Painting Word Pictures

When I landed at the Boise airport last Friday, Gene and Lilas Cooper and Eunice Guerrant were there to greet me with smiling faces and a warm meal. My time at Treasure Valley Baptist Church in Ontario, Oregon, was truly wonderful. What a blessing to meet a generation of faithful believers who have been giving to my parents' ministry for nearly 30 years!

On Saturday, I shared my testimony at a Women's Luncheon besides enjoying the most delicious salads west of the Mississippi. They were very attentive and even played along with my quiz game. Sunday the whole Sunday school hour was mine. My "lesson" was about the 3 Major Life Lessons I'd learned along my journey to becoming a missionary. The pastor jumped right in and quizzed everyone afterwards, which was fun. Then in church, I had 15 minuted to give a brief Introduction on my ministry and give an appeal for partners, both in prayer and in giving.

The surprising element in both of those presentations was that I wasn't able to rely at all on the powerpoint presentations I'd created or the video I'd managed to swipe off of WorldVenture. No computer/projector/set-up whatsoever. But I like what Pastor Chuck said: "She's going to paint some word pictures for us today."

You can all imagine what the potluck was like at a small-town, almost country church: creamy enchiladas, cheezy casseroles, freshly baked buns that practially slid down your throat, not to mention the rich lemon pie with my ever-favorite Cool Whip! There was a short Q&A session, and after that, I rolled back to the Coopers. Once we had recovered from our food comas, we were back at church for a very meaningful prayer time that was extremely encouraging to me, and I didn't even know any of the names I prayed for!

Today, Gene and Lilas drove me back to the Boise airport where I caught my flight to Portland (with a layover in Salt Lake City in the opposite direction - go figure). Tomorrow I pick up a WorldVenture car and have lunch and dinner with some old friends. Thanks for all your prayers so far!

Oregon trip

And so, the ground work begins!

Tomorrow will come bright and early as my wonderful friend, Sarah, takes me to the aiport at 5:30 am. I'm off to Oregon for 2 weeks where I'll share at two churches and hopefully be reunited with a slew of old friends and MK cousins from my past. This first weekend, I'm speaking at a Women's Luncheon on Saturday and in the morning church service on Sunday in a small town church waaaaay out in Eastern Oregon, closer to Boise, Idaho, than any other city. The following weekend, I'll practically be in the Pacific Ocean on the other side of this great state in Newport, where my parents and I will share the podium and misisonary booth in the lobby.

I appreciat any and ALL of your prayers for
- safety in travel
- calmness of nerves as I speak
- good connections and renewal of old relationships
- God's glory to be evident in the misisons work I share and in me
- open ears and hearts
- my contentment in Christ no matter the outcome

I hope to update here throughout my trip of the Oregon adventures God brings my way!