dryer, but other than that they live in a big living area. They have three children; Ashley is 16, Timothy is 13 and Abigail is 10, I believe. They are a very sweet family!
Just an update on recent projects: it is estimated that Caleb saved the church in E. Wenatchee, WA over $15,000. And the church in Jacksonville was saved $8,000. This isn't to brag or to be prideful, but just to show the need and usefulness of this ministry! A lot of people don't understand and think it's unnecessary for us to be going around and building churches, but when you see those numbers, it's hard to say that it's an unneeded ministry. That's almost $25,000 that can be used for the Lord's work and seeing souls saved, instead of going into the world and the hands of men. We don't know how much will be saved here yet in Lincoln, but in Oklahoma there is a house-building company that charges $45/sq. ft. to build a house. The parsonage we are building here is going to be approximately 2,000 sq. ft. That would be $90,000. NTCP saves an average of 60% off original building costs, so if you figured that up, we will be saving the Lord, and this church, $54,000!! Think of all the money that could be saved, if more men and families would surrender to this type of ministry! It may not be a Salvation Ministry, but it does help further the work of the Lord so more churches can be planted, and more Missionaries can be supported, so that more souls can be saved!
No comments:
Post a Comment