back to Our Walk of Faith
Tuesday morning, Keith and Rhonda dropped us off at the gas station where we asked for directions yesterday (which just so happened...ha, ha, ha...to be Todd's dad's store) and we met Mr. Vossie the owner and he gave us breakfast. Todd picked us up on his way to Greensboro. He works for State Farm, on the way he had to pick up other colleagues--so we got to share with all of them. When they dropped us off at Siler City, Leonard Gunter, Todd, Rachel and I had prayer together. They dropped us off at the library--which did not open for another 2 hours. This was perfect--it gave us time to read and pray. We found a corner park "Garden of Grace." After our quite time we went across the street to the 1st Baptist Church of Siler City. We asked if there was any outreach ministry that we could help with on this day--As God would have it, there was a food pantry open from 1-3. We had time to go to the library to post and write. As we walked to the library we met a Latina grandmother and her granddaughter--She was going through the trash looking for cans in a parking lot. We had purchased Pop Tarts on Monday evening before God provided us a place to stay that night and breakfast the next morning. (A good lesson for Rachel on trusting God to provide daily and not trying to plan ahead!!) So we gave the lady the Pop Tarts, and Rachel practiced her Spanish a bit.As we were walking into the library parking lot we met 2 town employees
(Joseph & Tony). We talked and shared with them for awhile. The told us where to eat and gave us lunch money. (Thank you, Father God!) Joseph told us that his church was headed to Smithfield on Wednesday for a revival. (Amazing!)From there we went to the library to catch up on our writing, e-mail and posting to the blog. By the time we finished, it was after 1 pm, and there was no time to eat if we wanted to help at the food pantry. (When we arrived, it was 1:30 on Tuesday which made us think about our sisters in the intercessory prayer group since they meet weekly at that time.) Judy and Jackanette were the ladies working at the food pantry. They showed us around, and we were able to give food to 5 people while we were there. We even prayed for one lady, Sharon Sumner, who has had 9 back surgeries and whose husband has stage 3 cancer. Mrs. Brewer also came in while we were there to meet with another lady to pray for the church. She shared a little about her son and how she was worried sometimes because he rode a motorcycle, but God told her "just trust Me." (This reminded me (Rachel) of Mrs. Johnnie's dream and Melva's phone call confirming the same message that they had shared last week at intercessory prayer, and I wondered why God was calling that back to my mind.) 
RE, CE, Pastor Jim, Mrs. Judy, and Mrs. Jackanette Before we left, the pastor, Jim Wall, and his friend, Jay Love, came over to meet us. We shared our story with them and we decided to leave some money with the pastor to help with a need in the church. (I should add this...we left the house on Friday with no money. We want to trust God for everything! HE HAS PROVIDED for our every need and then some. God has used friends, family, strangers, you name it to bless us financially. So as the Lord blesses us, we are setting aside a tithe immediately to pass on in a way God provides.) Well, Rachel had our tithe money in one place and the rest of our money in another place. As God would have it, Rachel reached in the wrong/right spot and gave Rev. Wall all of the money not realizing at the time exactly what she had done. Well, finally she did realize but also knew that she couldn't ask for it back and that it wasn't our money any way...it was God's. (Then I (Rachel) knew why God had reminded me to trust Him.) Rachel didn't tell me what she had done until later...
