Dear Pastor and Brethren,
We thank the Lord for His goodness to us. I feel like I am getting a little stronger physically as I enter the ninth month after my heart attack. Most of the time Roxanne drives the car and accompanies me wherever I need to go. However, lately, I have driven the car to the church services on Sunday mornings and Roxanne drives us home. After preaching for 45 minutes or so, I am usually quite tired and don’t have the energy to drive us home. During the week, Roxanne drives us to the places we need to go, and so we continue to minister to the Latino community as well as get our errands done. We did get sick with a stomach virus during which I lost another five or six pounds, but we have recovered from that although I haven’t been able to gain back my weight. I have gone from weighing 185 lbs. to weighing 160 lbs. and don’t need to lose any more weight. All my old clothes don’t fit me any more and I think I look like a scarecrow. Nevertheless, the Lord enables me to preach His blessed Word and that is what counts.
You may be wondering what I do during the week besides studying for Sunday services. Not long ago I sent each of my supporting churches my outline study on the doctrine of ecclesiology. Now I have prepared, along with the help of Roxanne, a book of fifteen songs and hymns that the Lord has enabled me to write called, “Songs of Praise.” I have written this music over a period of many years and am just now, with the time the Lord has given me since my heart attack, been able to compile my music into a 27 page book of several kinds of music written for the local church, the local church choir, specials to be used for duet and solo work, a resurrection hymn, and a patriotic number. Roxanne and I have just finished editing the final draft and have printed one copy. I’m sending you a picture of this 81/2 by 11 inch book so that you will know what it looks like. Again, this will be free to any of my supporting churches who request one but you must request one due to the expense of publishing and mailing. We pray that these songs and hymns might be a blessing to many, but I offer them first to our supporting churches. Some of them are already being used in a few churches where I have introduced them as single songs. Now I am presenting them in book form.
By His grace and in loving gratitude,