New York City - Washington DC

This past week and a half has been a whirlwind for us. Last week, we were with Brother Paul Morrison, Pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Fishkill, NY. We kept busy while with the Morrisons, enjoying some of the local cuisine, and seeing some of the sights. On the fourth of July, we were able to go to West Point to watch the fireworks. It was an incredible experience! (see blog posting entitled "Happy Fourth of July!") And, on Friday July 8th, Pastor Morrison and I went in to New York City, where we handed out some gospel tracts, and visited many of the sights. We were able to see Grand Central Station (pictured on the right), Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Steinway Building (piano builders), Central Park, and some historic churches, including Calvary Baptist Church that has been around since the mid 1800's. After five hours of walking around the city, I was worn out! But, I really enjoyed my time in the city.

This past week, we had the privilege to be a part of the missions conference put on by Odenton Baptist Church in Odenton, MD. Brother George Shafer is the Pastor. There were two other missionary families at the conference, including Brother Garry Castner and his family, whom our sending church has supported for a number of years. They serve in Chile. Brother Dave Olson, missionary to Zambia, and his family were also in attendance. The preaching was a great blessing, and the fellowship was outstanding. The church really went above and beyond the call of duty, taking us on several outings, including a trip to Washington DC, and to Fort McHenry, where the "Star Spangled Banner" was penned by Francis Scott Key.

While in Washington DC, my wife went with the ladies and visited the Smithsonian, and I went with the men and toured many of the monuments. We saw the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II and Korean Memorials, and Arlington National Cemetery, where we were able to watch the ceremonial changing of the guard. This East Coast trip has been sort of a dream come true. We've been able to see the birthplace of our nation at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, visit West Point, a key fortress in the Revolutionary War, and now top it all off by seeing our nation's capital. (The White House is pictured on the right.) Even though we're called to Scotland, we still love our country, we still honor the sacrifices of of Americans who have fought to preserve our freedoms, and we still praise God Who has preserved us a nation! All in all, we're grateful to be Americans!

Enjoy the pictures below!