Travel, Tsunami, etc.

Once again, I've waited too long to post news about my exciting life. Here are a few tidbits.

Tamara and I have been working hard to plan our wedding. It's scheduled for 7:00 pm, July 23, in West Fork, Arkansas (Tamara's home town, just south of Fayetteville, in the Ozark Mountains).

The ministry in Tuscola is still going well. A few weeks ago, we hosted a combined worship and fellowship meal, where three congregations came together to celebrate our unity in Christ. God is doing some amazing things in South Taylor County. Hopefully I will soon post the article I wrote about the event for the local newspaper.

Tamara and I covered about 2,000 miles to visit our families during the Christmas season. We went to West Fork on December 20 to spend a few days with her family. Then we drove to my grandparents' house in Midland, Texas, on the 26th (after worshiping with the North Street Church of Christ in Fayetteville, where Tamara's mother works, and eating breakfast). On the 29th, we joined my parents for a van trip to Pampa, where my older brother, Mike, and his wife and son, Bobbie and Timothy, now live in my late grandma's house. My younger brother, Mark, and his wife, Kendra, met us there on their way to visit her family in Colorado. My parents, Tamara, and I returned to Midland on New Year's Eve. My parents went on home to Imperial after dinner with my grandparents, leaving Tamara and me to party with Granny and Papa (ha, ha). Tamara and I returned to Abilene on New Year's Day.

Randy Uthe spoke for the Tuscola Church of Christ in my absence on December 26. He's my friend and former classmate, a pediatric RN who is now pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at ACU, and a medical advisor for a humanitarian relief organization called Healing Hands International . He did a splendid job as my substitute.

Christmas weekend, an earthquake and consequent tsunami shattered much of South and Southeast Asia. I'll spare you the details because I'm sure your heard plenty about the tragic event, which has been called the biggest natural disaster in centuries. As soon as I heard about the destruction, I wanted to be there and to help in any way possible. My experience and relationships in Southeast Asia made my heart especially heavy upon hearing the news. I was pleased to learn that Randy Uthe (mentioned above) was planning a trip to the area to distribute medical supplies and food, to encourage the people there, and to relieve some of the ministers and preacher school teachers of a few responsibilities while they minister to their hurting people. My sermon this Sunday morning mentioned passages about having active compassion for the hurting and broken and about giving financially to assist the needy and brought those passages to bear on the tsunami crisis, urging the congregation to financially contribute to the victims and those ministering to them. This coming Sunday, we plan to have a special collection that will go to Healing Hands--and especially Randy Uthe--to support the work they're doing to be the hands and feet of Jesus for a region in desperate need of hope. May God be glorified!

Randy's work with Healing Hands is purely voluntary, as is most of the work done through that organization. If you would like to send encouraging words or financial support to him, you may use this mailing address:

Randy Uthe
Healing Hands International
949 S. Judge Ely Blvd.
Abilene, TX 79602

With Randy's permission, I hope to post some of his mission reports here soon. Until then, pray hard and enjoy life.