We finally realized why we’re so busy! Summer in Iowa is fairly short! There is MUCH to be done outside during these few months. We live on 7 acres, 2 of which are trees, leaving 5 acres to maintain. In addition, we have 4 outbuildings, 2 of which we use right now. They ALL contain “stuff” left by the previous owner, stuff we need to go through–some looks antique-ish (maybe we could sell) and some looks firepit-ish. So after we come in from the roadside, the rest of the daylight hours are spent working on the most urgent projects! We prioritize and re-prioritize all the time–including what we can realistically get done this summer and what will have to wait until next summer…and possibly the next summer…and so on! In the midst of this, we are so grateful to God and constantly thank Him for positioning us in this house, on this property, in this community, with these people!
Tall Corn Days
We will be in the Tall Corn Days parade here in Sioux Rapids Saturday morning with our Free Prayer trailer! It is an annual celebration and starts off Friday night with a Sweet Corn Feed at the American Legion–sounds yummy!!! We are grateful for the continued exposure to our community and more and more people are recognizing us on the roadside and honking and waving! The corn in the fields surrounding our house is about 7′ tall and beautiful!
In the News!
The editor of the Sioux Rapids Bulletin Press interviewed us last week and wrote an article about the ministry which was published in last Friday’s paper. The Bulletin Press is a weekly newspaper within the larger Spencer Daily Reporter, so we received some fairly widespread publicity! We are happy she mentioned the Lord throughout the article! And glad more word is out about who we are and why we’re out on the roadside! Thank You, Lord!
4th of July Anniversary!
We will be celebrating not only our 25th wedding anniversary on July 4th but also 25 years of being in ministry together! There’s no way we can adequately express our gratitude to the Lord for putting us together and for the years we’ve had and for the many years we have ahead of us!
Heat Wave!
We’ve been experiencing a heat wave here for the past two weeks. The end is in sight–Monday! We’re happy for our main floor air conditioning and for window fans upstairs which help keep it bearable to sleep. We will need to invest in some typing of portable air conditioner, though, for the extremely humid season in July and August! However, this has not kept us off the roadside where we have actually had a few people brave the heat to get out of their vehicles and come into the trailer! We are more widely-recognized since we have been out regularly this month, receiving honks and waves and thumbs-up. Please pray that those who are being drawn by the Lord so He can talk to them will stop!
Memorial Day Service
Emil spoke at the American Legion’s Memorial Day service yesterday in Sioux Rapids. His message was very compelling and he had several men come up afterwards to talk with him. The response of all who were there was very positive. We are so thankful for the message the Lord gave Emil as soon as he hung up the phone from accepting the speaking engagement. To all of you who served on our behalf and to all the families who lost a son or daughter, husband or father, we thank you and honor you.
New Site
We were blessed with another site yesterday! Emil went to town (Sioux Rapids) to talk to a guy about getting the mower left us by the previous owner of our house tuned up. It turned out the guy and his wife are strong Christians and Emil told him about our ministry. There is an empty driveway right next to this guy’s business, facing Hwy 71, with great visibility. He said they would love to be a part of the ministry by offering us this site! Besides being on Hwy 71, it is right in the middle of town, the place we feel our ministry is greatly needed. We believe word has gotten around about us and people will begin stopping as soon as they see us there. Thank You, Lord!
EASTER BLESSINGS!
Easter is a time to celebrate FREEDOM! The angel rolled back the stone from Jesus’ tomb, not to let Jesus OUT but to let us IN to see that not only was the tomb empty of the body of Jesus but also empty of our sin and our sickness! Can you imagine running into the tomb and seeing Jesus gone and the cloths that were draped over him nicely folded and laying where He had been? I picture a receipt on top of them that says, “PAID IN FULL!” “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” the angel asks. We are free to live in the blessings of the Lord because everything in us that was dead has now been resurrected with Him! As Chris Tomlin sings, “My chains are gone! I’ve been set free! My God My Savior has ransomed me!” We were once dead. Now we’re alive. We were once a friend. Now we’re a bride! Thank You, Lord, for the empty tomb!
Going Out Monday!
We had another snowfall that put off our going out after our last post! However, the warmer weather is going to start again tomorrow and we expect to go out Monday! No snow in the forecast! We are anxious to park, put down the ramp and turn on our “Open” sign!
Warm!
It’s been warm the last few days, above 30 degrees!!! It’s going to be 31 degrees today! The snow is melting, leaving mud and puddles in its place…until the next snowfall that is! Spring has not sprung, I’m sure, although it definitely feels like it! We were officially approved to use the site we mentioned February 4th. The State Police and Sheriff gave us enthusiastic approval to be there. The site is the pull-off/driveway of a Christian radio station tower, within sight of our house, on Hwy 71, right where we want to be. The radio station is also enthusiastic about our being there. The only block to our setting up has been the huge ice/snow drift blocking the driveway, but with this “warm” weather, we’re keeping an eye on the melting process!