Jan. 2011

Dear Friends,   Here it is, January 2011!!! Where did 2010 get to?? Looking back over the past year I find it has probably been our hardest year in ministry thus far. But the Lord is so good to us.He has been with us every step of the way. He has taught us to praise Him in the good times and praise Him in the bad times. The economy has been one of our greatest enemies this year. Fuel prices have been outrageous and actually have varied quite a lot from state to state. Our travels have taken us across the country several times. We were able to add the state of Colorado to our list this year.We visited several wonderful churches there and made some unforgettable friends!! We are very much looking forward to returning again this year. We made our usual trip to California this year in the spring. Although we didn't go all the way to the coast this year we had a great time exploring new territory along the California/Arizona border.We are looking forward to visiting all our friends this coming spring. Holy Mountain here we come!!!  As we visit our senior friends we have many opportunities to meet interesting people and also tell these folks about the Lord and their need of salvation. A lot of the folks we meet know the Lord as their savior and have lived their lives for Him but are now in a position where they have limited mobility or physical activity. But their minds and hearts work just fine. On one of our trips to south Georgia , we were at a nursing home and we sang as usual. Butch was giving a devotion and before he even had time to begin an invitation a sweet little lady in a wheel chair came rolling up as fast as she could between other folks. She had one arm up and was saying " I want to know the Lord today!". The family knelt around her wheel chair and showed her how to know the Lord. She made a profession right there. It was very exciting. We see a lot of folks that already know the Lord and we are able to encourage them but it is especially exciting when we can lead one to the Lord!! We go to a lot of senior centers across the country where folks gather to share a meal. These folks are still somewhat active in the community. We met a man in Arizona that was over 100 years old.101 to be exact. He was serving tables at the senior center. He even carried his drivers license to prove his age. He actually drove several folks to the center. He was quite an inspiration to us all. We also met a woman in south Georgia who was a medal winner in the senior Olympics. She also was over 100 years old and led the aerobics class  in her retirement home. There are countless senior adults across the country who love the Lord and lived their lives for Him but now need some encouragement and a reminder that  God loves them and He hasn't forgotten them. That is what our hearts desire is. Ministry has afforded us the opportunity to meet many wonderful people and form many lasting friendships all across the country. This has never been so evident to us as in the past several months! As most of you know, our daughter Sarah went home to be with the Lord on November 22 ,2010 . She was in an automobile accident near Decatur Tx. Even though her death was a tremendous shock and the most difficult thing our family has been through we can praise the Lord for His amazing grace!!! The outpouring of love ,prayers and support from all of our friends across the country was completely overwhelming! The cards ,letters and Internet messages that we received were such a comfort to us. It was like salve to a nasty wound. We want to thank everyone for your kindnesses to us at this time. Dr. Gardner and Grace Baptist Church in Decatur,TX was an enormous blessing to our family. This is where Sarah's funeral was held. Bro. Bob Barker and our home church in Fairmont West Virginia were a source of comfort  and support. Bro. Holland and his wife Susan from Victory Baptist in Thomasville Ga. were a special blessing to us. There were so many folks to thank, I'm sorry that I can't name them all in this letter. But that does not make them any less important to us. We love you and can never thank you enough!!! After taking about two weeks to reorganize we are back on the road visiting our senior friends all across the country. It is such a blessing to be able to minister to these folks. Although we experienced tremendous grief in November we had the pleasure of much joy at the end of December. James, the last car on the train or caboose as my husband calls him, got married!!!  He married a wonderful girl from Tennessee. Her name is Kasey. Her dad is pastor of Faithway Baptist Church, Bro. Perry Grills, in Newbern, Tn. Kasey has a wonderful voice and plays the piano and will be joining the family in the singing department as well.  As you can see this year has brought us many valley and Mountaintop experiences. But the Lord was right beside us every step of the way. He was there to guide us , all we had to do was follow. We are looking forward to what the Lord has for us in 2011. We are ready to take the gospel to as many senior citizens as we can find along the way. We want to lift their spirits and let them know that the Lord loves them and has not forgotten them. Please continue to pray for us as we travel. Fuel expenses and vehicle maintenance are some of the things we deal with daily. We greatly appreciate all of our friends and supporters. Without you and the Lord we would not be able to continue. We thank you and we love you!!!       It has been 10 years on the road now nonstop. We travel full time, 365 days of the year. Our home church is the Victory Baptist Church of Fairmont West Virginia, and our sending church is Grace Baptist Church, Decatur Tx. The Decatur church handles our finances. Their address is 600 S Trinity St. Decatur Texas 76234. In the last ten years we have conducted over 6,300 meetings.  They are regular full fledged church type services ,not condensed. We have ministered to over 800,000 nursing home residents. We have traveled over 1,000,000 miles in the Lord's service in just ten years. This we contend is no sacrifice but reasonable service  to him.         We are dedicating this year to Sarah's memory. Her devotion in ways there is not enough time to explain in this letter. Her salvation was based on the grace of God. She had a good handle on that. Her service and love of God was a result of a knowledge of God's faithfulness and love for her. She was one of my best friends next to her mother. She was an example and an inspiration to her father and mother and to all who met her. The ministry as we know it would not be what it is today if not for Sarah. God encourages me at the mention of her name. She was not perfect but she was forgiven and acted upon it. We will miss her.           In His name, Bro. Butch Hinkle