This week has been going great. God is truly blessing and protecting us this summer, in spite of some unexpected circumstances. Tuesday morning we went out to breakfast with Bro. Bo, Bro. Fred, Bro. Bo's father Rex, and another man visiting from his church. We had a great time and then spent some time hanging out at the Smith's. Rebecca got a phone call that afternoon letting her know that her grandmother in Georgia had passed away. She has been ill for quite a while with cancer. We found a flight for Rebecca out of Portland on Wednesday to return home for the viewing and funeral.
The Kid's Crusade on Tuesday night went very well. Many of the kids from Monday night returned, and a lot of them brought their friends with them. The boys won the penny offering on Monday night, but the boys fought back on Tuesday night and had a clear victory. The team that wins for the week gets to put a pie into the face of the other team's captain, and the kids are really into it! There is also a competition for the child who brings the most visitors, and many of them are calling everyone they know so that they can win and own the beautiful automized scooter. :) We had the privilege of seeing two more precious children come to a saving knowledge of Christ Tuesday evening. We're so excited that God is blessing this week!
Bro. Bo and Bro. Fred measuring a boy for his coffin
Wednesday morning we woke up pretty early and headed for Portland to take Rebecca to the airport to catch her plane to Nashville, TN. Her sister was picking her up in Nashville and then they were to drive to Georgia. We had some unexpected car issues on the way to Portland. The car over heated and we were just able to get off the road before the entire system shut down. We're so thankful for God's protection, as it overheated in the one place in probably 20 miles where there was actually a shoulder to get off the road. We were in Alcea, Oregon - which is pretty much in the middle of no where, and none of us had any cell phone reception. We were able to walk to a house and the kind gentleman there allowed us to use his phone to make some phone calls.
Sister Jamie was kind enough to come pick up Rebecca to try to get her to the airport to make her plane (she made it just in time!), and AAA towed the car (and me and Hannah!) to Corvallis, which was about an hour away but the closest repair shop to where we were located. After a few hours the shop was unable to find out what was wrong with my car, so we decided to follow Mrs. Jamie back to Waldport and put my car into a shop there later. We kept a close eye on the temperature gauge on the way back, but thankfully it stayed cool and we made it back safely, just in time for the Crusade that evening. It was another great night, with Bro. Fred clearly presenting the gospel and all the kids (and adults) having a wonderful time. The girls again won the penny offering (YAY!) and we were able to see one more child come to Christ. After the service, we went to the Smith's for dinner. Mrs. Cindy made some awesome chicken 'n dumplins, and we really enjoyed them.
Bro. Fred using an illusion to illustrate to the children how Christ is the only One who can take away our sin
The banana eating contest - blind folded and with no hands!
Thursday was a very quiet and leisurely day after the craziness of Wednesday, and we were thankful for a chance to recoop. Hannah and I were able to go down to the ocean and spent some time climbing on rocks and watching the waves. I got soaked when one wave came up and unexpectedly covered a rock I was standing on, and I was quickly reminded how powerful (and COLD) the ocean is. How awesome to think of the great power of the God that created such a powerful body of water! He has not changed and is still just as powerful to bless and protect His children today as He was when He created the worlds. What a great encouagement! :) We had a wonderful dinner at the Smith's before the services. We had chicken, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese - we almost felt like we were back in the South! The services were again wonderful Thursday evening, with even more visitors coming out and more people hearing a clear presentation of the gospel. The boys came back and won the penny offering (with some help from Bro. Bo, I think...) and tomorrow night will determine who gets the pie!
Mrs. Jamie singing "The Lord's Army" cowboy style! YEEHAW!
Today we had to put the car back in the shop again, and praise the Lord - this time we found a place in Waldport! We got there at around 9 am and they did a carbon monoxide test and determined that there was no blown gasket head, which is a huge blessing. We had to take the car back at one for an oil change and a few more tests, so we drove up to Newport to visit the lighthouses there. We were able to visit the Yaquina Head and Yaquina Bay lighthoues and get some awesome pictures. We then took the car back to the shop in Waldport and grabbed some lunch while they worked on it. God willing, it's hopefully fixed now and shouldn't give us any more trouble, but we'll definitely be watching everything closely as we continue to travel. Bro. Bo made steak and shrimp kabobs for dinner on the grill, and they were awesome!
Yaquina Bay lighthouse
Yaquina Head lighthouse
Tonight was the last evening of the Kid's Crusades, and it went great. The girls won the penny offering again, making them the winners for the week, and the guy's team leader bravely took the pie in the face. There were some extra pies, and so the girl's leader ended up with one as well! A little boy named Ethan who worked really hard all week inviting people ended up winning the scooter, and he was super excited about it. Pastor Smith's kids Allen and Bree came in second and third for the most visitors, and they seemed excited about their prizes as well. We are sad that they are over, but this last night was a great conclusion to the week of the Kid's Crusades, and we got a lot of great ideas of games and illustrations to use the rest of the summer. We were able to see six children come to Christ this week during the Kid's Crusades, and we're so thankful to the Lord for allowing us to have a part in the meetings.
The Yaquina Bay Bridge
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