Giving Thanks, the Ten Commandments and Vinnie’s Wedding

Not sure I have ever written a journal entry at 39,000 ft. but with five more hours to go on this flight from London to Nairobi, I thought I might better take advantage of this free time. We are returning from just under four weeks in Florida to spend Thanksgiving with our family as well as help do our part with the preparations for our youngest son’s wedding. The multiple lengthy flights to travel back and forth are nothing short of daunting, however we gladly pay the price for time with our family and try to make up for lost time that will never be regained. Living away from family and country for extended lengths of time brings new perspective and meaning to what the Bible calls redeeming the time. Those moments in our homeland with family and fellow Christians have become so much sweeter. It is with this kind of gratitude in our hearts that made Thanksgiving so special this year as we deep fried a turkey and baked a ham at my Uncle Aaron’s house in Daytona in which all of our children and grandchildren were able to attend. Last year Terry and I celebrated and gave thanks with canned turkey her sister had sent to Kenya. Thanking God for everything has not changed but spending that time in person with those you love dearest was an extra blessing. We were also able to visit a few of our supporting Florida Churches including Ft. Cooper Baptist Church where I had the opportunity to preach at our 55^th homecoming. God has been so good to us all and we give him the thanks and praise for his grace on our lives. Our brief trip home also took us to the Dixie County court house located in Cross City, Florida to be a part of a peaceful “Save the Ten Commandments” rally.

Dixie County is coming under attack from the ACLU to remove the carved in stone Ten Commandments from the front of the court house steps. By the way, I think the ACLU should stand for the Anti-Christ-Liberals-Union. In short we spent a couple of hours with over 1000 of God’s people who have become sick and tired of cowering down to this Anti-Christian movement that has taken our country by storm over the last four decades.  

The rally which included hymns prayers of thanksgiving and repentance as well as key note speakers who have fought against the ACLU and won. It was not only God honoring but was also one of the most patriotic events I have attended in many years. The (Pit-bull) lawyer for the Liberty Council who will be defending Dixie County is the Son of a Romanian Baptist Pastor who had been brought to Christ by Baptist Missionaries and has experienced firsthand the religious persecution and tyranny of a totalitarian communist government. 

His bottom line message was with God all things are possible and when we stand up we can win but when we do nothing we lose.

This young man has won 90% of his cases in some of the highest courts in the land because he knows he is defending our God given rights which happen to be recorded in the first amendment of the constitution. It was awesome to see God’s people assemble themselves and let their voice be heard.

The finale of our trip home was our son’s wedding.   

During my college days I remember being taught that the death of a close relative and moving are two of the most stressful events in a person’s life. After this week and our third and last child to be married I would like to add weddings to the top of that list. We thank God that Vinny has met a fine Christian girl in his new wife Arlene and we believe God was honored in all of ceremony which I was asked to officiate. While I was a little rusty from the huge change of venue, I can say that we all made it through the ceremony without anyone falling or passing out.

It was a beautiful service and Terry and I are now able to return to the work God has called us to with a little more peace in our hearts knowing Vinny has united in Holy matrimony with the help met God has brought him.   

In Closing, the longer we are in Kenya the less we feel at home in the United States. Believe me; it is not from a lack of love for family or country because every time we return to the field we do so with broken hearts and many tears. However, once you assimilate into a foreign culture there is a large part of you that has grown accustomed to that culture and things that were once familiar to you starts to become foreign and what was once foreign becomes familiar. Thank you for your prayers and support.

In His Service,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez

Kenya

Phil. 4:13

PS: None of our bags arrived with us, so pray that we are able to retrieve them today in Nairobi with the next flight arrives from London.