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Musicians
on Mission
Bruce and Nancy Muskrat
Fort Worth, Texas
December 2012 |
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 This
has been a year of travel, visiting family & special friends,
and making new friends. Bruce began his travels in
February when he
accompanied a group of
Carroll
Institute staff to Orlando, FL where BHCTI was awarded full
accreditation by the
Association of
Biblical Higher Education. It was the culmination of many
years of hard work by the entire Carroll staff. Immediately
following that trip, Bruce and two faculty members flew to
Kentucky to hear the performance of a composition written by one
of Carroll’s doctoral students. |
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In
March, Bruce and Nancy were asked to serve as
adjudicators for a piano festival sponsored by the
Joplin Piano Teachers Association in Joplin, MO. They had
played in the festival when they were children, so it was an
interesting experience to return as judges. They also performed
some 4-hand music in a mini recital.
In April, the Muskrats were
invited to present a class on Argentine music for an
Ethnomusicology course at Dallas Baptist University. |
 May
was a special month as Bruce and Nancy celebrated a proud event
when their son Andy graduated with a Master of Arts in Worship
degree from Carroll Institute. At the end of the month, the
Muskrats embarked on a new adventure when they traveled to
Camagüey, Cuba where Bruce taught a class on worship in Spanish
and they both presented a concert in Spanish at the
First Baptist Church of Camagüey. Carroll Institute has over
60 students in Cuba in two cohorts that are working towards a
Master of Arts in Theology degree. Although the Muskrats had
communicated with the students through email, it was a wonderful
experience to get to know them personally and to listen to their
stories of faith in the midst of great struggles.
During the first week of
June, Bruce and Nancy
traveled to Tulsa, OK to attend the annual
Baptist Church
Music Conference. |
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The month of
July saw the Muskrats traveling again as
they drove to Broken Arrow, OK to help a cousin move into a new
apartment, then later to Bentonville, AR to visit with Andy,
Heather and little Jacob. |
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One of the highlights of the year
was a trip to Argentina in August
to participate in the
100th anniversary of the International Baptist Theological
Seminary in Buenos Aires. The Muskrats were honored during the
ceremony by having two classrooms named after them in the School
of Music. It was a wonderful two weeks of visiting Argentine
friends and the churches where Bruce and Nancy had served during
the 28 years they served as missionaries there. |
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September was a month of other reunions. The
Muskrats joined their friends, David and Barbara Vick, on a trip
to North Carolina for the
Week of the Emeriti sponsored by the International Mission
Board at Ridgecrest. Over 1,000 missionaries gathered for a week
of sharing and attending special meetings. On the way, Nancy was
able to spend an evening with her dear friend and maid of honor,
Patti Storm Broyles.  October
 was
another month of travel as the Muskrats went to Mount Pleasant
to spend a week keeping their three oldest grandkids, then drove
to Bentonville for the birth of their sixth grandchild, Braeden
Lee Muskrat (2nd son of Andy and Heather). At the end of the
month, the Muskrats traveled to Corpus Christi to represent
Carroll Institute at the
Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting. |
 In
November, Bruce and
Nancy traveled once again to Broken Arrow, OK for the annual
Muskrat Family Reunion over the Thanksgiving holiday.
And for
December . . . Bruce and Nancy will stay at
home and let everyone come to their house for Christmas. They
are looking forward to having all three kids with their
families, Nancy’s parents, Bruce’s dad, and Nancy’s sister and
her family.
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We give thanks to
God for His blessings, protection, and sustaining power during
this past year. We are so blessed and thankful for our wonderful
family and special friends like you. From us to all of you, we
wish you a very Merry Christmas and all God’s blessings for the
New Year.
Blessings,
Nancy and
Bruce
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Bruce
and Nancy Muskrat are
at B. H. Carroll
Theological Institute. Bruce is Professor of
Church Music and Missions and also serves as Director of Business Affairs.
Nancy is Lecturer of Worship and Missions and is Communications
Coordinator. Now "emeritus" missionaries to Argentina, the Muskrats
served 29 years under appointment of the International
Mission Board, SBC. Appointed in 1977 as seminary music teachers,
the Muskrats taught courses in church music and worship in the International
Baptist Theological Seminary, Buenos Aires (1979-2000), and
ministered through music evangelism and participation in church
planting through the mission's Pro-Meta
team. Bruce served as Administrative Support Leader for the Argentine
Baptist Mission, the organization of Southern Baptist
missionaries in that country.
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Previous editions of
Muskrat Tracks:
2011,
2010,
2009,
2008,
2007,
2006,
2005 |
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bmuskrat (at) gmail.com