San Antonio, TX to Dilley, TX...We're about 90 miles from the Mexican Border!!!

back to Our Walk of Faith

Just as we were finishing up in New Braunfels and heading to San Antonio with Andrew, our cell phone rang. Kelly Lester (from Gonzales) was calling to check on us and to find out where we were. When we told her the plan, she said, "Do you need a place to stay?" Of course, we had no idea where we were going. She remindered us that their daughter, Jacey, lived in San Antonio and would love to have company. Jacey really wanted us to come see her place when we met her at Loni's barrel race, so Chris & I thought it was a good idea. Andrew picked out a good place for us to eat (and for Jacey to pick us us), and off we went to Stone Werks (a great burger place). Before Andrew went to class, he downloaded all of our pictures to his laptop (just in case something happened to our chips and I'm talking about more than 1000 pictures.) He also showed us how to load a video, so I'm going to try to link the Rubiks cube video from Gonzales High School to our blog so that you can see it. (Once again Andrew impressed us with his kind and caring character!!)

(It's pretty amazing God's plan...we had NO INTENTION of going to San Antonio...big cities are not very kind to walkers...and We planned to be back on the road on Thursday morning.)

Wednesday night, we had a good time hanging out with Jacey and getting to know Nikki and Zoey--her two dogs. We even watched a movie at her house. She's done a great job setting up her place...we were impressed. When we were about to go to bed, we checked in with Chris's parents to let them know where we were. His mom had been to see the accountant about our taxes that day and we were missing about 6 pieces of information. Chris was pretty frustrated, but I was uncharacteristically calm. I didn't really know how we were going to get any of the information while we were all the way in San Antonio, but I knew I served a God who knew where it all was. As I was drifting off to sleep, the devil began making me question...Did we leave too early?, Should we have taken care of the taxes before we left?, etc. Then God reminded me of how "right on time" we had been for everything on this trip. This wasn't a mistake...God had a plan...I drifted on off to sleep without a worry!

Thursday morning, we read and prayed like normal. Then I started searching the internet for phone numbers and making calls and the Lord started opening doors. By 3 o'clock that afternoon, I had every single piece of information that was missing. When I called a business, the exact person I needed to talk to answered the phone. Sometimes it was the secretary and sometimes it was the boss, but I didn't once have to be transfered to another person. I'm not just talking about simple stuff either...we needed closing documents on the rental property from when Chris bought it in 1999 and from when we sold it in 2006. We didn't remember the lawyers names for either of those...we only remembered the street where they were located. (If we had been at home, we could have just driven to the office, but we were in San Antonio and we no longer own a car!) So we searched the internet for lawyer and the street name...both times the very first name that popped up we recognized and knew it was the right one. Both times they provided the information at no charge. I'm talking about an AMAZING GOD!! You'd better believe I told each person I talked to that they were an answer to prayer...that God was moving that day! (Now we understood why God showed us not to take the 2 rides that had just been offered to us from San Antonio to Eagle Pass, TX!! It would have been extremely difficult to take care of all of these details from Mexico!)

Thursday for lunch we were able to see Kelly again. She was bringing her mom for a doctor's appointment in San Antonio, so all 5 of us ate lunch together!! Then that afternoon, we ran a few errands with Jacey.

Thursday night, we went to church at Community Bible Church where Jacey attends on Sunday nights. The message was right on time...the pastor was speaking on faith worth shouting about!! He used Matt 20 where the blind men were crying out to Jesus--they had authentic need, so they dropped their pride and called out to Jesus. They were real and honest about their need, and they were persistant even when the crowd tried to silence them!! When he gave the invitation, Jacey raised her hand and went forward saying that she wanted to be more surrendered to the Lord!! Then a little girl and her mother came forward...the little girl was 8 years old and had been blind from birth. She has had 5 operations to try to correct her sight...she desired prayer! It touched my heart so much, and I didn't even know the little girl. I prayed for her sight, but I also prayed that she would never be spiritually blind...instead that she would always be focused on the Lord! (yet again...we see God has a plan and we are in the exact right place...not too early and not too late!)

