Tuesday morning Dad and I drove over to his church and I spent some time getting to know Jeff and Byron. Both guys are on the church staff and are doing great work there in ministry. I think FBC Hugo has a great team!
After lunch we said our goodbyes to Mom and Dad and headed north to Tulsa. In about 2 hours and 15 minutes we were back in familiar territory. Gail and I lived here for 27 months back in '78 through '80. I worked as the youth pastor of Tulsa Baptist Temple; Gail taught 6th grade at Moody Christian School We drove through some of the places we knew well at one time, including the church, the site of the school (now no longer in existence), and the townhouse we called home during most of our time there.
Standing in the front of our old church in Tulsa.
Gail's at the door of what was her 6th grade classroom as a teacher. The property is now up for sale.
The old home place at 32nd and Hudson.
We chanced upon the Casa Bonita restaurant, where we had eaten back in the day. Inside they have done a great job creating the look of a Mexican pueblo. If only they put that much effort into the food! It was just as we remembered...not very good, especially if you know good Mexican cuisine. But for the memories' sake we ate and wondered aloud why.
Our friends Terri Hollingsworth and Betty Middaugh, upon learning when we would be in town began to invite friends from our days here. It was pretty much last minute, but the group that came were all special to us, and we had a wonderful time sharing memories and photos from the past, and hearing about their lives since then.
Some of the people who we served and served with in youth ministry in Tulsa.
One thing that I've enjoyed so much about this trip has been the opportunities to re-connect with old friends, many we haven't seen since the 1970's. Friendships made within the family of God are eternal, and these reunions have been a reminder to us of God's grace and the joys we've had in ministry over the years.
Looks like tomorrow we'll be pointing the Toyota east for good and making the trek back to the starting point of our journey. The odometer went over 7,000 miles today! I haven't counted how many photos, but we must have taken hundreds.
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