HMRUPDATES

Dear Friends:

Oh, it's been a long time. I sit in (well at) Schroon Lake, NY, on a Saturday afternoon when I finally have about 2 hours to pack and get ready for the next location...check some emails and take the time to write this LONG overdue ministry update. How patient each of you have been to share that you read and miss my updates. What a year it has been. My prayers are that each of you are doing well, that the Lord is teaching you a lot, and that He is blessing you abundantly. It is now the heat of summer and there is so much for me to be thankful for and so many things to share.

Our business has kept Dad and I separately on the road most of the year beginning in April. I've had the opportunity of uniting ministry with those travels as much as possible as well.

Statistics
From April Thru August I've been home 43 days
which puts me on the road for about 107 days
Boston - 7 times
Paris - 1 time
Texas - 2 times
Arizona - 1 time
New York - 4 times
Concerts - 10 full concerts and additional other singing for 2-3 songs throughout.

May
Memorial Day was spent at Word of Life NY and with my nephew Caleb - now 2 years old. I can not begin to tell you how fast Caleb has grown. It was good to see him and Anette.

June
My dad and I had a tremendous opportunity for work and ministry combined. We were asked by our church (First Baptist Church of Naples) to assist in the planning and preparation of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors' Conference. Overall the conference went very smoothly and was very exciting to see over 8,000 pastors and their wives renewing their lives and renewing their ministry to further His Kingdom. I had the privilege of ministering both in working behind the stage and by singing “Who Am I/Oh What a Savior”. Praise the Lord!

July
Well our annual 4th of July celebration on Schroon Lake beach was rained out this year. But had a wonderful week of ministry at the camps despite the opportunity on the beach. I've had the opportunity of singing at the WOL Island each Friday and Sunday that I've been in NY. What a privilege and a blessing to see the changes in the lives of so many teens each week. Hundreds of teens have been saved on the Island this summer. They still have 2 weeks to go. It's fantastic to watch the kids respond to God's Word and prompting through Joe Jordan at the invitation on Sunday night. Fridays are a time for launching them back into the world with Harry Bollback. I always enjoy hearing them both share the same message with a different emphasis from God's Word each week.

"You're Still Lord"
Jim Gilbert was able to come to WOL in NY for the concert there. What a blessed night it was to have him there and sing songs once again for the Lord. Jim is on the new CD called "You're Still Lord". We released it in June of this year and has some great songs that seem to be of great encouragement to those in ministry: Be Strong & Take Courage, Africa, Be The One, Where I Stand, When Redeemed I Stand, and more. Let me know if you'd like to purchase this CD, and I can mail it out to you. If you have a missionary you support or want to encourage your pastoral staff, I think you'll find this CD to be such a blessing. Angie Crooks is also on the CD and sings Consider the Lilies & Somebody Touched the Lord.

What's Coming Up?
August begins our planning and auditions for the Living Christmas Tree at my church. I will be assisting in the preparation and organization of the Living Christmas Tree (LCT) at my church. The script has been picked and now comes planning and auditions. Please pray for all the volunteers, staff, actors, choir, and soloists. This is such a great impact to our community, and I am blessed to be a part of it. So that will occupy most of my Fall months and keep me home at least for most weekends - Yeah!

August
5         Concert at 1st Baptist Church, Hackensack - NJ
9-19    Going on a vacation - YEAH!
24/25   LCT Auditions

September
15        Hawthorne, NJ and doing a concert for the Christian Academy alumni weekend.
23-27    Trip to Boston
30        Parkway Baptist Church - Ft. Myers, FL

October
2-5        Trip to Boston
6-8        Trip to NY
Living Christmas Tree rehearsals each Saturday and Sunday
22-26    Trip to Boston

November
2          Christian Women's Club - Naples, FL
11-6      Trip to Boston
LCT      Dress Rehearsals 26, 27 and Performances 29,30

December
LCT    performances
Florida Concerts to be scheduled

THANK YOU
As ALWAYS, thanks so much for reading this update and praying for my travels and the ministry that the Lord has allowed me to do. What a blessing to see each of you when I travel and keep up with what is happening in your lives through email. I am now on "Facebook" so that I can upload pictures, etc. Love to be your "friend" (if you're on Facebook, you'll understand all that).

God Bless You!