On the Slippery Rock

Wow! We have had a great week here in PA. The missions conference at Slippery Rock Baptist Church was a blessing. We were one of four missionaries attending and enjoyed getting to know them and the people at the church. The church here has grown from around 30 to 400 in about 5 years. They are taking a good stand and have a great ministry to the two universities in town as well as to their community.

We had a free dental checkup by a dentist from the church. I was able to get in 6 hours of flight training with a Christian busnissman who owns a 1947 Piper Super-Cruiser taildragger. We went to a farm and went horseback riding. Elena absolutely loved the animals including their Great Dane named Mia. We have enjoyed our extra time in the prophets chamber here as well. Abby enjoyed some good shopping at the Grove City outlet malls. And finally, we were able to catch a Pittsburgh Pirates game as they shut out the dreaded Houston Astros, both of whom are doing better than the Cubs right now. I wore my Tigers hat since I didn't have anything to rub in.

Granny and the Throckmortons live just up the road in Grove City, so we were able to visit with them a number of times. Granny is doing well and was able to meet Abby and Elena for the first time. Warren gave me a pack of baseball cards for old times sake. No suprise, Elena loved Granny's dog Pepper. Thanks for all the meals, Debbie!

Return to Lima

We spent Easter Sunday morning with my favorite music pastor in Lima, Ohio, and enjoyed his cantata, “Behold the Lamb.” The music was a blessing as we truly enjoyed hearing such pure beautiful music about the Lord Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection.
We returned Sunday night so we could hear my second favorite music pastor in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Again, the music was very refreshing and a great blessing to us spiritually.

(By the way, these two music pastors...Jim and Justin...are the ones who first told me about Abby!)

If you do not receive our prayer letter, you can read our latest one at the link to the right.

Michigan Missions

Well it’s the first week of Major League Baseball, and the Cubs and Tigers are off to a slow start. As my dad’s sense of weather and baseball come together, he states firmly that every year it snows the first week of baseball. It is supposed to be 67 degrees in Ann Arbor today, and tomorrow it is supposed to be 34 degrees and snowing! We will miss such predictability in Cameroon and wonder such questions as, "Will we ever see snow there?" and "Will we ever see baseball there?"
We have had a great week at Juniata Baptist Church. The missions conference there was one of the highlights of our deputation, and we enjoyed spending time with Dr. Flanders and his people. We also met some new missionaries and preachers and trust to be better servants of the Lord because of our time spent in Juniata. Pastor Tom Fittis, a pastor in Tennessee, is originally from Northern Ireland, and he favored us nightly with the Bagpipes! He gave me a lesson one of the afternoons, and I realized that you don’t just pick them up and start playing. He said that it takes a couple of years to be able to effectively use all the parts of a bagpipe together in order for it to make that beautiful music! Did you know that you have to tune bagpipes just like you do other instruments?!
Pray for Elena and Abby, as Elena sometimes has a hard time adjusting to our schedule on the road. We look forward to being in a home in Cameroon one day living a more steady life. There may be a lot of things to get used to over there, but we look forward to having the stability of a regular base as a family! Please pray for our family in this regard as we continue to travel and stay in different homes. All that said, we are having a great time!
We will be in Lima, Ohio, with Jim for the morning of Resurrection Sunday! Lord willing, I will be preaching the gospel message for Pastor Hamblin after Jim’s cantata. Pray for souls to be saved as they hear the music and message of Christ’s victory over death.

O, Canada!

The Oshkosh Sanderlin family just returned from Ajax, Ontario, which is a suburb of Toronto. We were at Faithway Baptist Church, which has 40 different nationalities in their congregation. We shared the day with another missionary family from Faithway Baptist Church in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Faithway in Canada voted to take us both on after the evening service. Praise the Lord that brings us to 32% of our support!

Elena has now been outside the United States for the first time. The biggest difference was driving with kilometers instead of miles on the signs and using Canadian money. It seemed there was a Tim Horton’s “on every corner” and every exit and we stopped there four times, once to ask for directions.

Thanks for praying for us. We will head to a Juniata Baptist Church for a missions conference starting Wednesday. We are having a good time basing at Ann Arbor with Abby’s family for the last part of March and the first half of April.

Leaving the Land of Lincoln

We thank the Lord for safety as we have been traveling throughout Wisconsin and Illinois the last few months. The Lord has blessed with many good meetings including Black River Falls (WI), Morris (IL), and Galesburg (IL). On Wednesdays when we didn't have meetings we were able to visit churches in Geneva (IL) where we have an open door for a future meeting, Roscoe (IL) where we scheduled a meeting for later, and Chillicothe (IL) where we have an open door for a meeting as well.

