Renewal

We had a marvelous day here in Monroe / West Monroe. We began our day at the University Church of Christ in Monroe. We have been treated so kindly all weekend, and that was also the case at University. It was great to see Tex Nolan and to meet his wife. Tex has been instrumental in serving as a liason between Central and University. He also spent the night in the hospital, so I was glad to see him up and around. One of University's deacons, Tammy Matthews, called us and the Kilberns before the congregation. One of University's elders, Dennis Mitchell, prayed for us and the work at Central. Dennis also lead the songs in a wonderful way. I thought that the singing of the congregation was beautiful. I presented a message from Luke 17 on the subject, "We Must Serve the Ten to Save the One". During the invitation song, we quietly left the congregation in order to attend worship at the White's Ferry Road Church of Christ. WFR was also a great experience. Their singing is led by a team of singers, and it was reverently done. Alan Robertson's message was excellent. The elders met all hurricane relief workers up in front of the large congregation. They prayed for us and the work that is going on across the Coast. WFR has also had a major influence in the work at Central, helping to get a large grant to keep our congregation financially afloat during this hurricane recovery. WFR fed us all weekend, and we enjoyed another great lunch today. After lunch, Tammy took us on a grand tour of Monroe and West Monroe. He is very knowledgable about the area and we enjoyed getting to know these twin cities better. Following our tour, Maggy and I rested at the hotel and prepared for our evening. Evening service at University was every encouraging. We showed slides of our work in Pascagoula and introduced the congregation to some of the people with whom we have been associated. Everyone was kind to us and we had a delicious supper with the college students in the student center. Interestingly, one of the college students went to the same high school I did, and lived in the same neighborhood - years later of course. Tomorrow we will get up early and head back to the Coast. It has been great to get away, but more than ever we are determined to be a blessing to the people of our community. I did hear from home that one of the men that has been helping us in the relief effort was baptized this morning! Steve Martin was in my place doing the preaching, for which I was thankful. We have been surrounded by care and love all weekend long. People went out of their way to express their love and concern for us. They prayed with us, hugged us, talked with us, and made it very clear that they loved us with the love of the Lord. This has brought us a renewed strength and confidence. We know that God has blessed us richly in this experience. And now we head back into the Katrina zone... with enthusiasm and expectation.