An Exhausting Week at Camp

Well, I just completed my first youth camp experience. Whew! Am I tired! We had a great week with about 160+ kids in attendance and it wasn't too hot during the day. No one got hurt, but there were some hearts pricked. There are now 5 more precious souls added to the Book of Life. Many great lessons were presented and the spirit of the camp was a very uplifting one.
Please pray for the new babes in Christ and all those that attended that they will take the things they learned and apply them to their lives.

Wait for meeeee!!!

What a photograph! This was snapped by the professional photographer at the Prom Alternative. He took it when he was set up to take a picture of the Dripping Springs church of Christ youth group. Apparently, Josh Moore wanted in the picture too!

Youth Prom Alternative

Last weekend we helped host a "Prom Alternative" for the youth of Dripping Springs, Southwest, Buda/Kyle, and University churches of Christ. We started out with a wonderful dinner at an Italian restaurant, then went to the church building for dessert and entertainment. It was a great success thanks to the help of many people. It was a lot of fun and the young people told us they had a good time!

Gone fishing

When Andrea and I went back home last month, I got to spend some time fishing with my buddies. Josh caught this nice size large mouth bass while we were out in the woods.

Josh and I enjoy each other's company and we're both looking forward to fishing together when we get to Paraguay - as fishers of men.



"And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men." Mark 1:17

A Wealth of Knowledge

A few weeks ago, Josh, Cara, Andrea, and I all met in Atlanta, GA so we could sit down with Robert and Mary Martin. The Martins are missionaries to the South Pacific and have been involved in that work for more than thirty years. They agreed to answer some questions we had in regards to being new missionaries. We received advice and encouragement that was full of wisdom from their many years of experience. Several of the things which they shared with us gave us confirmation about things we had been thinking of. It also opened our eyes to some things we had not considered. We were truly blessed to have this opportunity and to be able to spend time with them. We pray we can apply the knowledge we gained from them as we progress with our plans. Please continue to pray for us! God bless.

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!

Heading back home!

When this picture was taken, it was the last time Andrea and I had been to the beach. We have been in Texas now for eight months and I must tell you, we miss the beach! Even though I am from Texas, I really grew to love Florida. My heart is there. Funny thing is, I never spent much time at the beach when I lived there. But I did like driving by it and strolling on it when I could. Andrea and I are planning a trip back to Florida in May. We're looking forward to seeing our friends and family back home. I think I might squeeze in some time to go to the beach.

Hot off the press!

Wow! We are excited about this!

My dad, Dwayne Spradlin, just had his first book published!

It is the result of several people asking him for a simple "introduction" to the Bible. He wrote it as a short read and to simply present an overview of what the Bible is about. Then, a person could begin their study of the Scriptures with a basic understanding of God's message to man.

I read it in one sitting while eating lunch! It's a great little book.
You can find it at: http://www.ketchpublishing.com/

Way to go, dad!

A touching story and joy of salvation

Here is a wonderful story I just read on the blogsite for the mission work in El Salvador. I have had the privilege of being involved with this fine work. In fact, Josh and I studied with this young lady's mother and her family when we were there.

Ralph McClurg writes:
"The photo shows Debbie and Dea and Jim helping Claudia get out of her wheel chair and take some steps. She will get a therapy evaluation on May 9 with the hopes of getting the therapy she needs to help herself more. We will help her get a better wheel chair and some exercise equipment. Her father has to physically carry her up and down some very long steps when she leaves the house because there is no ramp to wheel her up. Both of her parents are devoted to her."

Then, Ralph revealed this exciting news:
"We were thrilled last night when Claudia, a young lady in a wheel chair who has been studying with Melva, came to the hotel and said she wanted to be baptized. We have helped her previously with funds for physical therapy. She is improving physically, and last night she removed the doubt in her mind about her salvation."

Glory to God!

Shootin' up the country side!

Andrea and I hosted our first youth activities this past weekend! They turned out quite successful and everyone said they had a great time. The boys got together on Saturday and shot trap and skeet and the girls had a "coffee" on Sunday afternoon. We had a blast! (No pun intended) The picture above shows Matthew Jeansen releasing a clay pigeon for the shooter.
One of the boys, Pierce Jordan, was a little shy at first and repeatedly turned down the opportunity to have his turn at shooting. After about an hour of watching everyone else having a great time missing the targets, he finally decided to step up and shoot. Wouldn't you know it, he shot better than anybody there! He hardly ever missed and we really enjoyed watching him come out of his shell! (Again, no pun intended) It was a great day for all and we're now looking forward to many more youth events to come.

Spring is Springing

Now here is something I have not experienced in almost 14 years - Spring! As I was driving home today from school, I started noticing that there were patches of green in places where I haven't seen any in several months. When I got to the house, I noticed our tree in the back yard has sprouted little leaves and flowers.
That's when it dawned on me, I haven't seen this happen since I moved to Florida! As all my friends and family in Florida can tell you, there are only two seasons there: summer, and not summer. You just don't see entire neighborhoods popping out little buds like this.
Speaking of new beginnings, Andrea and I have accepted a "position" as youth workers for the Dripping Springs church of Christ. We are really excited about the opportunity to get to work with the youth there! They have a great bunch of kids and we're hoping to implement a strong activities program for them to be able to grow in. Please pray that this effort will be successful and that God will be glorified in it! - TS