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Our Beginnings in Hawaii We spent 24 years as missionaries in Hawaii establishing local island churches and ministering to the local island people. We had a part in six local works being started. Two were turned over to other missionaries. Three were placed under their own pastors and some of them merged with other Independent Baptist Churches. I also had a radio broadcast which reached all the Hawaiian Islands. While in Hawaii the Lord used us in the call of missionaries Steve and Karen Wygle to Hawaii. They established a church on the island of Kawai and another on the island of Hawaii. They are now ministering on the island of Oahu. Higher Service to the Native Americans In 1982 we returned for furlough and while on deputation Verna almost went into a coma. I had to take a medical leave and place her under doctor's care in Denver, Colorado. While there our Missions Director had me take care of the Missions Department at Baptist Bible College West in Denver. Several of the students I taught during that time are now on the mission field, Praise the Lord! While in Denver the doctor told us that if we returned to Hawaii to minister, Verna would die in a short tune because she would have to live at a higher elevation the rest of her life. We later discovered she has Lupus which is a terminal disease. Thus, the door to Hawaii closed but the Lord opened the door to work with the American Indians. We first went to work with the Navajo Indians near Farmington, New Mexico, then Dr. Baird, our Missions Director, phoned me informing me that he had contacted all the other Navajo Missionaries regarding going to work with the Ute Indians to replace the previous Fellowship Missionary. However, no one wanted to work with the Utes so he asked us to consider coming to work with them because the Fellowship had too much invested in the work to allow it to dissolve. He said the work would probably take the rest of our lives to get established. After much prayer, the Lord definitely led us to work with the Southern Utes in Southwestern Colorado using a drunken Indian to lead us here. He stopped his drinking and attended the mission for several years before he died. Family Health Showed Us God’s New Direction After moving to work with the Navajo's, my dad, who had pastored for 55 years, had a stroke which affected his right eye. Thus, he resigned from Bethel Baptist Church in San Angelo, Texas, and since I was their only living child, I moved him and mom to live near us. They bought a mobile home and moved onto the Navajo Baptist Bible College property next to us. When we moved to Colorado to work we moved them next to our house which is next to the Ute reservation. On December 14th, 1988, just after a Wednesday night service, dad had another stroke which paralyzed him on the right side. Thus, he had to have constant care. Because of his needs being so great, Verna having Lupus, plus the ministry and the radio broadcast, I had almost more then I could handle. We begin to pray that the Lord would send us some help. My oldest son, David, was State Director for the state of Arizona working with a youth ministry called "Word of Life". Because he did not have full support he was having to work at another job which resulted in little time with his wife and two small sons. He phoned me for advice since he knew the family was his number one priority after his relationship with the Lord. (Ephesians 5:18-6:9). I told him of our need and the Lord led him to come to help us. Thus, he took care of dad five days a week and I took care of him two days each week. Verna cooked all the meals. David also helped teach in the mission, led the singing, drove a van to bring people to church, and filled in for me when I had to be in Missions Conferences. more...