(A small aside...Megan and Mike who came to visit us over Christmas in Pearlington have had a miracle take place. Doctors told Megan several years ago (before she knew Mike) that there was a very good chance that she would never be able to have children. Well, Megan called on Friday to tell us that they are expecting...she's 6-8 weeks along!! I couldn't believe it, and they are absolutely ecstatic!!)

We knew it was time to leave on Friday, so we went to lunch with Jacey, and then she dropped us off on the outskirts of San Antonio...far away from the crazy traffic and the overpasses stacked on top of each other. We said goodbye and headed out...

We walked for a while, and then we saw this speedway...I had never seen anything like it, so we crossed the highway to get a closer look. Apparently they were doing the time trials for the race that was to take place on Saturday...pretty interesting...we even saw a wreck...thankfully, the driver was okay! After a few pictures, we continued on down the road. We walked about 6 miles that day, and we had almost reached the 1604 loop when Elliot pulled over.

Elliot loves the Lord a lot, and it was our privilege to hear his story of coming to the Lord as he drove us into Poteet--the closest town to where we were. He's a big, burly man, but when he spoke of the Lord...the joy and the peace that he has was sooo apparent! He shared testimony of God healing his little boy, Michael...he was 3 months old when he had to have open heart surgery...before the operation, he was tiny with a sunken in chest...He is a year old now, and he's happy and healthy and of normal size!!! They are praying for their oldest son, Matthew, right now because he's been pretty sick for a while and the doctors aren't sure what's wrong, but they've suggested cancer. Elliot and his wife are just trusting the Lord for healing!! When we got to Poteet, there was no room at the inn!! So Elliot offered to drive us into Pleasonton...we were thankful for a few more minutes to visit with Elliot and to hear more about his relationship with the Lord!!

There were several hotels in Pleasonton, and we knew that we would be able to find a place. Elliot dropped us off, and we prayed together before he left. We began walking around town...inquiring about a room and finding a place to eat supper. We met Pastor Pete and his wife, Abby while we were in Gonzales, and we thought about calling them. We just weren't sure whether that was God's plan or ours...there was also no way to get to their number without digging through my pack which wasn't possible at the moment. We prayed and asked the Lord to cross our path if we were supposed to meet up with them. Wel,l we didn't really met anyone that night, so we found a cheap, clean room and turned in early.

Saturday morning we had to walk all the way back across town to head on to Charlotte--the next town we felt like we were supposed to go to. We prayed again...Lord, if we are supposed to go to the Cowboy Fellowship tomorrow open the door. Nothing still...so we kept on walking! We stopped for lunch at McBee's in Jourdanton and had some good barbeque. Several people asked what we were doing and where we were headed. They all told us that there was nothing in Charlotte and that it was really far to the next town after Charlotte. We knew it was 24 or 33 miles to the closest town after Charlotte, but we didn't know that there was nothing in Charlotte. We just trusted that the Lord would provide though...so we kept on walking.

As we were walking, we got a call from Chris's mom. They were going to his cousins' house to celebrate his Uncle John & Aunt Sherrie's 37th anniversary. She wanted to know if Chris had anything special to say to them or if he wanted to make a toast. They decided that they'd call us right before dinner, and Chris would pray over the food and for their marriage. God's fingerprints were all over it...when Chris was growing up, Uncle John, Aunt Sherrie, and their children lived in Charlotte, NC. The Emblers would take I-40 to I-85 and on over to Charlotte for visits and to spend time with their family. Well, Chris and I were on our way to Charlotte (TX) and we had to take 85 from there. We just smiled...it was no coincidence...God was in control!!

