Wwwweeeee'rrrrrreeee in Wagener, SC

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What an exciting adventure filled with unexpected twists and turns…Last Friday, we ended up going to the Hannah House, Christ Central’s women and children’s shelter in Columbia, after leaving the library. We toured the house and played with the kids which is always one of our favorite things! We met Sasha , a student from USC who was volunteering at the Hannah House. She took us back to campus and gave us a tour and allowed us to post to the blog. She’s very interested in helping with the impoverished (especially women) in Columbia. It’s a huge problem…we also learned that 2,000-6,000 homeless people are on the streets of Columbia at all times. It was such an eye-opener to walk around downtown. Many of the business people went to the other side of the sidewalk to move away from us, but the homeless were really nice. We ran into Champ on 3-4 different days down there. He’s really nice and helped us find our way when we were lost! It didn’t work out for us to see Pastor Jimmy on Friday because God had other plans…my friend Abby (way back from the 9th grade) lives near Columbia, so she invited us to stay with her. It was perfect timing for both of us! We washed clothes, dried out the tent, and hung out with her and her little boy, Mason for the weekend. Abby found a church for us to visit on Sunday morning, North Point Community Church, and then we went out to lunch with her family. (It was great to see her parents!!) From there, Abby dropped us off back at the library…it was closed AGAIN, but Joel (a “student” who flagged us down on Friday to talk about our packs) wanted to meet with us to talk about what we were doing. After meeting with him, we learned that he’s not a student, but a Navigator staff person for USC. We were able to learn about their ministry on campus and share some about ours. Guess when Pastor Jimmy called…yep, right as we finished our conversation with Joel, so they met and shared some ideas about campus ministries. Then Pastor Jimmy brought us to Wagener, SC where the Christ Central Institute is.


We stayed in a bed & breakfast, The Claridge House, and met Gloria, the only person we know who has ever heard of Moravian Falls or the prayer fest that went on up there. Monday, we met with part of the board of directors for Christ Central and began discussing some ideas. Please pray about our future involvement with teenagers, missions training, and leading mission trips. Monday night we went to class with Pastor Jimmy and Jason (director of education at the Institute and a teacher there as well). Well, let me tell you…Jason taught us about several ancient Christians, the role of the early church in caring for the needs of others, and the rule of truth that governed many decisions made by the early church—a mentally stimulating experience. Then Pastor Jimmy taught the next class—one that makes you want to move and help others because it touches your heart. (It’s so amazing that they are teaching both your heart and your mind both of which are so important in our Christian faith!!) He instructed us from Isaiah 50:4-5…in order to deal with people we must first deal with ourselves…then God gives us a learned tongue to encourage the weary and a learned ear to hear Him! God loves people. He puts His Holy Spirit in us, so we can love people like Him! Wow…what a tall order! People tell big tales because we don’t truly listen to them, so we need to authentically listen to people!! Needless to say, we’ve wished for a tape recorder on more than one occasion as Pastor Jimmy teaches from God’s Word! On Tuesday, we had lunch with Jason and Bobbi, and Jason answered a lot of the questions that he had raised in our minds the night before in class. Then we went to class again this time to Colossian Christians…Jason taught and expounded upon Col 1:15-2:15. He also discussed the role of influences in our beliefs…1st Scripture, 2nd church tradition (all of it, not just your denomination), 3rd reason, 4th your experiences. Interesting…still thinking about all that he said…that’s what a good teacher does though…raise questions that you have to think about, pray about, and study in order to figure out. He also talked about the Jehova’s Witnesses and why they don’t believe Jesus is God. Pretty sad how the entire misconception comes from one verse being taken out of context and therefore not understood! They rejected the wisdom of 1800 years of those gone before them in the faith for their own “truth.”

