My heart is full and running over. It's 3 a.m. Jan. 9th 2012. My mind is going over all the sweet memories of yesterday. There are not words to describe the love that I experienced in being with old friends.
Let me back up in time--about twenty five years ago-we left Faith Evangelical Free Church, in Tempe, AZ to live in south Phoenix. Through a series of circumstances God put on our hearts to move there and to find a mostly black neighborhood in which to live. He didn't give us a lot of details on what our ministry would involve! Sound familiar?
We (Lynn and I) felt a lot of sympathy for Abraham and many other characters in the Bible who had taken more drastic steps than this. Reading the Bible from a new perspective, we saw a large number of individuals who were asked to follow the Lord by faith without fully understanding what the point was.
I took a job teaching Elementary Music in the Roosevelt School District. Lynn did an even more drastic change--from pastoring a church to working as a custodian in that same school.
Looking back, the school was a good experience. At the time it was a difficult adjustment but we loved the "mix". Teachers and students were about evenly divided of Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites. God was pruning and preparing us with the school of hard knocks as well. On one hand it hurt and on the other hand we were loving it and underneath there was a reassurance that this was where we were supposed to be.
Lynn already knew a few in the Black Community as he had been teaching at a very small school,(less than a dozen young men). This new ministry was called Canaan Bible Institute and was started by Lee Montigue. It was started to train young men for ministry,particularly pastors in the Black Community.
As a result of these contacts we began attending Salt of the Earth Church.
This was an all black church of around 30 people attending. The pastor was a sincere man who preached the Word. We didn't know just how the Lord might use us but as we got acquainted it became obvious that our gifts might fit in to the Body there. They graciously accepted us.
Lynn was able to teach the Adult Class there as well as being a servant fitting in to help in whatever way seemed necessary. I had one of the most joyour experiences of my lifetime leading a Children's Choir. Evelyn Oakes and I worked well together not only in choir but also in our Neighborhood Kid's Club that we held in our home. As a result she is today one of my very dear friends. Oh what beautiful people that we came to know and love during those years.
That is why I was so pleased when I received an invitation to come to Josiah Oakes wedding. This was Isiah and Evelyn Oakes son. I was sure I would see many that we knew and loved. I did, and spent a joyous few hours together after the ceremony. Indeed, old friends seem to have a special place because of the happy times and the sad times we have experienced together.
It has often been said and is so true, heaven will be a wonderful reuniting of friends and family and especially our Lord Jesus who helped to seal these friendships.
"Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you, were I to speak and tell of them they would be too many to declare". Psalm 40:5
Many blessings and love to all my friends, old and new!!
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1 comment:
It's such an interesting jigsaw picture when we can look back and see how the pieces fit together--at first, so random but promising.
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