 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
Click Here to respond to the blog |
of Bonnie & Louis Rushmore |
August 27-September 1, 2010
 
Bonnie used PowerPoint lessons she had prepared for teaching the same age group. She taught The Christian Armor, Youthful Servants of God and Bible Geography Jeopardy. We set up two tables, one for Choate Publications (part of the literature arm of World Evangelism) and a display table for World Evangelism and Rushmore Evangelism (our voluntary cooperation with brethren stateside and abroad in world evangelism). We gave away hundreds of copies of my book, Beverage Alcohol, and hundreds of copies of The Voice of Truth International and Global Harvest magazines. We gave away several hundred pens and hundreds of my million dollar bill business card. Unfortunately, the 1,000 copies of my book, No Hermeneutical Gymnastics, Please!, did not make it into the transport vehicles from Jacksonville, AL with the rest of Polishing the Pulpit materials and was not distributed free as I had planned. Between choosing a meal for ourselves, eating the leftovers and eating with brethren, Bonnie and I ate pizza four of those days: pizza from Pizza Hut, Papa John's and Cici's. There have been moments in our travels in Asia that we have had enough rice for a little while, but during the span of days covering Polishing the Pulpit, we had enough pizza to hold us for days to come. Polishing the Pulpit is similar to many brotherhood lectureships, but it is unique and superior to most at the same time. A couple of years ago, the attendance numbered less than 1,000; last year, the attendance was about 1,400; whereas this year, the attendance topped 2,000. Apparently, many brethren agree that this program is worth the investment of time and money to attend. Everyone's proverbial bucket was filled to overflowing by brethren who appreciate biblical balance and are neither to the right nor to the left of biblical center. August 26, 2010
August 25, 2010
Down at the office, we printed and assembled informational packets about our work, which we leave with elderships for their consideration of participating with us as we serve the Lord stateside and abroad. I corresponded by email with a brother in India to facilitate his reception of digital computer files that enable him to publish thousands of copies of Voice of Truth International magazine in English in that country.
August 24, 2010 The first half of Tuesday, we dedicated to doing some things around the house, a long list of which needing done seems to grow and grow, compounded by the frequent travels we make and the many hours we invest in the office on magazines, books and tracts. In anticipation of our next journey of two weeks duration, Bonnie busily attended to laundering our clothes. However, we never accomplish as much as we hope in the time allotted. Much yardwork and general maintenance cries out for their turns, and attending to the laundry and other domestic adventures are unending. In the afternoon, we packed into the van the World Evangelism display, several boxes of books and various materials for our Wednesday night appointment and for Polishing the Pulpit. I printed off an internet book order and details about the online payment as well as transferred funds electronically between accounts for the sale of books. Otherwise, at the office and at home I worked some more on Gospel Gazette Online for September. Bonnie continued to work on the laundry, preparation for packing and lessons for Polishing the Pulpit. August 22-23, 2010 Aside from another opportunity to visit with our dear daughter, the reason for our visit on this occasion was to greet Mary and Charlie DiPalma, missionaries to India and Malaysia. He spoke at the Bible Class hour and for two worship services. This was our first meeting each other, but we have a common interest in Asian mission work. In addition, the Collierville Church of Christ helps support them and us. We transferred paper for the print shop (tracts and newsletters) from Rebecca's car to our car. She graciously picks up paper for us from time to time and either brings it to us or we make the hand-off at her house when visiting. Sunday afternoon, we went shopping for some minor building materials to make some light repairs on Rebecca's house (That's my job and token payment for the B&B benefits). Monday morning, Bonnie & I adjusted two exterior doors so they would latch and lock. We also installed a plant bracket over the living room picture window (making sure to water the ivy, promising it we would water it again in November when we come back) and a grocery bag caddy in the pantry closet. Rebecca, of course, was at school teaching, and after we gathered our things and the trivets and basket she brought back to us from Guyana, we aimed the Gospel Chariot toward our Winona, MS home. Back in the office in the afternoon, Bonnie printed labels for Volume 65 of The Voice of Truth International, which was due to arrive Wednesday. I started working on the September issue of Gospel Gazette Online. August 20-21, 2010 The morning was consumed in printing on a duplex laser printer enough booklets for the School of Missions on Saturday. We printed two booklets, each containing five courses. We ran them through the booklet maker, bending them over and affixing two staples in each. Then, we trimmed the face edges on the booklets and deposited them in a box for travel. Bonnie also loaded (with the help of Jerry Bates) hundreds of books from chiefly the missions room into our van for the school session. Jerry and I took some rough dimensions of the office/warehouse, and