Fellowship & testimony

This weekend, a good friend had a get together for some friends who are moving out of state, to one of those places that has snow from November to March, being near a Great Lake.  Yuck!

Luckily, they are originally from that area, so it won't be a total culture shock.  One of their sons, who lives there, is a single father of two, and their being nearby will be an immense blessing to him and his daughters.  But, they will be missed by the friends they made in Texas.

Although most of us didn't need an excuse to eat Mexican food - the spiritual nourishment of the fellowship we shared was much more important.  Dew, with his lovely wife, and good looking kids (they get it from his wife) was there, as was Todd the Pastor Blogger (but Dew gave the blessing).

Todd gave testimony about his recent mission trip to Nicaragua, during which he - I am not making this up - taught them to speak English.  He wasn't sure how much of our language they really learned, but I can tell you that he is the consummate storyteller, and no matter what language he spoke, he had their complete attention.  Of course, the main message was that of God's love - which is not dependent on any particular idiom.

He also reported that his experience gave him new appreciation of the infinite character of God, and of his own minute-ness.  While I understand the awe and wonder of our Heavenly Father, I think Todd's selling himself a bit short (no pun intended, at this time).  Sure, compared to God's majesty, we are but specks - but we are important to the One who created us, as the Bible teaches that not a sparrow falls from the tree without God's knowledge, and that He knows the number of hairs on our heads (this last may not be the best analogy in the instant case).

Dew also gave testimony about his week serving at a church camp in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) - detailing utter exhaustion from the frenetic pace of activities, paired with the adrenaline rush and spiritual high from seeing God's work in the lives of the youth.  Clearly, he'd been deeply moved by the experience.  I tried, with my best interrogative skills, to get him to confess that the exhaustion had been the result of post-curfew beer-and-poker parties, but he was resolute.

Toni, our evening's coordinator (she has an app for that - she has an app for everything!) did a great job arranging the time and place, and had her hands full with her 9-month old grandson - Thanks, Toni!

Marilyn & Art, wishing you the best on your move, and blessings always - you will be missed!