As we neared Charlotte, we stopped for a water break and to pick up a Texas license plate that somebody lost on the side of the road. (We hung it on the fence in hopes that the owner would find it!) Then we started walking again, but Miguel and Melinda stopped to ask us if we needed a ride. They wanted to take us the last 2 miles into Charlotte (even though they were on their way to Beaumont which is hours and hours in the opposite direction), so we hopped in. We walked from the bank down to the gas station to get a drink.
We set our packs down near a table with intentions of sitting down to pray and to figure out what to do next. That's when Daymond came in...he kept looking at us and then he said, "Y'all sure are walking a lot. Where are you going?" Apparently he had seen us Friday night and Saturday morning in Pleasonton and now he was seeing us for the 3rd time in Charlotte. (Talk about God's timing...if He hadn't brought Miguel & Melinda when he did, we would have missed Daymond by about 40 minutes!!) We told him a little about what we were doing, and he told us that we were going to have a hard time making it to the next town because there was nothing. Then he told us that he was on his way to Pearsall, but it would be really cramped to ride with them. We told him that we didn't mind, so he went to get his wife, Molly, and tell their kids, Layton & Marley.

Come to find out they were on their way to see their son, Dillon play baseball. So Chris & I were able to go to a baseball game and spend some time with their family!! During the game, Daymond made a call to his friend, Todd Matthews, who lives in Dilley to see about our coming to stay with him on Saturday night and going to church with him on Sunday. Although their team didn't win, they only gave up one run after the first innning which is when Dillon started pitching. After the game Todd called Daymond back and told him that he would pick us up at the hotel in Dilley and take us to church on Sunday morning. Daymond, Molly, and the kids took us out to eat, and we were able to fellowship together a little more. They are devoted Christians and even the kids have given up different things for Lent. Molly also explained that they were also asking God to help them change their heart during this time as well! We also learned that Layton and Marley both like to draw...we asked them to draw us some pictures and send them to us...we just got them...Aren't they great?! Thanks, y'all!!!











After supper, they took us over to Dilley and put us up in a nice hotel for the night. We were soooo thankful for their kindness!! It didn't take Chris or me very long to fall fast asleep that night...we were pretty tired after walking almost 14 miles that day.

Sunday morning, Todd arrived at our hotel to take us to breakfast at Pacho's and then on to church. Right as we pulled up, a young man named Mikul (pronounced like Michael) walked in front of the car. Todd explained that Mikul had only recently come to know the Lord. (3 weeks ago to be exact) Todd and others had noticed how the kids of the church were just drawn to Mikul, so Todd talked to him about the responsiblity that is. Before I knew any more, I thought of my own brother--Michael Todd Langley. I don't know why, but God was definitely laying my brother on my heart that day. Todd went on to explain that Mikul was living out at The Glory Ranch, which is a Christian rehab center for cowboys.
We went on into church--Christian Faith Center, but we were a little early, so Todd took us in and introduced us to Pastor Phyllis while she was still in her office. Chris and I sat down to talk with her for a few minutes so that we could share a little bit about who we are and what we are doing. She even shared with us about the first time they went to the Philippines and how God moved in bringing that all about. We "hit it off" really well...a better way to say is that the Spirit in us recognized the Spirit in her and there was an almost instant connection! When it was almost time for church to start, she invited us to share testimony that morning during the service. All we had hoped was that we'd get to be in church on Sunday morning, and God was opening the door for us to speak...we couldn't believe it. We asked Pastor Phyllis if she would pray with us, and then we went out to the service.

While we were singing, I saw Mikul go up to the altar to pray and how he lifted his hands up to praise the Lord. Again, I don't know why, but the Lord just impressed upon me to pray for my brother. Then during the announcements, I tried to find the little paper that had an outline from a time we spoke before, but the only thing I found was a picture of my brother. So I just prayed some more...both for Michael and for us because we were fully relying on God to give us the words that morning! (I still don't really know why my brother was so heavy on my heart, but I was obedient in praying for him...I guess one day in Heaven, I'll be able to find out?!)
After the announcements, the Associate Pastor, Jacky, shared some scripture not once but twice. The first time I wasn't able to get there fast enough, but it connected so well to what the Lord was laying on our hearts to share that I wanted to refer back to it. I planned to just ask him when we got up to speak, but he said it a second time...thankfully because he was teaching children's church that day and wasn't in the service for me to ask him a question by the time we started speaking. God really connected the dots and gave us just the words to share!! We enjoyed the people and were able to talk to quite a few at the end of the service including Mikul and his girlfriend, Tonya (pictured with RE). Chris also spent quite a bit of time talking to Horacio who has a servant's heart...from working with the youth to maintaining the church grounds, he and his family are willing to serve the Lord!!

