“Come and Take it!”—Gonzales, Texas

back to Our Walk of Faith

Aaah…Mrs. Carol! We had a wonderful time staying with her!! She’s a great hostess…Norvi knew what she was doing when she put us together!! We had a great time just talking and getting to know each other on Sunday afternoon (2/11). She shared that she had been married for 56 years when her husband died pretty unexpectedly this past October. We also learned that she’s a real go-getter, so before we knew what was going on, we had an appointment at Gonzales High School Monday morning to meet with the principal, Mr. Bragg. and the FCA adviser, John Wilson.

After that call, it was time to head back to church. Jessica Stout, Norvi’s niece and one of the teenagers from the church, shared about her up-coming mission trip to Germany during the evening service. She presented a slide show about the trip and how she became interested in serving the Lord in this way. She admitted to being a bit nervous, but I couldn’t tell. Her talk was well thought out and informative—we were impressed! Please keep Jessica in your prayers…she especially asked that we pray for fertile ground in the hearts of the Germans they’ll be ministering to, the missionaries already working in the area, team unity, and her own heart—that it will be sensitive to God’s leading. She doesn’t have the money to pay for the trip, but she continues to trust the Lord for His provision. While we were at church on Sunday night, we met Anne Howell who is a teacher at Grace Christian Academy. She invited us to come to their school to speak to the students there…it’s a new school so they only have just a couple of grades, but we were excited to talk with the students.


Monday morning we met with Principal Bragg, John Wilson (pictured with Shannon, the FCA president, & RE), and Lisa Hood (who also helps with FCA) at Gonzales High School. After we talked to them a bit, they invited us to speak at FCA on Wednesday at lunch! We were so excited because we haven’t been in an FCA meeting since we were in Florida, but the door was open again!! John also invited us over for supper that night with his family and the Hoods.

After leaving the high school, we switched gears a little…it was time for our visit with Grace Christian Academy. All of the students gathered in one classroom, and Chris and I began to share our story with them. We showed them on the maps where we were from and where we were going. Then they had tons of questions that we tried to answer!! Children at that age are so inquisitive and want to learn anything you put before them. They wanted to try on our packs and to see our sleeping bags. We all had a good time learning together!!

Then we went back to Mrs. Carol’s house so that she could show us around the ranch. Chris and I were so excited to see everything up close! So we peaked into a chicken house, got a few close-ups of the cows, and realized just how big an oil well is! (that's Chris right in front of the oil well!!)

As we came back into town, Mrs. Carol told us that we had to go see Licorice and Lemon Drops, the town’s candy store. I didn’t have to be asked twice! We went to explore it and met a few of the locals. Kamii helped me choose from the assortment of truffles and ice cream (don’t laugh…this was my birthday cake…good things come to those who wait…ha, ha, ha). Then we met Angela…she’s a fifth grader who knows how to solve the Rubics Cube…not only can she solve it, but she can solve it in under 3 minutes! It was unbelievable even just to witness.








Monday night, Chris and I went over to the Wilson’s house where we met Ki, John’s wife, and their kids-Avery, Camden, and Brevin. Lisa and Bre’Ana actually picked us up on the street…we wanted to walk a little to stay in shape…but we always appreciate a ride from a friend!! Avery & Bre showed me the ferrets and around the house. Camden and Chris chatted about sports trivia....they apparently both love ESPN and magic tricks. Brevin kept us entertained with as only a 6-year-old boy can!! So much fun!! (In the picture...l to r: Lisa, Bre, Avery, Camden, Brevin, Ki & John)

During our time with Mrs. Carol we learned that she knows tons about Gonzales…their claim to fame is starting the war for Texas Independence!! The Mexican government gave the people of Gonzales a cannon for protection from the Indians. When all of the problems began to arise over the territory that is now Texas, the Mexican government demanded that they give the cannon back. The people of Gonzales wouldn’t hear of it…instead they responded “Come and Take it!” So that they couldn’t take the cannon back the settlers threw it into the Guadalupe River!! Chris says that maybe those words were prophetic…initially it was a taunt, but what if the people of Gonzales now turn to the Lord in a plea and say to Him “Come and Take it” for Your glory and Your honor!! It could start a revival that could sweep our land!!

