Category: Family

May 2022

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About to Fly Back to Argentina!

After our consulate visit this month, we received our passports back in the mail from the Argentine consulate with our new visas!  We have all of our bags packed a week early and are ready to fly out on the 7th of June.  Our Itinerary is very good as we will be flying out at 12:45 PM from DFW and will arrive in Cordoba the next day at 10:34 AM.   We will have two connections one at JFK in New York and the second in Santiago de Chile.  Please pray for us as we travel and pray for those that we will be talking to along the way about the Lord!

So Many Blessings!

We enjoyed so many great meetings this month before going back to Argentina.  It was great to see so many brethren at the Standing Missionary Committee meeting in Texarkana as well as meetings with individuals, families, loved ones and churches.  During these three months of delays that we experienced in going back to Argentina, the moments have not been wasted.  I feel as if these three months were months of pleasant rain preparing the field that God is going to bless!  Please pray for the country of Argentina and the more than 40,000,000 inhabitants and that the Lord would continue to go before us and prepare the way!

An Opportunity to Share the Gospel

Part of our consulate appointment was our interview by the main official of the Argentine consulate.  He wanted to hear my story of how I started learning Spanish and why we wanted to go to Argentina.  I shared with him how I first committed to learn Spanish was because many years ago in 1994, I took a trip on a bus and sat next to a man that could not speak English and I didn’t know enough Spanish to share the Gospel with him well.  Since then I poured my energy into learning Spanish and the Spanish Bible to be able to share the message of Salvation with any that I would meet later.  I also shared with him how the Lord had called us to go to Argentina and share this message, baptize those who believed and to plant scriptural churches.  We had a great conversation with him sharing our hearts and answering his questions.

Eyes as Big as Saucers!

Later in our interview I gave him and the lady that has been handling our case one of our flyers.  I showed him where on our flyer he could find more information if he really wanted to know more about us and what we are working on in Argentina.  Most people just quickly glance at one of our flyers and put it away, but he began to read the main points out loud on the first page!  The first page of our flyer explains how someone could be saved.  When he read the third line out loud, his eyes looked as big as saucers as he read how, because of our sin, we are separated from God and worthy of Hell!  Please pray for him that we may have more conversations with him in the future!

Thoughts from Stacie

A Date to the Consulate in Houston

We had our consulate visit this month in Houston. They said we didn’t have to have the kids with us for our appointment so Scott and I decided to leave the kids with my parents for a few days and turn our consulate visit into a short getaway. The evening after our consulate appointment we enjoyed dinner and a classical concert together

A Want-to-Do List

This month I sat down with each of our kids and asked them if there were anything they wanted to do before we leave for Argentina. I explained that we might not be able to do it all but we could try. We took them to a rodeo and Bass Pro Shop. Scott took the boys axe throwing. We also visited with several friends. We even took the kids to the movies and watched Family Camp. 

Mothers’ Day

On Mothers’ Day we attended our sending church, Nevill’s Chapel, for the morning services. After the morning services we drove up to Idabel, Oklahoma and enjoyed being a part of their special May Missions focus. We also enjoyed getting to see my brother, Jason Clark’s family while we were there.

Elisabeth’s Birthday

We celebrated Elisabeth’s 10th birthday on May 28th. We invited a lot of family over to help us celebrate with a party at the park. She had a wonderful time and really enjoyed being the center of attention. We enjoyed getting to see cousins and family that we hadn’t seen in a long time.

Saying Goodbye

Over all we’ve had a lot of opportunities to say our goodbyes this month. We have all the visas and paperwork in order and are ready to fly out. It’s a bit surreal right now to think that we will be writing our next report in Argentina.

Thank you for praying!

We are packed up and ready to go with only our carry-on luggage left to organize. Please pray for our flights on June 7th, that all goes smoothly, and that we arrive safely with all our luggage. 

