BBTI

The end of next week I will be heading to Texas for nine months of training at Baptist Bible Translators Institute. Your prayers will be greatly appreciated during this time.

Camp BIMI

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend Camp BIMI with a couple of friends from my church. Camp BIMI is for those who are seeking God's will concerning missions. We had a wonderful week and it is really hard to put into words what we experienced. It was just what I needed.

In the mornings we had sessions similar to college classes. Every session was taught by a different missionary so we were able to learn from many different experiences and life in different cultures. In the afternoons, we had an activity and choir practice.

Following dinner, we had the evening service. In the evening services, each one shared his or her testimony and where they were at concerning missions. We also heard a presentation each evening from the different BIMI directors and the fields they represent.

It was such an encouraging week. We were around some amazing missionaries that have been greatly used by God. One thing that I appreciated was their openness and humility. We were allowed to ask them any questions that we wanted. They were very down to earth and sought to be an encouragement to each one of us in whatever way they could.

Seth & Lauren - May 19, 2012

Happy Mother's Day!

~Author Unknown

The young mother set her foot on the path of life.

“Is this the long way?” she asked.

And the guide said:  “Yes, and the way is hard, and you will be old before you reach the end of it, but the end will be better than the beginning.”

But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years.

So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and the sun shown on them and the young Mother cried, “Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.”

Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, “Mother we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come.”

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary.  But at all times she said to the children, “A little patience and we are there.”  So the children climbed, and when they reached the top they said, “Mother, we could not have done it without you.”

And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the stars and said,  “This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness.  Yesterday I gave them courage.  Today I have given them strength.”

And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said, “Look up. Lift your eyes to the light.”  And the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the darkness.  And that night the Mother said,  “This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God.”

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent.  But her children were tall and strong and walked with courage.  And when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond they could see a shining road and the golden gates flung wide.  And the mother said, “I have reached the end of my journey.  And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them.”

And the children said, “You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates.”  And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her.  And they said, “We cannot see her, but she is with us still.  A mother like ours is more than a memory.  She is a living presence.”

Your Mother is always with you.  She’s the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street, she’s the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks, she’s the cool hand on your brow when you’re not well.  Your Mother lives inside your laughter and she’s crystallized in every teardrop.

She’s the place you came from, your first home; and she’s the map you follow with every step you take.  She’s your first love and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can separate you… Not time… Not space… Not even death.  Thank the Lord for the gift of her in your life.

Josiah & Jena Engagement Pictures