Top Ten lists put together at end of '09

Just found this file... WOW. Praise the Lord for the wonderful memories that I will always cherish and for the opportunity to serve my Lord in such an amazing period of our lives. Posting this to remind myself that God has been so good to me. Those few years were a lifetime of experiences, thrills, blessings and privileges that most will never be able to enjoy. While I miss them badly, thank you Lord for allowing us to have that blessed time. The Top 10 things the Putney Family have observed on the Road in ‘09 1. Dead Armadillos (and many other forms of wildlife) a. Favorite bumper sticker – Why did the Armadillo cross the road? We’ll never know cuz he didn’t make it 2. You can stop and smell the roses up North but you best be careful when you put your nose to a cactus down south. 3. Always check your GPS in advance. If not you may hear the words “in one half mile, turn right, then take the ferry!” 4. Home is a lot of things – where your heart is, where you hang your hat, where your family gathers… we now know that home is also wherever you hook up your trailer. 5. We have slept in hotels and pastors homes, laid our head in the truck on an all night drive, missions apartments and prophets chambers. We have unhitched at churches and unhitched by houses and unhitched at RV parks but never have we experienced anything like Franklin, LA where the skeeters were thicker than the pitch black sky. We woke up by opening our door to a big billy goat outside and were then given warning about alligators in the bayou next to us! 6. More than 20 hours in a vehicle at any stretch is not good for rest or health - but especially one’s sanity 7. It is typically warmer in the South than in the North – in hospitality and weather - funny how that works 8. From Cajuns to Cowboys, Yankees to Hillbillies, there is an incredible diversity of culture, food, people, weather, topography, accents and friendliness across this fine nation. We praise God that we have had the privilege of worshipping with many from all of the above. 9. You get to appreciate the havens of fun and unique shops that line the major highways down south. From Buccee’s who specialize in fudge, jerky and country souvenirs to Priestlers Pecans on I-65 that are candy makers extraordinaire with a great country store and play area for the kids (our favorite place to stop on the road). 10. No matter how long the road trips linger, there is always that few moments of sheer jubilation among the 4 girls every time we cross a state line and see the sign of Welcome to____________! Top 10 Sights we saw this year 1. The Alamo – San Antonio 2. The giant statues of Sam Houston 3. The Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Empire State Building in NYC 4. The Riverwalk – San Antonio 5. The new Dallas Cowboy MEGADOME (and many other pro/college stadiums and raceways in NYC, OH, KY, TN, AL, GA, TX etc) 6. John C Stennis NASA Space Station and rocket testing facility – MS 7. Noccalula Falls, AL – beautiful park with an old town and houses, a train, old church, waterfalls and a lot of Native American history thrown in 8. Texas state capitol in Austin as well as street preaching at the University of Texas 9. Historical battlefields and forts – Fort William Henry, Civil war sites etc 10. Beautiful mountains and snowfall in Vermont Top 10 new friends we made in 2009 1. Pastor Paul Pryor – Oakwood, Texas (Memorial Baptist - took a liking to the girls and they liked him back!) 2. Foster Family – Newburgh, NY (Valley Bible Baptist) – 4 kids including Brenna, Daniel and Robin 3. Williams Family – Franklin, LA (Faith Baptist) – Amberleigh, Ashley (7 total) 4. Pastor Howard Hall – Shreveport Baptist Temple (LA) – took us to lunch and loved on the kids 5. Pastor Fred Laughman – Pioneer Baptist – Older kids (9 total) – Katelyn, Josh, Jeremy – we stayed in their log cabin in VERMONT – Church in NH 6. Zachary, LA – Grace Baptist – we were there for a missions conference and the church as a whole were very loving to us – they gave us an unbirthday party complete with cake, balloons and wrapped gifts for all of us, a Cajun buffet, and great fellowship a. Pastor Schreeder – veteran missionary to the Ukraine b. Josh and Courtney Sanford – Chandler Beth (1 on the way) c. Ahmet and Rachel Hernandez – Chi-Chi and Sarah (they have since contacted us to say they are praying if the Lord might have them serve in the Philippines also!) 7. Britt and family – The Lord put us together with this family in 3 different churches in 3 cities in Texas and LA. They are going through a very traumatic experience right now. They are also praying about the Philippines 8. Joanna – East Baptist Church in Henrietta NY – new friend to Autumn and girls 9. Mrs. Wendy? Capital City, Austin Texas-we parked our trailer in her driveway during the church’s conf. she had a playhouse in the backyard and she made all the meals, was an example of a servant and showed us hospitality during our stay. She loves missions. Not only are two of her kids involved as missionaries but her husband is a doctor yet they live in a very modest home and give every extra penny to missions – so much so that a few years ago they got rid of their air conditioners and committed to deal with the heat of Austin in the summers so that money spent could be used for missions instead. What a lesson we were taught by them regarding stewardship! 10. The Blackburn Family – Missionaries to the Congo. With 8 kids on deputation we did not feel so bad all of a sudden. They have a wonderful heart for Jesus Christ. Bro. Nick sings the song “Bury my heart on the mission field” when he presents his ministry, while he is not a great singer, no one cares as he cannot finish singing it without tears coming to his eyes. This past year they faced a rare form of Leukemia with their youngest son, Silas. The doctors gave him months and had him sick and sedated with the treatments. They went to some radical natural treatments and the Lord allowed him to have another 6 months of high energy, active life with his family. The Lord put us together one more time at the end of October at the Alamo of all places. He saw me from a distance and we had a great conversation, we were supposed to be at a conference in Austin together the following week but later that night he got a call that Silas had turned for the worse. He went back to Florida where he had just left days earlier and they spent some last time together on this earth before he passed on Sunday Morning – November 1st. This family testified to churches that around the country how so many of the Congolese peoples have lost children because of unsanitary conditions and a lack of medicine. They said that if the Lord wills that they should experience this pain firsthand for them to be able to have a more sensitive heart with these people then they will accept it and give Christ the glory in it, despite the obvious pain. God sure has blessed us with some wonderful people to cross our paths with, many others could be named as could many more stories related to these above but we do praise God for having met each of them!