Christmas in Florida

We left Snowy New York en route to North Carolina to present our ministry at Marshall Baptist Church in Winston Salem.  From there we made our way further south to sunny Sebring Florida.  Amy's parents are preparing to head back to the Mission Field and are packing up their house.  We enjoyed spending Christmas with her brother and his family as well as with her parents.  It may be the last time we are all together in quite a while.
The boys are doing well, though they are on a bit of overload with all the holiday spoiling.  We are back on the road just after New Years heading back North.

In the next few weeks, we hope to have a list of things we will need to gather for our first term in Africa.  We will have to ship them on ahead, so that they will be in country when we arrive from France.  Pray that the Lord gives us wisdom in the planning on what to shop.

On the Road again

We were blessed to be in one of our longtime supporting churches, West Endicott Baptist this last Sunday.  They have been supporting and blessing the Marshall family for many years. 

Back here at Sacandaga, we are preparing to head South.  A winter storm has hit, and we are expected to get 10-12 inches of snow by the time we leave Thursday morning.  Amy took some pictures of the snow storm to share with you.  This one is of the road conditions during the snow, we will post more of the boys sledding in the next couple days.

 Please be in prayer for us as we will be on the road a lot in the next couple days.  We have enjoyed very few mechanical problems thus far, please pray that the van continue to hold up.

Tis the Season

Even though it's still early in the season, we have had two good snows here in New York.  The boys are excited about the possibility of a very white winter here.  In the next couple weeks we will be heading south for a little while to speak in churches in North Carolina, and Florida.  Hopefully we will thaw out before returning to New York, by way of Pennsylvania, in January.

Please be in prayer for us as we travel these next three weeks.  The van is having some minor mechanical problems that keeps me running to the tool bag.  So far, it has been nothing serious, and Lord Willing, it will stay that way.

We Praise God for the great time we have had in New York, and the encouraging response from the various church families that we have been privileged to spend time with.

We had a great week of travel through the picturesque countryside of Southern NY and PA.  Joe was able to catch up with a three of his College friends who are now Pastoring Congregations in Pennsylvania, and Amy was able to catch up with some of her extended family.

The boys did very well traveling, not only in their patience while on the road, but also in their ability to settle into a new bed and home environment on a constantly changing basis.  God has blessed us, and we are amazed at how four, otherwise rambunctious, boys can settle right down in the confining space of the car and enjoy yet another road trip.

Our car ran well, and we are continually encouraged to see what God is doing all over this country.  In talking with Pastors and speaking to small congregations, it is exciting to see that God is still working in the hearts and lives of his people.  He is moving in the community, and though we don't always understand what He is doing, He is still accomplishing his will.

Fall in New York - A Time of Travel and Blessing

Last time we wrote it was a time of quiet and rest for our family. God saw us through meetings in Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin this summer. But for the most part we were home in Indiana and used our time to further purge and pack our belongings in anticipation for our eventual move to West Africa. Some of the churches that we visited this summer are longtime supporters of the Marshall family. In one church we ran into people who remember Joseph as a small child! This time of connecting with God's people in churches across the northeast leaves us encouraged and determined to keep pressing on!

We are currently in upstate NY for the next 8-9 weeks. Our schedule is full. We just finished 5 days of meetings at Perth Bible Church in Amsterdam NY. Their heartbeat for God's work around the world is amazing and we were humbled to be a part of the missions conference there. Once again our family was loved from the first moment we arrived and encouraged to stay the course!

This coming weekend we will travel to PA where we have meetings booked for the next two Sundays. After that we return to New York to continue with meetings here.

God has provided again for our housing by placing our family at Sacandoga Bible Conference where they have graciously offered one of their A-frame cottages for our family's use. Everyday we are awed by God's creation as we rise and look out upon the fall beauty. The air is crisp but we have been warmed inside by the wood burning stove. Our family time is sweet and our time in and out of churches all the sweeter.

We are thankful for the days and weeks and pray that we will continue to be faithful through out.

