Upon leaving Texas at the end of January to head for Georgia, we had the opportunity to make a pit stop in Alabama.  To be more specific to Robertsdale, Alabama where we had to opportunity to minister to the Blessed Hope Boys Home. We took a tour around the facilities and got to see where the boys live, go to school, and do chapel.  It’s wonderful to see first hand how God has blessed and is continuing to bless the work there.  While we stayed for a couple days on the grounds we visited a near by nursing home.  A group of older boys came with us to visit the Seniors and sing for the residents.  The seniors always brighten up at any child that comes to see them.  A lot of the seniors don’t get many visits,  if they get any at all.

We made it to Sun City Center, Florida at the beginning of February to visit what we call the golf cart capital of the world.   While there, we made it to the area nursing homes and we were also with New Beginning Baptist in Wimauma.  They have started a radio ministry out of their church to put out the Gospel to the surrounding area.

After we left Florida we headed to South Carolina.  There are some nursing homes there that we have been going since the start of our ministry on the road.   One in particular is Mountain View Nursing in Spartanburg, SC.  We were going there since before Lydia was born.  A lady I was talking to told me, ‘I remember when you were here for Lydia’s first birthday.’  The residents had thrown a party for her so they could see her dig in to her first cake with her hands.  The more I talked to her the more she was telling me about how much she remembered.  She wanted to know if we still traveled in that big bus we used to pull up in.  She could remember sitting by the front doors waiting for us to pull in the drive with the bus.  She was excited for us to hear that we now traveled in campers and that each family had their own.  She had a disability that made her wheel chair bound and that she needed help in everyday living of things that we probably take for granted that we can do on our own.  It made me sad to hear her story, she told me she had been living there for 50 plus years.  I didn’t ask her age but she looked like she was in her sixties, so I guess with her disability her parents couldn’t take care of her and she had lived there at a very young age.

We just finished up our Faith Promise Mission’s Conference at our home church, Victory Baptist in Fairmont, WV.  We had such a great time.  We were super busy with visiting the nursing homes in the area during the day, then church in the evening.  I always enjoy watching other missionaries presentations and hearing what God has plans for them to do.

Since 2001 we have ministered to 1,313,575 people, held 9,246 meetings and traveled 1,445,863 miles.

The Hinkle Family