The Bovine Choir

Last Friday afternoon, we returned from town and noticed the cows around the property seemed to have joined the choir. Several of them bellowed along with the chorus. As the evening wore on, Greg decided that the farmer (the owner of the stock) must have come and taken the calves. The herd did look significantly smaller, but the area they have to roam is quite large, so we couldn’t be sure. There were over a dozen calves in this herd. Well, all evening and all through the night…’MOO’…(pause)…’MOO’…(pause)…’MOO’…(pause). Well into the next morning, the bellowing continued. Greg had gone into town to study (on Saturday), but Traci was outside cleaning the BBQ. Along came the farmer, as a couple of calves had jumped the fence and he was bringing them back to their mums. He was an older man, so he didn’t hear when Traci asked if he had come and taken the calves. Once he got close enough, Traci asked again. He said it was time to wean the calves as they now needed better nutrients than what they were getting from their mums. Whoever said animals don’t have feelings? (I'm cheating here with this photo, as it was taken when the calves were small--I didn't take a new photo of the depressed mamas missing their babies).

Lunch Anyone?

We continue to host Riverbend families for a meal. We’ve discovered that Sunday lunch is a good option as we don’t have to deal with school nights or Saturday nights when we should be turning in early. It has been such a delight to develop relationships with the dear folks at Riverbend Bible Church.

Welcome Fall, Ya'll

Fall is upon us and we are having some very crisp mornings. Some days it warms us (fines up, as they say here) and other days remain cloudy and cool for the day. On warmer days, when sundown hits, boy, you feel a drop in the temperature. We’ve also noticed a significant difference in the trees around the property where we live, as the trees are near bare. As we drive into town, we enjoy the beautiful fall colors…reds, oranges and yellows of all hues. Traci is enjoying making yummy wintry soups and beautiful homebaked bread (along with an array of other baked treats). She’s also bottled tomatoes from the garden, yielding numerous quarts of stewed tomatoes which will be used for stews, sauces and soups this winter.

March Madness!

We do apologize for the long break since our last post. As you might imagine we have been very busy. I’m not sure where to begin to write an update.

March was busy with lots of ministry opportunities as well as the usual activities of daily life. Traci was asked to facilitate one of the discussion groups at the ladies Bible study. She was also asked to begin mentoring three college gals. So, the week is full with preparation for these ministries. Greg continues to develop the TSBC programme, but has had a number of new ministries added to his plate. He thoroughly enjoyed his trip to The Shepherd’s Conference in early March. He is currently teaching Old Testament Survey and has just completed a block course on Teaching Children. He was also just given a larger office, so his entire library had to be shifted to the new location—not to mention a good cleaning of the office prior to the move. And, having been given just a weeks notice, he’s been asked to preach this Sunday, Resurrection Sunday.