Greetings from Huntsville, Alabama!
Love Month
February is our annual "Love Month." It was in February that Casey was born (the 5th), that we got married (the 13th), and then Valentine's Day is on the 14th. This is a very fun month for us as we get to enjoy one another and our life together. This year we celebrated our second anniversary and Casey's twenty-third birthday. God has blessed us so much with each other.
Sick
Also this month, we all got sick as did many people around here. Maggie was the first to get it. She had a pretty mild cough and fever that went away in a day or so. Chris was next, and he got very sick. He would wake up in the night shivering with a fever of 103. He was pretty much stuck in bed for about 4 days. After a while, we decided to go to a clinic for him, and he went into shock in the doctor's office and was taken to the emergency room. As it turned out, he just had a viral infection. As he was starting to get a bit better, Casey got it. She was sick in bed for about 3 days. She had a terrible sore throat and headache, also with a high fever. We have both been very tired ever since and are still recovering from it.
Glasses
Chris' eyes have been getting worse lately, and we decided to do something about it. We went to get an eye exam and found out that his sight is so poor that he has been illegally driving. So, we quickly got some glasses for him, and he is much better off now. Needless to say, Casey feels much better about him driving now.
Searcy Trip
On the weekend of the 10th, we went to Searcy, Arkansas to attend an evangelism seminar called "Line of Departure" put on by the Southwest Church of Christ in Amarillo, Texas. It was a very beneficial seminar, and we are glad that we went to it. While in Searcy, we stayed with Chris' grandmother, Ruth Geer. We enjoyed spending time with her and seeing many of our friends at Harding, both teachers and students. We also visited Hillcrest Church of Christ in Paragould and Caleb and Lindsey Bell in Jonesboro.
We happened, or God planned, to be in Searcy on the same weekend as a missionary from India, Craig Phillips and his new wife Teresa (formerly Teresa Cloer). We went out to eat with them, attended a Sunday night meeting in which Craig spoke and were greatly encouraged by the time we spent with them. It was good for us to have a trip back to Searcy as we were able to clear up some final things from our move. It is always encouraging to go to Harding.
Survey Trip
We are beginning plans to go to Cambodia this summer on a survey trip. Our friend and "go-to" man here at Central, Steve Lowery, is planning on going with us, as well as Nathan and Laura Thomas. The main purpose of this trip is for these two to go for the first time, Steve as a representative from Central, and the Thomases to see if they really want to go to Cambodia. We are also looking forward to this trip as an opportunity for us and the Thomases to get to know one another better since we haven't had very much time to spend together. It will be especially helpful since it is the actual field that we are planning to live in together. Please be in prayer for this trip and for the Thomases as they are facing many decisions and uncertainties in their future.
Evangelism
One of our main focuses while we are in Huntsville is to gain experience in personal evangelism. This has been very good, but it is also very stretching as evangelism in the US is quite different than in the third world. We are learning that as missionaries, we are going to have to constantly be on our feet thinking of new ideas and ways to reach people which is what our days mainly consist of now. God is preparing us very well during our time here. We feel Him stretching us and growing us every day. Please be in prayer for us as we learn how to effectively evangelize and influence people.
Maggie's First Word
Maggie is such a joy, as always. During the time when we were first getting sick, Maggie said her first word: "Dada." Of course, we are so proud of her...especially Chris. She said it over and over, at our prompting, so we are sure it wasn't just a chance thing. Our little baby is growing up. That is really exciting and really scary at the same time.
God bless you!
