Marshall Tucker Band said it best, "I got ramblin', ramblin' on my mind."
We are sitting in Incheon Airport, Seoul. This is where we will be sitting all day. Maybe if I sprang for a higher priced ticket, I wouldn't have this long-term relationship with ICN, each time we fly to the U.S. I understand that if we make this trip one more time, this year, we may have to pay South Korea resident tax.
Our stateside tour begins in the lovely state of Texas, in big D. I have heard that Texas is the center of the entire universe. Of course, this fact was shared by Texans. Repeatedly. I do enjoy Dallas. Mostly, because it is home to our number two son, Matthew. We will get to spend time with him, as well as visit with friends at the Prestoncrest Church of Christ.
Stop two is West Tennessee. Actually, stop 1.5 is Little Rock, where we will pick up the Partners in Progress car. From Little Rock we will cross the eastern part of The Natural State (evidently, it is no longer the Land of Opportunity) and the Mighty Mississip'. In Jackson, we will get to spend time with our oldest son, Paul, and his wife, Allison. In addition to enjoying some good West Tennessee BBQ, we will visit with the Campbell St. and Jacks Creek churches.
We will continue eating our way across the Volunteer state, until we get to "The Promised Land," Knoxville. Here, we get to see my sister, Sherry. After some family catch-up time, we will have a family reunion, in the mountains, with the in-laws. Matthew, Paul, and Allison will be back with us, too.
Following our family time, we will head back to middle Tennessee. I will have an opportunity to speak to students from the Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences about medical missions in Cambodia. While in middle Tennessee, I will be sharing information on Partners in Progress at the World Christian Broadcasting annual dinner and meeting. It will great to talk about the work being done, and encourage others to be a part.
The middle Tennessee stop will wrap up with visits to the New Lasea (Columbia, TN) and Barkers Mill (Clarkesville, TN) churches of Christ. I am happy that we also have some meetings to discuss new opportunities to partner with us.
As we head to the west coast, we will have a visit with the Cuba (KY) church. They were the first congregation to partner in our work, and we are excited to be able to see them, after many years.
I get the chance to speak at my alma mater, Harding Academy. It will be fun to be back on campus and share our mission experiences. The high school students will be a tough crowd.
The end of April brings us back to southern California. Debbie and I will be able to spend time with our brothers and sisters at the Simi Church, our sponsoring congregation. We will get to see many of our SoCal friends. The last week in the U.S. will be back at Pepperdine, taking in some of the Bible Lectures.
Finally, we will board our Asiana flight for the LONG flight home.
We hope to see you during our six weeks of ramblin'.