From there we went with a big group from the church to Pacho's for lunch where we talked to a ton of other people!! It was great. We talked with Todd and his family; Pastor Phyllis; Jim, Jayne & Ashleigh; and Shawn, Shonda (the youth leaders) and their family. They invited us to speak to the Women of Purpose and Men of Purpose groups that week...both of them are non-denominational Bible studies that meet in a community building on the main drag in town. After lunch, Pastor Phyllis took us back to the hotel, put us up for a few nights because she had invited us to speak at Chapel on Wednesday morning. We felt like they were open doors after praying for the Lord's guidance, so we decided to stay.

On Monday we met Pastor Phyllis for lunch at Pacho's. Not long after she arrived, David, Gayla, and Mikul came in, so we all ate together. David (see his boots below) and Gayla oversee the operation of the Glory Ranch. He was delivered from drug and alcohol addiction over a year ago, and soon after that the Lord gave him a vision for the ranch. He and Jacky (the associate pastor who was also radically delivered from a drug addiction 10-11 years ago) teamed up with Jacky's dad, Jack, to start the Glory Ranch. Now the cowboys come out to the ranch and rope and ride and find Jesus!! The men are constantly in the Word, and God is renewing their minds. Mikul is a perfect example...he's been through so much for an 18-almost-19-year-old. He lost his father when he was young and moved out when he was 14. He spent several years of his life living in a drug den, of course abusing alcohol and using drugs, but to support himself he sold drugs and collected money for his "friends." He hadn't smiled in years and was just at 100 pounds when he arrived at the ranch. Well, the Lord has transformed him!! He smiles all the time now and can quote scripture like you wouldn't believe...in just 3 weeks of knowing the Lord. (He even hopes to be a preacher one day!!) On Sunday, he walked out of Pastor Phyllis's office just as we were walking in...we learned on Monday that he was letting her know that he found his smile in Matthew. Now he knows where to look if he loses it again!! At lunch, he also told us that we were an answer to prayer as well. He's been studying the Word, but he asked God if he could see a real life example of living by faith. He said that he realized that's what's going on out at the Glory Ranch, but he's too close to that. So when we walked in on Sunday morning and shared our testimony of faith, it was just what he needed to hear! Thank you, Jesus!!! (as the Glory Ranch men would say!) Before David, Gayla, Mikul left, they invited us to come see the ranch on Tuesday afternoon. Y'all already know how much we love ranches now, so you know we were pumped!

After lunch we went out to the property that the church is going to build on...the Lord has given them a vision...and it seems impossible, but all things are possible with God! He's shown them to start with a barn/bunk house/fellowship hall and a roping arena. From there they are waiting on Him for the next step, but they know eventually they'll build a church that will hold 2,000 people. They are on a walk of faith in Dilley, TX!!

Pastor Phyllis doesn't get to go to the Women of Purpose meetings on Monday night very often because she preaches/teaches at the local prison 2-3 Monday nights each month (for almost 9 years now)...She and Jacky rotate!! So we made plans for Tuesday morning to visit Cactus Ropes in Pleasanton before we went out to the Glory Ranch.

Monday night was great...Chris and I were able to share with the women in the community about our journey...we also talked about chosing faith over fear in our daily decisions! Shonda (on left) and DaSha (on right) are the women who oversee the study, so we chatted with them some, and they also introduced us to all of the ladies in the study...they all really love the Lord. After we finished sharing and before we prayed for any needs, Lee Ann sang a couple of songs. One of them spoke directly to us!! It was so good that I asked her for a copy of the words!! During the prayer time, one lady recommited her life to the Lord and several others prayed for healing in their bodies or in their families. Veronica won our hearts...she's got a lot going on in her life right now and really needs your prayers. She has a sweet spirit, but also needs the transforming touch of the Master's hand. She sent us to Pacho's for supper...she works there during the day, so she called ahead and said that she'd pay for our meal when she went in on Tuesday.

