Finally Here!

You may remember from last month that we talked about this upcoming trip. I am glad to report that we made it safe and sound. God blessed us through your prayers with good weather and no mechanical issues.

The Trip

The total length of the trip from Palm Beach County, FL to Lemhi County, ID was over 3300 miles. We picked up our RV in Hernando, FL. We are very thankful to the Hartman family for letting us park the rig at their house for a few months. We were constantly traveling during that time and didn’t get to spend as much time with them as we had hoped but we appreciate the time we did have.

We had a meeting with an eldership and some maintenance to do on the fifth wheel that brought us up through Alabama.

Our travels allowed us to drop by Spring Hill, TN and visit with Cara’s parents. We were also able to visit with the New Lasea church, one of our supporters on Wednesday night.

Our next stop through Arkansas, allowed us to see my parents in Benton. There is a congregation there that supports us also. Having a place to park and stop over helps with the cross country trek.

If you have ever been out west then you know that the views are very big. This is just north of Moab, UT.

We parked on the street overnight at my brother’s place just North of Salt Lake City, UT. It was good to see them. From there is was only five hours up and over several mountains to Salmon.

This is where we will be parked for the next couple of months working with the church.

Salmon, Idaho

The city is located in the Lemhi valley and sits at 3,944 feet above sea level. The Salmon River (aka River of No Return) runs through the town and is a favorite among white water rafters and anglers. The valley is surrounded by mountain peaks, the highest of which is Freeman peak at 10,273 feet.

Salmon is the home of 3,122 people according to the 2010 census. The most famous of which is Sacajawea a Lemhi Shoshone woman that was a valuable part of the Lewis and Clark expedition. She joined the Corp of Discovery at Fort Mandan, North Dakota in the winter of 1804-1805. They reached the Salmon-Challis area in 1805. Religiously, Salmon has every flavor of “Christian”. The Mormon church/cult has the largest influence in the area. Part of our work is getting plugged into the community to make new contacts and meet people. I have started volunteering with the senior center helping deliver meals. Some of the members are involved in this also. Hopefully this will yield some opportunities to share the gospel.

Bryan Ave. church of Christ

Formally known as the Salmon church of Christ, the Bryan Avenue congregation is doing well. Paul Myers, the recently retired preacher here, said this name change was made a few years back to help create distance from the Mormons that use the name Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints. Paul and his family are still living and worshipping in Salmon. It has been great to reconnect with Myers family. I’ve known them since I was in elementary school living in Eagle, ID. The congregation has several talented men that can preach and teach class. I have been preaching since we’ve been here. You can click HERE to go to their Youtube page and check it out. Something unique about this congregation is that they have potluck every Sunday. Over the years there have been people driving hours to worship as the closest congregation is an hour and forty five minutes away. The potluck provides them an opportunity to fellowship in a family setting before they drive home. Living so far from other Christians, this provides another opportunity for encouragement.

Speaking Opportunity

I was asked to speak at the lectureship hosted by the Karns church of Christ near Knoxville, TN. I was thankful for it and encouraged by the other lessons that I heard. Click HERE if you would like to hear that lesson and others.

Looking Forward

We will be in Salmon until the end of June. A group from Palm Beach Lakes church of Christ coming up in June. In July, we will be at Central Florida Bible Camp. After camp we will head East to North Carolina, then New Hampshire.