Well, it has been a very long time since I have posted. That is because we were gone on a very exciting trip. We left Morelia, Mexico on September 22 and just got back on the 23rd of this month! We went to Spokane and got to go to our home churches (Faith Baptist Church) 27th Anniversary. Dr. Clarence Sexton was the guest speaker and it was just wonderful!!! We really were thrilled to see the Boyles and all the church people. They are all very special to us! We also were able to spend time with family there. Ron's sister, Jackie, and her husband, Monty, allowed us to stay at their house and we had a super time visiting with them and their sweet girls. The kids loved playing with their cousins and getting to spend a lot of time playing outside on the trampoline. Of course, a trip to Spokane could not be complete for Ron without a hike at Upriver Drive. The kids thought that was great! To top the whole visit off, we also were able to see and spend time with Ron's mom, Sharon Goodman, who is getting ready to head to the mission field of Malawi, Africa in November. She was also staying at Jackie and Monty's house. We all went to the church camp property together and got our family pictures taken. The camp property is SOOOO beautiful! We had a great time there. It was so wonderful to be with all of them and enjoy time together before having to say our goodbyes. Anyone who knows me very well knows I absolutely hate saying "goodbye". Praise the Lord that as Christians we know that even if we never see our loved ones again here on earth, that we will have a wonderful reunion someday in Heaven!
After leaving Spokane, we flew to Buffalo, NY, where my oldest brother, Brian, picked us up from the airport and drove us up to Brampton, Ontario, Canada(that is in the Toronto area). We went there to be with my entire family to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. My whole family has not been together since Ron and I got married 11 years ago. WOW!!! It was something else! There were 38 of us in total. We all went and stayed at a resort in Collingwood, Ontario. I have to tell you that we just loved the Fall colors there. It was absolutely breathtaking!! At the resort we each had our own suite, so everyone had their own space, but we were all close together, so we could visit us much as we liked. It was so neat! I loved seeing my kids get to play with their cousins, and I really appreciated how the older cousins were so good to the little ones. One other special blessing is that we were able to spend Canadian Thanksgiving together. I am so thankful for a saved family that loves the Lord! It makes the time together very sweet. One night we had a special celebration with a meal at a very nice restaurant, a slide presentation, and lots of testimonies. It was great. Again, when the time arrived, I was very sad to say "goodbye".
After our goodbyes, we were able to visit with Fundy and Hannah Torres, in Buffalo, NY. We first went to Niagara Falls with them and that was a lot of fun. Then we were able to be in their church, the Old Time Baptist Church in Hamburg, NY on Sunday. Their church supports us and they were a great blessing to us. Hannah's parents (the Spauldings) were so kind to let us use their van while we were up there and fed us a terrific Sunday dinner! Yummy!!!! Then Funday took us to the airport EARLY Monday morning.
During the time we were up for all of our visits we were also able to be in four supporting churches (including our home church), and also three new churches. It was great to see people who have been praying for us and have supported us since we went to Mexico, as well as meet many new people who love the Lord and love missions. We were treated much better than we deserve in each one of those churches and are very thankful for all they did for us.
Our trip home was very tiring, but we were able to stop at the Texas, Mexico border and pick up some important things before heading back in to Mexico. We were nervous about the border crossing because our Visas had just expired (even though there is supposed to be a 30 day grace period), and we had a trailer to bring in that could not be added to our vehicle papers because of the visa situation. Well, the Lord took great care of us and got us in without any problem at all! Thanks be to Him!!!! We were very glad to be back in our church on Thursday, even though we were quite tired, and on Sunday our church people had planned a special dinner fellowship for us after the morning service. It was so sweet of them. They even had a cake for us (Ron's favorite - tres leches or three milks cake). One of the ladies gave me a bouquet of flowers. They were glad to see us and it was so special to see them show their love for us that way. We love them too!
I guess that is all. This has got to be one of the world's longest posts, but I had so much to say, and they is a lot I left out. Thank you to everyone who helped make our trip special in any way. God bless all!!!
By the way, I will have to post pictures later. I have to be very selective since there are so many to choose from. :)