So on Tuesday, Chris and I decided we should see some of the sites in Gonzales. There’s an old jail that’s been turned into a museum complete with gallows for all the hangings they used to have in Texas. We also visited the Memorial Museum where we saw the cannon on display. We even went by the Pioneer Village, but it was closed so we just looked on from outside!

Tuesday night we went to the Jackson’s house for supper. Rafe (not pictured), Pam, Natalie, Lane & Walker live a little north of Gonzales on a ranch. The kids entertained us immensely!! Natalie and Chris played Tennoline aka tennis on the trampoline while Lane and Walker taught me how to play chess! (Yes, they are just in kindergarten, and yes, they really do know the rules!) We had a great dinner…Natalie made the corn pudding and it was so good, I had to get the recipe! Pam cooked the rest of our wonderful meal. Natalie helped us make a Valentine’s Card for Mrs. Carol and the boys worked on other projects with beads or with stamps. We also learned about the tickle monster and other fun games! But they didn’t wear us out too much, Mrs. Carol challenged us to a game of Scrabble when we got back to her house. I learned a lot of new words!!

Wednesday, we were able to go back to Gonzales High School and be with their FCA!!! There was a good group there, and we were able to talk to a lot of the students before we started!! Shannon, the FCA president, introduced us, and we shared our testimony of how we came to know the Lord, how He brought us together, and what He’s doing now on this walk. John and Lisa are both part of the women’s basketball coaching staff, so they and several of the girls asked us to come to the play-off game with them in Corpus Christi. We told them that we’d pray about it and let them know. After the meeting, we also met Ari Ince who has won the state championship in pole vaulting the last three years and Casey Pernsteiner who can solve the Rubics Cube in under 16 SECONDS. We were amazed at all the talent at the school…in academics and in sports!!






Wednesday night, we spoke to the Awanas (which is Kindergarten through 6th graders) at First Baptist Gonzales and to the teenagers during the youth service. It was Valentine’s Day, so we spoke to the teens about relationships and glorifying God through your relationships! After the service, Chris spoke to one of the adult leaders, Tommy, who shared his testimony. He had been in a band, but his best friend and lead singer was killed in a car accident. Tommy wandered…lost…until one day he met Jesus--the Life-Giver—who gave him purpose again!! I spoke with Rick and Sandra about their children especially their youngest, Jordan, who recently broke his leg playing football. He didn’t just break it though…it was basically in two pieces. The doctors never thought he’s walk again. Well, he’s walking, running, and even playing football again! God is a Healer!

Thursday morning, we went to speak at Emmanuel Fellowship Christian School. We thought we were just going to speak during their chapel service, but God had other plans. (Of course His plans were much bigger and better than our own!!!) After we spoke, the students (pictured below...l to r: Chynna, Joy, Loni, Lauren, & RE) asked us if we could stay with them for the day. Their teachers welcomed us, and Chris and I didn’t have any where else we had to go, so we agreed! I’m not really sure how it came up, but Loni (one of the students) found out that Chris had never ridden any kind of horse except for a trail horse and that I have never ridden a horse that had a saddle. Little did we know that Loni LOVES horses and has some at her house. The next thing we know, Loni talks to her mom, Kelly Lester, and we are being invited out to their ranch to ride horses that afternoon after school!! Chris was ecstatic, and I was pretty pumped up too!

We head up to the classroom, and we learned about the curriculum that they use with the students—PACES. It allows the students to work at their own pace to learn a subject, and it consists of a certain number of units for each course. I had heard about this curriculum but had never seen it used. The students graduating from the school went on to do well in college and in their jobs.

We’d probably only been in the class 15 minutes when Debbie & Weldene (pictured with Weldene's husband, Bobby) came in—they are part of the intercessory prayer group at the church that meets on Thursday mornings. After talking for just a few minutes, they invited us to pray with them. Of course we were over-joyed at the opportunity, so we told the students that we’d see them after lunch and went down to pray. We talked to them about FCA, and John’s & Lisa’s desire for it to be more. For the Lord to use FCA in such a way that it impacts the school! Neither of the ladies was aware of this desire within the school, so they were happy to begin praying for a move of the Holy Spirit at Gonzales High School. We all shared requests and praises and then just began to cry out for revival in Gonzales, for unity among the churches in Gonzales, and for the young adults (in their 20s) who are missing from most churches today.

