Last week Yolanda and I drove from Chicago to upstate New York to visit Barrington Community Church. It was a great weekend, seeing familiar faces and catching up in person. We arrived just in time for a church picnic where they had good food, great music, and a short devotional at the end.

Yolanda was given 3 different time slots in which to speak on Sunday, the Sunday school hour, the entire main service, and the evening service. The people at this church have always given us a warm welcome and this weekend was no different. We were blessed to be in people's home for lunch and our hosts who we stayed with took really good care of us.

The church was very generous in taking up a love offering, as well as purchasing items, whether items our women groups made or fair trade items.

We continue to feel blessed with each church we visit; the genuine level of interest and support for the women and children who JM2Z works with and the care for their hearts for eternity.

When we left New York to go back to Chicago, we decided to drive through Canada to Michigan. We briefly stopped at Niagara Falls to take a few pictures. It was Yolanda's first time there. We drove 3 more hours West until we got to Detroit. Then we drove across Michigan and stopped to stay overnight with my grandpa. We very much enjoyed seeing him in person after two years. Even though he's 96 years old, he is up to date with computers and so we regularly skype with him from Zimbabwe. But of course it's always nicer to visit in person!

We are excited to be at Westview Christian Church in Shreveport, LA this weekend and visit with everyone there. We are so thankful for safety in traveling and good health so far. After this weekend, we will be heading West (Idaho, Oregon, California, Wyoming, Colorado) for the next several weeks.

We had a wonderful Labor Day weekend at Albion Evangelical Free Church, outside of Minneapolis. This was the first stop on our list of church visits and we couldn't imagine getting off to a better start. We really enjoyed seeing familiar faces after two years and also meeting new people who have joined the church since we last visited. Two of the new people were the new senior pastor and his wife, who were very friendly and hosted us for multiple meals in their home.

The friends we stayed with treated us so well and are certainly gifted in hospitality. One evening just before the sun went down, they took us kayaking on the lake behind their house. It had been years since either Yolanda or I had done that and it was such a peaceful environment with God's creation surrounding us.

Throughout the weekend, we were able to meet with many different groups of people from within the church. On Sunday morning, Yolanda spoke for a half hour in the main service, sharing many stories about how the Lord has been working in Zimbabwe over the past two years. Afterward, we had many items for sale, such as fair trade items and also some things that our women's groups have made, whether knitted, sewn, or beaded. Our forwarding agent brought back about 120 pieces of paper beaded jewelry in May. Yolanda and I brought back everything the ladies made from May to July and people at Albion bought every single piece that we brought! All of you who attend other churches we will be visiting, don't worry, we will have plenty of great items available for you too! Everyone was so generous in blessing JM2Z with many gifts above and beyond what was paid for items purchased.

We have been very blessed with safety in travel so far, but we would appreciate continued prayers for safety. Both Yolanda and I were recovering from head colds and sore throats as we arrived in Minnesota. We cherish our time being able to visit all of you, but sometimes being on the road so much can take a toll on our bodies. ​As we travel from state to state and home to home, please pray for our immune systems and health.

We are looking forward to being at Lane Christian Church in central Illinois for the first time this coming weekend. Please pray for good fellowship and visiting with them.