May 30

Today we had the chance to go out door to door in the Flagstaff area. We spent some time in an apartment complex not too far from the place where the Ponderosa Baptist Church is meeting. Though many people were not home on a Saturday morning, we did have a few very good prospects. Pastor Gregg was able to speak to one lady especially who just got saved a few days ago but had no idea where to go from there. She was so happy to speak with him and was thrilled to hear about the church. We're praying that she and her 8 year old son will be able to join us Sunday for the services. We went to one apartment that had a tiny fenced area around the small patio but the sliding glass door at the house was open. We knew someone must be home so we opened the gate and Hannah walked up and knocked on the door. As she knocked, a pitbull and a smaller dog came running out the open sliding door barking like they wanted to eat us. I was in the back so stepped back out the gate and Rebecca very quickly followed me but then proceeded to slam the gate closed, leaving Hannah locked in with the dogs. It turns out both dogs were much less ferocious than they sounded, bt it was a very funny experience. Through it, we did have an opportunity to talk with the man who owned the dogs, so it was all worthwhile, :) Though I must admit I have an easy time saying that when I was safely outside the gate! We visited for a while but it began raining so we met back with Pastor Gregg and he drove us around the area some and showed us some places of interest. After this, it was still pouring so we headed to the Packards house, where we were to eat lunch. We had a great time of fun with them and their family for the rest of the afternoon. We especially enjoyed playing with their four children and I learned some great food prep tips from Mrs. Packard! 

Tonight, all the families of the church met together at the Kiritsy's for dinner. We had a wonderful time being with these people who we have already become so attached to. We got to make some animal balloons and tell a Bible story to the kids, and everyone really enjoyed it. Tomorrow will be our last full day here in Flagstaff, but we're very excited about the services and other activities planned. We're praying Ponderosa Baptist Church will have many visitors as a result of the visits made and flyers handed out this week, and that God will be glorified through it all.

By His Grace,

Jen, Hannah, and Rebecca

May 29

Today was a truly wonderful day. We met with Pastor Gregg this morning and then returned to Williams to finish speaking to business owners and hanging flyers for the crusade that the Ponderosa Baptist Church will be holding there at the end of June. God really gave us great favor with a great number of people today and we were able to hang many more signs than we were allowed to yesterday. Rebecca and I got the opportunity to speak with a lady in a shop who had just recently moved to Williams and has not been able to find a church home. We had an enjoyable time talking with her and invited her out to the services on Sunday. God willing, she said she will be there and she was very excited about coming. We are praying that she will not be hindered and she'll be able to make it. After finishing all the businesses in Williams, we had a great time at lunch with Pastor Gregg and then had a few hours of free time before meeting up with him again to finish hanging door flyers in some apartment complexes. We then went to the home of the Barricks, a family in the church, for dinner. Mrs. Barrick cooked an amazing Italian meal and we had a great time fellowshiping with them and their two daughters and son. After dinner, we played Rook for a while with the family and had a really fun time - despite all the competitiveness, :) All the families here have been so sweet and encouraging to us, and I am amazed anew everyday at how far out of their way they go to be kind and helpful. After another amazing day, we're really looking forward to tomorrow and the services Sunday!

