Focus On America Conference and Silver Dollar City

We went to Battlefield, MO for the Focus on America Conference at Wilson Creek Baptist Church with Bro. Moody. It's our favorite conference to go to ever! It is so relaxing and enjoyable because the church is willing to serve and do whatever you need. There aren't any "bigwigs" or people who think they need to be impressed. Everyone is on equal terms. We've been to conferences where we felt like we were being brushed into a corner because we weren't important enough; we didn't graduate college, we aren't "real" missionaries, we aren't even starting a church! How dare we think that we should be on the same level as them, or even expect to be talked to during the week. It's sad, but there are people out there that behave that way, even some very prominent men in Baptist circles act that way. But not at this conference! The men that you would think are the "important" men are serving food, refilling drinks, and talking to even the lowly people such as us. We decided not to bring our Fifth Wheel because it would have cost a lot more than just bringing the van, and the church was kind enough to put us in a hotel room for the week! I believe 36 men were able to present their ministry and needs, and around $40,000 was raised to meet those needs. Everyone gave; settled Pastors, new Pastors, Missionaries, and lay people in the church. It's exciting to see needs met and men encouraged. We were also able to go to Silver Dollar City, an Amusement Park near Branson. We were able to get extremely cheap tickets and we had a wonderful time! Noah, Kayla and Lela got to ride a roller coaster for the first time although Lela wasn't as amused as Noah and Kayla. Anna even got to ride a few rides. We enjoyed sharing a funnel cake, giant corn dog, giant pretzel, and an apple dumpling. We were having so much fun we forgot to eat very much! I was very proud of the kids and how they behaved. There were a few moments of disappointment or greed, but those were quickly squelched. We had a nice leisurely drive back to Centropolis and today Caleb is back to work. He is now laying the tile in the new Women's bathroom and should have that done tomorrow, hopefully. He will then set the toilets and get ready for the partitions. Things are really starting to come together! Please pray that they can get the work done quickly and without injuries.