Tuesday, July 29, 2014

My In-Laws: Joel & Margaret Sloan

In my last post I introduced you to my hubby David's oldest brother Tommy and his family.  This time you will meet his second brother Joel.  And just to keep you straight on the line-up, I have provided this pictorial view of the eight original Sloan children, in birth order.  As you can see, we have quite a few introductions left in this mini-series.
Joel is very easy to describe: happy all. of. the. time.  I honestly think he may have been born singing and smiling.  (I'll have to check with my mother-in-law on that one though.)  If he can't sing, Joel is probably whistling or humming.  He really takes the words of the verse in I Thessalonians 5:16 "Rejoice evermore" to heart.

Because he grew up on the mission field of Mexico, Joel (like all of the other Sloan children) is fluent in Spanish and English.  It is fitting that the Lord is using him to work with both language groups on the border of Mexico/Texas/New Mexico.  

Joel married Margaret, whom he met in Bible college.  They have two sweet daughters and a son in heaven. Joel currently pastors two groups in one church building - a Spanish church (Iglesia Bautista Agua Viva) and an English church (Living Water Baptist Church), both in Chaparral, New Mexico.   He has also been the pastor of:

+ Templo Bautista El Paso in El Paso, Texas
+ Iglesia Bautista Colina Alta in El Paso, Texas
+ Mision Bautista Agua Viva in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Have I told you yet that Joel doesn't sit still?  He and Margaret are hard workers and are always busy!  Our own son Nate is a lot like his Uncle Joel.  I wonder if it has anything to do with both of them being the second born?
{Below} Joel has always loved cowboy hats, which is why I chose to illustrate him that way in the pictorial graph above.  Here is some proof of that from when he was a little boy:
It is a pleasure to know how joyfully Joel, Margaret, and their daughters serve the Lord each day.  They keep us encouraged to enjoy our work for Christ.  And isn't that just how it should be?!

Whistle while you work!

7 comments:

  1. THANKS FOR THIS LETTER ABOUT JOEL. HE HAS BEEN ONE OF MY FAVORITES SINCE I FIRST MET HIM ALONG ABOUT....1995/1996. I DON'T EVER GET TO SEE HIM BUT ONE DAY...ALL ETERNITY AWAITS FOR VISITIN'.

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  2. Excellent! How I long to be more like Christ, and I am motivated when I'm with Joel. He's such a blessing and an encouragement. (Our second choice for Baby Tommy Greg's name was Joel Isaac. 😀

    Love you, Jolene.

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  3. Thank you so much for a blessing in Christ

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  4. This was great!
    I am enjoying this mini-series.

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  5. I loved your blog about Joel and Margaret...so cute. Thank you for loving your husband's family!

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  6. yes I am loving these posts as well. :) What a blessing to have married into a family that you love so much! It appears that they all have a SINCERE LOVE for the LORD which I am sure is what makes the love for family so strong! Not something we see often .Thank you for sharing!

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  7. Jolene, I really miss your "voice" on the internet! Do you have plans to write more?

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Thank you for your encouraging comments! "As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." Proverbs 25:25