Life Lately September 2025

 Here is a look at our lives during the month of September.

 

We began the month with Labor Day.  I gave the boys the day off from school, and Cruz had the day off from work.  Cruz and I spent the whole day in Flowood shopping.  It was a fun one-on-one time with just him. He chose to eat lunch at Chipotle. The only other time we had eaten at one was in Denver on his birthday. He was excited to eat it again although his face surely doesn't show it here.  

 

 

In early September Cruz did a campus tour of Mississippi College and loved everything about it! 

 

 

Our parking spot at MC. 

 

 

We spoke at the Copiah Baptist Association's annual WMU fall meeting.  This is our home association.  It was fun to be with the ladies there.  Many of them we have known most of our lives. Here we are with most of the leadership team.  These ladies work hard to serve the churches within the association.

 

Two of my cousins were there, and it was fun to see them!

 

 

We had a fun Sunday afternoon outing with some ministry partners. Stan and Sheila came down to serve with us on a volunteer team in Guatemala in 2024 and were so kind to open their home to us. We fished, rode trails, and enjoyed grilled burgers and homemade ice cream. 

 

  

 

I wrote a separate blog post about our time there.  If you'd like to see more photos visit- An Afternoon with the Carters. 

 

 

Our dear friends, Reagan and Malinda, opened a second pharmacy in my hometown of Hazlehurst, MS.  It is part of the Copiah County Medical Center Medical Plaza.  We joined them for the grand opening celebration.  We are so proud for them and wish them great success in the days ahead. 

 

 

me and Malinda

 

 

If you happen to be in the area, stop by and see them at City Drug Pharmacy & Gifts.  They have some really nice things in the gift area.  I picked up this cute wooden Hazlehurst sign.  I also plan to get one that says Crystal Springs from their Crystal Springs store.  That is David's hometown.  I'll enjoy displaying them at our house in Guatemala.   

 

 

We made a weekend trip to Alabama to visit the Browders.  They hosted us in a beautiful lake house on Lake Jordan.  We had a wonderful time there with them!   

 

Lake Jordan 

 

We kayaked.  

 

 

We swam and fished. 

 

 

We rode in the boat, had delicious meals, and ended our time at church together.  If you'd like to see more photos from our time there, visit- Weekend in Alabama. 

 

 

I had lunch with two of the sweetest classmates from high school. I think I’ve only seen them once since we graduated (35 years ago). I ran into one of them recently in the grocery store, and realized we are all in the same town. It was so fun getting together and catching up in person!! Hoping to do it again before I head back to Guatemala.

 

 

David and Ben attended an RA Day event hosted by the Mississippi Baptist WMU at Camp Garaywa in Clinton, MS. Royal Ambassadors (RAs) is a missions education and discipleship organization for boys.  It was a day filled with racing, food, fun, and faith as the boys were challenged to grow into Godly young men who follow Christ and lead with purpose. David was the guest missionary speaker and really enjoyed his time there with them.

 

David speaking to the group. 

 

Ben enjoyed getting to work the slides while David spoke.

 

a group photo 

 

David took individual photos with each church group that came. 

 

A highlight was the races.  The boys make cars and then have a competition with awards given to the winners. 

 

 

 

 

Some of the cars that the boys made and brought with them.

 

  

 

I loved the race themed decorations in the dining hall for lunch. 

 

 

We spoke at Rocky Hill Baptist Church on a recent Sunday morning.  Here are David and the boys with Bro. David Patterson, pastor of the church.  We have known Bro. David most of our lives.  He even came to Guatemala to serve with us back in 2009 when we lived in Coban and worked with the Kekchi. I love that every time we see him, he still talks about that trip.  The church fed us a delicious covered dish meal after the service.

 

 

My grandparents are buried at that church.  I walked through the cemetery to visit their graves. 

 

 

I kicked off the first day of fall by baking a few loaves of chocolate chip pumpkin bread.  I am so excited to be home this year to enjoy this beautiful season. I love fall!!!  

 

 

We took the boys to this Wednesday night association event.  I grew up going to FBC Hazlehurst and always enjoy getting to return. 

 

 

September 26 is National Pancake Day.  Cracker Barrel was having an all you can eat special that day to celebrate it.  Bro. Phil, missions pastor at Easthaven Baptist here in Brookhaven, took Cruz and Cruz to eat lunch there. They had a fun time eating and visiting together.  

 

We had supper the night before with Cruz's family.  They invited us over for hibachi. It was delicious! They are a fun family, and I am glad we got to spend time with them. We are hoping to see a few of them on a mission team in 2026.

 

Cruz enjoying his pancakes. 

  

 

I took Cruz back to Hattiesburg for the Fall Preview Day at William Carey University. We had done a family visit in late August. Going back to see the campus a second time really helped him feel better about the possibility of attending there in the future.  They had a Meet Your Major fair and he really enjoyed meeting the students who worked the School of Business table and hearing more about the program. Business is his current interest.

 

 

Lastly, we ended the month at Colonial Heights Baptist Church in Ridgeland, MS sharing in their Spanish ministry service. They have a beautiful area that they meet in.

 

 

David preaching to the Spanish congregation.

 

A highlight was getting to meet a retired IMB missionary there who is actively involved in the Spanish ministry. Ms. Kay Harless and her husband Jim served 37 years in Colombia before retiring in 2007. Meeting people like her inspire me to keep going.

 

 

We ended our time there with a delicious spaghetti and salad meal together.  We really enjoyed the fellowship time we had with these Latin believers and are thankful to have had that time together with them. 

