The Son & the Sand Newsletter
November Edition 2003
A Chance to Say Thank You
Today, Thea and I will depart for Georgia. We’ll spend the day with Scott (my brother) and Dixie tomorrow. Then we will be making our way over to North Alabama for a ten-year high school class reunion on Saturday. I’ll also be sharing about missions and missionaries with a group of boys and young men in Rome, Georgia. Then on Sunday I will go to church with all of the Macedonia Baptist church members that helped us in the children’s village at the 2003 Shrimp Festival in October.
So why am I giving you all of these travel plans? Just to say I am grateful for this weekend and I am grateful for our readers. This weekend will be a great way to say thank you to so many people that have given us encouragement and support. I wish we could visit with each of our prayer supporters personally and show our gratitude for their love. We want to thank you (yes, you reading this November newsletter right now) for the impact you have made and are making in our lives.
Here’s our weekend thank you list:
Thank You – Scott and Dixie for being a great brother and sister-in-law, and for the exciting news that in just a few months, Thea and I are going to be Aunt Thea and Uncle Jeff thanks to you two.
Thank You – Gaston High School class of 2003 for all of the great memories, big laughs, and lifelong friendships.
Thank You – Churches and children of the Floyd County Baptist Association in Rome, Georgia. It’s churches like yours and missions organizations like RAs that enable us to do what we are doing through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and the Cooperative Program.
Thank You – Macedonia Baptist Church for your willingness to get out your comfort zone and be on mission with us in Gulf Shores, AL. The work you have done has opened exciting new doors for the resort ministry staff.
One more thank you, although it has nothing to do with my weekend plans. Thank you “the Son and the Sand” readers and prayer partners. It would truly be impossible for us to be involved in the work and ministry that we do if it were not for you encouragement.
Looking Back – All in October
Snowbirds, snowbirds, and more snowbirds – it’s hard to believe it, but the early birds have arrived. We are excited to see them, and we are looking forward to a wonderful season in 2003 / 2004 with our dear friends.
I took part in a mission conference in the Spokane, Washington area. The week was filled with new friendships, encouragement, and a great appreciation for the beautiful places and loving people of the Northwest.
The congregations have grown this month at the resort worship services as a result of our many long-term snowbird visitors.
Our BCM meetings at Faulkner State Community College have continued to go well. Special thanks to Rich, Amanda, and Evan for their leadership.
October 9-13 Macedonia Baptist Church Mission Trip – a great weekend of opportunities, hard work, and lots of fun at the Shrimp Festival
October 20-21 An excellent 2003 annual meeting for the Baldwin Baptist Association
This Month – What’s Ahead in November & Prayer Requests
Pray for the many travelers as they continue to make their journey south in the coming months. Pray that God would continue to use retired volunteers to partner with us in reaching the gulf coast this winter with the gospel.
We’ve rescheduled our BCM habitat humanity project for November 8th. Contact me if you’d like to take part in this local mission project (you don’t have to be a college student to help).
Betty Glasscock and Margaret Juehl, our gulf state park music leaders, have arrived. No more Jeff struggling through the musical portion of our resort worship services. Ha ha. We are excited to have our friends, Betty and Margaret, back in the park. Pray for them as they point others to Christ through music this snowbird season.
Our annual Snowbird Thanksgiving Dinner at the Gulf State Park Campground November 23rd. Let me know if you’d like to join us for this special celebration.
Our upcoming vacation / visit with our great friend and brother in Christ, Brad Lartigue. Brad is a resort minister in Big Sky, Montana. If you’d like to learn more about Brad’s ongoing resort ministry at Big Sky and Yellowstone National Park visit: http://pages.prodigy.net/brad_lartigue Like us, Brad is always looking for volunteer mission teams and summer missionaries to make an impact in the resort area where he is serving.
Ongoing seminary courses at the NOBTS extension center in Pensacola, FL.
One Last Thing
Even in the most impossible situations, God is able. Jesus shared this concept with his disciples to help them understanding God’s ways. May it be an encouragement to you today as you seek to accomplish a seemingly impossible task.
…all things are possible with God. Mark 10:27