We will be leaving Tuesday for Michigan and then for a meeting in Ontario, Canada, this Sunday. After that we will have two missions conferences in Michigan and one in Pennsylvnia as well as other meetings all before April is over. Please continue to pray for churches to be able to support us. We are praying for 50% of our support by mid June when we hope to visit Cameroon for the first time. Thank you to all who support us through your prayers and finances.

Here are some pictures of Elena as she continues to bless us with her life and smiles :) She does so well meeting new people and being on the road. The same goes for my beautiful and loving wife, Abby...I wouldn't be having near as much fun without them!

March Meetings

February was a little slow for us and our Green Bay meeting was canceled due to over a foot of snow the night before the meeting. We enjoyed seeing many of you at the Holiness Conference. We had a full day the first Sunday in March in Black River Falls, Wisconsin. We enjoyed seeing Jessica and her kids a few days ago. We plan on being in Morris, IL, Galesburg, IL, Ontario, Canada, and Juniata, MI the rest of the month. Please pray for our safety on the road.

Also, be in prayer about our trip to Cameroon this summer. We are hoping to go for a month and are looking into purchasing tickets soon. Pray for wisdom and timing of the trip.

We are so thankful for the churches and families that took us on for support in February. We praise the Lord we are at 30% of our support for Cameroon.

Believers Baptist Church Valentine Banquet

Here are a few pictures from last night of the Valentine Banquet at the Deere-Wiman house in Moline, Illinois. Abby and I had a great time while Emily did not (Elena wasn't quite the sweetheart she usually is). Abby and I were in charge of the game "Name that Tune," all hymns with the theme of Christ's love for us or us for Him. Pastor Farmer from Milledgeville, Illinois, was the guest preacher. Dad was his usual self as MC lightening up everyone during the banquet. Thanks Mr. C. for the pictures!

Ethnic Foods

When we think of heading off for Cameroon one day, one of the many adjustments to be made will be that of changing cultures. One of those changes will include food. This morning we participated in a little bit of "Sanderlin" culture for breakfast. All Sanderlins will probably know what that was, but for those of you who don't... We were watching a video that Uncle Warren filmed of Grandad making sawmill gravy so it could be passed down for posterity. Grandad said, "We're havin' sawmill gravy, biscuits, jelly, eggs, bacon, sausage, orange juice, and coffee...and if you don't like any of that then stay away from the Sanderlins" or something like that. (I wonder if I'll have to leave all that behind, or if we can still make that kind of thing where we are going?I'll love the food in Cameroon I'm sure.) I have made everything but sawmill gravy many times in the past, so today I made the sawmill gravy for the first time...thanks Grandad! So that is a little bit of the Sanderlin culture...now I have to go out and split firewood since we are about out.

Deputation...

We had the privilege of being at a missions conference in Elgin, Illinois. We were challenged by the preaching of God's Word with our responsibility to reach people for Christ. We trust we were able to be a blessing to those in the college and church. We presented our field on Monday morning to the college and highschool with over 250 being in attendance. There were missionaries to South Africa, Brazil, Ukraine, Romania, Mexico, Bahamas, Nepal, India, and the Middle East who also presented their fields throughout the week. Thank the Lord that missionaries are still answering God's call to go into all the world. If we all went where the Lord called us then the world could be reached. May we all be willing and obedient!

Also, I received a call from a church we presented at last year, and they recently voted to take us on for support. That brings us up to 8 churches that have promised to support us though 4 of them are actually supporting us as of the end of January. Please pray that we would be diligent in presenting our burden for Cameroon, and that the Lord would burden and enable churches to support us soon.

Brrr!!

If you live in the North then you know how cold it has been lately. It is probably colder somewhere else, but it has been quite a January/February in Illinois and Wisconsin. Here are some pictures of Elena out on her first sledding adventure. She may not get much of this in the future in Africa, but I'm sure she'll have some other fun experiences to remember. This is supposed to be a recreation of Jessica's first sledding ride with Mom and her family while Dad was in Korea back in 1975. Emily keeps asking us to go sledding with her...

Wisconsin Missions

We spent the last four days with Pastor and Mrs. O'Bryon in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. They are planting Cornerstone Baptist Church and have purchased a former Catholic building for services. We helped canvas the area and did some work on the building. Sunday was a full day as I preached and presented the field of Cameroon, Abby playing the special music. Pray for this new church reaching out to a needy Wisconsin town.