Jerry sketched out the building and the location of phone jacks. I will meet with a brother in Collierville, TN who sells and installs phone systems, which we sorely need in the Winona office to facilitate better all that goes on there for the cause of Christ. Friday afternoon, we headed for Double Springs, AL, where on Saturday we would participate in School of Missions Classes. Good ole GPS did it to us again! As if to say surprise, GPS, with a lovely (deceptive) female voice, directed us at one point to turn onto "Kings Road." It started off as a narrow, paved, country road, but soon became one lane with two-way traffic. Then, the road began to deteriorate until we had green grass growing up between tire tracts. Next, we drove over a grate into open range where cattle were everywhere, including close to the car as we drove on, curious as to if this road led anywhere near where we were hoping to go. Finally, we drove over another grate in the driveway-like pasture highway, soon after emptying out on to a paved road, a sign at the end of the pathway that indicated we had still been on "Kings Road." Because we did not know the physical address of the church's meetinghouse, and because we had selected the first house number GPS suggested on Alabama Highway 195 out of Double Springs, we were about 10 miles from the church building (though we weren't sure about that even at the time). In Double Springs Friday night, we experienced a new (to us) Italian restaurant. An otherwise usually quiet and spacious site, because of a well-attended ball game in town, the place was packed and noisy. Traveling to Double Springs, eating at the restaurant and resting for the night as guests of members of the Double Springs Church of Christ, we were able to relax for a little bit —before directing our attention and energies to the next activity or location on our well-populated calendar.
In the middle of the afternoon, we headed the car toward the northwest in the direction of Collierville, TN. I was hoping that Rebecca would not be saddened by the shadow of our van pulling into her driveway and our lugging our baggage into her home. August 18-19, 2010 I can't do it! I can't do it! For whatever reason, I cannot get the email subscription notifications to go through. Consulting two ISP's through which our notices pass, still no success. Brrrr! Well, I must go on to other things and return to this problem days from now. Under duress because of the crush of time, all day and late at night Wednesday and Thursday, I was able to correct, proofread and format one year's worth of lessons for the upcoming School of Missions to be held in Double Springs, AL. We also finished printing 3,000 tracts, covering five tracts and personalized for congregational use. Thousands of tracts, chiefly my tracts, are being distributed in this country and abroad, in several languages. Seventy-five new, full-color tracts will arrive this fall; they are being printed in Hong Kong. Several of these are tracts that I have authored. August 17, 2010 Tuesday we did some printing and other office work before heading down I-55 the nearly two hours to our dental cleanings in Byram, MS, a southern suburb of Jackson, MS. We left a case of The Voice of Truth International magazine for the office, some new tracts and some trinkets from Myanmar. We took back with us a case of toothpaste, which we will take to India orphanages this fall. That night, I finished the August Edition of Gospel Gazette Online and posted it to the Internet. Late again, GGO had to wait its turn over other necessary work and travel. September will arrive suddenly and require another edition of our online magazine. Worse, we will be overseas in October and November, which may make those issues late as well. Our lives are triage after triage, what's next, what's next. If we ever see any light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, I'm sure that it will be an onrushing freight train —of more work requiring immediate attention. For instance, we have to begin almost immediately preparing the next issue of The Voice of International magazine before we head overseas October 6 (though an issue will arrive in a matter of days, there is significant lead time required to bring each issue to print). Bonnie is feverishly preparing lessons that she will teach children at Polishing the Pulpit, as well as lessons for our upcoming labors in India and Myanmar. I have several lessons to prepare, too, for our trip to India and Myanmar. In addition, Bonnie is trying to finish her ladies' class book on which she has been working for three years. August 16, 2010 Monday was a long, drawn out endurance test. Decades ago, driving a dozen or more hours was part of the plan. When our children were young, especially driving at night when they slept in the car was a workable scheme. Anymore, six or seven hours, and maybe eight hours are all I hope to drive at most in a single day. August 16, though, required ten or more hours of driving, plus stops for gas, food, leg stretches and restroom breaks. We arrived back in Winona at nearly 9:00 p.m. (Central Standard Time, whereas we started the day's journey in Eastern Standard Time — to make a long journey even one hour longer! August 14-15, 2010 Saturday, we arrived about supper time at the home of Teral, Danielle and Winston Walker in Brandon, FL. They treated us to fine dining at the Golden Corral. We talked and enjoyed each other's company before retiring late that evening. Brother Walker is the preacher for the Osprey Avenue Church of Christ in Sarasota, FL, where I was to speak three times on the morrow.
