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?

School is in session......

Well, it is hard to believe, but the day that I have been waiting for is finally here! We had our first couple of days at school with orientation, class photos, and some entrance exams. I am so thrilled to be here! The director, brother Rick Brumback, said, "Remember this - it is a privilege to be a student here, not a right." I would add, "It is also an honor!"
One test we took was a Bible knowledge exam. The second year students have nicknamed it, "The Humbling Test." They were right, it was very hard! But, when I take it as an exit exam I plan to ace it!
The picture on the right is inside the Dripping Springs church of Christ. Andrea and I placed membership there this past Sunday. God bless! - TROY

One Step Forward and Three Steps Back

Since we don't actually have a physical address in Texas yet, Andrea and I needed a place where we could receive our mail. We decided to go and get a post office box a couple of days ago. However, thanks to Osama bin Laden and/or Global Warming, one can no longer get a post office box without a large amount of unstructured rigamarole. The man behind the counter said, "I'm sorry, but your Florida driver's license with a PO Box address on it will not do. You have to have a Texas driver's license." The man behind the driver's license counter said, "I'm sorry, but you will need to register your vehicles in Texas first." The lady behind the Tax counter said, "I'm sorry, but you have to have your vehicle inspected first." Then, the man at the garage said, "You got insurance?" I said, "Yup." He said, "Texas insurance?" I said, "Nope." So, I called Geico, and the little gecko on the other end of the line said, "So, you got an address in Texas?" I quietly said, "That's what I have actually been trying to do......."

Home New Home

Wow! We made it and we are now set up in a travel trailer on brother Grady Moore's property. Friday we made it to Kelly and Angela's house where we met up with my brother and his family. We had a great time visiting with all of them. We are really thankful for the Blackmer's hospitality. They let my brother hook up his travel trailer while Andrea and I stayed in one of their guest rooms. Yesterday, we worshipped with the brethren at Dripping Springs. We really enjoyed John Moore's preaching and the congregation was very friendly to us. They are a strong congregation with many very nice brethren. We are still trying to get a feel for everything but it's coming to us slowly.

This picture was taken when we stopped to visit the Pamphiles. The kids are getting so big! It was great to see them again.

God Bless! - TROY

Almost There........

Andrea and I have had a safe trip so far and we are now on our last leg of travel. Today we are going to go by and see Cleave and Colleen Pamphile, then we're on to Kelly and Angela Blackmer's home (Josh's parents) in La Grange, TX. Tomorrow we will meet my brother who is bringing a travel trailer that Andrea and I will stay in for a little while until we find a suitable place to rent. Grady Moore, one of the elders at Dripping Springs church of Christ, is letting us put the camper trailer on his property for the time being. We are very thankful for these blessings!

I love this picture. I was looking through some different pictures this morning and came across this one. It was taken during the mission trip that Josh and I took to El Salvador. We had climbed this big mountain and decided to take a break on what we called "Stairmaster Pasture" because it was so steep. We are looking out across the valley to the little pueblos scattered throughout.

So Far So Good....

We're in our new time zone!
We made it to Pensacola last night and worshipped with the congregation in Milton, FL. What a wonderful group of God's children! They were very friendly and warm towards us. One of the families, the Temples, let us stay at their place for the night.
We also stopped by to see Tori Shelley for a few minutes while on the way here. She's doing OK but obviously would rather not have to be in a hospital. She was happy to see Andrea and Andrea was happy to see her!
Today we are going to try to make it to Beaumont, TX.
So far so good...............