May 28 - Flagstaff, AZ

Today was a truly amazing day! We met this morning with Pastor Gregg for a meeting at Starbucks, which is a great place to start the day. Hannah especially enjoyed her cup of morning coffee, while Rebecca and I settled for hot chocolate and a smoothie. We had a great time of prayer and then headed to Williams, AZ. The Ponderosa Baptist Church will be holding a citywide evangelistic crusade in this town at the end of the month, and we had the opportunity to speak with business owners and gain permission to hang fliers in windows at many of their local businesses. After a few hours of visiting, we ate a quick lunch and then Pastor Gregg took us to see the Grand Canyon. It was truly breathtaking! We are including a few pictures at the end of this post, but they cannot even begin to show the vastness or beauty of this small part of God's magnificent creation. We then returned to Flagstaff and met with the Ponderosa Baptist Church for their weekly Cottage Prayer Meeting. It was wonderful to see the whole church come together to pray and beg for God's blessing on their lives, the salvation of souls, and the continued growth of their church. It was such a privilege to be able to be involved in this sweet time. After the prayer meeting, Mrs. Kiritsy prepared an amazing Mexican meal. I am quickly learning that Mexican food in the Southwest far surpasses any attempt made by Tennessee! We will be returning to Williams tomorrow to finish visiting the businesses we didn't get to speak to today. We continue to look forward with great anticipation to what God will do the remainder of this week!

Constantly abiding,
Jen, Hannah, and Rebecca

Arizona!

After many miles and many more great times, we arrived at the Ponderosa Baptist Church, in Flagstaff, AZ last night. We are so excited to be here and cannot wait to see what the Lord will do. Pastor Joshua Gregg met us last evening and introduced us to the family we will be staying with this week. The Kiritsy family has welcomed us into their home and have already been such a blessing to us. After a great time of fellowship and getting to know each other last night, we headed to bed greatly anticipating the next few days. Today, we had the privilege of eating lunch with a family in the church and then were able to spend a few hours distributing flyers for the Ponderosa Baptist Church. We are praying God will use them in a great way to bring visitors into the church and see souls saved. We then prepared for the Wednesday evening church service. However, before the service we had dinner with the families of the church. It was a wonderful time getting to know each other, sharing some testimonies, and (of course) having great food! The church service tonight was wonderful. We had a great time of worship and prayer together, and Pastor Gregg preached a convicting sermon from Matthew 19-20. This is such a beautiful place. We are right on the edge of Mount Humphrey, and the awesomeness of God's creation seems overwhelming everytime we see it. We truly serve an awesome God, and we are praying He'll be able to use us to be an encouragement and help to this church as we continue throughout this week!

Standing on the promises,

Jen, Hannah, and Rebecca

The Journey Begins..

Today, we began our travels. Before leaving, all of the pioneers met with Mr. Y and we had a great time of prayer and last minute fellowship, fun, and pictures before heading out. It was a wonderful meeting, though emotions were high as we faced the sadness of leaving our friends and the excitement of setting out on the journey of our lives this summer. We cannot know what God has planned for each of our lives this summer, but we look forward with great expectation to the wonderful things that He will do! We got out on the road about 9:30 Eastern time, and began our long trip on I-40 headed West! We saw beautiful scenery as we passed through Tennesse, through Arkansas, and eventually into Oklahoma. We are spending this first night at the home of Scott and Pamela McElyea, in Chickasha, OK. They are past Crown graduates and we have had a great, though short, time with them. We are so thankful for their willingness to open their homes and welcome us! Tomorrow morning we will head out again. God willing, we will complete this first leg of our trip and arrive in Flagstaff, AZ tomorrow evening!

In His Grace,

Jen, Hannah, and Rebecca

Training Camp!

The past week we have been involved in training camp in preparation for this summer. We have had an amazing time and are learning so much. Every day, we have had great services, and the Lord is truly working and speaking to our hearts. We have also had some great sessions on various topics, including soul winning, neighborhood Bible clubs, and travel safety. Last night we had the opportunity to participate in a camp out. We had a marvelous service around the campfire, snacked on smores, and then spent the night in tents. It was so much fun! Please pray for us as we are currently conducting Bible clubs. They began Tuesday afternoon and will continue through Thursday. The Lord has been doing a wonderful work already in the hearts of the children, and we are looking forward to the remainder of the meetings. We will be leaving Monday, May 25th for our first stop, which will be in Flagstaff, AZ, at Pastor Joshua Gregg's church. We would greatly appreciate your prayers as we will be traveling and should, God willing, arrive Tuesday evening.