As we were finishing up, the pastor of the church—Lynn Wilson—came in to pray and to meet us. We were able to go to lunch with him. God has given him such wisdom and knowledge of His Word. Pastor Lynn is a speech pathologist by trade, but the Lord is using him to minister as a pastor as well. We really enjoyed talking to him and just learning from his experiences. He invited us to speak at their church on Sunday morning, so we told him that we would pray about it and see where the Lord led us.

When we got back to the school, Loni called her mom, and we were off on another adventure! On our way home we stopped by Ken Callaway’s office to meet him. Brian (who Ricky & Kelly Lester have taken in as one of the family…he stays with them a couple of days a week since he’s gotten this job with Mr. Callaway) and Loni played together just like a big brother and a little sister while we talked to Mr. Callaway. He has been instrumental in getting a cowboy church (Country Fellowship) started in Gonzales. We were excited to hear about it and to visit on Tuesday night if that were possible. There is also a men’s Bible study that has started on Monday nights, so he invited Chris to come to it if we were still in town! (As all of these doors were opening…we couldn’t believe it…would we really stay in one place that long?! We didn’t know, but we kept praying and seeking the Lord daily!!) Mr. Callaway is also part of a ministry called Chuck Wagon Ministries, so we even learned a little about that before we went out to the Lester’s place.

At the ranch, we met the dogs…I think Brutus might be my favorite…He’s a huge Great Dane who loves to run (especially with Loni) and to jump on the trampoline (only with Derrick today). Right as we were going out to ride the horses, Derrick (the Lester’s oldest child) got home from work. He works in the family business…they have tons of chicken houses, so there’s lots of work to be done. Then it was time…we met the horses—Destiny and Lady. Chris rode first…and oh, did he enjoy it. Loni told him that he could move up to “a lope” (a faster pace) at his next lesson on Tuesday night after the service at the cowboy church. I was a bit scared when I got on Lady, but she and Loni did a great job showing me what to do…before long I was enjoying myself as well! When we finished riding, Ricky got home. Then we saw the full picture…this whole family (l to r: Derrick, Kelly, Ricky, Loni, & Brian...just Jacey is missing) just loves the Lord. They live out that love daily! I was impressed! Derrick even wanted his dad to go play basketball with him that evening, and Ricky was going! They all just enjoyed being together! Ricky invited Chris to go to the Monday night Bible study (2nd invitation) and Loni invited us to see her barrel race in Boerne (a town northwest of San Antonio). We weren’t able to go on Friday, but we thought Saturday might work out, so we told them that we’d be in touch.

Friday was a BIG day! We were going with the girls’ basketball team to Corpus Christi for the 2nd round of the state play-offs. The Lord had put the scripture on our hearts before we even knew there was a game, so we were really excited to share it with the girls and to pray with them before the game. On the way down, the School Resource Officer led the way…giving them a police escort all the way to the game! We stopped to eat and to see the beach (the Gulf of Mexico). They had a ball playing in the water and chatting with one another. We were really near the USS Lexington, so we were able to take a few pictures from the beach. This only the second trip to the beach for many of the girls…the first was a week or two prior during their district play-offs. So even though the water was cold, quite a few of them still wanted to put their feet in!

The girls were ready for the game…we shared out of Psalm 44:1-8--"1 O God, we have heard it with our own ears—our ancestors have told us of all you did in their day, in days long ago: 2 You drove out the pagan nations by your power and gave all the land to our ancestors. You crushed their enemies and set our ancestors free. 3 They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them. 4 You are my King and my God. You command victories for Israel. 5 Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes. 6 I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me. 7 You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies; you disgrace those who hate us. 8 O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name."

So we talked to them about inviting God to go before them and winning by His strength and power and giving Him the glory. The girls won 52-44…and we just laughed at God’s fingerprint on the score of the game! On the way home we watched Facing the Giants, and the girls learned about surrendering to God and giving Him glory…praising Him for the wins and the losses—a powerful lesson to learn about all aspects of life.













Saturday…we did get to go to see Loni barrel race!! Wow! We had only seen that on TV…to see it in person…there’s nothing like it! Jacey (the Lester’s middle child) came up from San Antonio to see her sister race and to spend time with the family (l to r: Ricky, Loni, Cindi, Kelly, Jacey, & RE...now just Derrick is missing)! She has such a sweet spirit, and she’s studying to be a nurse. We met a lot of family friends who are also involved in barrel racing or rodeoing. We saw lots of folks who were using their horses and their sport as a platform to share the Gospel!

