Pastor's Blog

It is almost 1:30AM as I write this entry and I just returned from the airport and Wal Mart.  Louise Morris & Cecil Guidry arrived at the Mobile airport around 11:00PM and Louise’s family immediately took her to the hospital.  Louise told me that she would rather be dead than feel like she is feeling.  Judy is keeping me updated via texts and after x-rays they are thinking possible pneumonia.  Seemingly, it all started when a pill got lodged in Louise’s throat on Sunday.

Vera Bosarge e-mailed earlier tonight to say that Miss Joyce did not get a favorable report from the doctor.  He says that she is subject to break a bone at any point in time.  For now, she continues to take radiation and chemotherapy.  Pray for Miss Joyce.

Pastor L.G. Camp’s last sibling passed away.  She lived in Texas.  Miss Kittie is not going to be able to attend the funeral service but I do ask that you pray for the family.

Bea Unrue is scheduled to have surgery early Thursday morning so be praying for her.

Wow, we had a really strong “clean up” work night last night!  A huge “thank you” to each person who showed up and helped!  Hopefully, we can get the carpet and begin getting it installed soon.  Chris Howell is our lead carpet guy and I appreciate his spirit.  Tony Hacker continues to do a nice job of coordinating the renovation and Bro. Benny McGath is doing a good job as our lead clean up person.  Friendship is blessed to have such wonderful folks!

The Trustees i.e. Sammy Bowden, Morris Bryant, Charles Clark, Gerald Poiroux, & Larry Whitehurst are asked to meet with me tonight at 6:00PM.

Can you see that “S” on my forehead?  Lisa went to bed shortly after 10:00PM and gave me one word of instruction – take the cake out of the oven in ten minutes!  I did check on it but then went to Mobile and two and one half hours later it was a bit on the well done side!  Talk about feeling dumb!  (I really don’t need any comments from the peanut section i.e. Jason, Joe, Rex, et cetera!)  I really don’t have an excuse other than just absolutely forgetting about it!

So, I am already having a bad day and it is only one and half hours old.  Judy’s mother is in the emergency room and she is sending me texts asking if the Dodgers won last night when she knows they blew it in the ninth inning again!  She should be in the hospital chapel praying!

They seemingly have to do something about these sports agents.  I say put them in prison and make Janet Reno the warden!

Regular schedule today.  Hope to see you in our services.  I pray that you will have a great Wednesday with Jesus.

Louise Morris is on a plane heading home from Guatemala as she has been having some physical problems.  Basically, she is weak and has a sore throat.  It obviously goes deeper than this but I won’t go into all of the details.  Cecil Guidry is traveling with her.

Their flight has left Guatemala and is actually scheduled to arrive in Atlanta about 20 minutes early.  That’s good because it may allow them to catch an earlier flight getting them into Mobile at 7:30PM instead of 11:00PM.  Pray!

I don’t do birthdays on this blog but today I make an exception – happy 82nd birthday to Bro. Robbie Howard!  He had a surgical procedure on his heart last Thursday and preached this past Sunday morning!  He stopped by the church office yesterday afternoon and looks great but he has always said that “looking good was never a problem for him!”   I hope his day is awesome!

Gloria Whitmore sent me an e-mail saying the team in Guatemala is doing great.  They finished the houses and plan on doing the dedications today.  Pray that they will have a great finish to this trip.

Phil Sims’ son-in-law, Darren Haynes, has been diagnosed with another malignancy.  He is supposed to find out today what action will be taken to combat this disease.  Pray for Darren & his family.

We are having a “clean up” work night in the CAB beginning at 6:00PM tonight.  I do not think it will take long if enough folks are present to help us.  We are trying to move to the “ready for carpet in the rooms” stage and tonight’s effort will go a long way in accomplishing that goal.

Sammy Bowden, Morris Bryant, Charles Clark, & Larry Whitehurst are asked to meet in my office tomorrow night, 7/21, at 6:00PM.  (Gerald Poiroux is in that number too but I know he is out of town)  This is an important meeting!

It seems they are very close with the first relief well in the Gulf.  Pray they can keep this well from spewing/leaking any more oil into the Gulf.

We do not allow or appreciate any negative comments about the Dodgers on this site!  Steve Morris, pay attention!  Yes, the Dodgers have slipped to fourth place in the West after being very gracious to the Cards!  However, there are still games to be played!  (Problem is the Dodgers do not have the pitching!)  I was “offended” by Steve’s comment on yesterday’s post!