Chris and I thought our day was over when we got to Pacho's, so we just found a seat and sat down. Little did we know that the Lord had us there to meet some more really sweet ladies...Lexie was our waitress, but Jackie was helping bring out the chips & salsa, clean tables, etc. Cory was supposed to be in the other section, but for some reason, she was in ours and she saw our packs. So we ended up talking to all three of them a lot that night...we were the last ones in the restaurant who were eating, so we had their undivided attention. It was wonderful talking with them and sharing! Cory shared with us about her church and her love for the Lord. Both Cory and Lexie told us about their kids, and we chatted with Jackie about being in the 6th grade and what she wanted to be when she grew up. Before we left, we had to get a picture! (l to r: Rita, Cory, Lexie, Irma, Jackie & RE)

Tuesday morning, we went to Cactus Ropes to see how they made rope...I don't how how I thought it was done, but I was really shocked as I watch all that went in to making one rope! Rob (Jack's son & Jacky's brother) showed us around. He and his dad are the ones who started the company. Jack wasn't interested in making rope, but God told him 3 times to go into business with a man out of Washington state who wanted to start the company. For several years, they all really wondered if God had told him to start Cactus Ropes or not. Finally after 16 years and seeing God's hand time and time again, they are positive it was God's idea not man's to start the business.

We began our tour by walking through where all the ropes are stored...saw the finished product...Then we went to the beginning. It all starts with a small cord that is twisted together a certain number of times per inch. They use several strands of this cord to make bigger cords that are twisted together to make the final rope. One has 3 cords that are twisted to make the rope, and the other has 4. (I thought about Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, and the triple-braided cord as I watched...especially when I noticed the cross that was in the center that kept the strings from getting tangled. Pretty cool, huh?!) Next we went to the wax room...the ropes have to be dipped in melted wax...well over 300 degrees. From there it gets stretched, then it has a part sewn on and the tag goes on. Then it has to be coiled up...apparently this is the most important part. If everything else is perfect up to that point and the rope is coiled wrong, it's useless. After it's coiled, it gets powdered and then it's ready to be shipped out. This whole process takes over 24 hours from beginning to end.

Pastor Phyllis, Rob, CE & I went to eat lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Then Rob went back to work, and we went out to the Glory Ranch. Jacky was there and of course David, Gayla, and Mikul...so we went in to visit a bit and to learn a little more about the ranch. One of the dogs just had puppies, so we enjoyed playing and snuggling with them. David shared his testimony more in depth of how God changed him and transformed his and Gayla's relationship. After sharing for a while, we went out and got to see some more roping! Both David and Mikul are very talented ropers, so they explained the different aspects of roping, scoring a team, and training the horses and steers. David also showed us the brand that they had designed for the Glory Ranch...it's made of the letters t, y, and j...Thank you, Jesus!!

Tuesday night, we spoke to the Men of Purpose...again they were men gathered from across denominations coming together to study God's Word. Many of the guys we had already met were there, but there were lots of new faces. We met Pastor Lance, the pastor of the Baptist Church, who was leaving on Friday for a mission trip to Africa and Jacob who ministers at a youth detention boot camp and Chico who was also radically saved from a drug addiction (just to name a few). Pastor Lance arranged to meet with us on Wednesday after chapel. Jacob invited us to go with him on Sunday to the boot camp to speak to the teens. Then Chico invited us to eat supper with him at Pacho's.

