On The Lord's Day I Was In The Spirit

We had a whopping 219 in worship this morning ... a full house for sure... and a great time of worship! Rod Tate had an excellent lesson and Tim Silvers did a great job leading singing. Tim told me that they were going to come back and do some more work on the Coast! Amen! Charlie Whitfield offered a beautiful communion meditation this morning, but he was somewhat nervous. His wife, Linda, said she didn't know why he was so nervous. But nerves aside, I loved what he said and thought it was not only appropriate, but inspirational! I told you yesterday that I would relate two stories to you. One involves Keith from Pennsylvania. He has a boss that is an atheist, and of course he has sought ways to witness to him about Jesus Christ. His boss knew that he came down earlier this year to do work on the Coast. When he was taking some time off to come down again, the boss handed him $500 to be used for someone needy on the Coast. Keith gave it to me, and I have used it to help some people I knew who were in need. I wonder if we ever consider how our lights shine into places we never thought they were reaching? Esther is from Israel. She is one of the most engaging people you will ever meet. She is a true student of human nature, and loves to care for people. She has lived in Virginia since 1995. She was watching Cooper Anderson and Joe Scarborough (I need to tell her about Shepherd Smith!) and their reports from the Coast. Her heart was breaking over the devastation because she knew how we felt. Her home was destroyed in the Gulf War. Calling a volunteer agency in Jackson, Mississippi, she ended up working with CORE in Ocean Springs. One of the leaders there told her about our operation and she has now come over to help us. Her heart is with elderly people. She loves to serve, bring lunch, transport to the doctor, listen, love, and encourage. She is a non-religious Jewish lady who learned to speak English by attending lectures at the Edgar Cayce Foundation. So, maybe we can share some things with her about Jesus Christ over time. She was in attendance in church this morning, and loved meeting everyone! In the picture with Esther is Jon from Texas. He is going to be a huge assett to David's work by organizing and working the front desk. He is here for a long term mission, and we are so thankful for him. Groups are here now from Missouri, Indiana, Arkansas, Kansas ... and other places! About 150 workers again this week will spread out into the community and begin to bring the message of hope and joy to Pascagoula. I am so excited about the prospects of this. One of the brothers from Kansas already has a Bible study set up with a lady! One of our logistical challenges has always been to keep everyone fed three times a day. Our little annex was not big enough for our church, much less a crowd like we are serving these days! So one of our Jeffs secured a pizza parlor nearby, we had to gut it, repair it, and tonight we ate in it for the first time. We have it for free rental for several months, then we will have to pay rent if we decide to stay in it. To the right is Jeff, David, and myself in a ribbon cutting ceremony. I know you want to know what our first meal was. Lasagna (donated by Port City Church of Christ in Mobile - thanks!!!), bread, green beans, Chicken Tetrazini (Thanks to Loree Boswell), salad, banana pudding (Loree again), chocolate pies (Does David Kilbern Jr make these? They show up when he's in town!), and drinks. It was a great success and we thank the Lord for everyone who worked so hard to make it possible. That list includes: Jeff, Robbie, James, Josh, Nathan, John, Summer, the crew from Conway who gutted the place, and many others I'm sure! One of the cool features of the new dining hall is Jeff's idea of allowing groups to decorate their own ceiling tile. To the right is the one made by Charlie and Linda, obviously from Canada. Other tiles already up include one from Mississippi State University students and a very artistic one from Hope Missions. Others can be found among the pictures for this week that are on my picture page located HERE. I'll share more pictures of them as they are placed in the dining hall. I am so thankful that you read the blog and the website and respond so beautifully to the needs that we have. Today I have talked with three churches / individuals who are going to help meet our need for cooks in the coming weeks. James Simmons called and told me that the East Main Church of Christ in Tupelo, MS (Birthplace of The King) is sending someone next Monday. Elba, Alabama church is going to send someone late next week (Thanks, Tim, for your help with this). Then in April a brother who runs the kitchen at a country club in Frankfurt, Kentucky will be coming down for a week to help out. Thanks to all who are sending frozen food and helpers to keep these workers fed! A fed worker is a happy worker! I have a trip to make this week, but I'll tell you about that later. This post is long enough!