Bonus Pictures

May 2022 Report

November 2021 Report

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Our passports were finished early

Thank you so much for the prayers last month about us getting our passports back on time.  All of the kids had to have their passports renewed during our short time back in the US.  The passports were all finished and came back to us almost two months earlier than they estimated!  Again thank you for your prayers!

Three Great State Meetings

One of the things that was such a great blessing to us was getting to be present for the Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas state meetings.  It felt surreal this month getting to see so many individuals that we love so much! We felt  several times that reuniting with so many friends at the  association meetiis a very small taste of what the glad reunion day in Heaven will be like when we get to reunite with our friends and loved ones that we haven’t seen in so many years.

Happy Thanksgiving

We also had a wonderful time with Stacie’s family. It’s been several years since Stacie’s whole family were all together for Thanksgiving. Not only were we able to spend time with all 7 of our own children at Stacie’s parents but also her brother’s and sister’s families came in to have Thanksgiving Dinner with us as well.

Thoughts from Stacie

Trip Down Memory Lane
We have been so many places this month as we attended three different State meetings. In between meetings we tried to throw in a few fun things as well. One of the activities we were able to attend was the annual Heritage Syrup Festival in Henderson, Texas. I have wonderful memories of attending the Syrup Festival as a child and it was fun to share those experiences with our children. Joanna was a little nervous about riding the carousel at the Henderson Depot Museum until she found out that I rode that same carousel when I was a little girl. It’s fun to relive those childhood memories through the eyes of our children.

Silver Anniversary
Scott and I were married on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1996. This year our 25th Anniversary was on a Sunday and we were honored to be guests at Longbranch Missionary Baptist Church where Dr. Ray O. Brooks still pastors at almost 99 years old. We truly enjoyed visiting with them.

That evening we headed northward to visit Scott’s family up in Michigan. That also became a trip down memory lane as 25 years ago we went North for our honeymoon. We reminisced over all the places we stopped at along the way. It was kind of fitting to start the month in the town where I grew up and end it where Scott grew up.

Bonus Pictures

Above: Elijah dreams of being a fire fighter. He enjoyed meeting a fire fighter at the Heritage Syrup Festival in Henderson, Tx. 
A special thank you to Jeremiah Mattingly for letting us ride in his 1927 Model T Ford truck!
November 2021

October 2021 Report

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Mission Conference and Marriage Conference

At the beginning of the month we were able to attend MTM, (Missionary Training Ministry) in Mountain View, Arkansas.  This ministry is a great blessing to all missionaries and sending churches. 

Later in the month my wife and I were able to attend the Homebuilder marriage retreat.  This is something that we wanted to do for years but were not able to do before.  It was a great weekend to spend together away from the kids for a few days.  The kids had a lot of fun with their grandparents while we were away.

Passports Sent off for Renewal

One of the things that was on our list to finish early was the renewal of the kids’ passports.  Passports for children are only good for 5 years.  The renewal process takes between 16 and 12 weeks to renew and have back.  That is one more thing that we can cross off our list!

Oklahoma State Meeting and Time with the Churches

We were able to attend the Oklahoma state association meeting held in Vian, OK.  It was a great blessing to be able to reconnect with so many brethren that we had not seen in so long!  We are also thankful for the opportunities this month to share and fellowship with several chuches in the area!

Thoughts from Stacie

Family Time
I’ve been having a hard time keeping up with what day it is. Time is passing so quickly. Some of the plans we had for October got moved on us. While I hate to mention the “C” word, but one person at a meeting we attended early in the month had gotten sick and tested positive for Covid. So we had to change some of our travel plans just in case we had gotten too close to that individual during the meeting. Thankfully none of us got sick and we were able to enjoy the extra time with our oldest two children. Joshua and Ruth both had a day off at the same time so we were able to plan a family field trip to a Heritage Village and the Zoo. It was such a blessing to have all our children together. We also enjoyed having one Sunday that we were able to attend Church altogether as a family.

