Skip to main content

Home for the Holidays

Day after Christmas in Virginia

Christmas Eve found me in Brazil hurrying about to get things in order to catch a plane with my missionary man to make it to Christmas dinner with extended family in North Carolina on time!  I'm not sure what time everyone planned on eating, but I think we made it at just the right hour.

The day after Christmas Byron spoke at a nearby church and then we hurried up to Virginia to my parents with some of the North Carolina gang coming up the next day to see my brother and family.  All in all those first couple of days were rushed, but very good!

Our trip was not a furlough, but we did work hard to see as many of our Piedmont Triad churches as possible and some friends.  Our plans were complicated by four snowfalls and an Omicron surge.  Several churches we had hoped to stop in for a visit were just not having all their "old normal" weekly services.  



One of the main reasons for our holiday trip was to see our family up close and in person.  We did our best to do just that.




I did not take nearly enough photos, but I did try to focus on each moment with our sons, daughters-in-love, parents, and grandchildren.

In this crazy "new era" of "post-corona," it's hard to say what will become of international travel over the days and years to come.  We decided it was a good time to go, we braved the complications, tests and what all, and we were very happy.

The shortness of our venture allowed for us to cover our bases somewhat on the mission field while gone.  Tomorrow we head out for a two-day trip interior.  Not sure if I'm ready, but I will go with pleasant thoughts and a sweet happiness in my heart.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My Promise Verse

Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take:  when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. This verse has been a favorite of mine since I was a teenager. When I was a high school senior at a Christian school in Virginia, Job 23:10 was chosen as our class theme verse. At our graduation commencement, the valedictorian and saludatorian in their addresses that day divided the verse in its two natural parts as a basis for the core of each one's address. I was the salutatorian of my senior class that year.  I chose to speak of how God would one day reward our faithfulness and thus, we should always strive to remain true. For many years though, the first part of the verse haunted me in a way. As a missionary especially when times were lonely or difficult, I assumed it was my "trial" or "test," and as such must be accepted in all humility. As I have grown older, I have begun to look more toward the pearly gates and have reconsidered the thr...

Old Film, Same Message

A missionary colleague recently uploaded some old films made about the work in Brazil by Baptist Mid-Missions many years ago in the 1950's. Yesterday I was able to watch the first of the series.  All I can say is "Wow!  Things haven't changed much in Brazil.  And things haven't changed too much with the work of missions in Brazil either!" There are still donkey carts in the street.  They have better wheels nowadays! There are still people who live in grass huts and high apartment buildings, too. Bicycles are still many people's only means of transportation, if they are that lucky! Many roads in the interior towns are still paved with cobblestones, if they are paved at all. And yes, chickens are everywhere, even in big cities. Brazil still needs missionaries! That's right, Brazil is not evangelized and in no need of foreign missionaries today.  It still needs workers to spread the Good News of the Gospel and the Risen Saviour!  Sadly that part of t...

Motorcycle Adventure

  This past month, Byron and I traveled by motorcycle to meet up with one of our boys and his wife arriving from the USA.  Several times along the route we weren't sure if we would make it.  Somehow God protected us inspite of ourselves. Watch the video made with my grandchildren in mind to see and hear the whole story.