God is at Work!

Blessings everyone! We had a wonderful time at Aunt Donna's Friday with a delicious meal of pinto beans, cornbread, cabbage with kielbasa sausage, corn casserole, ham, and a jello /cottage cheese dessert. My Aunt Donna is 80, but flits around a kitchen like she is 16! LOL Aunt Tommie, on the other hand, has more in common with me; we both move slow and cautiously! My parents and Shane had a great time as well. It was precious watching my Aunt Donna show Shane one of her family albums while sitting with him on the love seat. I overheard her tell him, "This is my son who retired from the army several years ago and then got a letter from Donald Rumsfeld himself, asking him to go to Germany to teach the soldiers how to fight those terrorists. So now your cousin Steve is in Germany." Then later I heard, "This is my grandson Shawn, who is a student at West Point." "This is your cousin Joe who fought in Viet Nam. He has a metal plate in his head." And then again, "This is Ted, another one of my grandsons. He was an army ranger, then he taught at West Point, but is now in Germany serving." She had such pride in her voice. Shane took it all in. Now remember, Tuesday, we sat all day with a family at the hospital and we were privileged to hear from a World War 2 vet. I was so happy for Shane to have these experiences.

Tuesday evening at West Gate, I sat a couple of rows behind the Rossiters. (our youth Pastor and his wife at Faith Baptist) I noticed they had gone up at different intervals during the invitation. Later, the Pastor called for a second altar call for those feeling a special calling on their lives in some capacity. I watched as Bro. Rossiter took his sweet wife's hand and they headed up to the altar very quickly, with purpose in their step. I thought right then and there, "We are going to lose them!" In other words, I had the feeling they were surrendering to a different type of ministry. So I was not surprised in the least, when I was told about the announcement which was made in the morning service today at our church. Bro. Rossiter has felt led to plant and pastor a church! What a blessing, But I have been told it was a very emotional time for the teens of our church and their families. They all love the Rossiters and their five children so much.

Tonight was precious too, as many teens who had attended college days at West Gate shared testimonies about how God had worked in their hearts during the short three days there. One girl expressed how frustrating it is for her to seemingly have to go away to something special to get her back on track. I know exactly what she meant. We know what we are to do daily as we walk this Christian walk, but we get in a rut or lackadaisical, laying aside some important priorities, or allowing bad attitudes to creep into our spirit. But we can go to a retreat or conference and get so fired up and convicted and back on the straight and narrow, so to speak. She was saying how she wished that wasn't so in her life and she would be trying to prevent it from happening again. Another testimony that touched me deeply was when a teen boy started speaking about not putting himself into his school work and doing just enough to get by. He found himself under conviction and asked God and his teacher to forgive him! What really touched me with this guy's testimony though, were the genuine tears and his brokenness. He was hardly able to speak. Every one around me had to wipe their tears away. Joyful tears at seeing someone humble them self, admit their short comings, but being determined to turn it all around through the strength they have in Christ. It was AWESOME! Wish you could have been there!

Have a God-filled day!