Six State Trip

Last Friday, Brother John, Sister Lydia and I left on a trip together, and we ended up driving through six states on our whirlwind trip while visiting with several friends, attending worship services, and enjoying the scenery along the way.

I asked Brother John and Sister Lydia to "group up" so that I could take a nice picture of my traveling companions.

We started in Illinois (1), of course. Then, we headed southwest on interstate 44 through the state of Missouri (2) before heading south to the Fort Smith, Arkansas (3). After a short "detour" into the state of Oklahoma (4), we attended services Friday night and stayed with our good friends, Adam, Ashlie, Michael, Jacob, Allison, and Audrey. We were warmly welcomed, as usual! By Saturday morning, we were back at the Fort Smith Primitive Baptist Church for the ordination services of Brother Steve Woods...who is now also Elder Steve Woods. Directly after the services, we were sad to depart so quickly... but excited to head east to Greenwood, Mississippi (5) to the home of Brother Joe and Sister Clovis Smith. After visiting into the night, we arose to attend services and meet most of the members within the Greenwood Primitive Baptist Church. We also enjoyed a nice meal and sang hymns with the members and residents of a nearby nursing home before heading north toward home. Once again, we were hesitant to leave but anxious for the final leg of our trip. We were thinking we could stop somewhere for Sunday evening services on the way home... and finally decided we'd just head on to Memphis, Tennessee (6) for services at Grace Chapel. After services, we were delighted to be invited to Timothy and Meredith's home for a wonderful meal, and we had such a fun time getting better acquainted with members of Grace Chapel and Guess family. Sister Lydia, Brother John, and I reminisced for the next 5 hours about the wonderful highlights of our trip before arriving home after 3:00 a.m. Monday morning. I cannot wait to share those highlights with you over the next few days, so stay tuned for pictures and details.

We were tired from all of the driving and short nights of sleep, but I can't imagine a better way to spend a few days... than to worship and enjoy fellowship with our church friends across the country. God blessed us with safety, outstanding messages from the pulpit, and wonderful memories that will surely stay with us for years to come. Thank you to all of our brothers and sisters in the church for making us feel so welcome at each stop! We hope we can return the favor when you come to Edwardsville for a visit!