• Please pray for us as we travel and speak in Pennsylvania over the next 2 Sundays. 
• Please pray for Joe as he connects with a contact in Maine who is knowledgeable in the Agricultural world and we believe will be a strong resource for Joe as he develops the vocational training school's curriculum. 
• Please pray for our boys as they continue with their studies on a daily basis!
• Please continue to pray that God would connect us with churches who would allow us to share the burden He has laid upon our hearts for Benin and West Africans.   

Gearing up

August is winding down, and it is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of another Summer here in Indiana.  Our schedule is relatively quiet right now, but we are on the edge of a whirlwind of a fall/winter season.

September puts us up in Wisconsin and Michigan, October starts off in Indiana, but we will then make our way to New York, and remain there through November.  In December we will be in North Carolina, and then make our way to Florida for Christmas.

Sooo, we are enjoying the calm before the storm.

Summer fun

This Summer has been relatively quiet.  I've been working at Piazza and scheduling meetings for the Fall while we are here in Indiana.  We never could have imagined the blessing that this company would be to us, 9 years ago, when I was out of work and needed a job.  They have been so good to us during this time of crazy schedules in the process of raising support.  Doug has informed me that they always need a fill in Driver, and whenever I am able to work, they will keep me busy.  The work helps us keep most of the monthly support in the bank for outfit and passage.

This month Amy took the boys down to Florida for a couple weeks while I remained here to work.  Her Great Uncle passed away and the family gathered for the funeral.  The passing was expected, but even though we know that he has gone to his eternal rest, it is still a sobering occasion.

Amy is looking forward to spending time with her parents, and the Boys are excited to see their cousins again.

August we will all be back in Indiana again for a quiet month before we hit the road agin.

On the road again

God has given us the opportunity to travel for the last couple weeks visiting Churches in Upstate New York.
Though it is a challenge to get 6 people packed and to live out of a suitcase for an extended period of time, we enjoy the opportunity to present the work that God is doing in Benin.
We've been blessed with an apartment which is centrally located 15 to 30 minutes from most of the churches we are in.  This allows Amy and the boys to settle into a routine for school.  It helps with keeping a normal schedule in what is otherwise chaos.

We did get the opportunity to visit New York City traveling by train and Subway while spending time with Amy's brother, sister-in-law, and three kids.  Fun experience (three adults and seven kids) but probably not one that we will duplicate anytime soon.

Thank you for all your prayers, it is a challenge, but we feel tremendously blessed.  God has met and is continuing to meet all of our needs.

Short video

I am posting a short video that I took of the market place in Guene, Benin, not far from the mission. It gives a good overview of the market place and should provide you with a flavor of Africa.

Trip continued

Let me elaborate a little on my recent trip to Benin.  We left the USA on the 25th of February, bound for Cotonou, the capital of Benin.  There we met my aunt and uncle who are working in the neighboring country of Togo, as well as our African host, a Pastor and respected member of the community.  The main purpose for our trip was to work with this Pastor on an agricultural project designed to teach Benin Pastors a way to provide for their families.

We enjoyed a couple days in the capital city checking out all that is available in this port city.  The Veterinarian who was traveling with me then went 3 hours north to the small village where Pastor's project was located and I headed 12 hours north to the place where Amy and I will be in our ministry.

Upon arrival, I was able to observe a week of Bible school sessions under the teaching of Steve Nunemaker and Colin Ovenelle.  On the second day I was given an opportunity to address the 29 Pastors and laymen who were able to come for the week of intense study.  I took this opportunity to thank them for their prayers and faithful work in the field.  They told me that they have been praying consistently for our family for the last two years as we have been on the road to Benin.  As you can imagine this was an encouragement and served to increase our burden for the work all the more.

A short trip

Sometimes we are given the opportunities that we never see coming.  Such was my experience this last several weeks.  I was approached by a member of our church offering to pay my way over if I would accompany him to Benin.  I was delighted at the opportunity, and as his work didn't require all of my time, I was able to take a trip up to the town where we will be working.  God did some amazing things and allowed for me to not only get a ride North with our colleagues who, just happened to be in the Capital when I arrived, but also provided 31 current and former Bible School Students for me to spend time with and interview.
I will post some for the events in subsequent blogs, and try to get in some good pictures.  Here is one of several of the students and myself.