Pastor's Blog

This entry is coming from the Kenneth B. Ford apartment complex in Guatemala.  It is just after midnight central time.  I do not have updates on any of our folks who are in the hospital, battling cancer, et cetera.  Maybe tomorrow.

We are on a regular schedule today – 10:00AM and 6:30PM.  Bro. Jerry Hovel will be preaching in the two services in the auditorium.  Dale Bosarge will lead the young adult Bible study tonight at 7:30PM.  The menu is poppy seed chicken plus all of the trimmings.  (My wife is a sweetheart!) I pray that the members of the Friendship family will be faithful to attend these services/classes.

Dana, Gina & I arrived safely in Guatemala yesterday at 11:00AM.  John & Laurie King and Lazaro Suruy met us at the airport.  Lazaro brought the girls to the mountain while the Kings and I headed off to shop for appliances for the feeding center.  We then went to Pricemart to get supplies for our next team.

Bro. Johnny & Miss Judy Tucker are presently here with a team.  They have had a good week.  I am not totally clear on what their plans are for today but they have finished and dedicated twenty houses already.

I will attend the devotion this morning, go to the feeding center, have a couple of meetings, and continue to get ready for our team’s arrival tomorrow afternoon.

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

This entry is late and is coming from the ATL as Dana, Gina, & I are traveling to Guatemala today.  More on that later.

Bro. Kerry did come home yesterday – praise the Lord!  Pray that his recovery continues to progress nicely.

Miss Nell Mulkey is not doing well.  The believe that she has diverticulitis as she is very sore in the stomach area.  She assured me of her prayer support for the mission team/trip.

Ralph Rogers seemed some better and is most likely headed to rehab.  He also assured me of his prayer support for the mission trip and even asked if we needed a financial donation.  Folks, he was serious.  What a blessing!

Sanna sent me a post from Chastity where she is just struggling with the whole “I have a malignancy” thing.  Very understandable.  Pray for her and the others battling cancer.

Kent Blaylock is scheduled for surgery this Thursday morning.

I will post more either tonight or tomorrow morning (more probable).

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

Our God is an awesome God!  Walking in for the 8:00AM service and seeing Craig Kirschenman standing there was absolutely amazing!  Folks, I did not know if he would ever come out of the ICU.  He obviously did but was then confined to a wheelchair – no more!  Hallelujah!  BTW, thank God for second chances!

Another blessed day in our services yesterday with one joining the Friendship family by transfer of letter.  The attendance was very good as well.  Thank you for being faithful!

How about those eight couples, two widows, and two widowers who stood before us representing those who were/have been married for fifty plus years.  Encouraging!

The VBS family night went well too.  Good attendance and Myrtle ran a well oiled machine during that service.  We must now find God’s will for next year’s VBS with the changing of the school dismissal date.

Lisa and I visited Bro. Kerry in the hospital last night following the evening service.  He is scheduled to come home today.  Praise the Lord!

Miss Nell Mulkey, Ralph Rogers, Barbara Nevin, and Tanya Love all remain hospitalized.  I will give updates after visiting today.

Kent Blaylock has been diagnosed with colon cancer.  He will have surgery this Thursday, 6/13.

Bro. Johnny Tucker presently is leading a team in Guatemala.  Our team will replace them this Thursday, 6/13.

Bro. Johnny Tucker will be our guest preacher this Sunday, 6/16, and Bro. David Miller will be our guest preacher on Sunday, 6/30.  Make plans to attend all of the services on those Sundays.

Thank God for the rains of Saturday night and yesterday.  The garden is happy.

FYI, Jason & I are changing our plans for next year’s VBS.  Lisa, Myrtle, and Carl Ray will not have a clue!  We are giving Myrtle one more year to “right the ship” or . . .  LOL!

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

VBS & GO Camp are both officially over as the students arrived home safe and sound around midnight.  We thank God for the blessings both of these ministries enjoyed.  VBS family night takes place tomorrow afternoon at 5:00PM.

Leslie Williams commented on yesterday’s post on Bailey Browning’s condition.  Kathy Ladnier did likewise on Sara’s latest test and results.  Both are good reports.

Visited with Bro. Kerry yesterday morning.  He was sitting in a chair and feeling better as they had relieved him of several tubes.

Visited with Miss Nell Mulkey.  She is having a rough go of it and needs our prayer support.

Visited with Mr. Ralph Rogers.  They still have not made a determination of the exact cause of his problems.

Word came last night that Pastor Rick Cagle passed away due to a heart attack.  If you ever listen to Power 88, then you have heard Rick Cagle.  He served as pastor of the Crosspoint Church.  Pray for his family as the service will take place on Tuesday afternoon.

Regular schedule tomorrow morning.  Recognizing the couples married for 50 years + in the 10:30AM service.  Going to be a special service.

Soy killed no more snakes yesterday so he went to the island last night to see if they may be hiding there!  He is now on a mission!

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

Sara Ladnier will be having a procedure done this morning to help determine the cause of the pain she has been experiencing.  You can read her mom’s comments on yesterday’s post for the details.  Pray for Sara.

Parker Vice did well through his surgical procedure yesterday.  It was a simple process as they placed a tube in one ear.  (TJ took a small straw and asked the doctor to use it in order to save $.  TJ’s theory is that “a tube is a tube!”)

Spent yesterday afternoon visiting the hospitals.  Here is the recap – Bro. Kerry is in some pain due to the actual surgery.  However, everyone medical who has checked on him says he is doing good.  He sat in a chair yesterday morning and was supposed to do the same around 5:00PM.  He was not looking forward to that!

