We started deputation with only 3 meetings scheduled—1 in North Carolina, 1 in Indiana, and 1 in Arizona—so I knew we were going to be doing some traveling, although I didn’t realize we would be going to 31 different states, plus 2 trips to Canada. I purchased a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica with about 97,000 miles on it from a dealership in May of last year after test-driving it twice and negotiating the price down from what was seemingly an already good deal. However, we have had numerous issues with it, including having the engine replaced after about 2 months of purchasing it. This “good deal” has resulted in almost more money being put into mechanical repairs than what we originally paid for the van. Recently, after a Sunday night church service, the van would not crank up after filling up at a gas station. We had the vehicle towed and had some pricey repair work done, only to have it die again after driving only 2 miles away from the mechanic. It is currently back at the repair shop in Monroe, North Carolina, where the head gaskets will be replaced, along with the starter and front brakes, an issue with the recirculation actuator that causes it to drain the battery will be repaired, and, hopefully, an issue that causes the vehicle to shake when put in reverse will be taken care of. We are praying that the repairs will be made and the vehicle ready by August 13. If we can pick it up on that day, it will be a 16½-hour round-trip drive. After that, we would be looking at 22-plus hours.
Praise God, we have not missed any meetings! So far, we have utilized 1 Lyft ride, 1 Enterprise rental, 2 borrowed church vans, and 4 borrowed family member vehicles. We would like to say a special thank you to Shining Light Baptist Church of Monroe, North Carolina, my mom, my Aunt Deborah, Amazing Grace Baptist Church of Stoneville, North Carolina, and my father-in-law for letting us use their vehicles to get around. Kenisha was our paid driver, who took us from the southern end of North Carolina to the northern end. Before she picked us up, we prayed together as a family that she would get saved. After listening to her testimony, she admitted to trusting in her works to get her to Heaven but was going through a rough time with a divorce and was seeking answers. I was blessed with the opportunity to witness to her for about an hour. After she accepted Christ, I was also able to disciple her for about 30 minutes. My wife and I have been in correspondence with her over the phone. Please pray that she follows through with getting into church, along with her 6 children. My son Barrett listened intently the whole time and whispered to my wife, “Mommy, did she get saved?” (More on this in next month’s prayer letter.)
Please pray about our vehicle situation. We really don’t want to have any more issues in what we are hoping is our home stretch of deputation. Also, we have scheduled our visa interview for October 7. Please pray that we are able to get all the paperwork we need and not have any complications.
Working hard to bring fruit to your account,
Jeremy, Sandra, Carina, Barrett, Henry & Alex Barker
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- With Pastor Randy Johnson of Marler Road Baptist Church of Hamptonville, North Carolina
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- With Dr. Gregg Nash of Gospel Light Baptist Church of Mechanicsville, Maryland
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- With Dr. Tim Cruse of Shining Light Baptist Church of Monroe, North Carolina