Churches in the Baptist Association on St. Thomas met together in one church last night and we attended there. Met several of the pastors' wives and we had a good time of worship together. We rocked the house! Sun. morning we attended Three Sails on the beach and had a long conversation with the worship leader following the service. He shared with us how difficult it is to live here at times, and that marriages are often attacked and threatened. He shared that this is a place to come to where there is great tolerance for many things; he also shared about the feelings of darkness he encounters. I'm grateful that we can encourage one another and hopefully we will get to know some of these folks better.
Will, Teresa and the kids arrive this Saturday!!! Chris Maynard is coming for a visit next week. Can't wait to see some familiar faces from Tupelo!
Learning that some of my kids are from home situations that are much less than ideal. I guess this is true anywhere there are children. Pray that I can get to know the parents better. Some of these kids get picked up by somebody different each day.
Miss all of you!!

Words to a song we sing at Thursday night Bible Study which have been meaningful to me:

Oh, let the Son of God enfold you with His Spirit and His love; let Him fill your heart and satisfy your soul. Oh, let Him have the things that hold you and His Spirit like a dove, will descend upon your life and make you whole.
Oh, come and sing the song with gladness as your hearts are filled with joy; lift your hands in sweet surrender to His name. Oh, give him all your tears and sadness, give Him all your years of pain, and you'll enter into life in Jesus' name.
Jesus, oh Jesus, come and fill your lambs. Jesus, oh Jesus, come and fill your lambs.

Acts 20:24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Just completed reading through Acts. Oh, to be as bold, confident, and persistent as Paul!!

Still on wi-fi in town - very difficult to get computer service at school and the red tape is very long!!
We discovered a church on the beach this past Sunday morning called Three Sails. Very nice people. We met their youth leader who graduated from Auburn about 5 years ago and he reminded of the precious ones in our Sunday School class back home. It was good to find this group of folks to identify with in many ways.
This Sunday we plan to attend the church on St. Thomas which wants to begin an outreach to farmers in that community. Please pray for those doors to open for Dickie.
Hearing good things about revival services at Calvary Tupelo. We sure miss all of you, and are overwhelmingly blessed by the many letters and contacts we receive. It just blows us away and makes us feel very loved and supported!!
Personally, most of my days are going well, but occasionally those ol' tears fall and I get physically homesick. But it passes, and I move on. Following God's leadership is always the right thing to do, but sometimes it leads over rocky roads. Guess that's the only way we can grow and change sometimes. I'm sure I'll look back on this adventure someday and say, "Oh, so that's why He had us go there!!"
A little girl at school who gets on my last nerve writes me the sweetest notes but she can't get her work done! God blesses me through her each day.
Praying for you all!

Computer still on blitz at school, so we can get 15 minutes at a WI-FI spot in town!
Still plugging along at school and liking second grade. Dickie is pretty much full time doing whatever they need and being a disciplinarian when needed. The pastor asked him if he would drain the sewage pump each day, so I'm glad Dickie finished his doctorate before he came down here! It's all about service. We are trying to find out what the needs are, and where we can best fit in. Dickie is still leading Thursday night Bible Study at Calvary and speaking on Sundays in churches when needed. This Sunday we will attend a worship service at Cinnamon Bay on St. John to see what is available for tourists - do some frontrunning before Will and Teresa get here on Oct. 3 (Yay!). We have made aquaintances, but not really friends yet. People here are not exactly what you would call warm and fuzzy. Takes a while to break the ice, get past racial and cultural barriers, etc.
Continue to pray for us as God opens doors for new relationships and opportunities to serve. I still get homesick (especially on weekends) and am working through that as it comes. Is overwhelming at times. Have been reading in Acts about how much of the ministry was encouragement. It seems like that is a large part of what we are doing, and that's OK! Just being open to His leadership and His will for us while we are here. Love and miss all of you!!!!

Well, we made it to September. Still blazing hot here, but we have both lost some weight because of it! It's too hot to eat very much and we drink water constantly, plus we like to walk to town from school some days to get an after-school treat. I'm really glad I was moved from Kindergarten to 2nd. It's still hard, hot work, but the children are well-trained. I pray for and encourage the young Kinder. teacher every day!! I get to teach a 30-minute Bible lesson each morning, and the students are so eager to learn about it - a real highlight of my day!
It's a lot quieter at "The Ranch" without Georgia there. We miss her, but we know she is doing the right thing with her daughter. She did say that there is a possibility she may return after Christmas, depending on her daughter's health.
Talked to Teresa Newcomer last night and they really need someone to rent their house. I told her that if God leads them to stay in Tupelo, then don't feel responsible for us down here. Those were really hard words for me to say. What I really wanted to say is, "You better get yourselves down here as fast as you can!!" Now wouldn't it be a real hoot if God kept them in Tupelo with us planted down here?! I'm believing that He will provide.
Going to write plans for tomorrow.

We had a very busy day today! This morning, we drove over to Coral Bay where Dickie spoke at Calvary Baptist about being a light in this world. We then took the Lukes to eat a sandwich at Cinnamon Bay restaurant and had a good visit with them. He asked Dickie if he would work with a group of 4-5 from his church and teach them how to share their faith with others. As we were leaving, we ran into Pastor Terrence Jones and his wife Sharon from St. Thomas. We had already met him, and she is just precious! He told Dickie about a pastor's meeting on their island next Tues., Sept. 8 so he plans to go there to see what their needs are. We are looking forward to working with Pastor's Conference over there in Oct. Most of the speakers are Southern Baptist Pastors or NAMB employees.
Georgia left today and we will miss her greatly. Good news - she talked like she might come back in Jan. if things are going well with her daughter!
As we work here, we are mentally filing away projects which can be done by people who want to come from Tupelo. Plenty to do here everywhere we look. We are also considering where work groups could stay and it looks like that wouldn't be a problem or financial burden on anyone. The most expensive thing here is food!
I begin my first day tomorrow as a 2nd grade teacher. I'm very excited about that!
Dickie speaking tonight at Cruz Bay Baptist on the ministry of the Spirit in us.

I had no idea that a five-year-old could drive me to tears. I have a Master's Degree in Special Education, have raised 3 sons, and I have no idea what to do with some of these kids. Well, I know what I want to do and what they need, but I am not allowed to do that. Had one young lad get mad at me today and he rolled around on the floor and then proceeded to knock over chairs. There is nowhere to send him. We have a principal but she has to teach 1st grade. What to do?!
Most of these kids are precious. I'm thinking about putting all the ill-behaved ones at one table and just let them go at it! I've heard words you only hear in R-rated movies.
Georgia is leaving on Sunday. We will miss her! It will be Dickie and me in one apartment, and Mr. Riley in the other (below us).
Dickie stayed at the Ranch today to do some work around there. You know what the scouts say: "Leave it better than you found it."
We will go to Calvary Baptist tomorrow night for Bible Study, then Dickie will speak there on Sun. morning. Have talked to a local person about becoming involved in tourist ministry! We need local involvement so the work can be carried on after we leave. Thanks for all your prayers!