We Needed a Miracle

We were facing a huge obstacle, our van had temporary tags and had to pass inspection in 30 days, if not we would not be able to drive our vehicle. We took it to a mechanic who said he would take it to a sale and see what we could get out of it-it was not worth fixing. And he estimated the cost would be well over $3,000. Where were we going to come up with that kind of money? And in time to get it inspected? Of course we began to pray!

The answer came (still unknown to us) in the form of a man who showed up at our church Wednesday night for service. He and Jonathan hit it off very well and he returned the next Wednesday night for service. In the midst of their conversations they talked about our van and the fact that this man was an excellent mechanic. Long story short, this guy took our van and worked on the transmission last Saturday from 12 noon to 1am. Worked on it for free, we just payed for the parts which was a little over $100. That Sunday morning a man gave us the exact amount of $$ needed to purchase another part needed, which our new friend fixed our van with. Then on top of all this, he took our van with him to work, and inspected it off the clock, on his time thus waiving the inspection fee. Our original $3000.00 problem has been fixed for a little over 200.00, plus the fee for registration.

God's provision and timing is PERFECT and he has even timed the extra expense right around my receiving my first paycheck from the post office. We needed a miracle, and God provided! What a Mighty God we serve!

Adventures of a Pastor's Wife #3

Today was one of those days, I woke up with a headache and took some medicine. I worked so hard yesterday, cleaning the house, and I had all the children's clothes layed out for this morning. *SUPRISE* I got up early to make some macaroni and cheese for a friend's birthday party after church this morning. The headache got worse, and as I finished the macaroni I ended up on the floor in the kitchen, dizzy and sick. Emmaus had joined me this morning, and I was enjoying her chatter and company, while I was on the floor she asked me "Mommy are you sick?" I told her "yes". Soon I was in the bathroom throwing up and she followed me in there and asked me "Mommy are you throwing up?" I couldn't help being a little amused as I puked : )

I was unable to muster enough strength to get the children ready, so Jonathan had to feed them and dress them. They did very well, and I had even found Silas's shoes (last night) he had thrown into the toybox and we had been unable to find for 2 weeks and he had to wear his sneakers to church. So thank you Lord for helping me get all those clothes ready, there would have been no way Jonathan would have been able to get everyone ready in time. I rested until almost church time then was able to get myself ready and was able to get to church for Morning Worship and I was able to teach Children's Church which was wonderful becuase we had two new little boys! I also was well enough for the party in the Fellowship Hall after church. Very thankful my headache had subsided to endure the children (not just ours) running around screaming and chasing balloons.

Adventures of a Pastor's Wife #2

I'm Joining Internet Cafe Devotions for WFW


I am too prone to worry, and worry is something I am daily surrendering to God. However there are times when I am frail and worry and carry out crazy scenarios in my head and really have to turn to God, and give them over to Him, yet I am so glad to know He is never too busy for me, even for my "small" problems!

Sunday mornings during the preaching I take the children downstairs and we have Children's Church. I have really been working hard to make this time exciting and enjoyable to my young audience. This is a special time to teach them God's Word, how to pray and many other wonderful truths. Right now we are learning the 10 commandments and are making banners using felt pieces with the commandments written on them in glitter glue. I don't mind doing crafts, as long as they are not pointless and won't go into the trash a few days later.

We have 3 teenagers 13-16 who have joined us in Children's Church in the past, and are bored out of their minds and who have complained about what we have done. On Sunday as I was taking the children down ( ages 1-7) these 3 teenagers got up to come down too. I told them to please go sit back in the service as they were too old for Children's Church. I knew there would be people who would be upset, and I was so tempted to stay downstairs and hide when service was over : ) We were told that if there was nothing for these teens, they did not want to come to church. The age gap was just too great for them to be in with the children and yet I wanted them to have a class too, but I am only one person. We are also a small church...so what was the answer? The family who told us their kids wouldn't want to come left when we first came here to our pastorate and there were some issues with gossip. Jonathan also started a Youth Group on Thursday evenings for these young people and I just didn't know what more to do. *Sigh* I fretted and stewed and told Jonathan that I guessed they could come down as long as there were no complaints and they behaved : ) I was very distressed, and didn't feel too much better after lunch and as I was drifting off to sleep for our afternoon nap.

However, when I woke up, the Lord brought such a sense of peace to my heart, so very much what I needed! And then Sunday night our pianist offered to do a class for the youth, how wonderful is that?

But the real re-assurance came Monday morning in my Devotions and prayer time. I have been reading through the Psalms, and have been enjoying them, but there is nothing like opening God's Word and having the Lord speak straight to your heart, that's what the Lord did for me Monday morning.

