End of July

I can't believe that by the week's end we will be into the month of August!

Yesterday afternoon, Hopedale Baptist Church had a "back to school give-away" day and gave away shoes, t-shirts and supplies to area kids. We also had sno-cones, popcorn, face painting and games, a local fire truck with tours and ZOE Bus.

It was a pretty fun afternoon...except for the part that reminded the kids that summer is almost over and they'll be back in school in less than three weeks.

For my part, I got to share a little magic and tell the salvation story as kids and their parents stopped by. It was a fun day and there were plenty of Hopedale workers to serve our community.

I spent yesterday morning at Pleasant View Baptist Church filling in for their pastor and had an enjoyable time sharing from God's Word.

Working backwards into last week--Saturday I was in the Northern MO community of Laclede serving with Laclede Baptist Church at their Block Party in the Park. I arrived in Laclede after a 4.5 hr drive from visiting my folks in Central IL and then made the 4 hr drive home afterwards. Long day!

Visiting with the folks to make sure that dad was getting along post-surgery was a treat. Not only did we get to visit with each other, we also made trips to see a couple of cousins and an aunt and uncle. Dad seems to be doing well and still waiting for post-op lab results.

I'd say that this will be a more normal week, but that is highly unlikely. Chris has a rare schedule of working on Mon/Tues/Sat since she will be going to St. Charles for a sisters' get-together Wed/Thur/Fri. While she works on Sat., I'll be making my way to St. Louis to meet Aaron at the ballpark for a Cardinals/Brewers game.

It's a nice cool morning for the last week of July. It's time to set aside the computer and get about the week's business. Today's meatless lunch prep is already underway, but there is laundry to be done, exercise to be done and other chores before starting the work week.

God loves you!
Jesus died for you!

John <><