The church in the Darien Jungle of Panama

I find it simply amazing that the Lord's church can be found anywhere. When I say anywhere I really mean anywhere. Take the church that is deep in the heart of the Darien Jungle of Panama. There is only one road (partially paved) that dead ends about 50 miles from Colombia. Along this route, one can find several congregations meeting in the various towns along the way.
This picture is of the congregation (and some missionaries) meeting in Sanson.
It is really heart warming to worship with brethren that believe the same thing as you, even though they speak a different language. I can't help but think about how excited Paul must have felt when he would meet various brethren throughout the regions that he traveled.

Youth Group Road Trip

This past weekend we had the privilege of taking the Dripping Springs Youth Group on a road trip to Glen Rose, TX where we checked out dinosaur tracks and fossils. We all had such a great time getting to know each other and many new friendships were made. We worshiped at the Poolville church of Christ and developed more friendships there. The weekend came to a close with one of the young ladies being baptized. God was glorified this past weekend and the spiritual lives of many young (and older) people were lifted. We are truly blessed.............

"That Old Time Religion"

I love old church buildings. I have been in and around church buildings my whole life. But, the really old ones fascinate me. I often imagine all the families pulling up in a horse and buggy or even in Model T's. All the ladies would have on their big hats and the men in their three piece suits (or their best farmin' clothes). I picture the preacher shouting and wiping his brow from sweating while the church goers fan themselves with the bulletin pages.
Sometimes I wonder what excitement there might have been when a couple of the old time preachers would debate each other some late summer night.
Religion was more important to Americans back in those days. I would like to have seen some of that history with my own eyes. But, at least for now, I can look at the old church buildings.

Andrea gets all the good shots

Look at this great picture! Andrea snapped this as we were driving through a state park. The deer just stood there posing while Andrea looked through her viewfinder! Why won't they do that when I am looking through my viewfinder (scope)?

Keep Andrea in your prayers, please

Andrea is my best friend. She has been my best friend for many years now. You would think after all these years I would finally figure out why she still has anything to do with me, but I haven't.
That's what truly makes a friend - when someone knows all your secrets and quirks, but still likes you anyway!
Andrea helped save my soul. She was patient with me as I slowly built my faith in God by following her example. I will be eternally grateful to her for that (literally)!
Everyone who knows her knows how special she is. Right now, she needs our prayers. Please keep her in your thoughts.
(This picture is at the County Line BBQ - Andrea is a "foodie" and loves to try out new foods and places to eat!)

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!