Weekend Get Away It has been at least 4 and a half years since Scott and I have been able to spend more than just a few hours together away from our children. In Argentina we weren’t comfortable leaving them all overnight much less for a weekend. So we took advantage while on furlough of having family nearby to watch our children while we got away for a much needed alone time as as a couple. The retreat really helped us step away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and take a good look at our marriage and family. The end of November Scott and I will be celebrating our 25th Anniversary. I can’t think of any better way to celebrate than spending quality time together at a marriage retreat in Branson.

Bonus Pictures

October 2021

February Deputation and Family Time before we head out of Texas

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Elisabeth’s first shopping trip.

Our sending church Nevill’s Chapel held a Faith Promise Conference and our picture was posted along with the other missionaries on the church sign.

Granted we’d be around 70 if this shirt’s message still applied 30 years from now.

My parents holding their two youngest grandchildren. Note the toys all over the floor the next picture explains why.

We made a special occasion before we hit the road on deputation to make this picture happen for my parents with all 16 grandkids.

Joanna on one of her new baby blankets that was given to her by the ladies of Ridge Crest MBC in Levelland, Tx.

We had a good time during Senior day at Glenwood Baptist Camp. The kids got to help Bro. Ken Sibley with his gospel illusion lessons.

We also got to hear the gospel group The King’s Servants the same day at Camp Glenwood.

Scott was the guest speaker on Senior Day. He preached from Psalm 71:18.

We enjoy singing together as a family.

My cousin Christi had her baby a week before Joanna was born. We finally got the second cousins together for some pictures. It was a little tricky getting both babies to be happy at the same time.

We had a really good visit with Mema (Charlcye Taylor) before heading out on a longer deputation trail visiting Churches all over the United States.

We also visited Bethel MBC of Tatum, Tx with Mema, Aunt Connie, and Uncle Tom.

Scott shares our mission plans for Argentina…

…and he enjoys preaching from the Word of God when given the opportunity.

Elijah gets to hold Joanna in this picture. Joanna is not short on getting attention with so many siblings.

Welcoming Joanna Lynn

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IMG_0195We would like to introduce the newest member to our mission team, Joanna Lynn. She was born into our world January 14, 2017 at 2:10 a.m. at home in Henderson, Tx weighing 9 lbs and measuring 21.25 inches long.

16473796_1440923665918933_8220400000109260391_nThis was our first home birth and it was our best delivery experience to date. We really appreciate the help of our midwife Kristin Green of Seeds of Grace Midwifery. She was a true blessing to us and even prayed with us right before Joanna was born. 15977961_10212357428957042_1278282277961485963_nIMG_0194

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Sunday, May 8th

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In the morning we presented the work at Twinlands MBC in Channelview, TX where brother Stephen Pace is the pastor. I have known brother Pace for several years and have had pleasure of going to church camp for several years in a row.  I not only count him as a great pastor, but also as a personal friend and encourager.  He is the one that I think of when I read about Jesus telling the disciples to let the little children to come unto him.

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I would have no hesitation at all in saying that any family within a hour or two of Channelview, would be blessed to come, join and work with this church.

It was great to see our friend of many years, Aurora Luna.  She was a blessing to our family when I was Missionary/Pastor in Kingsville, Texas.  I pray that the Lord would continue to bless her and her family as she continues as a shining light in this world of darkness.

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The beginning of the morning service was dedicated to honoring motherhood and was beautifully done.  Then, after the presenting of the work and preaching there was a wonderful dinner on the grounds and time of fellowship.

  Twinlands MBC is a tight knit group of believers that rejoices in the Lord and in His word.  May all of our churches be more like this one.  Each church that I have gone to during Deputation I have learned things that I want to add to my ministry in the future.

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In the evening, we went to Calvary MBC in Huffman, TX. where Joe Gallegos is the pastor.  A while back he had scheduled with my son Joshua to come and preach.  I will be coming back at the end of the month on the 29th to preach and present the work.

It great to our Lord’s churches extending opportunities for young men to Preach His word.  For my wife it was the best mother’s day gift ever, to hear her son proclaim God’s word.

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