Wildflowers everywhere!

I cannot remember the last time I have seen SO many wildflowers! I am amazed at how many there are. I've always known that Texas had lots of bluebonnets (the state flower) but I didn't realize there were so many others. Andrea and I have enjoyed seeing all the different varieties everywhere we drive. As this picture shows, you can see how far they cover. We also pulled over while we were in Florida and snapped these pictures below of Josiah and Vivian picking flowers.

Cute or what?

I thought this was such a cute picture of some cute kids! We get to see them in just a few days.

Paraguay Missions Workshop

Andrea and I just returned from Savannah, TN where we attended the Paraguay Missions Workshop. We were blessed to be able to meet Josh, Cara, and their children there. The workshop was a great success and there were several in attendance. Many came from the different congregations that support the team in Asunción. Josh and Vanessa Hardin were the hosts for the workshop and gave a report of the work from the past year.

One of the highlights of the workshop was a live video conference with the team members in Paraguay. We were able to ask them several questions and make comments. One really funny thing happened. The announcement was made that Enoch and Laura had picked a date for their wedding. With a surprised look on her face, Enoch's mom said, "Oh really? Is that date set in stone?" Enoch was embarrassed and replied, "Mom, stop!" It was hilarious! They had a couple of the local Paraguayan church members on the conference feed with them., too. Overall, it was a great time and we enjoyed meeting the other supporting congregations.
At the end of the workshop there was a little pop quiz and Andrea, Cara, Josh, Mrs. Dye and I all won a little prize for answering the questions!
Brethren, please pray for this work and for our continued plans for entering this mission field. God bless! - TS

Oh, Deer!

Those are the words you might say as one of these beautiful creatures steps out in front of your car! That's exactly what happened to Andrea Friday night. Everybody has been warning us to be careful on these back roads around here and we've been keeping our eyes peeled. But Andrea hit her first deer on a residential street! She said it came out of nowhere and it was just suddenly there. She was really fortunate because it only broke her headlight lens and put a small dent in the hood. Many times these accidents cause thousands of dollars of damage. Now if we could just do something to help her heartrate............

Mission Preparation

How exciting was the news about Josh and Cara being given the opportunity to go out and raise support for their mission plans?! We are excited for them!
A lot is happening in these next few weeks as related to our mission work plans. Next weekend, we are going to Tennessee for a Paraguay Missions Workshop. The following week I will be presenting our plans to a local congregation. After that, on April 26, we are meeting Robert and Mary Martin to discuss mission strategy and other missionary related information. From there, we are driving down to West Palm Beach to visit with our family and friends. As soon as I get home, I have to start my 4th Qtr at SWSBS. Whew! Can someone say, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" We're looking forward to it!
This picture is of a Jaca fruit we saw in the mercado in Paraguay. It was real spikey. No idea what it tastes like - it was too scary looking to try!