Chico also invited Shawn and his son, Bryce, to eat with us, so we got to hear how both Chico and Shawn came to know the Lord. Shawn was a truck driver who stayed high on meth...he and Shonda were separated because of the way he'd been living and acting, but the Lord changed Shawn's life. Now he and Shonda are serving in their church and raising their kids in church. Chico was also addicted to drugs, and his wife was almost ready to leave him. Then he was invited to go on a Walk to Emmaus retreat weekend, and he was changed! God touched him, & he's been different ever since. His wife couldn't believe it was the same man. He had borrowed $40,000 without her knowing it & whether it was his initial intention or not, he used the money to buy his drugs. He told her and their banker about it and what he used the borrowed money for. With the Lord's help, it was completely paid off in one year. That's not where the miracle stopped though...Chico and Karen had a son, Clay, but after his birth, Karen had some medical issues. They wanted to have another child, but they tried for 5 or more years to conceive. It just didn't happen...they continued to pray and to trust the Lord for a miracle, and she finally got pregnant! When they went in for the ultrasound after she was several months along, the doctors told her that the baby had Downs Syndrome. So they began praying some more. The doctor wanted to take another ultrasound, and at first Chico refused. He and Karen were just believing that the Lord had healed the baby. Then they realized that the doctor needed to know how big God was, so they had the ultrasound. Baby Gage was just fine! He was born in the middle of January, and he's as healthy as a little baby can be!!!

Wednesday morning we went to Faith Christian Academy to speak at their chapel service. They have about 15 students and use the same ACE program as Emmanuel Fellowship School from Gonzales. Gayla (of The Glory Ranch) is also the supervising teacher at the school. Several others are part-time, but she's there every day. (She's pictured on the left in the back row.) We enjoyed sharing with the students and learning about their interest in missions and ministry. At the end we met Samantha and Pastor Lance's children--Kathleen & Levi--along with several other students.

After the chapel service, Pastor Lance was waiting for us. We went with him to talk a little over at his church. He had lots of questions for us about our journey and about the Bible. He really gave us some food for thought. I was intrigued because he raised a question that clarified an issue that I had been struggling with. We talked about authority, faith, God's sovereign plan, etc. He has so much knowledge of the Bible....we were just soaking it in.

When it was about time for lunch Eric & JoAnna (who work with the youth at the Baptist church) came over to the church to meet us and to go to lunch with us. They are a really sweet couple who love the Lord so much....their love for youth is also apparent after just talking to them a few minutes. So we ended up having lunch with Pastor Lance and his wife, Janeen (pictured with Kathleen & Levi); Eric, JoAnna & Lindon; and Jimmy Smith (the director of missions for the Frio River Baptist Association). Pastor Lance wanted us to share our story with all of them, so we filled them in on who we are, how we came to known the Lord and each other, and how we ended up on this trip. Then we shared a few stories of God's provision along the way. Jimmy offered to investigate an international license for Chris (since his NC license expired), the possibility of a cell phone that would work across borders, and any Baptist missionary's contact info along our projected path. We were very thankful for his willingness to help us.

Wednesday afternoon, we went over to Pastor Phyllis's house to wash some clothes, but we were able to pick her brain too! We talked to her about healing, faith, the Holy Spirit, authority, etc. God has given us two wonderful teachers about His Word in the same town this time! They are both full of God's Word...they didn't just tell us things, but they showed us in the Bible why they thought or believed the way that they did about the topic as well!!

I've always wanted to go to Bible college, but I know most of them are supported by a particular denomination or school of thought. That wasn't what I wanted...I wanted to be taught more from God's Word without the bias of man's opinion and be challenged to seek out the answers to my questions in prayer and studying the Word. Well, I thought that was impossible, but God has done more than that...He's given us teachers across denominational lines, so we are hearing the doctrines of the different denominations and the Biblical support for it. I love it...I hearing all of it then laying it beside the Word of God, seeking the Lord for answers, and discussing it with Chris. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I'll always have questions, and I hope that I always want to know and to learn more!!

On Wednesday night, they were having a commissioning/prayer service for Pastor Lance at the Baptist church, and the congregation from Christian Faith Center was invited as well. Pacho's catered the meal and church members brought desserts. Pastor Lance invited us to say a few words, so we shared out of Romans 10:14-17 " ." Then we circled up and prayed for Pastor Lance's trip to Sudan, Africa!!

