Greetings, brethren! I hope and pray that this newsletter finds you all well and faithfully engaged in the vineyard of the Lord!!
Well, we have been in Denver for a month, now. Much of our time has been spent in setting up our home. We are very pleased with our apartment and it has begun to feel like home. Being back in Denver feels like home, for sure. It has been good to get reacquainted with some old friends and brethren from my time at the Bear Valley congregation as a student (30+ years ago), and to make new friends and acquaintances with those who were not here then.
On June 22 we traveled to Bayfield, CO to give a report to that congregation on the 24th. We are so grateful for their support; we always enjoy spending time with them. We returned home on Monday, June 25, dodging wildfires along the way. Actually, we never drove near any of the fires, but it was a concern to see how many there were (11 at one time across the state on that weekend). Thankfully, most (if not all) of them are coming under control now, with rain and cooler temperatures. It was also a blessing not to have to travel so far to get to Bayfield this year. It’s still 300 miles away, but the last few years we’ve been traveling 800 miles to get there.
Currently, I am preparing to travel to Guatemala next month to teach a class on Ezekiel. I am translating notes from that class by brother Dave Chamberlin, who has taught it for years here in Denver. In fact, he was scheduled to teach the class via the Video Conferencing system here at BV, but that system will not be available that week, so I will travel there to do it in person.
I will be making plans to head back to Oklahoma for a couple of weeks in the Fall to give reports at some of our supporting congregations, so some of you can expect some communication from me in the next week or so. I plan on visiting with as many congregations as I can during that time. We are still looking for additional funds because of a greater cost of living here, as well as, we are hoping to raise enough to allow Noma to travel more with me and help in training our sisters on the field. If you are not already helping us financially, or would like to increase your help, you can contact me about visiting more with you in person. If you prefer to just go ahead and send your support, please make your check out to the 4th & Jackson church of Christ and send it to the address below, with the notation that it is for our work.
I am also preparing to start teaching in some of the Bible Classes here at the Bear Valley congregation. I’ll be filling in starting later this month and some next month in the adult Bible Classes and I am very excited about that. It won’t be long before our extension staff will be headed to Denver for our annual staff retreat, which is always held on Labor Day weekend. Summer is passing quickly, but we are definitely ready for cooler weather. This weekend the temperature has been in the 70s for highs and it’s really been nice!
Thank you for your continued interest and support of this work. May God richly bless you!
Donnie Bates
4801 S. Wadsworth Blvd.
Unit #3-105
Littleton, CO 80123
(580) 326-1914
dnbates1@gmail.com
4th & Jackson church of Christ
P.O. Drawer 549
Hugo, OK 74743
(580) 326-3457