Hurriedly at the conclusion of that service, we packed books and displays in the car and scurried to the Midway Church of Christ, also in Sarasota; their evening worship began at 6:00 p.m., at which time I made my PowerPoint presentation, Because of the Center Cross. This church, too, also presented us with a generous monetary gift toward our efforts stateside and abroad on behalf of the cause of Christ. Having dental cleaning appointments scheduled for Tuesday in Jackson, MS, we departed the Midway congregation northward for two or three hours before stopping for the night at a motel. Both of these churches in Sarasota, FL were congregations that we had not visited before. Bonnie and I love making new friends of brethren with whom we were formerly unacquainted. August 13, 2010 Early in the morning, Bonnie and I watered the outside plants and used string trimmers around the yard, completing the lawn manicure we had begun the day before. We hastened so that we could return the Hodge's pickup truck, retrieve our car and head out for Florida. Sadie had a nice lunch awaiting us. It is difficult to leave good hospitality and fellowship, and sometimes we have been way late in departing for our next destination because we didn't want to part from loved ones in the faith. We traveled hours upon hours before we took a hotel in northern Florida for the night. August 12, 2010 Thursday morning, Bonnie and mowed the grass, which we had not mowed for three weeks. We were at the crossroads of getting a goat, having a farmer bail it or mowing the grass. We were a little skittish on the riding lawnmower due to the sloping front yard. A neighbor passing by on his riding lawnmower gave me counsel and encouragement about mowing the embankment on the right side of the driveway. Next time we mow, Bonnie has assigned me the task of seeing how much closer we can mow down the embankment on the left side of the driveway, without tipping over!
August 10-11, 2010
Bonnie and I looked a little like slapstick comedy as we tried to unload the tractor lawnmower from the bed of the pickup truck without a ramp! I finally got the truck tailgate within six or eight inches in height above the embankment, and that was the best I could do without risking getting the truck stuck in the ditch. Thump it was down and the brake on (Bonnie sitting atop of the mower) kept it from rolling downhill into the back of the truck. A little gas added to the mower and starting it, we soon discovered that it could not back itself up the grade, but we had to go down through the shallow part of the ditch and up on to the road before riding up the driveway. Later, I noticed that I broke off the Mississippi State University trailer hitch cover, plunging it into the embankment when I backed up to unload the mower. Oops! August 9, 2010 Monday morning through early afternoon, I videotaped three and a half lessons and an interview at Global Broadcast Network (GBN) in Chattanooga, TN (The One True Church of the Bible, Bible Archaeology and Beverage Alcohol, plus an introduction to a special Bible Maps Class for children). Bonnie was persuaded to sit with me for the interview, but she refused the microphone, providing silent moral support. Decades ago, I had been part of a panel of preachers taping for two television programs, at which time my heart jumped up into my throat and nearly choked me to death. This time, though I allowed the lessons at hand to dominate my attention rather than the three cameras pointed at me. Time will tell if these efforts prove air worthy, and if so, afforded opportunities in the future, experience ought to lead to a little more polished demonstration on my part. August 8, 2010
Leaving Piedmont, we headed for a 6:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) appointment in Ooltewah, TN. About two hours later, we arrived at the Chattanooga, TN home of Winston and Cathy Stringfield; he is an elder of the Ooltewah congregation and Winston and Cathy have become dear friends and benefactors of Bonnie and me. We enjoyed home cooked meals nightly, and Winston's meatloaf ranks among the best ever sampled by me, a lover of meatloaf. Sunday night, I preached What Is the Mission of the Church? Winston described the sermon as "a punch in the gut for the congregation," a jumpstart, if you will, for each member of the church to accept a personal role in evangelizing his or her community. August 7, 2010 Bonnie and I made our way from north, central Mississippi across Alabama to the farm home of Bob and Peggy Rogers, which is outside of Piedmont, AL. We drove in the short driveway, rang the doorbell and habitually, as though on automatic pilot, marched down the hallway to the customary bedroom