Pastor Love decided that he would take us up the road a bit, and while driving, he shared his testimony. He 's currently chief investigator for financial crimes in NC, and God has blessed him in preparing him for his ministry--He has been a youth pastor, associate pastor & currently is an interim pastor. His testimony was very powerful showing how God has a plan for each of us. Even when Jay was 16, working in a funeral home, God was making connections for Jay's future and His much larger plan for Jay's life. Jay dropped us off in Lexington at a Christian Bookstore...that was 85 miles today...(We needed to get a few more thank you notes because we were running out of the ones we brought with us...isn't God good!) The lady working at the store (Margaret Story) was interested in what we were doing. She invited us to her church if we were still here on Sunday. She also made some phone calls to see if we could camp some where nearby. While she was checking on that, we went to The Pizza Place. On our way over, Rachel told me about the money and then darted to the bathroom. At first I was frustrated, but after a few minutes, I realized that it wasn't my money--it's God's. While she was in the bathroom Carl and Lorene Cuthrell came over to ask what we were doing. As they were getting ready to leave, Rachel came back and met them. Well, about 3 minutes later Lorene came back in and invited us to stay the night at her house (Praise God!). She drew a map on our napkin telling us that it was about 3-4 miles. About that time Margaret came over and said that she couldn't get in touch with anyone so that we could camp. We told her that God already provided a place. She still wanted to help us, so she gave us a ride most of the way to their house. We wanted to hike a little to work out the soreness, but God led us to go with her. Good thing that we did--it was almost 7 miles to their house. 
Margaret shared about her ministry with the Sunshine Sisters-a comedy show with 3 other women. They raise money to help underprivileged children in the local schools. As she dropped us off, we gave her a contribution and started on our way. We had only been walking about 10 minutes when we saw Lorene. She realized how far it was when she got home and was coming back to get us. What an amazing couple!! Carl was teaching German to two boys (Brandon and Nick) when we arrived at the house. Their house is a library and a museum all in one...it's a amazing!!! They've done so many things...
Carl was in the Marines, the Army, the Korean War. He has various degrees and his doctorate. He taught 9th grade English, Science, and History. He was a principal for a time and a pastor in the Quaker Church for 35 years. Lorene was an elementary school teacher and a librarian. They've been married 46 years and their love for God and for each other is obvious to all who are around them!! As we reflected over the day before we went to sleep, we realized that we can trust God even when it seems like a mistake. He had given us back all of the money and then some before the day was over. We just needed a reminder to trust HIM in everything. A good lesson to learn so early in the trip!!! How many more times will He remind us of this? I (Rachel) have heard it all my life, but Pastor Jay said it today too "You can't out give God!" He had no idea that God used his words to calm me, nor how appropriate those words were for Chris and me. We hope that this part of our story encourages you to give because He is faithful and trustworthy! And it's really all His anyway!!10/4Today we read, prayed, and wrote while Lorene was at a doctor's appointment. A couple of weeks ago the doctor found a growth on her thyroid. She told Grandma Purple (a prayer warrior in their church) about what the doctor said and Grandma Purple laid hands on her and prayed. Then Grandma said "Don't ask God anymore for healing. You thank God for already taking care of it!" Last week, the doctor couldn't find anything, but she had to go back today for a scan. Well, there was nothing there!!! We couldn't believe it!!! What an incredible God! The Cuthrells also invited us to speak at their church (Heath Church) that night to the youth group. The pastor was supposed to speak to them that night, but he also works for a funeral home doing death calls at night. Well, he was up most of the night and he still needed to visit several of his church members who were in the hospital, so he asked the youth leader if he could speak another night. Again we witnessed God's perfect timing--they needed a speaker and we wanted to share of God's provision!! We spent the rest of the day chatting with the Cuthrells soaking up some of their wisdom and preparing for the service. A group of adults meet together to pray during the youth service. They pray for the church and the youth. Their youth group was great!! Chris and I were able to talk with the students during their recreation time. It's a very diverse group...only about 30% of the kids go to church there with their family. The other 70% come from all over...
the church buses go out into the community and anyone who wants to come is welcome. 
Anyone who comes for the first time receives a Bible, and the youth pastor makes it clear that if they don't read it, then it doesn't do anybody any good! It was a wonderful time of sharing and encouraging. They invited us to come back on Sunday. We'll have to see...