After the races, we went back to the Lester’s ranch and were able to meet Kelly’s mom and Derrick’s fiancée, Janelle and to go into chicken house that had tons of baby chicks. Then Ricky and Derrick took us to see their camp house—not in the swamp like the Wahl’s camp house, but way back in the brush. The house was awesome, but the wildlife…oh my, I have never seen antelope or wild boar. I’ve never been that close to a bunch of deer. And the cows were every where…we even drove right beside some of them…I could have reached my hand out the window and touched a cow we were so close. Eventually they are going to move the cattle and just have a hunting camp on that 1200 acres…I’m telling you, God has designed some really beautiful places. The landscape of just our country is so diverse, yet all so gorgeous! What a creative God!!

When the tour ended we went over to dinner at the home of some of the Lester’s friends-Phil & Donna and their son, Scott. Eva, Yvonne, and Cody were also there—Donna’s sister, niece, and great-nephew. The food was oh, so tasty, and I requested a few recipes there as well. Donna shared her story of God’s healing in her life…she had breast cancer, but is now a survivor!! She said that before her illness she never would have done anything like this, but now she’s coordinating the Relay for Life in the county and she’s lobbied for legislation that has to do with cancer/cancer related issues. It’s pretty amazing to see what God can do!!

When we got back to Mrs. Carol’s house, she showed us her harp from Israel and played a few songs for us on the autoharp!! She never ceases to amaze me with her talent…she’s a gifted musician, a wonderful cook, and a knowledgeable historian!! We went to bed a little early that night because Lola—Mrs. Carol’s neighbor—had invited us for authentic Mexican tacos for breakfast. Her church was doing a fundraiser and she wanted us to sample some of the food!!

Bright and early Sunday morning, we tasted several types of tacos, sopapillas, and pie tipico from Veracruz. The food was so tasty…just a preview of what’s to come! I’m so excited! The ladies who were cooking and the guys who were helping out were so friendly! They also gave us several good contacts in Mexico including addresses and phone numbers! God continues to go before!!

Now the Sunday morning service blew my mind! We were at Emmanuel Fellowship Church…we prayed together with the prayer team with Pastor Lynn and Sister Betty before Sunday School. From the prayers to our daily devotion, to the lesson in Sunday School, to the music…it all flowed together. That can only happen when the Holy Spirit is leading. Then Pastor Lynn had a Word from the Lord that he wanted to share before we gave our testimony, and it was the exact scripture and message that we planned to share. So he laid the foundation and we just fleshed it out with examples from our walk and showed how it was applicable to their walk in Gonzales.

During the invitation, several responded, but one really touched me. Mindy, a junior at Gonzales High School, came forward while I was at the altar and laid her hands on me. As I prayed, I just had on overwhelming urge to pray for her, so I turned to tell her that. She was in tears as she said, “I want you to pray with me because I’ve been selected as the head cheerleader next year…” She wants God to receive the glory for it and for Him to use her to be a witness to the other girls who were cheering with her. Wow! We were in church for 2 ½ hours, but I don’t think anyone realized it. I was shocked when I looked at Chris’s watch. There are quite a few prayer warriors who joined with us that day! Wow!

We also met tons of interesting people after the service including a young man named Cody who feels a call on his life to missions. He’ll be going on his 3rd short-term mission trip this summer. We also met Ranee who has a heart for ministering in her local community through “Pantries” for those in need of anything. At lunch we spent time with Barry (who we met when we were eating with Pastor Lynn on Thursday) & his wife, Cooci and their children; Erin (the Wilsons’ daughter) & Scott; and Weldene & Bobby.

From lunch we went to meet Mrs. Carol at the square to go with her to an associational singspiration in Smithville, TX. Baptist churches from all around got together to sing praises to the Lord. We rode with Mr. David and Mrs. Ann from First Baptist Gonzales. Chris & I really enjoyed spending time with them and getting to know them a little better! We met a man who has done a lot of mission work in Mexico and Peru who is another great contact for us. And at the end of the service we met a middle school coach, LanaRiley, who is heavily involved with FCA in Texas. We had been telling students about FCA camps, but we didn’t know any specifics about the ones who are in Texas. She was able to give us some great information (which we passed on at FCA-Gonzales High School) and to connect us with a few people on down the road!!

We love y’all! God bless you!