E-mail from my dad

I feel so blessed to have been raised by wonderful Christian parents (note: I didn't say wonderful perfect parents, lol!) who love me and who love serving God. I received an e-mail from my dad today as he prepares to leave Paraguay after three weeks of ministry there. I thought I would share some of it here:

Loving greetings to each of you from Paraguay on my last full day here!

I assume that Mom has been keeping you up on what has been happening here in Paraguay. It has been an interesting, exhausting, and spiritually profitable, I believe, time. I've spent a lot of time on long distance buses of various vintages! I've slept in five or six different beds, some of what don't deserve the title of bed, but in everything have been treated wonderfully. At one point I taught 8 consecutive days/nights of class at three hours a clip. I've had the privilege of preaching in four different churchs plus being the "International Conference" speaker in another. One of the highlights not only of this trip but of my years of ministry was to speak to 300+ high school students on the subject of decision making. This was at night in Mbujapey with the young people seated almost in the dark on the "patio" of the school and me trying to read notes under a far from adequate light. All of this with what at was saying being translated into Guarani and broadcast on live radio! It was a blast! I did two other sessions on "Crisis in the Family" there in Mbujapey, both of which were also translated and broadcast live. What a trip!

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I will be anxious to talk to each of you upon returning home. Thanks for praying for me while I've been gone and for keeping in touch with your mom. We both love you all very much and thank God for you. Give our love to your respective kiddies whom I love very much. Stephanie and Pedro your family picture has resulted in a number of double takes! I showed it on Friday night to two men I know well in Tobati and they looked and looked at the picture, focusing in of course on Owen. I decided not to say anything for awhile and then mentioned that he was adopted ... That little guy will never fail to be a conversation starter! Have a good day. Hope this message gets to you all.

Love, Dad