Thursday morning we went to prayer at Christian Faith Center...I used to wonder how people could spend so long in prayer, but I had no idea that much time had passed at all when we all finished praying together that morning. We just poured our hearts out for Dilley...trusting that God is going to do a mighty work here. The drugs are on their way out, and God is claiming Dilley as the Spiritual Capital of South Texas--the place for a revival to break out!!

After breakfast at Pacho's, we went back over to talk with Pastor Lance some more...so we continued the discussion from the day before and also talked about grace, the Holy Spirit, and more scripture. For lunch we went over to his house, so we were able to hang out with Kathleen and Levi who wanted to show Chris his potato cannon. Kathleen talked about her love for taking pictures and about college a little. We also found out that both Kathleen and Levi show rabbits at the area 4-H stock show. So then I wanted to see the rabbits...some had just been born on Saturday, so we held one...it was sooo tiny and cute! We also talked to Pastor Lance and Janeen about insurance and retirement along with other topics they were willing to share some wisdom on!

Late Thursday afternoon, we went back over to Pastor Phyllis's and talked to her....we've really been learning a lot!! Then we went to dinner at Pepper's Grill in Cotulla. It was this old-time, southwestern grill...and it was sooo tasty! We were home in time to watch the Spurs win their 11th game in a row. (Pastor Phyllis is a huge fan!)

Friday was a little slower...we fellowshipped with Pastor Phyllis (of course)...Pastor Phyllis and Chris got a hair cut. When we were leaving the beauty shop, Terry Rutheford showed up out of nowhere, and he asked for a ride to Wal-mart. No of us were really sure what to do, but we decided to give him a ride. Well, he wasn't really sure what he wanted there, so Chris was going to go in with him. Then it sounded like he was hungry, so we decided to go over to McDonald's and have lunch together. Terry was so excited to get two large containers of french fries. Since none of us knew him, we asked questions to find out where he was from and how he had gotten to Pearsall (the town we were in about 15 miles north of Dilley). His mom had custody of him, but he said that her house got too full of other family members, so he had to leave. He has seisures, so he told us that he couldn't work. So now he's in a half-way house in Pearsall. We talked to him about Jesus, but it appeared that he had some knowledge of the Bible. We encouraged him to find a church in Pearsall, so he wouldn't feel so alone. We'll definitely be praying for him.

Friday evening was pretty uneventful...we did watch part of the NC State game after we got back from supper at Pacho's. Go State!!! At Pacho's we were able to talk to Cory again, so I was really thankful about that!

Saturday...so far we've been working on catching up on writing in our journals and having some good discussions with Pastor Phyllis. We just heard from Janeen...Pastor Lance (& his brother--Vic) has safely arrived in Khartoum. Please continue to pray for them through March 17th...that God will be glorified through their teaching and that the African pastors as well as Pastor Lance and Vic will receive a blessing from the Lord! He's going to do mighty things!!!
Saturday night we went to Chico's house to fellowship with his family (Karen & Gage...Clay's visiting relatives because it's Spring break) and with Rob (from Cactus Ropes), Amanda and their daughter, Emily. Lots of good food and fellowship!!! (Of course, I requested a couple of recipes!!) The beginning of daylight savings time cut the night short, but we had a really good time!!

Sunday morning...Before he left, Pastor Lance invited us to speak to the Baptist church for Sunday school and church while he was in Africa. We enjoyed spending time and sharing our testimony with the congregation. They were very receptive to our encouragement to step out on faith here in Dilley to share Jesus with everyone God brings across their paths. It always amazes me how God ministers to us during a service even when we are speaking...the songs that we sang yesterday spoke right to our hearts. As we have been praying and trying to make the right decision as we approach the Mexican border, we have needed to hear a clear Word from the Lord. We really began seeking Him hard on Thursday night about a few issues, and He has made His instructions crystal clear--starting Thursday night all the way through the songs Sunday morning and the letter we read from Pastor Lance to us on Sunday evening!! Praise God!!!