 

In addition to all of this, we are also homeschooling every day.  That in itself is taking most all of my time and energy. Cruz is also still working at his job several days a week.  Trying to keep us all balanced these days is hard work!  In spite of it, we have a full calendar lined up for October that includes many great speaking opportunities. It is going to be another busy but fun month! 

 

Life Lately August 2025

Well, hello September!  It sure did sneak up on us.  Sadly, our time in the U.S. is passing by much quicker than any of us would like.  Here is a look at some of the things we did during the month of August.   

 

We kicked off the month celebrating David's birthday. 

 

birthday supper at The Fish Fry in Brookhaven 

 

birthday dessert after supper 

 

 

Cruz is loving his job at the snow cone stand!! It has been such a great opportunity for him and has allowed him to grow in many ways.  He gets paid every Friday.  Here he is after receiving his very first paycheck.  He was so excited!!  

 

 

After getting paid, he temporarily changed his phone background to this.  That boy is a mess! 

 

 

Here he is on his second day of work making an advertisement for their Facebook page. I laughed when he sent me this photo.  

  

 

He loves when people he knows stops by.  Here are some folks from our home church who stopped by one hot afternoon.  If you are ever in the Brookhaven area, go by and see him.  He would be glad you came.

 

 

We also stop by regularly.  We all love snow cones! 

 

 

David and Ben enjoyed a Saturday afternoon at the local movie theater.   

 

 

I have thoroughly enjoyed these gorgeous summer sunsets!! 

 

 

We started back to school on August 4. 

 

 

We have an 8th and a 10th grader. 

 

 

On the Friday of our first week back in school, we picked up donuts for breakfast.  It was a fun way to celebrate the end of our first week. We are off to a great start and have definitely found our rhythm.   

 

 

I have not taken many photos during school but did take a few of Ben doing a science experiment. He was exploring the different densities of several solids and liquids.

 

This was fun and always turns out pretty.  Here he was comparing the density of water, vegetable oil, corn syrup, and alcohol.  He had added a few drops of food coloring to the water and alcohol for the visual. 

 

 

They had a blast at a Back to School Bash with our home church. It took place at 6 Mile camp in Crystal Springs.

 

 

They began with worship and Bible study.

 

Then they moved outside for water games. 

 

What a fun way to kick off the school year. 

 

 Back to School Bash 

 

 

We made a weekend trip to Oxford to visit David's dad and stepmom. 

 

David and the boys with Mr. Harold and Jodi after church that Sunday. 

 

 

David and the boys with his dad.  That's three generations of Whites. 

 

Mr. Harold and the boys 

 

 

David and his dad 

 

While in town, Cruz did a little shopping at Rebel Rags.  Here's his new Ole Miss hoodie.

 

 

He especially loves this pullover that surprisingly was made in Guatemala. 

 

 Mid-month I attended an Equipping Leaders Conference put on by the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board. It took place at Brandon Baptist Church in Brandon, MS. This is a yearly event, and one I wish I could go to every year.  It was fantastic! While there I taught three sessions titled A Look Inside the Life of a Missionary.  I met so many wonderful people who attended my sessions!  I left there feeling so blessed and encouraged.

 

 

A highlight was getting to meet Sandy Wisdom-Martin, Executive Director-Treasurer of the national WMU and also Tammy Anderson, Executive Director-Treasurer of MS Women’s Ministries/ WMU at the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board.  These are precious ladies and so fun to be around!

 

 

After the conference ended, I attended the 2025 Mississippi WMU Annual Meeting. This year's theme was Be a Joy Multiplier.

 

I shared on Multiplying Joy on the Field. 

I especially loved the opportunity I had to personally thank the Mississippi WMU for their faithful support of our IMB missionaries over the years.  They are the backbone of Baptist missions, and I was genuinely honored to be with them that day!

 

 

The following Sunday afternoon we attended a baby shower for our niece who is expecting a baby boy in October. She is the oldest daughter of David's sister.

 

I got to sit with them and record all of their gifts. 

 

Our family with Kaylie and Hunter.  

We are so excited for them to be having this baby. 

 

 

I enjoyed a few lunch dates with my mom.  On this particular day, Charlotte, her friend from church joined us.  

 

 

We took Cruz on his first college campus visit.  He toured William Carey University in Hattiesburg, MS, which is currently our Plan A for college.  We are making visits this fall because we do not currently have plans to be back in Mississippi during the school year until our next Stateside Assignment. We will come home during summer breaks before then but it is best to visit campuses when they are in full session.  Our next Stateside Assignment is scheduled for 2028.  That is the year Cruz graduates. Sadly, this is our last furlough to have him living at home with us. During our 2028 furlough, he'll be living in a dorm and just visiting us on random weekends. 

 

 

William Carey University has a tribute area of bricks honoring missionaries who serve around the world. We were tickled to find our brick while there.  

 

If you look closely, you'll see names of missionaries.  We saw several names of people we know that have served and are still currently serving. 

 

 It is definitely an honor to have our names on one!

It is listed as Central America and Caribbean because that is what our region of the world was once labeled in the IMB world. 

 

 

We spoke to a Wednesday night kid's group at Easthaven Baptist in Brookhaven.  We always enjoy sharing about missions with children.

 

 

A beautiful sunset view as we left the church that night. 

 

 

Lastly, hooray for football!!!  We had been counting down the days until the season kicked off.  We love watching college football and cheering for our favorite SEC teams.    

 

 

I found these cute football shaped cookies at the grocery store.  They were a perfect dessert on our first football Saturday of the season. 

 

 

Come on fall!  

We are ready for you!!