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July 2009

    Hi from America.  We are happy to be back and were able to see great fireworks in Hackensack, New Jersey, at a park not far from where we were staying.  I was able to witness to two ladies and give the plan of salvation clearly—one Jewish and one already saved though not strong in the Lord.  Everywhere you go, people need the Lord.  I think the main thing of evangelism is to get prepared to witness, pray, and be available to God. Get yourself out of the way and open your mouth—the hardest part is getting started.  
    If you did not get all the details of our trip and want a long read, just let me know.  We had a faith- proving trip and saw God’s hand taking care of us all along the way.  That is a beautiful song—“God is too wise to make mistakes.  God is too good to be unkind.  When you can’t see His hand, when you can’t see His plan, when you don’t understand, trust His heart.”  
    Our trip started when two days before leaving, Dan cut off his left thumb at the base of the nail with a table saw.  Men do play with dangerous toys.  There were no facilities to sew it back on in all of the country, and we did not feel we could separate to get him to Paris in that amount of time.  After going to five different clinics and even the main hospital, we got a bone surgeon who sewed it up.  His advice was “Give him some Advil.”  Right.  Dan was in some serious pain, but I had some Tylenol Codeine left by my brother, and that worked great.  Praise the Lord no infection set in! I was able to get the stitches out and just two days ago got out the rest of the packing material that the surgeon had put in and not even told me to get out.  A physician’s assistant in another church saw it and said, “That is packing and needs to come out.”  End of that story is that the thumb is doing great and is healing well.  Thank you for all your prayers.  That is another reason Heaven will be more dear, “Sweetie, you will get your thumb back.”  
    If you want to hear about the left luggage, just ask—it has just arrived at JFK and great friends are driving it over here to Detroit for us.   Many of us have been travelling with only one pair of clothes—but God has been providing and taking care of us.  
    We were able to spend three weeks in Europe in the month of June, showing the kids some of where America started.  We rode enough of the trains, buses, and subways to last a lifetime.  One time we got on the subway and were taking off and looked out the window to see Isaiah still standing on the platform.  Dan was able to go back and get him.   The little ones were tired and thought that was all we did—ride around and arrive back to the same place—smile.  We had great family times, saw most of what we wanted to see, went to Spurgeon’s church (which is going strong and growing), stayed very tired, saw old friends, and lived on the edge of what God had next for us.
      Europe is truly the darkest continent we have visited.  Seth and I would just start singing, “People Need the Lord.”  We witnessed and gave out tracts at every opportunity.  Sometimes I was so tired and just wanted to keep quiet.  The verse about Jesus being filled with compassion when He saw the multitudes as sheep having no shepherd came to me over and over.  We had many meaningful conversations, went through the Evangicube, and followed up with a tract.  I pray for those people to get saved.  
    Now we are in Troy, Michigan, with Dan’s parents.  We have already had wonderful times of renewing friendships.  God continues to go before us, taking care of us every step of the way.  Just last night Isaiah came down with malaria, always a threat when we get too tired; but I have the medicine for that, and he is sleeping peacefully right now.  Hannah just had her bottom wisdom-teeth extracted and is doing well.  Dan has found a nice 15-passenger van for $2500.  We leave here next Thursday, and then the travels begin.  I will not give a list, but we are travelling up and down the East Coast, being in one place an average of two weeks at a time—imagine that for a year.  Pray for safe travelling.  The kids ride well—though we have just started out.  This will be a fun, challenging, and tiring year.  We are looking forward to seeing you.  Pray that the Lord will use us to witness to and encourage others, and that we will grow in the Lord through it all.  

Love in Christ,

Dan and Joan

Baptist World Mission                                    Stateside phone:
PO Box 2149                                                   (336) 306-8080  
Decatur, AL 35602-2149
(256) 353-