Maine and Canada, May 1-8, 2016

To be perfectly honest, 10 days is a long time to be away from home.  But one of the nice parts of the twice-per-year (spring and fall) trip to Maine and Canada is the familiarity that has developed over the years we have been doing this.  I fly into Portland and then drive a rental car a few hours up to Milo, ME.  

Pastor Phil and Becky in Milo, ME

 When I show up at Pastor Phil and Becky McGlauflin’s house sometime usually late Saturday evening, I get to stay in the same guest room I have for the past several years. ​​Sunday morning at United Baptist Church is such a warm reception of seeing the people there we have come to know and love, and then I get to share the Word with them again over the course of the next few days, from Sunday through Wednesday night.  They are full days, of course, with teaching my online classes during the days, getting to go with Pastor Phil on some calls, and then the services in the evenings.  

​But I find that God continues to do something remarkable in this place and through these times as people respond to the Word and keep growing, with new people coming to the church as well.  I cannot help but think about what it must have been like for the Apostle Paul and those churches in Galatia, Asia, and Macedonia when he would stop back again for another time together on one of those journeys.  What a love they had for the Lord and for one another, and I have certainly felt that with these folks as we grow together in Jesus Christ over these years, and I get to see a little of what God is doing in a place like Milo, ME.  When it is time to go, it is always nice to be able to say to them, “See you in 6 months.”  

This weather is just not right for May!!

Church of the Nazarene, Lower Sackville, NS, Canada

​At that, on Thursday morning, I get back into the rental and drive a few hundred miles or so (I can’t remember exactly how many kilometers at the moment) out of Maine, across New Brunswick, and into Nova Scotia, Canada.  A new addition the past couple of trips has been to stop and have a Thursday night service at the Church of the Nazarene in Truro, NS.  What an awesome and exciting service this was, with a truly revival atmosphere as we had people from various congregations come and join in for this evening service.  My deepest thanks to their new pastor, Pastor Matt, for allowing me to come.  From there, the hour drive to Dartmouth, where I would be staying, and preparation for the 5 preaching services from Friday night through Sunday morning in Lower Sackville, NS.

Again, familiarity.  I always love being with these folks.  It is a small congregation, but there is something very real and powerful happening here that continues to minister to people far and wide in amazing ways.  These people are some of the most committed and consistent seekers after Jesus Christ that I have ever seen.  And I felt and saw that He was working in this church in a very new way lately --- these times were really alive with His presence.  After the Sunday AM service at Lower Sackville, we drove back up to Truro for an afternoon service at Upper Room Fellowship, as has been our custom.  

How exciting that they are into a beautiful building now that God has given them, and I have a sense that God will be continuing to bring people to this place.  It is always a joy for me to share at Upper Room, and then to enjoy with them the awesome potluck meal they have afterward.  But we can’t linger too long, because it is then back down to Dartmouth to preach the evening service at the Church of the Nazarene there.  God again moved and spoke through the Word in an amazing and timely way in the service that evening.  And that is the conclusion of preaching for the week!

Afternoon service at Upper Room Fellowship

Very early Monday morning, it is back into the rental to make the 10-hour drive back to Portland, ME in order to fly home to Tennessee, arriving home about 11 PM that night.  Yes, 10 days is a long time away from home, and I am so grateful to be back with my family that I miss so much.  But I can testify that Jesus provided me with an amazing and special sustaining grace and strength through these days, and I find Him working in my life and speaking to me in new ways in times such as these.  What a privilege and blessing to be just exactly where He places us, and what a joy and peace there is in that.    
 
Running together in Christ,
 
John