Recap

We left Centropolis on Thursday and headed to Andover, KS where Caleb fixed the shower for Bro. Dodd and looked at the kitchen drainage issue at the church. We then headed to Anthony, KS where we spent the weekend. Caleb was able to help with some electrical issues and get started on a cabinet that will go in the front entry way. We had a good time at both places and we were excited to learn that Central Baptist Church in Anthony, KS voted to take us on for support! This is not only exciting for us because we gained a new supporting church, but it is a true testimony of the church's growth since the building project has been completed. We were more excited that they have seen such good growth and were able to take on a Missionary, than we were about being that Missionary. But we will take the money still. We are now in Mustang, OK at home for a little bit to enjoy Thanksgiving and get ready for our next job site in Mississippi.

Just thought I would add some photos from the job site here.

These are the bathroom entrances. Men's on the left, Women's on the right.

This is the Women's bathroom all stripped out, getting ready for drywall.

This is the Women's bathroom almost finished, same view. The other toilets need put in, then the partitions.

Caleb putting in a junction box for the light switch. He has learned how to do a lot of electrical the past few jobs!

The old women's bathroom before utter destruction to be turned into a men's bathroom.

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.

New Job Site

We are now in Centropolis, Kansas. Don't bother looking it up on a map, it won't be there! The town is literally about 20 houses, 3 churches, and 2 soda machines.
We will be here for the month of October and Caleb will be putting in new windows in the auditorium, combining the mens and womens restrooms into one bigger mens bathroom, and putting in a new womens bathroom.
We've been here since Monday and already the church has been a huge blessing, they have been providing two meals a day (Breakfast and Dinner) and have shared many groceries to help with our lunch meal.
Al and Mickey Bray are also here helping, and it's good to see them again. We like being at job sites with them, even when Al turns into a grumpy old man. They're very sweet to our children.
I am very thankful for the early start we got on school! We ended up missing two weeks of school in September because of going home for our church's revival and then we accidentally left Kayla's school there and had to wait for it to be mailed to us. But despite all of that, we should be done with our first quarter by Thanksgiving which is still a lot sooner than last year.
I have to give a shout-out to Bob Jones Press Kindergarten material! Lela is doing so great with it, and can already read 3-letter, short vowel words. She also has about 5 sight words memorized. She's probably about where Kayla was at the beginning of 1st grade last year. I'm so excited for her!
Thanks for the prayers, and for the support! I hope these updates help everyone see the need and benefit of our ministry.

September Update!

The work here in Omaha has been trying to say the least. They have encountered problem after problem, but God is still blessing and the work is progressing.
We went home for our church's 10th Anniversary and Revival and we had a great time! The preaching was wonderful and God really spoke to hearts. Caleb's brother Josh took a Pastorate in Bellingham, WA so that week we also said goodbye to their family. Our church hired the Skinner family to work with the youth, Bro. Skinner is in his 3rd year at Heartland Baptist Bible College and they will fit in nicely with our church.
One of the problems with the project here at WOBC was that the city required them to use metal studs for their walls instead of the wood walls they already had up. The new studs are up, most of the drywall is up, and the walls are textured and painted. Some flooring has been put in also.
Caleb was able to get all of the rough-in plumbing in and the sewer inspection passed but because of some miscommunication about code regulations on copper pipe size, the water lines did not pass.
Please pray that the rest of the work can get done, they have to be out of their building on Sept. 30th and their dedication service in their new building is Oct. 2nd.

July Update

July has been a slow but fast month for us. We arrived at my (Laura's) parent's farm on June 25th and our plan was to stay there for a week or so to rest and then go to Omaha to start working at West Omaha Baptist Church's new location. Unfortunately they are having problems getting plans approved to be able to pull permits to start work, so we ended up staying in Iowa for 3 weeks. It was very nice to be able to rest, relax, and enjoy the country air! The kids had a blast swimming, playing outside, and spending time with Grandma and Grandpa.
Eventually though, Caleb got antsy and he wanted to start some work. So on July 22nd we packed up our trailer and we moved out to Omaha. We're in West Omaha (Millard) which is a nice neighborhood, but it's still in the middle of a huge city so it's a lot different than small town Kansas! Please pray for our safety. We are parked behind the shopping center where WOBC has their new rental property.
We're having fun seeing my sister Sarah and her boys and spending time with them. We've also gotten to see some friends we don't get to see very often, people I knew growing up. We were able to visit a few churches and give ministry updates. We wanted to go further up North but because of the flood, most of the highways to go that way are shut down. It would take sometimes 3x as long to go one way. Maybe before we leave the flood will rescind and we can make our way up to Sioux City or Sioux Falls.
It looks like we will be here in Omaha up to September. Our Pastor wants us to come home for our church's revival which is the second week of September so we will probably stay until then.

Jubilee and Open House!

On Friday the 24th Central Baptist Church will be having a Jubilee starting at 6:30, with guest singers and singing groups. Afterward there will be snacks and lemonades served with a chance to view the new building.
The next day, Saturday the 25th, there will be an Open House which is open to the community as well and there will be jumping houses and a petting zoo for the children, and the adults will be able to view the building, ask questions, and meet the church family.
If you are in the area, please consider coming and celebrating the opening of the new building! It's an exciting time to see the Lord work and build His house!