Chris & Elizabeth

Our next meeting took place at our supporting church in Beallsville, Ohio.  Pastor Cox and his family have been our friends for years but this was the first time that we were able to go back to the church as a family. It was a blessing to see how the church has grown since I was there last!  A lot of young families have started to attend and are now being discipled.  The Lord has also recently blessed Pastor Cox and his family with a new home which they often use for fellowshipping with the church.  We did this while we were with them and really enjoyed it.  What a blessing to see God’s people caring for each other and having fun.

Pastor Emke and the people at Open Door Baptist Church invited us to come and be a part of their Sunday morning service.  It was neat to be there!  As a young teenager I passed by Open Door Baptist Church many times on my way to visit my Grandma Baran in Jamestown, New York.  Little did I know at the time that someday I would be at that church as a missionary on my way to the Philippines!  It is amazing to see how God works!  The church was very interested in the ministry God has given us and took the time to talk and ask questions.  After the service we enjoyed more fellowship with the pastor and his family at their home.  What a blessing to see yet another faithful church serving the Lord in these last days.  That same Sunday we visited our supporting church in Jamestown, New York for their evening service.  It was wonderful to see Pastor Erickson and Lighthouse Baptist Church again and they were excited to see us with our Abigail!  Traveling can be a little hard on Abbie at times.  Because of our travels, her schedule has to be pretty flexible.  Thankfully she loves meeting new people and sleeping…just about anywhere.  As her parents, we have learned to be very thankful for that!  :-)

We visited Calvary Fellowship Chapel for their Sunday evening service.  Please pray for these folks!  Their pastor, Brother Ryland, just passed away earlier this year after pastoring the church for over fifty years.  He left a wonderful legacy for his people and is greatly missed.  We praise the Lord, the church is still going strong. Though in the midst of change they were happy to have us come and present our burden for the Philippines. It was a blessing to see their heart for missions and also for those who have been called to the mission field. After all the fellowship and fun they let us got through their missions closet.  Elizabeth and I are so thankful for all the wonderful churches we have met in our travels.  The Lord has allowed us to meet so many sweet people!  We pray the Lord brings the right man to the church that will continue to preach the Word and lead the people.