This has been a very busy fall for me. After two very enjoyable but busy weeks with the Hi-Plains School of Missions, I drove back across the country to Florida, where I had a full week of speaking at three different churches there; Winter Park, Kissimmee, and Clearwater. By this time, I had been on the road for nearly a month. On the way north I stopped and spent a day in Columbus, Georgia, where I enjoyed an entire day running around with our son Alex, who we had not seen in several years. From there I drove back north to Ohio, finishing one full month on the road and nearly five thousand miles of driving. I visited or passed through seventeen states and spoke eighteen different times for different churches and schools. It was a great month but it was nice to be back home with my honey.
But for a missionary on furlough, traveling and speaking is a necessity; it is what we do. Raising and maintaining support is not easy yet the needs and opportunities in the Lord’s work are great. So arriving home on a Wednesday from my trip, I had a few days with family then I was off to Geneva, Ohio for that Sunday. That week I was home till Wednesday and I left for Cincinnati, where I attended the fortieth class reunion at Cincinnati Christian University. There I shared and caught up with many old friends, some of whom I had not seen since graduation. My wife and I were honored with a distinguished alumni award from the university at the Friday evening alumni banquet. Then Sunday I spoke at the Highview Christian Church there in Cincinnati, where my good friends, Jim and Cindy Spicer minister.
From Cincinnati I drove to Grayson, Kentucky, where I am now at, watching the snow fall and working on classes I will teach via the internet next semester. As part of my “legacy” ministry, I am working to train the next generation of missionaries by serving as the adjunct professor of missions/intercultural studies here at Kentucky Christian University. As with many Christian universities, the budget does not permit a full time professor, so I teach the core classes via internet and an occasional semester on campus, while I continue to serve as a full time missionary in Colombia. This enables me to remain current in practice and in theory as I teach from what I am living and reading, and not just from the past or from the experience of others. I enjoy working with the students and with the other faculty here in forming the church of the future. While I obviously did not need any more work, when God opens doors of service, we relish the chance to serve. For our service to God is our true act of worship and our joy. God has blessed us in these forty years of missionary service and we praise Him with hearts of joy!