A Full Summer, Nearly Gone

The calendar in my computer announces that today is August 15. For us, a summer of travel is nearly over. It hardly seems possible. The older I get, the faster time flies.

Two months have passed since I last wrote about our travels. We have visited pastors and their wives from Texas to South Carolina and Maryland to Iowa. Somewhere in the middle, we attended the conference of Grace Brethren churches in Florida. It proved to be another great opportunity to meet with pastors and their wives.

We also had the privilege of helping to qualify two men for ministry as Army Chaplains. In cooperation with John Schumacher, Chaplain Endorsing Agent for the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, I gathered a group of pastors to serve as an examining committee. The first candidate was John Jacobsen, recommended to us by the Grace Brethren Church in Beaver City, Nebraska. The second candidate was Peter Stone, recommended to us by the Fountain of Life Bible Church in Johnson City, Tennessee. Both men did extremely well in their examinations, and we expect them to do very well in their ministry to soldiers.

Of course, our time in Pennsylvania was the most enjoyable of all. Our children and grandchildren are in Lancaster County, and we carved out lots of time for them. We also visited with friends who were our companions in ministry at Grace Church in Lititz. Pastor Scott Distler invited me to preach one Sunday, and that is always a privilege. However, I can honestly say that I am glad not to be preaching two sermons on Sunday morning anymore.

Today is our last day in Iowa. We have an appointment with Gary and Jean Austin in Cedar Rapids this noon. Gary has been challenged with cancer the last couple of years, so your prayer for them would be greatly appreciated. Sometime this afternoon, we will hook up our fifth wheel RV and drive through Waterloo. We want to see friends while driving through, but we expect to drive to the edge of Iowa this evening. We’ll sleep along the way, and find ourselves well into South Dakota by tomorrow night.

Thank you for thinking of us, and praying for our safety in travel. The Lord has been gracious, and he leads the way. We are hoping to see some beautiful scenery in Wyoming before turning south through Utah. By the end of August, we should be in Arizona.

A full summer, nearly gone.