A Steadfast Faith

October 2018

We just returned from a wonderful few days in Marysvale, Utah, at the Northwest Baptist Missions Annual Conference. It was encouraging and refreshing to hear God's Word proclaimed by several different speakers, and spend time fellowshipping with other missionary pastors and Christian laborers from around the Western US.

During one of the sessions, the speaker mentioned Matthew 16:18, directing attention to the Lord who builds the church: "I will build my church.” This verse in particular... (Read more)

August 2018

First things first: we know you all are wondering about our vehicle saga, and we have good news on that front! Our local body shop has graciously agreed to fix the critical damage for the same amount that our insurance company sent us, so we will be able to keep the van for a bit longer. We'll still need to do some further maintenance (brakes and tires - both exacerbated by the accident), but we are very grateful for your prayers and the way God provided in this instance!

However, we will be starting to look for a new-to-us vehicle, preferably one that can tow a... (Read more)

June 2018

June has been a very full month for us! James completed his 2 weeks of annual training with the National Guard in the heat and humidity of central Iowa. While he was gone, Elizabeth worked diligently to help get things created and set up for VBS.

Once James got home from his training, we dove right in to helping with our week of Vacation Bible School! James led the opening, helped with the puppets, and herded the younger kids (ages 4-8) around. Elizabeth did the music and led the older kids (ages 9-12). We had about 20 kids attend this year, most of whom came from... (Read more)

May 2018

May has been a relatively quiet month for once, but we're making up for it on either side! Last month, we were able to attend a joint conference in Thayne, WY, with some of our regional mission pastors. We had a good time of worship and fellowship together, and some helpful breakout sessions on doing outreach in our small Western communities. We took copious notes, and look forward to implementing some of the ideas once we get to the field.

James also had a fruitful drill with the National Guard in both April and May. He was finally pinned as a Captain in April, and... (Read more)

April 2018

Dorothy had it right: there's no place quite like home! Our latest trip was short, but we are thankful to be back in the West.

We had great meetings in Alabama and at our sending church in South Carolina with times of sweet fellowship in both locations. It was very encouraging to have a lot of people interested in learning more about ministering in Mormon country! (Side note: we love when people ask questions!)

We also enjoyed our brief time recruiting at Bob Jones University, and would like to thank those of you who took the time to stop by and say hello or... (Read more)

March 2018

We are about to head off on our next deputation trip! This is a short one, with only a few meetings in AL and SC. We are flying into Atlanta on Thursday and, Lord willing, should be headed home 2 weeks later.

We've both stayed very busy the last few months with work, ministry, seminary classes, and multiple Army trips for James. It has brought to light just how much we need team members to help lead Bible studies or services once we're in Logan. It will not do much... (Read more)

January 2018

It is a new year, and it started just in time for us to get home to Wyoming. We arrived home safely on the 3rd of January from our first deputation trip. It was a profitable time, both seeing almost all of both our families over the holidays, as well as being able to share our hearts for Cache County with several churches and individuals, and making some contacts for possible future meetings.

We are already jumping back into ministry here in Kemmerer at Grace Baptist, and James has already had his January weekend duty with the Army. We are both also... (Read more)

December 2017

It is a busy time of year, and we are putting a lot of miles on our little minivan! We enjoyed a sweet Thanksgiving with Elizabeth's family in Massachusetts, had a short visit with James' grandma in Pennsylvania, and are soon heading to North Carolina to celebrate Christmas with the rest of James' family.

In between visits with family (and visiting some favorite childhood sights), we were also able to hold our first few official deputation meetings in Plymouth, MA. We enjoyed sharing our burden for Cache County, UT, and getting to know some more of our brothers and... (Read more)

November 2017

We're finally off to start the deputation adventures!! We're heading to Massachusetts first, with a few stops along the way to see old friends. Lord willing, we'll get to Plymouth by next Wednesday and be there until mid-December. We're looking forward to seeing family, meeting new-to-us church family, and sharing our ministry with believers in the Plymouth area!

While we're looking forward to what lies ahead, we also want to look behind for a moment. These past 18 months in Kemmerer have been full and wonderful, and we are leaving a part of our hearts here as we... (Read more)

October 2017

Sometimes God's plans are completely different than anything we expect! James stayed prepped and ready to go through this past weekend, when his on-call orders ended, but he ended up never going anywhere. We aren't sure why God didn't want us heading east for deputation last month, but it's comforting to know He has everything in His perfect control - even when we don't see the reasons for it.

We are now looking toward next month, and making plans to head east (Lord willing!) for several meetings in Massachusetts and Alabama. Since we'll be along the eastern coast,... (Read more)