Today we said goodbye the Pastor Anthony and our brothers and sisters at Mercy Hill Church. Over the past week they embodied towards us the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians, “Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the Gospel but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.” Mercy Hill made us feel dear to them. That should be testimony enough to anyone in the Phoenix area that they are a church worthy of attention.

The first leg of the trip home brought us back to Hoffmantown Church in Albuquerque, another welcoming church representing Christ to the community around them with passion. We need to say a big thank you to them as well. Their hospitality has saved us the price of multiple hotel rooms twice now.

The drive back was blessedly uneventful so far with the minor exception of a few spring allergies cropping up. No big deal. We arrived in Albuquerque in time to visit the Old Town Square where we toured the Rattlesnake Museum and browsed a few curio shops before heading to dinner at the Church Street Café, which offered great service and great food. We laughed so often and so hard throughout our visit that as we were leaving the waitress who served us commented on what a fun group we were. We used the moment to explain that we were Christians, on our way home from a visit to friends in Phoenix. It’s a small testimony, not exactly sharing the full Gospel, but pray that it makes a difference. Tomorrow we head home.

Old Town Albuquerque; well worth the visit!