Land of Lincoln 2

We are in blustery in Illinois at present busy in many ways. I have set up three new meetings in Illinois churches and have also been working for dad installing furnaces. We are planning on helping Camp Joy with a new furnace in their kitchen soon.

Elena thinks she is big stuff as she is learning to sit on her own. That seems to be where she is the happiest and most talkative right now. We are glad to have some extra help watching her at Grammie and Grandads.

Some generous gifts have been given towards Tom Needhams new plane, and he is anticipating flying it by April.

Let us know that you have been by here. Thank you for your prayers.

Tom Needham's Glasair Sportsman in Oshkosh

Please continue to pray for the completion of Tom Needham's Sportman, which is being built in the Wings as Eagles hangar in Oshkosh. Brother Needham and his son Daniel have spent countless hours there in the last few months along with Terry Rushing and many other volunteers. Here are some pictures of the plane and hangar being prepared for the full paint job. Please pray for the Lord to provide the funds for us to buy his six year old Glastar Taildragger in Cameroon. We look forward to our work together with the Needhams in Cameroon. Thanks, Adam and Chris, for your help with the plane!

Land of Lincoln

We finished a lot of business in Oshkosh and are now in Illinois. I'll post some of the pictures of the hangar activities and other things soon. We were able to spend a little more time with the Needhams and discuss Cameroon in more detail. Chris, Adam, Tina, and Tizzy came up for a day as well. Chris and Adam helped clean the hangar so Bro. Needham's plane would be ready to paint by the end of this week.
You can read our latest prayer letter by clicking here: http://www.wyldewood.org/users/ftpwae/sanderlinnewsletter.pdf
Here is a picture of our arrival in Hillsdale earlier tonight. Congratulations, Emily, on the removal of your braces!! I'd hardly recognize ya!

Happy New Year!

The Oshkosh Sanderlin family is leaving Michigan today and heading back to the base (Oshkosh) for a week. We will be having a meeting with Pastor King, Bob Warinner, and Tom Needham to plan for Cameroon.
We have enjoyed our time with Abby's family and will miss everyone. I will be scheduling meetings for the rest of this month, and we will be visiting churches in Wisconsin and Illinois. We plan to be in Illinois with my parents in another week or so.

Glastar Fund

This Christmas we received a few gifts toward the purchase of the Glastar in Cameroon (see previous posts). This was perhaps the most creative way we received money for the plane (from Jessica and Andy). Please continue to pray that the money will come in soon for this tool that will be used to reach the forgotten in Africa.

Surprise Delivery!

We were able to pull off a surprise visit to the Sanderlin homestead the day after Christmas. The winter ice cancelled plans to rent a plane and fly out, so we drove instead. This is Elena and Grandad shortly after he walked in from work seeing Jessica and who he thought was Ella, but instead found out it was Elena!
This is a our traditional Sanderlin siblings picture...I didn't want to be the first one to ruin the tradition by not showing up! Sorry we made you delay the gift exchange, Jim!
Grammie and Grandad with all their grandchildren...Wyatt, Ella, Elena, and Mia. Next year all the grandkids may be running around...then try to catch them all for a picture!
Thanks for all the food, Mom ... awesome cake, Andy! Jill, I mean the Giant Peach, was here as well. Chris preached last night at Believers Baptist on Revelation 3:14-22...good message Chris. Good to see you all!! Happy New Year!!

Christmas Day

We had three Christmas celebrations on Christmas day in Ann Arbor. Abby, Elena, and I had our own time together in a prophet's chamber early in the morning. Elena enjoyed eating the wrapping paper more than the present inside.
We then went to Abby's parents' house for a brunch and more gifts. We always have a great time with them. Elena's grandma, grandpa, aunts, and uncles all enjoy good times with her.
Lastly, we went to Grandma Gardner's house and had Christmas with Abby's grandma, Uncle Ron, Aunt Diana, Ryan, and Nick. We were blessed again this year remembering Christ's birth amongt our family.

