We’re here!! During the last week of May, Noma and I made several trips to Edmond, Oklahoma to move our household goods to our new address. On Sunday, May 31, we spent our last Sunday with the good brethren of the 4th & Jackson St. church of Christ in Hugo. It was a very moving day, in more ways than one. It was hard to say “Good-bye” to so many people we have come to love so dearly. Over the almost ten years we worked with the 4th & Jackson St. congregation, I tried, as often as I could, to tell people in other places about these good and faithful brethren. I don’t intend to stop doing that. It meant so much to my family and me to hear our names mentioned in public prayer almost every service. I know that we continue to be in their prayers as they are in ours.
As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, our current home is a temporary one in that we are still looking for a house to buy in the Oklahoma City area. We were very blessed to find this house to rent in the meantime.
Since our move, we have remained busy. Noma began teaching Summer School in the Oklahoma City School District this week. On June 3, I spoke to the congregation in Wapanucka, Oklahoma about the Bear Valley extension work. On June 7, Noma and I traveled to Pryor, Oklahoma to give a report on the school in Honduras, which they help support. On June 10, I spoke to the 7th & Beech congregation in Durant, Oklahoma as part of their Wednesday Night Summer Series. I have been blessed to be a speaker on that program for several years and I very much enjoy returning to visit with those good brethren. On June 14 I will be making the presentation about the extension work to the brethren in Cave Springs, Arkansas. The following is an updated listing of my schedule for the rest of the year as it stands now: August 14-18 - Honduras; August 22-25 - Bear Valley faculty retreat; August 26 - September 14 - Chimala, Tanzania; October 26-30 - Guatemala City.
I would also like to repeat that all checks for our work should be made out to the 4th & Jackson St. church of Christ, with a note on the memo line that it is for the Donnie Bates Mission Fund, and sent to:
4th & Jackson St. Church of Christ
P.O. Drawer 549
Hugo, OK 74743
Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all (2 Thessalonians 3:16). Thank you and God bless you all.
Donnie Bates
Friday, June 19, 2009
Move to Full-Time Work Drawing Near
The time is drawing near for us to make the transition to full-time work with Bear Valley. Sunday, May 31 will be our last day on the job as pulpit minister with the 4th & Jackson St. Church of Christ in Hugo, Oklahoma. The work with Bear Valley will be, and has already been, an exciting work, and we look forward to many years of service in this great program. However, that does not mean this transition has been easy. We have worked alongside, laughed with and cried with the brethren here in Hugo for almost 10 years. From the beginning of our relationship we have been treated like family by this congregation and we, in turn, have come to feel the same way about the brethren here. We love you and appreciate you so much.
As of June 1, we will be living in Edmond, Oklahoma. This will be a temporary stop, in that we still must find a house to purchase. We will be renting for the time being, and, thanks be to God, are able to do so without a long-term lease. We, therefore, anticipate a short stay in the rental and then, by the help of the good Lord, we will have our own place. The contact information at the end of this newsletter will remain the same, except for the physical address.
I will be continuing to raise funds for our living expenses. We are currently at about the half-way mark of what we will need. We have enough in one-time donations to see us through for a few months, but I will need to be busy about trying to raise the rest of our monthly needs. I will also be speaking to different congregations, giving reports about the work at the Bible Institute of Honduras, as well as our overall work.
My schedule for the immediate future includes: June 3 - speaking to the Lord’s church in Wapanucka, Oklahoma; June 7 - reporting to the congregation in Pryor, Oklahoma in the morning service; June 10 - speaking in Durant, Oklahoma as part of the summer Wednesday evening series at the 7th & Beech congregation; August 22-25 - faculty retreat for Bear Valley in Sedalia, Colorado; August 26 - September 14 teaching in the Chimala Bible College, Chimala Tanzania, East Africa (these dates include travel time both going and coming; the classes will be from August 31 - September 11).
Thank you all for your prayers and support. I want to remind those of you who send checks in support of our work, to make those checks out to the 4th & Jackson St. Church of Christ, P.O. Drawer 549, Hugo, OK 74743. All our funds must be handled this way for tax purposes. God bless you all.
Donnie Bates
As of June 1, we will be living in Edmond, Oklahoma. This will be a temporary stop, in that we still must find a house to purchase. We will be renting for the time being, and, thanks be to God, are able to do so without a long-term lease. We, therefore, anticipate a short stay in the rental and then, by the help of the good Lord, we will have our own place. The contact information at the end of this newsletter will remain the same, except for the physical address.
I will be continuing to raise funds for our living expenses. We are currently at about the half-way mark of what we will need. We have enough in one-time donations to see us through for a few months, but I will need to be busy about trying to raise the rest of our monthly needs. I will also be speaking to different congregations, giving reports about the work at the Bible Institute of Honduras, as well as our overall work.
My schedule for the immediate future includes: June 3 - speaking to the Lord’s church in Wapanucka, Oklahoma; June 7 - reporting to the congregation in Pryor, Oklahoma in the morning service; June 10 - speaking in Durant, Oklahoma as part of the summer Wednesday evening series at the 7th & Beech congregation; August 22-25 - faculty retreat for Bear Valley in Sedalia, Colorado; August 26 - September 14 teaching in the Chimala Bible College, Chimala Tanzania, East Africa (these dates include travel time both going and coming; the classes will be from August 31 - September 11).
Thank you all for your prayers and support. I want to remind those of you who send checks in support of our work, to make those checks out to the 4th & Jackson St. Church of Christ, P.O. Drawer 549, Hugo, OK 74743. All our funds must be handled this way for tax purposes. God bless you all.
Donnie Bates
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