I pray that you will have a great Tuesday with Jesus.

God is good and we had a blessed day in our services yesterday.  I thought Alisha Vice did a very nice job of sharing with the church family last night about all that God has done in her life this summer through her Kenya trip.  I appreciate those who attended last night’s service to show support for Alisha as well as missions.

Glenn Cooper’s dad was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.  Carla Kyser is having a lot of pain because of the ulcers in her mouth.  Gage Hudson fell yesterday morning which prevented him from attending church.  Miss Joyce Bosarge is taking radiation treatments.

Our team in Guatemala is doing well.  I think I am correct in saying that they have finished three houses and have four more ready for cement.  If so, they should be able to reach their goal by trip’s end.

We are having a “clean up” work night in the CAB tomorrow night beginning at 6:00PM.  Shop vacs would be great assets in this effort.  We need a good showing in order to get ready for the carpet to be installed.

Our Finance Committee meets tonight at 7:00PM and I think they are thinking this will be their final meeting as they put the finishing touches on a proposed budget for the new fiscal year.

I talked to Deidra this morning via skype.  She & Soy are doing fine and will head back to China on Thursday of this week before arriving home next Monday, 7/26.  Nicole e-mailed me to say that they are doing great too and will be home this Saturday, 7/24.

I pray that you will have a great Monday with Jesus.

Scott Older’s mother, Sandra, left me a voice mail on behalf of Scott.  There was a serious automobile accident on the DI bridge just a little while ago.  A gentleman in one of the vehicles was severely burned and Scott asked that we pray for him.  I do not know any other details.  Pray fervently.

Louise e-mailed me last night to say that Bro. Jerry’s team “breezed” through customs which is a good thing.  Pray for them as they begin building houses today.  I had written yesterday that they would be helping a team from Tennessee build 10 houses tomorrow but that was in error.  The Lord works all things for good so this team will now focus on building the original 10 houses in El Durazno which is very near the mission house.

Glenn Cooper’s dad, Glenn, Sr., meets with the doctors today to discuss his situation.  Pray for Mr. Cooper and his family.

As I wrote yesterday, Bro. Robbie Howard did well through his procedures yesterday.  He should be discharged from the hospital today.  He is scheduled to preach at 1st Moss Point this Sunday, 7/18, and he really wants to honor his commitment so please pray for him to be able to do so.

The memorial service for Susan Blackmon Quinn takes place tomorrow night, 7/17, at 7:00PM in the church auditorium.  The family will receive friends beginning at 6:00PM.  Keep praying for this family.

I have asked Alisha Vice to share about her experiences in Kenya during our evening service this Sunday, 7/18.  I write that so any others with an interest can make plans to join us as we hear what God did in Alisha’s life during this time.

It was great news to hear that they have stopped the oil from spewing into the Gulf for the time being.  Those of us on the coast have been praying for news like this for months and I would ask our long distance readers to join in praying that this “temporary” fix leads to a permanent solution.

Soy & Deidra are doing well and are now back with Neal & Jana Seaborn.  They are doing well.  I think the natives have gotten Chris & Nicole!

The question has been asked, “since all of the full time staff members except you are out of the country who will be leading our musical worship this Sunday?”  IDK but I am trying to get Pastor Jack Bailey to let Joe David preach at Danville Baptist so Dr. Jack can come lead our musical worship.  It would be something you would never forget!

It is almost 5:00AM and Charles has already called wanting to know if I am going to work in his yard today!  I have no plans to post again until Monday morning.  We do still have folks out of town but I pray that those members of the Friendship family in town will be faithful this Sunday morning & evening.

I pray that you will have a great weekend with Jesus.

The team arrived safe & sound to the L.G. Camp, Jr. Mission House around 1:00PM (Guatemala time) this afternoon.  Thank the Lord!

Bro. Robbie Howard had two stents placed in his heart today.  He did well and will spend the night in the hospital.

It is 4:00AM and fifteen of our folks just boarded the bus and headed to the Mobile airport to catch the 6:00AM Delta flight to Atlanta and then on to Guatemala.  Pray for Bro. Jerry as he leads this team and for all fifteen of the participants.  They will be building ten houses plus helping a team from Tennessee build ten more.  Special thanks to Carl Ray Moulds for driving this team to the Mobile airport.  By the way, Bro. Johnny Tucker’s team is leaving Guatemala this morning so pray for their travels too.