No change in Tanya Love’s condition.

Miss Barbara Nevin was confused but seemed to be doing better physically.

Barbara Kelley’s sister, Brenda, will be having surgery this morning.

Miss Nell Mulkey had a rough day yesterday.  As I left her room late yesterday afternoon, they were about to do a procedure to hopefully help her.

Mr. Ralph Rogers had gone for a MRI so I visited with Miss Maxine.  They still have not identified the exact cause of Mr. Ralph’s problems.

Our fourth day of VBS went well as far as I know.  I am doing a horrible job of giving updates!  Pray for VBS today!

The GO camp is going?  While I have done a terrible job of giving VBS updates, Bro. Chris has done a much worse job of updating us on the camp!  (What did Nicole ever see in him?)  The students travel to Six Flags today and then home tonight.  Pray for them!

This Sunday, 6/9, Tena Hovel, Becky Hatcher, Kim Tillman, and Brad Hutto will lead our musical worship.  I appreciate all of these folks and their willingness to serve!

Soy is now an official snake hunter!  He killed not one, but two, snakes yesterday afternoon.  One on his side porch and one on the other side of his house.  He was so proud of himself!  Folks, they were black racers!  Harmless!  To hear him tell it, he killed two of the most venomous snakes in the world!

Jason Husband and I are tired of folks getting up in our business!  We are grown men!  Rumor has it that we are going to the Lighthouse for lunch today – not true!  You cannot believe everything you hear!  We are on a mission to replace Myrtle as VBS director.  We want Coe Crawley next year!

Regular schedule this Sunday morning.  VBS family night at 5:00PM – nothing else.

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

As I mentioned in our service last night, Anna Carol Bosarge taught children’s church 31 years ago today.  How do I know?  Because I called her when Lisa called me to say “it is time!”  We hurried to the hospital and Deidra was born about three hours later.  Happy birthday Deidra!

The church office will close today at noon and will be open in the morning instead.  Friday is an off day for the secretary and staff so this is being done in order to give them their time off.  I will be available in the event of an emergency.

Parker Vice is having surgery early this morning as they are putting tubes in his ear(s).  Second go around for Parker.  (TJ will probably insist the doctor do it for “free” since it was not done correctly the first time!)

Bro. Kerry did well through his surgery.  I appreciate those who stayed with Barbara during the surgery.

Bro. Jerry is wearing a walking boot as he has a stress fracture.

The funeral service for Amy Walker’s grandmother takes place today at 2:00PM from the chapel at Serenity.

David Bosarge’s step-father, Ralph Rogers, remains in a local hospital for testing.

David French’s sister-in-law, Teresa, had surgery and remains hospitalized too.

Brenda and Lisa arrived safely in Houston.

Jerry & Gloria Whitmore are scheduled to land in DC at 7:00AM.

Did not get an update on the GO Camp.  VBS is going well.

The 6:30PM start time seemed to go almost flawless last night.  The attendance in the auditorium was very good.  Same for the 7:30PM Bible study even though a few of the regulars are helping at camp.

This must be “start your vacation day” in South Mobile County as I know of at least seven members of the Friendship family who are leaving on vacation today.  On a Thursday?  I find that odd.  (Could it be related to VBS?  LOL!)

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

(Remember, the church office will be closed after noon today but will be open from 8:00AM until noon tomorrow)

Herbert Benefield called around 4:00PM to say that surgeon had just talked to Bro. Kerry’s family.  The surgery was a success and he is doing well.  He had five by-passes and they replaced the aortic valve.

Thank you for your prayer support throughout today.  Just keep praying.

Just received word from Bro. Jerry Hovel that the surgery just started (11:30AM) and is expected to take three hours to complete.

Bro. Kerry was taken into surgery a little before 9:30AM.  I went and prayed with him earlier this morning and he seemed very calm and collected.

David Bosarge’s step-father, Ralph Rogers, was placed in a local hospital yesterday.  Running tests.

Went through the auditorium as they were having the joint session this morning.  Mary Cook was “gyrating” so we will have a special called deacons meeting tonight – LOL!

Service/classes begin tonight at 6:30PM.

Bro. Kerry’s surgery is set for 9:00AM today.  As the Lord brings him to your mind this morning, pray.

Miss Nell Mulkey’s surgery was a success!  The doctor was pleased.  She did not even spend the night in ICU but went back to her room.  Partial hip replacement.  Not bad for a 97 year old lady!  Praise the Lord!

Brenda Timberlake and her sister, Lisa, travel to Houston, TX today to see the doctors at M.D. Anderson.

The visitation with the Walker family takes place tonight from 5:00 – 8:00PM at Serenity.  Amy’s grandmother passed.

The second day of VBS went well as far as I know.  I was at the hospital most of the day.  Plus, Jason and I had to make a stop after VBS – our business!

Bro. Chris reported two more salvations from camp.  All is well there.

Wes Bates is now the student minister at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Rome, Georgia.  They called him this past Sunday, 6/2, and he begins this Sunday, 6/9.  I am proud of Wes and this new ministry opportunity in his life.  God continues to bless our young preacher boys!

No 10:00AM service today!  The evening service/activities begin a 6:30PM!  Spread the word!

We will be discussing the Annie Armstrong Offering in tonight’s service plus praying for those on our list.

Need to hear from those married 50 years or longer today!

Will update on Bro. Kerry’s surgery as soon as it is complete and I can get to my laptop.

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