Quotable Quotes

I have heard some really great quotes lately by different preachers:

"You can't get more aller than all" - Robert Taylor

"I wonder if devil worshippers always hear, 'You people in the church of Satan think you're the only ones going to hell!'?" - Kieth Mosher

"I love Goodwill! It's the only place where you can get a 1970's suit for a dollar!" - Chance Blackmer

More later.....................

Final Exams!

This picture depicts about how I feel right now. We have our final exams this week and my poor head is spinning! Not just from all the studies that I have been doing, but also from the fact that my first quarter is already over! I can't believe how fast everything is going. Lots of people have told me this would be the fastest two years of my life. If this first quarter is any indication, I do believe they're right! God bless! - Troy

A Feast of the Word

One of the things I have really enjoyed about being in Bible School is the opportunity to attend Gospel meetings and Lectureships. We just returned from the 10th Annual Lubbock Lectureships hosted by the Southside church of Christ. What an incredible feast of God's Word! There were several outstanding speakers and I had the opportunity to meet many of them, as well as, many brethren from all over the country. The subject was "Your Adversary the Devil." It was a thoroughly interesting topic to study and the speakers did an outstanding job in their preparation and delivery of their lessons. Next month we have the opportunity to attend the Shertz Lectureship for a couple of days.
This picture is of a classroom in the Institute of Theological and Cultural Studies that I visited while in El Salvador. It is interesting to me to know that there are preacher's schools in all parts of the world that are learning the same things that we are here, just in different languages!

Thank you for your thoughtfulness!

We have received a ton of cards, emails, and calls from our brethren in Florida wishing Andrea and me a happy anniversary. We can't begin to tell you how much we appreciate the thoughtfulness! Of course, it did make us miss home even more! God bless you all!

Congratulations Andrea!

Andrea has been offered a job and has accepted a position with The American Lung Association here in Austin, Texas! We are really excited about it because it is an organization that she is familiar with and it will give her an opportunity to get to know the community better. Andrea really loves her kind of work as an event planner and coordinator. I think she is really good at it, myself. We are also very thankful that God has provided this opportunity because it gives us a little more stability while we are attending Bible school. If you get a chance, give her a call and tell her congrats! I know she is really happy about this. - This picture is of her with Ambassador Paul Bremer at one of the events she was involved with. Way to go, Andrea!

When in Rome.....

There are so many cultural differences in Paraguay that are new and interesting that one can easily be overwhelmed by the experience. There's the traffic, the language, the signs, the street vendors, and so many other things that contribute to a sensory overload. One of the things that it is truly unique and interesting to Paraguay is the general preference for drinking yerba mate. It seems that everyone in the country drinks it all day and almost everyday. They all carry around a little cup called a guampa, which holds the yerba, and a cooler of ice water. You can see men (and many women) all over the city just sitting around sipping their mate and relaxing.
I snapped this picture of a local Paraguayan man sitting in a street market enjoying his own. Something about him seems very familiar.......

(For those who don't know: this is Chris Fry - American missionary to Paraguay)

High on a mountain...

There is a mountain top that can be seen from the hotel where we stay in El Salvador. It is called Cero Pena de Cayaguanca (there seems to be different spellings). I have had the pleasure to climb it two different times. The first time was when Josh and I went to La Palma and the second time was with Ralph McClurg. Each time we we were lead to the top by a local Peace Corp worker named York.

It is a very steep and tiring climb up a very narrow trail that switchbacks through the forest. The view from the top is amazing as you can see three countries: El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. In fact, the boundary between Honduras and El Salvador bisects the mountain. It was such a great experience! This picture is Josh and me "on top of the mountain."

The Brokedown Blues

My old Ford pickup truck has decided to get 'onry with me for some reason. Maybe it doesn't like Texas (after all, it is painted Miami Dolphin teal), I don't know why. But, I just had to replace the clutch and now it has a miss in the engine! This is getting expensive! Is this where James 1:2-3 comes in??
Well, one of my classmates, Russ Tracy, has been a real friend and helper with my problem. He introduced me to an honest mechanic (yes, they do still exist) and he was even kind enough to let me drive his old Chevy pickup that he just had sitting in the driveway! (pictured above) I must say it is a really cool truck and I get some interesting looks while driving it down the road. It reminds me of that old TV show, Sanford and Sons!
- God Bless!

Point of view......

I have been reading the La Palma, El Salvador blog this week and following the mission team from Missouri that is down there working right now. I feel close to that work and I like to see the updated pictures to see how everyone is doing. It makes me wish I was there! Here are a couple of pictures from when I went with the team last March. It shows the local preacher, Jose Castillo preaching at an evening meeting at someone's home.
The picture below shows what he had do deal with (from my vantage point) while speaking to the people: a puppy curled up at his feet and a chicken walking around! That's concentration!

Knockin' at the door.

Hi ya'll!
We just got back from a campaign in Victoria, TX where we knocked on doors and conducted Bible studies in conjunction with a Gospel Meeting at the Midtown church of Christ. Brother Don Walker from the Shenandoah church of Christ in San Antonio was the speaker for the week.
It was a very successful week with many doors knocked, flyers passed out, and invitations made. There were two baptisms and about 15-20 Bible studies conducted during the 5 days we were there! All the SWSBS students and I are really pumped up right now and are really grateful for the hospitality shown to us by the Midtown congregation.
God bless! - TROY

Here are we Lord, send us!

