Moving the Last of It

Friday and Saturday, Martha and I loaded up the balance of our office items and household things into our utility trailer. We are thankful for Jerry Bates’ help and the hospitality of Jerry and Paula Bates. We four plus sisters Betty Choate and Barbara Oliver, then, fellowshipped in Winona, Mississippi over supper at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Saturday around noon, Martha and I drive to Florence, Mississippi, a little southeast of Jackson. There, we lodged for the night in the Clarion Inn, positioning ourselves to conveniently worship in the morning with the Siwell Road Church of Christ on the southside of Jackson. We ate supper at a restaurant within walking distance of the hotel—a big, barn-like building with rustic décor inside and out. Martha had some delicious catfish with the trimmings, and I had a similar meal with chicken strips instead of fish. Later in the week, we and others will converge at Maywood Christian Camp outside of Hamilton, Alabama. Fellow evangelist families and we will recharge and encourage each other.

India Conference

Tuesday and Wednesday were long, pleasant days shared with brothers and sisters of like precious faith and communal dedication to serving our Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone present has a deep affection for India with its burgeoning population, which is only second in number to China—for now. Martha never looked more lovely than attired in India garb those two days. Thank you for your kindnesses and generosity by which we are permitted to serve our Lord stateside and abroad.

As our supporters age or pass on to their reward, or as unfavorable economics engulf some of the congregations that support us, it is imperative that we arouse the interest of even more Christians and churches of Christ to come forward with moral support and financial participation with us. Perhaps you would like to travel abroad with us, or if that’s not possible, maybe you can help send us with a small gift toward that end. Our overseeing congregation is the Siwell Road Church of Christ, 4075 S. Siwell Road, Jackson, MS 39212. Gifts will be deposited in the Rushmore Evangelism Fund. Thank you for your consideration of our meager efforts.

18 Days on the Road

Friday, April 19, Martha and I made the long trip from Ocala, Florida toward Winona, Mississippi. Well, we tuckered out barely into Mississippi. We stayed the night in Starkville. Saturday, we arrived in Winona at the World Evangelism Building for breakfast with Jerry and Paula Bates and Shane and Emily Fisher. The Fishers recently moved to Winona, almost simultaneously as Martha and I moved to Florida. After eating, we loaded my utility trailer with about a ton of literature, nearly all of which is “reclaimed” from various stateside congregations.

Sunday, Martha and I assembled with the Old Union Church of Christ. During Bible class, I showed my PowerPoint presentation “2019 Guyana” mission trip. We always derived encouragement and assistance from these good brethren in all that we try to do for our Lord Jesus Christ. Later, we drove to Rebecca’s home in Collierville, Tennessee and lodged with her overnight.

Monday, Rebecca trailed us in her car as Martha and I drove to Nashville with the trailer in tow. Our daughter is a true blessing to us and goes out of her way to assist us in so many areas. It took us several hours in the warehouse of Caribbean Shipping to pack five jumbo plastic barrels with songbooks, Bibles, maps, communion ware, tracts, The Voice of Truth International and religious books. These items will arrive in June in Guyana, South America, where they will be distributed to most of the congregations of the Lord’s church in that country.

Upon returning to Dickson, Tennessee, where we left Rebecca’s car and from which we carpooled to Nashville, we enjoyed a satisfying meal at Cracker Barrel. Happily, brother Roger and sister Mary Wright called us and suggested that we dine together. They and we arrived in Dickson about the same time. On the way into the restaurant, I spied a prank, hanging out from under a car’s trunk lid.

Afterward, we checked into our hotel, where we will spend the next three nights. While I was checking in, Martha decided to unload luggage from the back of the van. However, she tripped over the trailer hitch; we had already detached and parked the trailer behind the hotel. She hurt her elbows and tore up skin on one leg and her arms.

Tomorrow and Wednesday, Lord willing, we and others intend to attend the 2019 Annual India Mission Conference. This year, it is being hosted by the congregation in Burns, Tennessee.

Thursday, we will return to Rebecca’s home. Friday, we will load the balance of our belongings in Winona. Sunday, we expect to assemble with two churches of Christ in the vicinity of Jackson, Mississippi. Monday, we plan to head toward Hamilton, Alabama for the yearly Maywood Missionary Retreat. Wednesday night, I have an appointment in Leighton, Alabama. Saturday, we head for Piedmont, Alabama. Sunday we are to assemble with two churches of Christ for me to acquaint them with our mission work. Monday, we head back to Ocala, Florida for a couple of weeks before heading out again for a week or two. That’s about 18 days on the road, this time with the next trek already in view. In September, if our Lord wills, we head back to Asia for a few weeks.

We covet your prayers. Martha and I are thankful especially to brethren and congregations that make it possible for us work for the Lord stateside and abroad.

Eagle Lake Church of Christ

Last night (April 17), it was our pleasure to assemble with the Eagle Lake, Florida Church of Christ for the first time. Martha and I were so well received by humble and friendly brethren that it seemed as though we had  been friends with them for many years. It is so wonderful to meet Christian brethren and instant friends in so many instances as we travel stateside and abroad. After all, we all expect to experience an eternal reunion in Heaven. Our connection with the Eagle Lake congregation was our interaction with brother Samuel Singh who preaches for the Asylum Street Church of Christ in New Amsterdam, Guyana, South America. Brother Samuel was my co-speaker for our World Evangelism Team seminars and workshops throughout Guyana in February.

Hot Off the Press!

The April 2019 edition of Gospel Gazette Online has been published to the Internet and is ready for your devotional reading and personal Bible study. Christian brothers and sisters wrote several articles that appear in the most recent issue of GGO. Thousands of articles over the past 20 years of publication are available in the Archive. As always, these resources are free to any user with access to the Internet. May God richly bless each of us with spiritual enlightenment through the Word of God. Select www.GospelGazette.com.

March 2019 Rushmore Newsletter

The March 2019 Rushmore Newsletter is ready for you. Simply follow this direct link:

http://www.gospelgazette.com/Newsletter/2019/March.pdf

Inside, you will find text and pictures regarding our five weeks recently in Guyana, South America, as well as details about the move of our residence to Florida. We hasten to affirm that we are still laboring with our coworkers with World Evangelism in Winona, Mississippi and other parts of the USA and abroad. I continue to edit The Voice of Truth International and Gospel Gazette Online. Martha and I continue to travel to stateside congregations to apprise them of our mission work and to present biblical lessons, too. Thank you for your moral support and encouragement. The elders of the Siwell Road Church of Christ, 4075 S. Siwell Rd., Jackson, MS 39212 continue to oversee our mission efforts, and any funds for our labors may be sent to them. Make checks payable to the Rushmore Evangelism Fund or to the Siwell Road Church of Christ and note in the memo line of the check “Rushmore Evangelism Fund.” We covet your prayers.