in which we sleep each time we visit the Highway 9 Church of Christ. Shortly afterward, we were treated to a hardy meal at a country restaurant, deep in the country and operated by another farm family, overshadowed by silos, outbuildings and barns. August 2-6, 2010 I worked throughout the week on articles for Gospel Gazette Online and printing tracts, before leaving at the end of the week for appointments. Otherwise, the rountine of general office work, printing, shipping, etc. consumed our week swiftly. August 1, 2010 Sunday, Bonnie and I spent the day with the Indianola, MS Church of Christ. Lessons included: Because of the Center Cross, What Is the Mission of the Church? and Bible Archaeology. For the noon mean, we were treated at a Chinese restaurant (more rice!) Since the preacher was away, it was an opportune time for both me (without an appointment this week) and the congregation for me to speak. We were the guests throughout the afternoon of Deanie & James Bradshaw. |
The highlights of our several days at Polishing the Pulpit included the six classes combined that Bonnie and I taught to children, the classes we attended for our own edification, the renewed friendships and making new acquaintances from among brethren we had not previously known. For three years now, I have taught young ones at Polishing the Pulpit a Special Bible Maps Class. It only takes about 20 minutes to indelibly plant this information in the minds of 2-year-olds and up. Not only could the class of 6- to 9-year-olds (on this occasion) locate everything I asked of them on three Bible Lands maps, but they could duplicate the map of Palestine on a blank wall. They demonstrated a greater knowledge of Bible Lands Geography than Christian parents typically know.
Wednesday morning, we packed the car with our luggage and hanging clothes. The interior was filled from nose to tail, wall to wall and nearly from the floor to the ceiling; just enough room remained in the cockpit for Bonnie and me. The back tires bulged under the burden of our cargo more than the front tires bearing the weight of the engine.
Most of Saturday was consumed in attending the School of Missions at the Double Springs Church of Christ's facility. About 32 brothers and sisters from numerous congregations assembled for the the first of eight sessions whereby they expected to enhance their skill sets for deployment in the future in especially foreign missions.
Bible class began at 9:00 a.m., at which time I presented, Because of the Center Cross. Worship commenced at 10:30 a.m., whereupon I preached, What Is the Mission of the Church? Lunch was at a Chinese restaurant (more rice), after which we rested in a church family's home adjacent to the meetinghouse. At 4:00 p.m., I made my PowerPoint presentation about Bible Archaeology. We were presented with ceramic mugs and spoons with images from the Osprey Avenue Church of Christ upon them, as well as a sizeable and useful check for our mission work. We travel thousands of miles monthly, not knowing beforehand if we will be the beneficiaries of even enough funds to cover our travel expenses, but churches take good care of us. What one congregation may not do, another one more than makes up for it.
That evening, we erected a water fountain beside the patio and in one of the flower gardens. We had received it several days earlier, but with broken globes for the underwater lights. The three-bucket fountain is soothing as we sit on our swing late at night before retiring for the night; we try to unwind and relax somewhat, providing us a little buffer between the day's demands and the rest of night.
Tuesday dawned, and we pointed the silver van toward Meridian, MS, to the home of Sadie and Therman Hodge. We arrived in time for a fine meal prepared by sister Hodge. Other than buying a riding lawnmower from Sears (because the combination of my health and the extremely hot weather), our mission that evening was for the brother Hodge as well as Bonnie and me to fill out our visa applications for Myanmar this fall. Because I couldn't quite squeeze the riding lawnmower into my van, Therman loaned us his pickup truck, and we left our car at his house. We headed for Winona, MS on Wednesday morning.
At 9:00 a.m. (Central Standard Time), I presented my lesson Because of the Center Cross about our fall mission trip to India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar (Burma). For the 10:00 a.m. worship, I preached, What Is the Mission of the Church? As always, we were encouraged by these good brethren. Before departing Piedmont, AL, we were treated to a good meal at Lloyd's Fish Hole; several Rogers Family members and we enjoyed one another's company and tasty vittles.