Humility's Finest Hour

We are so thankful for the time spent with family and friends at Christmas. What a Saviour who would humble himself for our sake! There are so many Christmas hymns that take part or all of a stanza from Philippians 2, a chapter dealing with the submissive mind. The Philippian church was struggling in the area of unity (4:2). Paul takes chapter 2 of his letter to plead with them to look to Christ for true humility. He first desires the humility that is so lacking in their church (v. 1-3a) by saying "fulfil ye my joy." He then defines humility for them in verses 3 and 4, "...in lowliness (humility) of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but also on the things of others." What better time to practice humility than at Christmas as we endeavor to meet the needs of loved ones through gifts and service to them. Paul then in verses 5-11 shows the greatest demonstration of humility in history...when God became man. The birth of our Saviour at Bethlehem was perhaps humility's finest hour. And not only did Jesus make himself of no repuation in his first hour of life, but he lived a life of humilty and humbled himself in his final hour as he died on the cross for our sins. May you and I bow our knee to Jesus Christ the Lord and humble ourselves to each other as we have the mind of Christ (v. 5), the humble, submissive mind..."to the glory of God the Father."

Finished for 2006...planning for 2007

I preached for the last time in 2006 at Ann Arbor Baptist Church on Christmas Eve. Deputation has gone well so far, and we are at about 20% of our needed support before we leave for Cameroon. We are still planning a survey trip for July of 2007. We hope then to spend a month with the Needhams in Cameroon as we look for a place to base our ministry and take part in the current ministry they have. We are busy right now sending out more information packets and making phone calls to pastors. Please pray that we fill up our schedule for 2007 with the churches the Lord would have for us.

December Schedule...

We are currently in Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Christmas season. At the beginning of December we had a meeting in Lima, Ohio, where my brother Jim is music pastor. We enjoyed staying with him and Mrs. Williams. Mrs. Williams is familiar with the ministry in Cameroon as she stays in contact with Ellen Doyle, a missionary nurse in Cameroon who often ministers in the bush country through the Needham's aviation ministry. Thank you for the lodging for almost a week!
We stayed with Abby's parents for a week and are now in a prophets chamber in town. We have enjoyed meeting new pastors and getting the word out about the open doors in Cameroon. We attended the Christmas Contata at Ann Arbor Baptist Church last night. The music was a blessing, and Pastor Hirth preached a clear gospel message.
Have a merry Christmas...we'll post more pictures later.

Glastar Sportsman in Progress...

We were able to spend a week in Oshkosh at the end of November and see the new Glastar Sportsman under construction. This is Tom Needham's new airplane, which Lord willing will soon be in service in Cameroon. It is the next size bigger than the Glastar taildragger that he is currently using. You may remember the Glastar taildragger is the plane we desire to purchase from Bro. Tom to use in Cameroon as we work with his family to preach the gospel. You can contribute to our ministry by helping us purchase the Glastar, the funds of which will go to help the Needhams finish building the Sportsman. Thank you all for your prayers for the aviation ministry...it truly enables the word of the Lord to have free course, to move swiftly in the bush country of Cameroon.

Thanksgiving 2006

"O Give thanks unto the Lord;for he is good:because his mercy endureth for ever." I am very thankful for the family in which I was born. Abby, Elena, and I were able to spend Thanksgiving with my family this year. Because of Bible College and Seminary it was the first time I made it home for Thanksgiving in 7 years! The whole family was there as you can see as well as Jim's new fiancee, Jill Zajac from Chicago. They went to school together in college, and we are thankful for the future addition she will make to our family. Also, you may notice the addition of two new babies to the family this year, Elena Sanderlin and Audella Wredberg. Also, there is the addition of several goats...the family just keeps on growing!! We will miss them all when we go to Africa and are thankful for any time we can get together. Thanks, Mom and Dad for the spiritual heritage you have passed down to us! May we all rejoice in God's blessing of family this year!

First Southern Tour Complete

We are back in the Midwest after spending the month of October and most of November down south. We had deputation meetings in North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The pictures are of us in climate and culture training as we prepare for Africa. We realized once again how different the South is from the Midwest. We really enjoyed our time there, and we are so thankful for all the friends we were able to see again. We look forward to going south again!

IFR: Head in the clouds now legal!

Thank you to all who prayed for us in the month of October. I passed my written exam with a 97% and the checkride (oral and flight test) on the second try on Friday November 3, 2006. I am thankful for this milestone that has been completed. Elena slept through the night (usually from 10pm to 7am) every night in October, so that made it easier on Abby during the day. We really enjoyed our time with the Hunts and the dedication they had to see us through in such a short time. In celebration of the victory they cooked a steak dinner for us, and we had a great evening with them and Pastor Wingard and his wife from Calvary Baptist in New Bern. We left for Florida a few hours after the checkride...nothing like savoring the moment :)

First Flight!

