Painting Word Pictures

When I landed at the Boise airport last Friday, Gene and Lilas Cooper and Eunice Guerrant were there to greet me with smiling faces and a warm meal. My time at Treasure Valley Baptist Church in Ontario, Oregon, was truly wonderful. What a blessing to meet a generation of faithful believers who have been giving to my parents' ministry for nearly 30 years!

On Saturday, I shared my testimony at a Women's Luncheon besides enjoying the most delicious salads west of the Mississippi. They were very attentive and even played along with my quiz game. Sunday the whole Sunday school hour was mine. My "lesson" was about the 3 Major Life Lessons I'd learned along my journey to becoming a missionary. The pastor jumped right in and quizzed everyone afterwards, which was fun. Then in church, I had 15 minuted to give a brief Introduction on my ministry and give an appeal for partners, both in prayer and in giving.

The surprising element in both of those presentations was that I wasn't able to rely at all on the powerpoint presentations I'd created or the video I'd managed to swipe off of WorldVenture. No computer/projector/set-up whatsoever. But I like what Pastor Chuck said: "She's going to paint some word pictures for us today."

You can all imagine what the potluck was like at a small-town, almost country church: creamy enchiladas, cheezy casseroles, freshly baked buns that practially slid down your throat, not to mention the rich lemon pie with my ever-favorite Cool Whip! There was a short Q&A session, and after that, I rolled back to the Coopers. Once we had recovered from our food comas, we were back at church for a very meaningful prayer time that was extremely encouraging to me, and I didn't even know any of the names I prayed for!

I want so badly to be able to post pictures. I hope tomorrow to locate a Target or Walmart and perhaps buy a new digital camera.

Today, Gene and Lilas drove me back to the Boise airport where I caught my flight to Portland (with a layover in Salt Lake City in the opposite direction - go figure). Tomorrow I pick up a WorldVenture car and have lunch and dinner with some old friends. Thanks for all your prayers so far!