In my early teens, I crept through the woods along a narrow river trying to keep a group of other boys in sight. I tried to keep quiet so they wouldn’t find me. I failed. But my attempt was sufficient to get an older Boy Scout’s initials in my Scout handbook. I was completing the tracking/trailing requirement that was then a badge requirement.

I hadn’t thought about that sneaky walk for several years. But when I was in Nebraska earlier this month, I recalled it as my dad and I looked down from the dam that turns the Republican River into a manageable flow. As we drove across the dam, we talked and recalled fishing trips and our family’s one attempt at camping in a tent. (Attempt, as Dad reminded me that my mom ended up sleeping in the car.) 

Dad reminisced as we drove through South-Central Nebraska. We stopped at my cousin’s farm and talked with his family.  We drove by the area where Dad’s family lived before he was born, to a small town where he started school, and through another small town where he graduated from high school. He still brags that he was third in his class, then smirks and reveals that his class had only three seniors.

Due to COVID-19 guidelines where he lives, we couldn’t go inside restaurants. Instead, we used the Runza drive-through. (For those of you not from Nebraska, that’s a fast-food chain with only six sites outside the state.) Dad favored chocolate shakes and fries, something he doesn’t usually get. We ate three meals in the parks in my hometown.

Around times of reminiscing with Dad, I connected with about a dozen friends in Nebraska. Thanks for praying for my trip. And thanks for praying for Anne Marie as she took part in a writers conference. She had a great time, and she has a fun opportunity before her. She’ll tell you more in our next letter.  

In the meantime, we’re getting ready for another trip. During the COVID-19 “shutdowns,” Anne Marie’s nephew got married. Now, at last, we’re planning to celebrate as a family. Anne Marie’s four sisters and brother plus some of their children will be there. During the next week, would you pray for all of us to stay safe and healthy as we travel for this family gathering?

Starting next week, we’ll finally feel fully back into life and work in Orlando. Would you pray for both of us as we continue to play leadership roles on our teams? Anne Marie’s director is on maternity leave. Pray for Anne Marie and the team as they re-organize their work after doing a digital upgrade. I continue to lead the writers working on Cru Storylines. Several stories that we’d begun working on for upcoming issues didn’t work out. Pray that we can find the right stories to inspire our readers to follow Christ closely and to share the gospel with people around them.

Thanks for your prayers and generosity.

— Mark, for the Winz family