Several members of the congregation hung around after church to ask us questions and to share their own testimonies of God's faithfulness. What a time of fellowship!! Then Paul & Becky Brown (who have just stepped out on faith with a business the Lord directed them to start) invited us out to eat...their son, Park, (a recent graduate who works as a diesel mechanic) went as well as Luke (who works at the local prison as a guard, but he's also filling in as the chaplin right now) & Christy (who works with Chico--he gives her a lot of credit for how smoothly things run at the office), JoAnna & Lindon (Eric had to work...but it was great to spend a little more time with them...they also missed the picture...I'm not sure what happened?!), and Kay (who was a teacher for 33 years)!

After lunch, Jacob DeLaGarza (the guy we met at the men's Bible study) picked us up to go to the Ever Change Academy in Hondo, TX. EVER stands for Education, Vocation, & Eternal Restoration. Their slogan is "every life is worth saving"!! Chris and I didn't really know what to expect...we knew it was a detention facility of some sort, so I was a bit anxious to start with...but then I saw their faces...the faces of our students at home, and I couldn't wait to talk to them and to share with them. They won my heart immediately...Chris even had to come get me when it was time to start sharing our testimony because I was enjoying talking to the girls so much that I wasn't aware of the time!! The program director, Dan Ytuarte, introduced us, and Jacob took over. He asked to hear some cadence, so one of the young men on the front row volunteered to lead it...We were impressed! They were respectful, obedient, and attentive to all that we wanted to share with them...they even answered our questions...it was great! We could tell that God had already begun a mighty work in the lives of these young people. When Jacob asked them to raise their hands if they had never made a decision for Jesus, no hands were raised!! They all knew of His changing power! At the end, Chris stayed with the guys to talk to them and to pray with them. I went with the girls to do the same...several of them shared with me a little about their situations and asked me to pray for specifics in their lives. Then they asked me a ton of questions about the walk and our lives. I didn't want to leave. I don't think the director was serious when he told us that they had some extra beds if we wanted to stay, but I would have given it some thoughtful consideration if his invitation was sincere.

Dan wanted to take us to supper after we left...We were grateful because we wanted to know more about the program, and he was happy to explain it to us...They began about 6 years ago, and it's a boot camp that takes in kids whose next step is prison. (Most of them were involved with gangs or were drug dealers who have violated their probation or have gotten into more trouble.) If they mess up at Ever Change they go to jail...well, THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN!! God makes changes in their lives through the love that they see lived out in the life of Dan and others who work with them!!! (in the picture l to r: Dan, Jacob, CE, and two of the women who work at the academy) Other similar programs exist, but at most 25% of the kids that exit those programs stay out of trouble when they are allowed to return home. At Ever Change nearly 89% of their graduates never get in trouble with the law ever again! (Which is why they say "At Ever Change you are forever changed!!") What's the difference? JESUS! Dan says, "It's not like I keep it a secret." He tells everyone who will listen Who makes the change people...He doesn't care if every program grows and has success...He just wants kids to know Jesus and be healed of their hurts! Many of the kids who are at Ever Change come from families who have used and abused them...they've gotten in trouble for doing the only thing they've ever seen modelled. It's our responsibility as the Body of Christ to reach out to these kids...they might as well be orphans. If we do our job as ambassadors of Christ...compelled by His love to share the message of God's reconcilliation, we would see a change in our world!! (this is a summary of 2 Corinthians 5:14-6:2) In James 1:27 God's Word says "Religion that God our Father accepts as purer and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widos in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." We have a job to do...may God use us daily to reach out in love to those who are hurting! May He give us boldness to share His truth and the freedom that exists in His truth with all we come in contact with!

We are planning to leave Dilley tomorrow and head towards the border...Today (Monday) we hope to post to the blog, to catch up on e-mails and to talk to Pastor Phyllis a little more about prayer. We continue to keep you in our prayers please remember us as well! We love you! God bless you!

Pictures below from the Women of Purpose and Men of Purpose (coming soon) groups...