God Bless America

July came in fast and furious.  The end of June found us still waiting to hear if the team from Clarke County, AL would be able to work at the rodeo.  We had not heard anything definite.  On Friday, June 28, we got an email explaining what the rodeo association would like us to do.  It was an answered prayer and, again, right on time.  Lee met with our contact Saturday and got the full scoop.  The Bakers arrived on Thursday, the Nelsons arrived on Saturday, and the Greens arrived on Sunday.  While walking around town earlier in the week, Lee had noticed signs asking people in the community to come and help clean up downtown Monday morning before the parades and rodeo started on Tuesday.  So after church on Sunday morning at the Rock in Laurel, we all got up early Monday morning with our Legacy t-shirts on, brooms and window cleaner in hand, and headed to Broadway (the main street in town).  We worked from 8-10 helping get the streets and shops ready for the big holiday crowd.  Broadway had been under construction ever since we moved in last month, so everything was dusty.  The shop owners and people with the Chamber of Commerce were amazed that we would come down and help.  It was a great first impression of Legacy of Faith with the town.

At 10, we went up to the rodeo arena.  We helped hang banners around the arena and stuffed the programs for all three nights.  We were told that what we helped with and were able to finish is about 3 hours normally took them all day.  Many hands make light work!

 

The rodeo was July 2,3,and 4.  Each day there is a parade downtown at noon.  Some from the group helped each day with  traffic control at the parade.  Then we would be at the rodeo and hour before it started.  Some would help in the concession stand, some would sell programs, and some would clean bathrooms.  We all took turns helping in different areas, and everyone had a chance to watch the rodeo, too.  The rodeo association members were so kind and generous.  It was a great experience and we hope to be allowed to help out every year.

Clarke Baptist was a great group!  The Lord really used them to minister here.  They are welcome back anytime!

What Time is It? Summertime!

The first week of June we found ourselves in a new home with lots of boxes! We began to unpack and give away or burn all the boxes. (That was my request - we had kept boxes from previous moves and I was ready to be rid of boxes) The first part of the week, Maggie traveled to Churchill, MT for summer missionary orientation. She is working with the North American Mission Board this summer as a summer missionary in Red Lodge. So she enjoyed getting to meet other college students who will be working in the state this summer. The second week of June, we had been asked to help with the community Vacation Bible School in town. Maggie, Caroline, and I helped and Colleen and Abigail participated. It was a fun week of getting to know new people and enjoying VBS.

On Thursday, June 13, Mama and Daddy flew in to help us settle in. With Lee still unable to do much, they were a great help to us. On Saturday, June 15, a mission team from First Baptist Church, Starkville, MS flew in. Our dear friends, Tom and Dinah Jenkins, led the team. Tom was my youth director at Agricola Baptist Church years ago when I was a youth. They brought a precious team of families from their church. They painted the back rooms at the Legacy Lodge and build 10 sets of bunk beds. It was a lot of fun to have them here. Abigail especially enjoyed playing with all the children they brought.

On Wednesday, I took Mama, Daddy, and Caroline to the airport in Billings. They flew back to Mississippi, packed on Thursday, and on Friday flew to Romania. The Starkville team flew out on Friday and Lee went back to the doctor. He had had a MRI on Wednesday and did, indeed, have a bulging disc. He decided to have another round of steroids and start physical therapy. Colleen and Abigail attended a community Art Camp the last week of June. They had a great time.

On Wednesday, June 26, a mission team from Wayne County, Mississippi drove up. They worked here at our house finishing two rooms that were unfinished. The ladies on the team painted our mud room and the men hung sheetrock in our laundry room. They also installed an ice maker in our refrigerator. For those of you who have to fill ice trays, you know how wonderful an ice maker is! It was a joy to get to know them and have them here for a few days.

And so, June came and went quickly! July promises to be just as exciting.

On the Road Again (to Montana)

On Sunday, May 19, Lee preached at Ingalls Avenue Baptist Church in Pascagoula, MS. Next, we headed to Providence Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, MS, for my brother-in-law, David Williamson's graduation reception. He recently graduated from Southwestern Seminary with his Doctorate. Finally, we headed to Thomasville, AL to Thomasville Baptist Church where we spoke to their mission team that is coming out this summer and Lee preached their P.M. service. Our day ended in Grove Hill, AL, where we spoke to their mission team that will be working at the rodeo. It was a whirlwind day! Monday we tried to pack everything up and Tuesday we flew home - this time with no problems! We had a couple of days to pack, and then our wonderful mission team from Hattiesburg, MS came to help us move. Mr. Rickey and Mrs. Gay Nicholas and their nephew, Shawn, flew in on Friday. We got the moving truck on Saturday and began loading it, with the help of Mike Ungaretti and Rob and Allison Labs, all from our church in Livingston. We finished packing the truck Saturday night. Sunday, May 26, was our last Sunday with Cornerstone Community Fellowship in Livingston. Lee shared about our work in Red Lodge, they had a special prayer for us, and lunch at the church. It was a special time with those sweet folks who were our first church home in Montana. One thing I left out was that Lee had been having back problems for a few months before we went south. While in Mississippi, he saw a friend of ours who was a chiropractor a few times. But he was still having pain. He was unable to help any while we were packing boxes or loading the truck to move. That's why our dear friends who helped us really were life savers. Also, the whole time we were down south, we were working with the bank to finalize the loan on the house we were buying in Red Lodge. It seemed at every turn there were obstacles. We even wondered if we would have to rent a while until we could find something. The strange thing was - no one could explain why we were having these problems. So we flew home on Tuesday, closed on the house on Friday, and moved in on Monday. God's timing is always right on! So, Monday, May 27, Memorial Day, exactly one year to the day of when we left our friends and family in Alabama, we pulled out from our rental house in Livingston and headed to our new home in Red Lodge. As we began to unload the truck, Lee continued to get worse. Now he could hardly stand, much less walk. A friend from the Rock Church in Laurel, MT, Kevin Kaiserman, came down to help us unload the truck. Once it was unloaded, Lee told me to take him to the Emergency Room. What a way to start our lives here in Red Lodge! I took him to the ER, and Mrs. Gay took care of the family. They gave Lee some strong pain medication, and he basically lost a week of his life! He was in the bed the entire next week, and mostly didn't know anything. Again, the Nicholas' helped tremendously. On Friday, May 31, Lee went to see our local doctor and he seemed to think he had a bulging disc in his lower back. He gave him a round of steroids and sent him home.

Graduation Pictures