Andrea and I are excited to report that we have arrived at a decision that we have been thinking and praying about for many weeks now. After much consideration, we have decided to join the work in Asunción, Paraguay, South America. As many of you may know, we have been working with Josh and Cara Blackmer in an effort to form a missionary team to go into the world somewhere to evangelize to the lost. Chris and Vickie Fry have invited all of us to come join their team in South America, so we are going to begin the application and fund raising process to be able to enter that work. If all goes according to plan, we should be in Paraguay sometime in late 2009 or early 2010. We are really excited about the possibilities and we are thankful for the opportunity that God has blessed us with. We are praying diligently that we are doing this according to God's will. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue through this process!
The picture is from one of our meetings with Chris while we were on our survey trip to Paraguay this past July. - TROY

A Day in the Life of.........

Hi friends! I have had several people asking me what it is like at school so I thought I would describe a day in the life of a 1st year student at SWSBS:
We start the day by setting up our desks with our laptops, printers, and subject notebooks. On MWF, our first class is Hermeneutics, and then we have Matthew. These classes are followed by a chapel service where the students lead singing, pray, and give a devotional for the rest of the students. Sometimes a faculty member will give the devotional. Afterwards, we return to class for Personal Skills Development, then we break for lunch. After lunch are Exodus, Mark, and Christian Doctrine. Tuesdays and Thursdays we take Genesis, Intro to the Old and New Testaments, and Bible Geography. Each of our Bible book classes start with a memory verse that we have to recite for roll call; that’s 11 memory verses per week! Right after school we usually work on our notebooks or class assignments before going home. Once home, I usually grab a quick snack and then retreat to my office where I study, write, or read my homework and class assignments until bedtime.

All of the classes include LOTS of note taking. Depending on the class, I will take notes by hand or on my laptop. Many times, I’m also taking notes in my Bible. In addition, we are required to complete “Quarterly Work” which is work assigned to us that has to be completed by the end of the quarter. We can work on it when we like, but there is so much of it that it demands we work on it almost everyday. These are things like outlining the entire Bible book(s) that we are studying that quarter, marking up geography maps, reading several books, writing sermon outlines, completing class notebooks containing everything for that class, and a research paper.

With all that said, let me add this: I love this school! Being in God’s Word everyday, all day is amazing, rewarding, fulfilling, and encouraging! Thank you to everyone who is supporting me and helping me to be here! God bless you!

Class Photo

Have you ever seen a more studious looking group?

Matthew 6:25-34 "Do not worry..."

Without the support of many wonderful and kind brethren within the Lord’s Kingdom, it would not be possible for Andrea and me to attend preacher’s school. When we left to come to Austin, we had still not raised the amount of support that we needed in order to be able to cover our living costs. However, we stepped out on faith with what we had raised, believing that God would provide the rest. Well, wouldn’t you know that within two weeks of arriving here, we received calls from several congregations that had heard of our need and offered their support! We have now reached our goal! God is so good! If we can, we are going to try to raise a little more support so Andrea doesn’t have to work very much. The reason for this is because she has decided to take several of the classes at SWSBS also! She has signed up for and is taking Bible Geography, Hermeneutics, and Christian Doctrine. She also has a “Preacher’s Wives” class on Monday nights. We’re having fun helping each other with our memory verses and our homework! Please continue to pray for us!

OUR MONTHLY SUPPORTERS:

Avondale church of Christ, Decatur, GA - $200.00

Birdville church of Christ, Haltom City, TX - $200.00

Buda/Kyle church of Christ, Buda, TX - $200.00

Central Avenue church of Christ, Valdosta, GA - $160.00

Dripping Springs church of Christ, Dripping Springs, TX - $200.00

Hwy 95 church of Christ, Taylor, TX - $200.00

Palm Beach Lakes church of Christ, WPB, FL - $600.00

Portland church of Christ, Portland, TX - $300.00

Roanoke church of Christ, Roanoke, TX - $200.00

Schertz church of Christ, Schertz, TX - $150.00

Suncoast church of Christ, Lake Worth, FL – textbook expenses

Whew! Are you serious?

Ever since I started school on Monday, everyone keeps asking me, "So, what do you think? Can you handle it?" The reason they ask is because the course load is very difficult and my fellow students are wondering how I will react. Many of them have told me their horror stories about being in complete shock when they first began classes. I guess they can sense the "deer in the headlight" look that all of us 1st year students must be exuding. Well, I must say after my first week, it is definitely going to be a lot of hard work, but I think I can handle it just fine.
Here is an example of what I have to complete by Tuesday: 8 Bible memory verses, 8 Bible chapter outlines from Genesis, Exodus, Matthew, and Mark, read several chapters in Hermeneutics, complete marking four or five Bible land maps, memorize the Old Testament books in order, and prepare sermon outlines. Somewhere in there I have to fit in preaching this weekend and, oh yes, get some sleep. Whew! Are you serious?