Bro. Robbie Howard will have a heart cath this morning.  It is scheduled for 9:30AM.  Pray that the doctor can get a good look and that there will be no problems.

Miss Joyce Bosarge actually saw the doctor last Thursday and has been receiving radiation treatments this week.  Carla Kyser has an ulcer in her mouth compliments of her treatments so pray it will go away quickly.  Glenn Cooper’s dad, Glenn Cooper, Sr., will hear from the doctor tomorrow about his situation.  Diane Trotti & Rita Boutwell’s aunt, Peggy Sheffield, had surgery this past Tuesday and is recovering.

The funeral service for Lloyd Stokes takes place this afternoon at 2:00PM Oak Park COG.   The visitation with the Opal Howard family takes place tonight from 5:00 – 8:00PM at Mobile Memorial Gardens Funeral Home.  Pray for these families.

Morris Bryant, John Milton Ladnier, & Gerald Poiroux have been asked by the Friendship family to bring a recommendation to replace some of our air conditioner units.  I don’t understand as some of these units are only thirty six years old and are going out already – what’s up with that!  Pray that God will give these men wisdom as they seek to help us be good stewards!

The Finance Committee members are asked to remember their 6:30PM meeting tonight.

The second half of the MLB season begins today and the Dodgers find themselves two games out of first in the West but tied for the Wild Card lead.  Bobby Henley was in the service last night and his Nationals finished the first half at 39 – 50.  I hope they can improve on that mark in the second half.

It was thirty one years ago this afternoon that my dad’s only sister, Roberta, passed from this life.  I had the privilege of literally staying in the hospital room with her from Monday morning, 7/9, until her passing.  I have been walking down memory lane this week.  Yes, time helps but it doesn’t heal.

Joe David Bailey is “horrible” at predicting the outcome of sporting events.  Same goes for political elections!

I really appreciate the 20 plus young adults who gathered in our home last night for Bible study.  That is a nice way to end a Wednesday.  Lisa put on a feast last night too!  Folks, I married way out of my league!

I pray that you will have a great Thursday with Jesus.

I have corrected my earlier entry where I stated that Pastor Johnny Howard had been in the hospital.  I was wrong!  It is Glenn’s dad, Glenn Cooper, Sr. who was hospitalized and will hear from the doctor on Friday.  Pastor Johnny is Carla’s dad and he is fine!  My apologies to all involved!

I realize that Lloyd & Edna Stokes are not members of the Friendship family but they are definitely long time members of the community and friends to so many of us.  Please note that the visitation with the family will take place tonight from 5:00 – 8:00PM at Oak Park Church of God on Sollie Road in Mobile.  The funeral service is set for tomorrow.

Edwin & Eula Mae Blackmon traveled home yesterday.  Please pray for them as they now make plans for the memorial service which takes place this Saturday, 7/17, beginning at 7:00PM.  The service will be preceded by a time of visitation with the family beginning at 6:00PM.

Pattie commented on Gage Hudson’s situation yesterday.  He is finished with his chemo for the month and definitely needs our continued prayer support.  The same support is needed for his mother, Callie.

Glenn Cooper, Sr.  spent some time in the hospital over the past couple of days.  It is my understanding that the doctors will be meeting with Mr. Cooper and his family to discuss their findings.  Pray for him and his family.

Bro. Robbie Howard will have a heart cath done tomorrow.  Miss Joyce Bosarge sees a doctor tomorrow about her continued pain.  Pray for both of these situations.

I don’t have a FaceBook account so I realize many of our blog readers (we only have three but it sounds good to say “many”) are keeping up with Chris & Nicole via FB.  I received an e-mail from Chris and they are doing well and are headed to Hong Kong.

Lisa & I had the privilege of visiting with Pat & Dee Patterson in Powder Springs, GA yesterday on our way home from SC.  We enjoyed our visit with them.

We were able to get home in time to vote.  I was not surprised that Robert Bentley won for a number of reasons.  Josh Woods is probably in the hospital over this one but he will recover!  Who did I vote for?  Wrote in Pastor Jack Bailey!

Regular Wednesday.  The deacons are asked to meet with me at 6:00PM in my office.  I pray you will have a great Wednesday with Jesus.

P.S. – Is the World Cup over?