He will not allow your foot to be moved: He who keeps you will not slumber.

Psalm 121:3

I said I do

Adventures of a Pastor's Wife #1

I said I do to my preacher husband. A bit naively I might add. I had NO idea what adventures and interesting things I would experience being the wife of a pastor! I have been married to a preacher (in the making) for 8 years (we were married while my husband was still in college for ministry) and we have been in active ministry for 5 years with an unplanned but God sent 2 1/2 year sabbatical. We have just returned to ministering this past August and it feels overwhelming good to be back in the ministry. I had no idea what I was getting myself into! And honestly in the very early years I learned some hard lessons and had my share of embarrassing interesting moments. (Still do: ) I wish to share with you the joys and heart aches I experience as a pastor's wife. I hope you will find it interesting!
Here are a few things that have happened in the last month here at Henderson Maryland. These things are true and told from an honest and humble heart. I have changed some of the names for the sake of privacy.
1. I washed a young man's feet.
I heard the children talking outside the front door. They know they are not to go around to the front of the house so I went to remind them to go play in the back yard. There he was, over 6 feet tall holding a can of Mountain Dew in his hand. He had ratty jeans on and a dirty white t-shirt. The children were all gathered around him and when she saw me, Karagen came running up to me and said "Mommy, his feet are bleeding!" I looked and sure enough they were. He had walked from his house to mine, up and down the road some and who knows where else in his pitifully clad feet! He had socks on, but they were tattered and torn and dirty and bloody. He was shaking, his whole body! I found out through a neighbor kid that his grandmother had told him not to go outside and that he did not want to listen to her, so she took his shoes and he went out anyway, without them! I had him sit down on the porch and he sat there whimpering. By now I realized he wasn't all there, was precious in God's sight. Meanwhile we were trying to figure out what was going on and finally did. I went and got our first aid kit, a kind neighbor lady brought rubber gloves and my husband brought a bowl of water. His feet were filthy, blistered and bloody. My heart was crying inside for him. While I was washing his feet, his grandmother came over in her vehicle, got out and yelled at him. We saw what was coming and sent the children into the house as quickly as we could. Here is what she said: "You see George, you are just trying to get attention! Are you happy now that you have everyone babying you? Look at all the trouble you have caused!" I tried to calm her down, but she kept on. Finally when she had said her peace, I told her we understood and that we would finish his feet and then my husband would drive him home. She left in a huff and a cloud of gravel dust. I finished his feet, washing them and cleansing them while he shivered and whimpered in pain. After his feet were cleaned he limped over to the van my husband had pulled around for him and Jonathan took him home.
2. I shared the gospel with a hungry soul.
Shelly is a sweet and open soul. She loves to talk and is honest and outgoing. Right away she and I "clicked". I love when that happens as it is so much easier to talk to someone when it does! We were having trouble getting our children enrolled in school due to lack of proof of residency. She is a substitute teacher at the elementary school and offered to take me in and help me get them enrolled. She drove me in and then made some phone calls and took me around to several different places to complete the paper work. After several hours she brought me home and when we were in front of the parsonage I asked her quite bluntly if she was born again. She was very honest and told me no, then asked me what it meant. We talked for several minutes and then I went into the house. I did pray for her and hoped that she would soon make her decision for Christ. That night (unknown to me, but not to God!) she went home and she and her 9 year old daughter asked Jesus into their hearts! I take NO credit for this; the one who gets all the credit is Jesus! And then sweet Ellen, an older lady who is Shelly's neighbor and also attends our church) and asked her for 8 months to come to church and then, that very day I talked to her in the car, Ellen gave Shelly a Bible with the sinners prayer in it! That was the prayer that Shelly and her daughter prayed. I will never forget Shelly asking me "You mean I don't have to get saved in church?"
3. Connecting with people on a new level.
I have never experienced letting my light shine in quite the way I have here. I seem to have endless ways to let it shine, without ever saying a word sometimes! Today while Jonathan and I were in Wal-Mart (on a long overdue date) we met a manager in the outdoors and hunting section. And she lives just a few miles from us here in Henderson, drives past our house on her way to and from work, and knew right where we lived. She has had a hard past and she opened up to me! Wow!
We have a lot of Spanish people around here. So much so that the elementary school has several interpreters and our little church even rents out its building to a Spanish group that meets here 3 times a week. We have a little neighbor boy Eswardo (spelling?) and he is here all the time quite often! We have been able to minister to that little boy a lot! I have sent over homemade muffins for him and his family and he loves to play with our kids.

I love the adventure of being a pastor's wife; it adds so much zest to my life. It also keeps me up on my toes and down on my knees, and always… always with a prayer in my heart!