It was only a matter of time before Elena made it to the sky. I'm thankful that I was able to be her first pilot! Abby sat in the back and kept an eye on Elena, but Elena slept soundly the whole way from New Bern to the Outer Banks. On the way I practiced more instrument flying with Jack Hunt in preparation for the check ride coming up. We landed at First Flight airport in Kitty Hawk and enjoyed looking at the Wright brothers memorial. Then we flew to a nearby airport on Roanoke Island where we found a Subway nearby for lunch.
Aviation has come a long way in over a hundred years, and we look forward to using this tool to take the gospel to people in Cameroon who need to be saved. There are villages in hard to reach places in Cameroon asking for preachers and someone to start churches. Please pray that we finish the aviation training we need and that our family will be able to get to the mission field soon. Elena had her first flight today, and we pray that we will be able to take our first flight in Cameroon soon. Please continue to pray for funds for the plane we desire to buy in Cameroon.

Time's fun when you're flyin'

Isn't that supposed to be "Time flies when you're having fun"? Well both have been true this month at Canaan Airbase in New Bern. Actually due to high winds and turbulence yesterday and my waking up sick this morning Elena and Abby haven't been flying yet. These picture are when bro. Hunt and I flew home to Canaan Airbase for lunch before doing some more instrument flying practice. We all hope to take a trip to First Flight Airport where the Wright Brothers memorial is located.
Please pray that I would do well on the written exam on Friday or Saturday this week (October 27 or 28). Also, please pray that I would pass the Instrument checkride (oral and flight test) early next week.

Elena on her purple throne!

My friend, LeighAnne, gave me this chair for Elena before she was born. The first time Sam and I put her in it, we just laughed and laughed. She looked so cute! She turns her head and follows me as I walk around the room and talk to her. When she gets tired, she begins to resemble a bobble-head as she tries to hold her head upright. I don't leave her in it too long usually, but she seems to like it. It was created by some orthopedic doctors, and is safe for a baby that can't sit up yet on their own. She is developing some stomach muscles too, as often I watch her try to sit from a reclining position. She hasn't even tried to roll over yet though.

Deputation

Just wanted to update all our family and friends on our deputation progress. As of now, we still just have four churches supporting us as well as several individuals. We are praying for fifteen to take us on for support before our survey trip in the spring. We appreciate each of you who has given so sacrificially. The Lord has blessed us and met our every need! Thank you so much for your prayers!

Despite Sam's busy schedule, we have been presenting in as many churches as possible. This past weekend, Sam presented the ministry and preached at a small church in Benson, and then on Sunday night we visited a very large church in Raleigh that is praying about taking us on for support soon. Wednesday night Sam preached at Calvary Baptist in New Bern where we are staying. We have greatly enjoyed fellowshipping with many like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ! We also trust the Lord is using us to challenge and encourage them in the area of missions. Please pray with us that the Lord will open up many more opportunities to present our ministry to Cameroon. Thanks so much!

Sam and Elena at the hangar

Despite all the studying, we took time for some R&R and some yummy (that's for you, mom :) grilled hamburgers at the hangar. Flight instructor, Jack Hunt, did an excellent job grilling for all of us! Elena enjoyed exploring the plane with her daddy.

Elena sleeping

Basically, the only time she sucks her thumb is at naptime. I think it's adorable! She's been sleeping through the night pretty consistently since she was 2 and 1/2 months old. . .thanks to babywise and plenty of prayers :)

Sam learning on the flight simulator

I decided to add a few pictures to the blog since Sam is busy studying much of the time. He has been working diligently on his instrument rating since we arrived last week. I'm so proud of him! I think he feels overloaded at times since it is so much to digest at once. Please remember him in your prayers. . .thanks.

Elena bath time

Elena enjoys her bathtime! I get tons of smiles and splashes. Here she is "lounging" in her bath robe and slippers after her bath.

Trailer and Training

We have spent over a week in New Bern, North Carolina and love our surroundings! For the month of October we will be based here on the property of Mission Aeroservices with Jack and Jonnie Hunt. Our trailer is located about 150 feet away from the 1,800 foot runway. The Lord opened the door for me to train with bro. Hunt for my instruement rating. Jack Hunt is a missionary pilot here in the states who trains missionary pilots going to foreign fields. They have been such a blessing to us in this last week (please see the new link for more info on them). Abby has been busy with Elena and catching up on other things while I am down the lane studying and flying. I have preached four times in three churches so far, and we praise the Lord for the fellowship and opportunities to present our ministry to Cameroon, Africa.