Tuesday morning, Keith and Rhonda dropped us off at the gas station where we asked for directions yesterday (which just so happened...ha, ha, ha...to be Todd's dad's store) and we met Mr. Vossie the owner and he gave us breakfast. Todd picked us up on his way to Greensboro. He works for State Farm, on the way he had to pick up other colleagues--so we got to share with all of them. When they dropped us off at Siler City, Leonard Gunter, Todd, Rachel and I had prayer together. They dropped us off at the library--which did not open for another 2 hours. This was perfect--it gave us time to read and pray. We found a corner park "Garden of Grace." After our quite time we went across the street to the 1st Baptist Church of Siler City. We asked if there was any outreach ministry that we could help with on this day--As God would have it, there was a food pantry open from 1-3. We had time to go to the library to post and write. As we walked to the library we met a Latina grandmother and her granddaughter--She was going through the trash looking for cans in a parking lot. We had purchased Pop Tarts on Monday evening before God provided us a place to stay that night and breakfast the next morning. (A good lesson for Rachel on trusting God to provide daily and not trying to plan ahead!!) So we gave the lady the Pop Tarts, and Rachel practiced her Spanish a bit.As we were walking into the library parking lot we met 2 town employees
(Joseph & Tony). We talked and shared with them for awhile. The told us where to eat and gave us lunch money. (Thank you, Father God!) Joseph told us that his church was headed to Smithfield on Wednesday for a revival. (Amazing!)From there we went to the library to catch up on our writing, e-mail and posting to the blog. By the time we finished, it was after 1 pm, and there was no time to eat if we wanted to help at the food pantry. (When we arrived, it was 1:30 on Tuesday which made us think about our sisters in the intercessory prayer group since they meet weekly at that time.) Judy and Jackanette were the ladies working at the food pantry. They showed us around, and we were able to give food to 5 people while we were there. We even prayed for one lady, Sharon Sumner, who has had 9 back surgeries and whose husband has stage 3 cancer. Mrs. Brewer also came in while we were there to meet with another lady to pray for the church. She shared a little about her son and how she was worried sometimes because he rode a motorcycle, but God told her "just trust Me." (This reminded me (Rachel) of Mrs. Johnnie's dream and Melva's phone call confirming the same message that they had shared last week at intercessory prayer, and I wondered why God was calling that back to my mind.) 
RE, CE, Pastor Jim, Mrs. Judy, and Mrs. Jackanette Before we left, the pastor, Jim Wall, and his friend, Jay Love, came over to meet us. We shared our story with them and we decided to leave some money with the pastor to help with a need in the church. (I should add this...we left the house on Friday with no money. We want to trust God for everything! HE HAS PROVIDED for our every need and then some. God has used friends, family, strangers, you name it to bless us financially. So as the Lord blesses us, we are setting aside a tithe immediately to pass on in a way God provides.) Well, Rachel had our tithe money in one place and the rest of our money in another place. As God would have it, Rachel reached in the wrong/right spot and gave Rev. Wall all of the money not realizing at the time exactly what she had done. Well, finally she did realize but also knew that she couldn't ask for it back and that it wasn't our money any way...it was God's. (Then I (Rachel) knew why God had reminded me to trust Him.) Rachel didn't tell me what she had done until later...
Pastor Love decided that he would take us up the road a bit, and while driving, he shared his testimony. He 's currently chief investigator for financial crimes in NC, and God has blessed him in preparing him for his ministry--He has been a youth pastor, associate pastor & currently is an interim pastor. His testimony was very powerful showing how God has a plan for each of us. Even when Jay was 16, working in a funeral home, God was making connections for Jay's future and His much larger plan for Jay's life. Jay dropped us off in Lexington at a Christian Bookstore...that was 85 miles today...(We needed to get a few more thank you notes because we were running out of the ones we brought with us...isn't God good!) The lady working at the store (Margaret Story) was interested in what we were doing. She invited us to her church if we were still here on Sunday. She also made some phone calls to see if we could camp some where nearby. While she was checking on that, we went to The Pizza Place. On our way over, Rachel told me about the money and then darted to the bathroom. At first I was frustrated, but after a few minutes, I realized that it wasn't my money--it's God's. While she was in the bathroom Carl and Lorene Cuthrell came over to ask what we were doing. As they were getting ready to leave, Rachel came back and met them. Well, about 3 minutes later Lorene came back in and invited us to stay the night at her house (Praise God!). She drew a map on our napkin telling us that it was about 3-4 miles. About that time Margaret came over and said that she couldn't get in touch with anyone so that we could camp. We told her that God already provided a place. She still wanted to help us, so she gave us a ride most of the way to their house. We wanted to hike a little to work out the soreness, but God led us to go with her. Good thing that we did--it was almost 7 miles to their house. 
