part two of PART TWO

By the time Tim contacted the U.S. Home Missions Department at the National Office in Springfield, Missouri and they got the 'very large' application for 'each of us'. It around November. Almost a year from the Sunday Missionary Dennis Preston was at the church and all this business about Pine Ridge Reservation began. We began the application. I forget how many questions A LOT I do remember and each question required nearly a page answer (typed). Now this is still before ''computers'' for us. It was write it out for Tim and then I decipher and type and the same for me since I didn't have spell check or auto correct! This while still pastors of a very large congregation and getting ready for another packed out Christmas Banquet. We got the application done and in the mail back to U. S. Home Missions in Springfield close to the end of December 1993. NOW, you have to know this part in order to understand my thinking.

We knew "Interviews" were held in February and September back then. Now we are just getting our application in first of January since the National Office was closed a week for the holidays. OK, the don't get this till January, February is rapidly approaching so we are most likely NOT going to make the deadline for those Interviews SO, we won't get scheduled until September 1994. And we will need at least till the first of 1995 before we resign. It takes on average two to two and a half years to raise a budget (whatever that was) so we're looking at most likely end of 1997 or 1998 before we are even ready to go to Pine Ridge and SURELY JESUS WILL COME BY THEN! I had it ALL figured out!

Well, sometime in MID JANUARY 1994 Tim receives a call from U.S. Home Missions and they want us in Springfield for an ''Interview" and they want us to arrive February 4th 1994 for the following week meetings. WHAT? YOU MUST BE KIDDING! How are we going to pull this off? They JUST got our application. How on earth could they read through BOTH our apps this rapidly? Surely Tim got his facts wrong! But NO! We were expected in Springfield on February 4th and plan to be there all the next week! SO! We tell our church board and secretary and church we are going on a Missions Trip. NO LIE! So we book flights and head to Springfield, Missouri on February 4th and off we go!