Fear God, and give glory to Him

Hello, everyone!

Dear friends,                                                             Oct. 6, 2008

          Greetings from cool and rainy Missouri!  This morning we (Marcus' cousin Wilbur's family and ours)quickly worked together before breakfast to get the firewood off the trailer and stacked in the little woodshed here at Wilbur’s place.  We had worked hard Saturday afternoon cutting and loading the wood, and were glad to get it all in before the rain came.

          After breakfast Joanna and I piled our 10 children in their big van and went up the road to gather apples at the neighbors.  The older children climbed up in the tree and shook the branches and picked some apples from the ladder, and the rest of us picked up the good ones from the ground.  What a blessing to have plenty of apples for fresh eating, and to make into applesauce!  We had gotten a load last week also – the neighbors are just glad if someone can use them, since they have 4 trees, and didn’t want these.

         Last evening (Sun.) all the families from church were invited to Kevn Stewarts’ place, for a hot dog and marshmallow roast.  Brian Gray is up from Peru now, probably for a few months.  His brother Thomas plans to return to Ohio for a while, and Bro. David is to fly to the Philippines on Wednesday.  Then soon it will be time for us to head back to México, so it was special to all be together yet. 

          Dale and Cindy Lucien were with us yesterday also.  They’ve been attending pretty regularly for a number of months.  They’re good friends of Chris and Kim (David’s sister).  And yesterday Cindy wore a headcovering for the first time – what a blessing to see her take that hard step in obedience! Their 8-yr.-old daughter Katie also had her head covered in the evening.

          Bro. Johnathan Hopper’s mother also began covering her head lately, and dressing modestly.  Now John and Becky are in the Philippines, so we want to do what we can to be family for her.  She has an hour to drive, and doesn’t make it for every service. 

          Marcus has been going to preach with Wilbur and Chris Friday evenings, where they usually go, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  Two weeks ago there was a big motorcycle rally.

             Marcus is busy working for Bro. Chris, who lives just across the field from Wilburs.  He helped Wilbur with his electrical work one day too.  We’ll probably be here with Wilburs another week or so, and then spend some time at the church yet, so Marcus and Brian Gray can work and talk together.

          It’s really been a blessing spending time together with the brethren and sisters.  Living together we just get to know each other so much better, and can encourage each other on.  It’s a good way to “exhort one another daily, and so much the more as [we] see THE DAY approaching.”  We’re getting anxious to get back to our brethren in México too.  Telephones and e-mail help us keep in touch while we are apart.  Lord willing we will be back with them in a couple weeks.

                                      Our love and prayers, Marcus, Monica and five