Dear Pastor and Brethren,
Difficult Month
October has been a difficult month for several of us here attending the mission work. Bro. and Sis. Dick Gaches went to a hospital in Chicago for four weeks to a specialist to operate on Sis. Gaches back due to complications from scoliosis. Sis. Gaches has been doubled over for years with a broken rod in her back from a previous operation. The doctor in Chicago removed the rod and fused all the vertebrae in her back so that she can stand erect once again. She is to begin physical therapy here in Stillwater in November. Please pray that the Lord might continue to give her good progress in her recovery efforts.
Both Bro. Alvin Christian and I have had health issues this month as well. Bro. Al has diabetes and suffers from high blood pressure, neuropathy in his feet and legs, hearing loss, and other advanced age difficulties causing him to miss our services. He has fallen a few times and hurt himself.
I suffered from some low blood pressure and facial numbness and what I thought was another heart attack. I praise the Lord that I did not have a TIA/mini stroke nor another heart attack although I did spend some hours in the emergency room. Although these health issues have caused me to miss two Wednesday evening Bible studies this month, I have not had to miss any other services, thank the Lord.
Other Activities
We attended the Bible Conference one Friday evening hosted by Bethel Baptist Church of Choctaw, Ok., Bro. Royce Smith, Pastor. We were blessed by the preaching of Bro. Steve Raines and Bro. Dean Robinson. Also, two young men were ordained into the Gospel ministry during that conference although I was unable to participate in those ordination services due to my health problems. It is good to know that the Lord is still calling young men in these desperate times to preach His Holy Word.
The Church in Tenerife
Every month we receive a report from Bro. Jose Manuel Garcia, the Pastor of the Bible Baptist Church on the island of Tenerife of the Canary Islands of Spain. They are very grateful for the love offerings being sent to them to help them keep the doors of their church meeting place open to the public. They now have a surplus of 124 Euros that they are saving to pay the quarterly tax of 179.04 Euros imposed upon them by the Spanish government. In Spain, churches have to pay taxes like any other business.
Please continue to remember all of these things in your prayers for us and them.
By His grace and in loving gratitude,
Tim and Roxanne Parrow
II Tim. 1:7