Fort Madison, IA & Fort Wayne, IN

Both kids are asleep (for now!), so I figured it would be a good time for a blog update. :)

Last time I wrote, we were on our way to visit a supporting church in Fort Madison, Iowa. It was a wonderful end to a great and encouraging week!

Fort Madison, IA: First Baptist Church
We stayed at a hotel (or, as Josiah says, "ho-towel") on Friday (July 25) and met up with Wayne and Linda from Fort Madison First Baptist Church the next morning. We enjoyed spending our day with them, getting to know them and experiencing a little bit of their community.

Linda keeping an eye on sleeping Charis

Wayne pushing Josiah on the swing

They took us on a guided tour of the Old Fort Madison:

We were originally supposed to have dinner with the elders and the missions committee Saturday evening, but one thing after another came up, and we ended up having dinner at Wayne and Linda's house with one other couple, Don and Sue, from the missions committee. It was such a wonderful time of fun and fellowship! Josiah wasted no time in befriending Don:

At the end of the night, we joked that Josiah might want to go home with his new friend - and much to everyone's surprise, Josiah agreed wholeheartedly! He was more than willing to tell Mommy and Daddy goodbye and go home to play all night long with Mr. Don. :)

The next day, Sunday, we attended First Baptist Church of Fort Madison, Iowa. We were able to share with the congregation there a little bit about ourselves, Village Missions, and our current internship. We were greatly encouraged by the people there, and hope to visit once more before being placed next year.

First Baptist Church of Fort Madison, IA

We went to lunch with Wayne and Linda, Don and Sue, and a couple others, and then went on our way. We were exceedingly thankful for the opportunity to stop in and share with the church as well as for the loving hospitality of Wayne and Linda.

Saying goodbye to our new friends

Finally heading home!

Fort Wayne, IN: Avalon Missionary Church
After returning home from our week away, we only had a few days to rest before getting on the road again, this time to Fort Wayne, IN. That weekend (Aug 2-3), we were given the opportunity to share with the congregation of Avalon Missionary Church in their Saturday evening service and both Sunday morning services.

We have a couple of connections with this church. First, Avalon kindly allows the Latino congregation of which we were a part - Centro Internacional de Alabanza Renovacion (CIAR) - to use their facilities, so we originally became familiar with Pastor Keith and others there for that reason. Second, I was part of a group that began an ENL (English as a New Language) ministry there, run by a team of people from Avalon and CIAR (and helped greatly by The Reclamation Project in Fort Wayne). Third, Chris worked part-time for Avalon as a custodian for about a year. It was through his job that he really got to know the staff there. [Since I - Ronae - am writing this, I have no qualms about taking a minute to brag on my husband: I can't count the number of times that people from there, upon learning that I was Chris Cleland's wife, would tell me how much they appreciated his work, or what a good worker he was, or how sad they were to see him go. In fact, Chris has never had an employer that has not, upon meeting me, told me what a good and faithful worker he is, or what a good work ethic he has. It's one of the many things I am proud of him for, and thankful for. I'm sure Chris won't be thrilled about me including this in my blog post, but I believe he brings glory to God through his work in each job he has had, and I don't think the Lord will mind me claiming bragging rights momentarily on behalf of one of the many ways in which He shines through my husband.]

Anyway... Pastor Keith at Avalon graciously offered to allow us to present at their church services, sharing a little bit about ourselves, Village Missions, and our needs. We greatly appreciated the opportunity to share and to talk to some individuals from their congregation who have a heart for rural ministry. It was also wonderful to be able to catch up with a couple of the friends from Avalon that we had made during our time in Fort Wayne before moving to Crawfordsville.

Fort Wayne, IN: CIAR
Our last stop for the weekend was Sunday afternoon (8/3). After the last morning service at Avalon, we had a quick lunch and then went back to that building to join our previous congregation, CIAR, for worship and mutual encouragement. Pastor Alex had asked Chris to preach that Sunday, while Pastor Alex translated the message into Spanish for the congregation. We loved being able to see some of our friends from there, and were able to enjoy dinner with Pastors Alex and Lucy and their family after church.

Sunday was an exhausting day for the kids - evidenced by the fact that Josiah fell asleep in my arms during the service at CIAR, and didn't even stir when I had to lay him in Charis' carseat so I could nurse her. When we took him home from the hospital in that carseat, by the way, he took up only about half of that space. My, how fast they grow!!!

Hannah and Josiah: Best friends, reunited!

Josiah: "Ok, that's enough hugs for now..."
Hannah: "There's no such thing as enough hugs!"

Support Update
We are still working to raise regular support for our work with Village Missions. We are right at $800/month out of our $1400/month goal that has been set in order to help sustain long-term ministry with this organization. We are praying that the Lord would continue raising up supporters who have a heart for rural ministry in places that are so often overlooked or forgotten. We have received a few one-time gifts for which we have been incredibly grateful, and which have been absolutely instrumental in helping us get started in this ministry. Our biggest financial need at this point and over the next year will be to finish raising regular (monthly, quarterly, or annual) support in order to meet our goal.
If you have an interest in supporting this ministry or simply learning more about it, we would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have and provide you with a pledge card that can be sent to Village Missions. Pledges can also be made online here.