Hey, what in the world is “Global Outreach Forum?” Well, I wondered that myself. For those of us who are over 50 it is pretty close to the same thing as the old fashioned “Mission’s Conference”.

Les and I were blessed to be able to be a part of the 8 days of missionary emphasis that Calvary Bible Church of Neenah, WI had April 18-25.

Here are some of the Big Blessings we received:

1. We traveled from Fl to WI by car which allowed us to visit my Mom and Step dad on the way.

2. People were very interested in knowing how God is working at NTM HOMES, our retirement center for New Tribes Missionaries. We shared information about our ministry with 15 different groups.

3. The students in 7th and 8th grade at FVCA, Calvary’s Christian School, showed a great deal of excitement about how they could be involved in missions.

4. We stayed with our daughter Kandi and son-in-law Joe Depue during the conference! It was very good to get some family time in with them even though it was limited because of the busy schedule.

5. Kandi and Joe’s son, Hudson was just a week shy of being one year old. We had the pleasure of watching him learn to walk . Huddy had gone from one or two steps to five or six by our last day there!!! We had an early Birthday party for him.

Hudson's Birthday

6. We were able to spend a couple of days with our daughter Katie and her husband Wes on our trip back to FL. They are enjoying their second year of marriage and are busy with work and church related activities.

If we could have had you with us on our trip you would have seen the many other ways God blessed us through His people. I guess we will have lots of time in heaven to rehearse His blessings to us.

Holidays add extra smiles

The residents of the Latham Center had lots of fun celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. The dining room was decorated with lots of green shamrocks. Before the meal of corned beef and cabbage everyone got together to test their skills and knowledge. There was a quiz on trivia surrounding St. Patrick’s Day. It was interesting for many to find out that he had been a missionary just like they were.
The tables were set with festive decorations and little pots with chocolate coins. There were goblets containing a strange green mixture that surprisingly tasted real good. Shamrock shaped jello salad and shamrock cookies completed the meal.
Being cooks on a holiday can be just tons of fun!!!

Wii Bowling made bowling fun for everyone

Every year February is time for Country Fair at NTM HOMES. Though the weather this year was a lot cooler than it generally is folks put on a jacket and went out to watch or participate. Horse shoes, shuffle board, and Top Toss were outside. Indoors there were darts, Wii bowling, and billiards going on.
About mid-morning I was glad to see that the baking competition had a good display of products made from coconut. Folks were welcomed to try anything and judge them. After the first try I thought I might have to try some of them again just to be sure which one was best!! But Les assured me that one taste was enough:).
Many of our residents find that they have more physical limitations and more aches and pains than last year. It is tempting to stay at home and dwell on what they can’t do. As a staff we try and plan events that will encourage people to get out and spend time with each other. When we laugh together our burdens get lighter. God’s Word says “A joyful heart is good medicine”. Judging by the smiles and laughter the day was a great success.

February 7, 2010 was a special Sunday for our family. That was the day that our grandson Hudson was publicly dedicated to the Lord. His parents Kandi and Joe Depue realized that Hudson was a gift from God long before he was born. This Sunday they brought him to the front of the church along with other couples at Calvary Bible Church to pledge their determination to raise Hudson to know and love the Lord. The members of the church also promised to do all they could to help them in their efforts. It was a beautiful program that reminded us that with God’s help the Body of Christ works together to bring children to the understanding of His salvation.

Joe and Kandi feel that God would like them to use their lives to take the Gospel to the lost. Their plans are to enter New Tribes Mission’s Missionary Training in the fall. They would appreciate your prayers for them.

Les and I , along with Les’s mom, were privileged  to come from Florida to attend this service. What a special gift this was! We were able to make a quick trip from our ministry here at NTM HOMES. He even provided exceptional ticket prices. Our Father really did look out for all the details.

For photos of the dedication click on the photo tab at the top of the blog.

When we left Brazil in June of 2008 we planned to return in July of the same year. Les had just gotten out of the hospital in Brazil where he had been receiving IV medication for malaria. We were looking forward to spending 4 weeks in the U.S. to attend our daughter’s wedding.

Here we are a year later still in the U.S. Looking back we see God’s hand leading us to where He is using us to serve Him. Les and I find it interesting how God uses circumstances to take us to the places He wants us to be. God currently has us serving Him in Sanford, Florida. We are cooking for retired missionaries who live at NTM Homes and need meals provided for them. Out of all the places we might serve He moved us here. Because of health issues we knew that it would be good to be in the U.S. Because of Les’s parents health we knew it would be good to be near them. At the same time we were made aware of the need for cooks at the New Tribes Mission retirement center. We had served in that capacity once before and felt this might just be where God was directing us.

