How We Ended Up In Iowa

I went to the ACU Lectureship in February of 1977.  That was always a good place to make contact with churches when you were looking for a place to preach.  For the most of the week I encountered very little that interested me, but then I heard my name called over the PA system at Lectureship Central.  I was asked to contact a couple of men from Iowa.  Later that evening I met with them at a motel in Abilene.  They were from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and they were looking for a preacher.

When I got back home from Abilene, I sat down to talk with Ann and with her mother, who was visiting us.   I said, “Did you really mean that stuff about going where the Lord wants us to go?”  She assured me that she did.  I said, “Well, I have a second question, “Do you know where your snow boots are?”  Mother’s response was “Oh, no.”  I think she had hoped we would never venture north of the Red River again.

I made a trip to Iowa and it went very well.  We then made another trip to Iowa together, and the deal was sealed.  Iowa would become our home for the next fifteen years.

It was hard to say “good bye” to friends and loved ones in Houston.  We loved Houston and we loved the church, but it was time for us to move on to different pastures.