Margaret shared about her ministry with the Sunshine Sisters-a comedy show with 3 other women. They raise money to help underprivileged children in the local schools. As she dropped us off, we gave her a contribution and started on our way. We had only been walking about 10 minutes when we saw Lorene. She realized how far it was when she got home and was coming back to get us. What an amazing couple!! Carl was teaching German to two boys (Brandon and Nick) when we arrived at the house. Their house is a library and a museum all in one...it's a amazing!!! They've done so many things...
Carl was in the Marines, the Army, the Korean War. He has various degrees and his doctorate. He taught 9th grade English, Science, and History. He was a principal for a time and a pastor in the Quaker Church for 35 years. Lorene was an elementary school teacher and a librarian. They've been married 46 years and their love for God and for each other is obvious to all who are around them!! As we reflected over the day before we went to sleep, we realized that we can trust God even when it seems like a mistake. He had given us back all of the money and then some before the day was over. We just needed a reminder to trust HIM in everything. A good lesson to learn so early in the trip!!! How many more times will He remind us of this? I (Rachel) have heard it all my life, but Pastor Jay said it today too "You can't out give God!" He had no idea that God used his words to calm me, nor how appropriate those words were for Chris and me. We hope that this part of our story encourages you to give because He is faithful and trustworthy! And it's really all His anyway!!10/4Today we read, prayed, and wrote while Lorene was at a doctor's appointment. A couple of weeks ago the doctor found a growth on her thyroid. She told Grandma Purple (a prayer warrior in their church) about what the doctor said and Grandma Purple laid hands on her and prayed. Then Grandma said "Don't ask God anymore for healing. You thank God for already taking care of it!" Last week, the doctor couldn't find anything, but she had to go back today for a scan. Well, there was nothing there!!! We couldn't believe it!!! What an incredible God! The Cuthrells also invited us to speak at their church (Heath Church) that night to the youth group. The pastor was supposed to speak to them that night, but he also works for a funeral home doing death calls at night. Well, he was up most of the night and he still needed to visit several of his church members who were in the hospital, so he asked the youth leader if he could speak another night. Again we witnessed God's perfect timing--they needed a speaker and we wanted to share of God's provision!! We spent the rest of the day chatting with the Cuthrells soaking up some of their wisdom and preparing for the service. A group of adults meet together to pray during the youth service. They pray for the church and the youth. Their youth group was great!! Chris and I were able to talk with the students during their recreation time. It's a very diverse group...only about 30% of the kids go to church there with their family. The other 70% come from all over...
the church buses go out into the community and anyone who wants to come is welcome. 
Anyone who comes for the first time receives a Bible, and the youth pastor makes it clear that if they don't read it, then it doesn't do anybody any good! It was a wonderful time of sharing and encouraging. They invited us to come back on Sunday. We'll have to see...
1 comment:
Hey Guys!
Sorry to hear about the lost post, but here's a replacement. Im so excited by your adventure. Its amazing to watch how God provides for each of us daily, at times when we don't even realize it unless we slow down to watch. We are praying for you guys. I don't know what else to do, but I can pass the word so others can learn from your walk with God.
Love you guys!
Chris, Jo and Ethan
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