When we accepted the position as cooks at the NTM Homes we knew we would need to go back to Brazil to take care of the home we had walked out of in June of ’08. The time has come and we will be going to Brazil for 10 days in August. It is exciting to think of going back and seeing our co-workers and some of the students that we worked with. It will also be hard to be there knowing that we will not be staying. Yet, the Lord has given us such a love for the people we serve here at NTM Homes it would be hard to not come back here as well. What a joy it is to trust the Lord to pick our place of service.

You could be praying for us. Les’s Mom plans to travel with us. Pray that the trip will be a blessing for her as well. Pray that we will have good health while we travel. Pray that we will have wisdom as we choose what to bring back and what to sell or give away. Pray that our human hearts will remember God’s peace as we say “Ate Logo” to Brazil.

Our prayers were answered!

Our youngest daughter Kandi and her husband Joe are expecting their first child, a boy they are naming Hudson Lee.  We are excited about the arrival of our little grandson.  Please pray that Kandi and Hudson will be healthy and strong during the delivery.  Who knows, he may be a missionary some day.

Betty, retired, once taught our kids in Brazil.

Have you ever noticed how uninvited change or crisis in your life give you a new perspective?  We find that it has sharpened our focus.  Ministering to God ‘s older servants is a part of the team work needed to reach the unsaved tribes with the Gospel.

Pray for us as we go to speak at a Missions’ Conference in Wisconsin . We hope to share how crisis and change has given us the opportunity to minister to God’s retired servants. By caring for them we are enabling others, many of their own children, to be out on the front line.

Wedding Bells will be ringing again in November. Our daughter Katie will be marrying Wes Brown in Cleveland, Ohio on November 8th. Katie and Wes have been friends for over a year and were engaged on June 18th.

Wes is a young man who loves the Lord and Katie. Together they would like to use their lives to honor the Lord. We were very happy to meet Wes at our daughter Carolyn’s wedding to Ryan Green in June. Prior to that Wes had been corresponding with us while we were in Brazil. Because of Les’s illness in June we didn’t get to spend much time getting to know Wes then but seeing how happy Katie looked at his side was a pretty good indication that he was something very special.

In July we were able to travel to Cleveland and spend few days with the Brown family. The time together was impacting for us as we got to know Wes and his parents and younger sister, Emilie. Wes also has 3 brothers who are younger than him but were away at the time. We found that Wes has a family that loves the Lord and are very encouraging and supportive of Katie and Wes.

Katie and Wes plan to be married on November 8th in Cleveland, Ohio. Her best friend Erin Long will be her maid of honor and her sisters and Emilie will be bride’s maids. Les and I are looking forward to attending the ceremony and to having another son-in-law!

Serving the Lord has never been more exciting. Day by day we desire to serve Him where ever He would choose to use us. Guess what? This time He chose Florida, NTM HOMES, a retirement community for New Tribes’ Missionaries.

For two people who just love working in the jungle and working with kids it was in some ways an adjustment. We were surprised to find out that Florida’s not so different from the jungle with all its alligators and tropical storms. The folks we cook for may be retired but they sure know how to have lots of fun!
We are cooking for the retired missionaries that live in the part of our retirement center called the Latham Center. The Latham Center offers our NTM missionaries the additional help of assisted living. Les and I have found it to be exciting to serve those who have spent so many years in the jungle serving Him.
Adjusting to the job wasn’t too hard as we had the opportunity to serve the Lord in this same job for a year about 5 years ago. We are currently planning to serve here for a year and then re-evaluate where God is leading us at that time.
There are some other blessings in this job. Serving here in Florida allows us to be near Les’s parents. They are retired missionaries and live here at NTM HOMES. Les’s Dad has Alzheimer’s and is dependant on oxygen. God has allowed us to be a big help to his Mom and Dad during this time in their lives. We are thrilled to be able to do this.

Keep us in your prayers as we serve.

The “Frosting on the Cake”, it has been called. The last week of the first semester is lots of fun. We began the week with the all school Christmas program and went on to two days of track and field competition. Many of the parents had arrived from their work locations to attend the events and accompany their children home for 6 weeks of vacation. Cameras were flashing and hands clapping. What a great time of celebration!

Remember these parents are not your typical parents showing up to a Christmas program. They are all part of a team working together to see the unreached people groups of Brazil have the Gospel message in their own language. They want to see Believers in every tribe and this requires some of them to be away from their children for months at a time. Our school was founded and functions to provide a safe and loving environment for their kids while they are getting a good education. Despite their separation, I’ve rarely seen more tightly knit families than those of the children that attend school here.

The grade school children performed “The First Leon.” This was a story about a little boy who became interested in the Christmas story when he realized that his name spelled backwards was “Noel”. Besides the typical Nativity scene there was a challenge by young Leon to make room in our hearts and lives for Jesus. They high school choir sang several numbers as part of the performance.

Tuesday and Wednesday were filled with races, relays and even an egg toss! Some kids came out of that one looking very slimy. It was a great way to rejoice that the tests and home work were over. Smiles and laughter filled the air. It is good to have fun together.