Refreshing Times in Arkansas

What a wonderful time we are having in Iron Mountain, Arkansas!  After visiting and speaking in Louisiana we are now in Hatfield, Arkansas at Iron Mountain.  Iron Mountain is the headquarters of CMA, Christian Motorcyclists Association.  Yes, Mariesa and I are members of CMA – believe it or not.  No, we don’t own a motorcycle but we sure are enjoying the fellowship of this wonderful evangelistic group.  Our connection with CMA goes back almost 3 years. The first year we were in Peru we hosted a CMA team.  They were great and through that group we have developed some great friendships and become members of CMA.  Iron Mountain is where they have their annual Changing of the Colors.  It’s amazing to fellowship with about 5,000 bikers who love the Lord and are on fire to share their love of Jesus with others.

We leave Arkansas tomorrow and travel to Joplin, Missouri.  We’ll stay with Mariesa’s brother and visit friends there.  Hopefully we’ll see the Glenns and thank them for sharing their son, Stephen, with us.  He stayed with us in Peru and was a great help and an inspiring young man.  We’ll also visit with a group of friends who came to the Marshall Islands to help us on a mission trip when we were serving there.

God is so good.  Our trip to the CMA meeting was not on our schedule but God has an itinerary which is much better than ours.  We are trying to be open to His guidance and flexible.  We always tell teams who visit us that they must be flexible and now we are having to do what we preach.  Thank you for all your prayers.  You are making a difference.  We are keeping you in our prayers even though our schedule is busy.

Iron Mountain

We have been so busy and travelling so much that it has been really hard to keep in touch with everyone.  Please understand that we love you and are thinking of all of you.  Right now we are in Mina, Arkansas in their library.  We just stopped in to try and catch up on a bit of correspondence.  We will be here most of this week but by the weekend we will be in Joplin, Missouri.  We are in Arkansas for a CMA Meeting (Christian Motorcyclist Association).  Some of you may remember that CMA donated three motorcycles and 13 bicycles through us in Arequipa.  What a blessing CMA is to missionaries!

We had a wonderful time in Mansfield, Louisiana last week.  We spoke at 3 churches and attended a Senior group, a local CMA chapter meeting and an old fashioned church sing.  We have met some wonderful people in Louisiana including a pastor and his wife who are Latinos.  So we got to practice our Spanish with them.  We are looking forward to their church visiting us in Peru.  While in Louisiana, we had to get our car repaired again but God is so good and He provided the means and we had a place to stay provided by Southside Baptist Church in Mansfield while we were there.

They have had drought conditions in Louisiana and Arkansas for about three years.  Everything has been so dry but yesterday there was a good rain and this morning it was almost cold.  Please join us in praying for this area to have a lot more rain.

Now, I want to brag a little about my oldest daughter, Laralyn, and her husband, Joseph.  Their band “The Blessed Blend” won a NAMMY Award this year!  The NAMMY Award is the Native American equivalent to the GRAMMY Awards.  We are proud of them.  You can check out their music at www.theblessedblend.com or you can go to our website and follow the link.  Also check our their business at www.nativetouchtradingpost.com.

Even though we are busy and working hard while we are in the U.S., we do get a day now and then to relax when we don’t have to drive or speak.  God is good and He is renewing our strength and refreshing us through the friends and family that we visit. We miss all our friends in Peru and are continuing to pray for them.

If anyone would like to contact us here in the U.S. we can be reached at 850-728-4761 as long as we have cell phone coverage.

Don’t forget to visit our website at:

www.newheartint.com

www.newheartint.org

www.newheartint.info

www.newheartministriesinternational.com

May God bless each of you.  Please keep us in your prayers!

Lew

Detour

Last Sunday we had a wonderful visit at Celebration Church in Kingsport, Tennessee.  It was great seeing the mission board as well as staying with Kelly Abon’s family.  We got to see her 4 daughters and son who just celebrated his first birthday.  As some of you may remember, Kelly was in the Marshall Islands when we were and she and Mariesa worked together in a clinic. Please be praying for Abon Abon, Kelly’s husband.  He had to make an emergency trip to the Marshall Islands because his brother passed away.  Pray for the family and his safe return this week.

We had to make a detour in our itinerating.  When we arrived in Tennessee we were once again having trouble with our vehicle.  Instead of going on to Virginia as planned, we came back to Brevard, North Carolina where we know a trusted mechanic.  He worked on our car Monday and we should be back on the road today.  We will continue our trip to Virginia.  Thank you for your prayers.

Rick and Judy Jennings have been so dear to us for many years and this year they have certainly proved their love.  We stayed at their house again last night and enjoyed their fellowship so much.  (Thanks Rick for letting me win the game.)

I would like to personally thank everyone for the prayers for my father.  He is recovering but slower than he would like.  He is not used to being unable to plant his garden and do everything for himself.  Please continue to pray for him.

We are looking forward to getting back on the road and visiting m ore friends and supporters.  Don’t forget you can reach us at 850-728-4761 while we are in the U.S. and you can visit us at www.newheartint.org or www.newheartint.com or www.newheartint.info.

You are precious to us and to the Lord.