Besides helping with shipping and cleaning, he’s been learning some of the illustration and layout programs we use for publications.
Another season of change is our ministry in our local church. For years Betsy and I have served alongside each other by playing our brass instruments with the congregational songs. We miss playing, but for now we’re serving alongside each other with the team helping to run the livestream for Harvest. Since children’s classes are still unable to meet, we also work with another family to bring recorded children’s Bible lessons each week.
In July we joined our friends, the O’Neills, for a short family vacation to Prudence Island, Rhode Island in the Narragansett Bay. Only about 80-100 people live year round on this small island that’s only accessible by a small ferry or private boat. The cool sea breezes mixed with several pleasants days of swimming, clamming and quohogging at the shore. Many of Bruce’s family and extended family vacation on this island, so we enjoyed their warm fellowship and “pahked cahs in Hahvard Yahd.” We also joined their family Bible camp which involved a cardboard house craft. Although we had to leave before the end of the week, the family sent us video of the “Wise man/foolish man” puppet skit I wrote for the finale.
As you may know, BVI is in the midst of releasing a biography on David Brainerd. Back in June our family made a day trip to Sunbury, PA, the site of Shamokin, an Indian village Brainerd travelled to several times in his evangelistic journeys. On the way home from Rhode Island we detoured to Northampton, Massachusetts to visit another Brainerd site. Betsy won the Bridge Street cemetery scavenger hunt that brought us to Brainerd’s gravestone. Buried next to David is Jerusha Edwards, the 17 year old daughter of Jonathan Edwards, who cared for him until his death from tuberculosis. She died a few months later of the same disease.
God providentially allowed Northampton to also be the location of a music store where we found a new mandolin for Samuel. He and David (banjo) are making good progress on their instruments. Downtown Northampton’s rainbow sidewalks and cannabis shops were a sobering reminder of how far New England has come from its spiritual heritage. Yet, our trip wasn’t without encouragement. The O’Neills and other believer’s hearts are being stirred to pray for and to plant Gospel-preaching churches in this region. And like every geographic missionfield, it includes the missionfield of children.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support for our family. May the Lord sustain you through this season and continue to grow your faith through it!
Tom & Betsy Luttmann & family