Wednesday was huge! Pastor Jimmy arranged for us to meet the board of directors for FCA in SC (Stu Rodman, the chairman is also on the board of directors for Christ Central) and the regional director, Dicky Clark, for SC and GA. Amazing!! We were a little under-dressed, but praise God for the privilege to talk with them about FCA, our walk of faith, and some of our ideas for the future. That meeting was a HUGE God thing. Chris and I had discussed one day having that opportunity, but God thought it needed to be now! We felt speechless, but thankfully God gave us words to express how much mission experiences through FCA meant to our students and how much God had used those experiences to change them and their focus. WOW…that’s still all I can say! Then, we went to lunch with Pastor Jimmy (and to our own specialized class!!). He talked with us about praying for a vision and a goal…not just to arrive in Peru, but what would happen after that?, Why the journey? What would we do after we got there?, How does the journey fit in to the larger plan of God?, etc. That made us start thinking!! He also has emphasized 3 things during our stay here that are worthy of passing on because they are applicable to us all…1st “You are God’s response to this generation and it’s problems”—you could have been born any time, but you are living NOW so what are you going to do? 2nd “Do not ignore the people in your path.”—don’t go looking for people or their problems, but God brings people in your path for two reasons…for them to help you or for you to help them. So figure out which and work with them! 3rd “You must have a goal…Then when problems arise, stay focused on the goal (not the problem)…problems won’t improve until you improve (your vision).” Aaahhh! So good! God has taken us to school on this journey…we are in training for what’s next…we’ll be sharing more as God reveals the exact details of what that is! When we got back to Wagener, we went to eat with Pastor Leroy and Mrs. Carolyn. Then we spoke at their church, The Chapel of Love. I’ve never been in a service before where the things they praised God for outnumbered the prayer requests! It was amazing. They encouraged us and welcomed us with open arms! Wonderful!! We haven’t just been going to class and meetings here though…Jay David (an amazing artist) has been helping me with our website…he’s made an animation and a map for us!! Chris has been working with Dave on finishing a house for him and his wife Kari, who both work here at the institute. Well, I guess that’s all for now…we are planning to hit the trail again today or tomorrow as God leads us…We love ya’ll! God bless!
Raymond, a student at the Institute...











The newly remodeled girl's dorm where we have been staying...








Bobbi, one of the

Institute's receptionists...

Ryan, a student at the

Institute, loves playing

with the kids at church.

Dave & Kari

Ms. Delores who's been with the ministry of Christ Central since the beginning when the garbage can served as a podium to preach from...ask us about this story sometime!!

Finally...South of the Border...that is...Columbia, SC

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Well, it's been a while...Tuesday is when we actually left the Cuthrells house...they dropped us off in Moravian Falls at almost the exact same time that we arrived at their house one week earlier...crazy because we had no idea that we would stay so long in one place!! Oh, but what a blessing!!! When we arrived at the prayer fest, we said a teary good-bye and Chris and I went in to the big tent. The words to the song the band was playing kept ringing in my mind "Take me back to my first love...Take me back to my first love." (That's where I am right now...I don't remember ever feeling this in love with God! Even in the tiredness of travel and service...there is such joy and peace in God!) Well, we went on in, but the worship was really different from anything either of us had experienced. I was a little uncomfortable, and wasn't sure that we were in the right place...I began praying and asking the Lord to show me if it was okay to stay. We were sitting near the back and all of a sudden, God sent Matthew (a guy remarkably similar in appearance to Matthew Gunn, one of my brother's friends from forever ago). He began asking us questions and sharing his heart for the Lord and it was authentic. Then he told us that he was one of the people who helped set up and organize this 21 day prayer fest. Confirmation...so we stayed...we pitched our tent (a little sad because the book's subtitle can't be And We Never Opened the Tent, but also excited to see what God would do in this place...) We met a lady who is on her way to Brazil in the tent beside us, and then we walked down to have smores at the bonfire. After talking to several interesting people and learning that IHOP can also mean International House of Prayer, we were pretty tired and decided to head to bed. That's when we met Zack. He grew up on the streets, struggled with drugs etc., but then he found Christ. He is so in love with Him. He quoted the same scripture that the Lord used to give me peace when it was time to leave our oh, so cute apartment on S. 4th St..."Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man does not have a place to lay His head"(Matt 8:20)...more confirmation. thank you, Lord! It was a little cold that night, so we zipped our sleeping bags together and found that verse in Ecclesiates to be true "On a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone?" (4:11) The next morning, we went through the Hall of Repentance the organizers set up...the scripture was really powerful and The Passion was playing...It's good to remember how unworthy all of us are of the love, grace and mercy that is extended to us from God to Jesus!! There were 24 prayer closets set up with different themes, so we prayed and read a bit. Then we walked through the hall they set up to teach about Israel and the 3 feasts from Leviticus 23 that the festival is based on. The Festival of Trumpets--a call to us to repentance; The Day of Atonement--Jesus is our atoning sacrifice; The Festival of Shelters--Jesus is our rest. We arrived during the Festival of Shelters interestingly enough...the Israelites lived in a tent during this festival to remind them of the time that God brought theme out of Egypt...hmm, and we were staying in a tent as well ;-) Okay...a little more of God's timing...Chris and I came out of the big tent as Melvin and Melva Williams drove up! I was just about to turn my phone on to see where they were...Another blessing...fellowshipping together with them and learning about what God has done in their lives. (Melva is part of the intercessor prayer group from home...the first familiar face we've seen since leaving Jordan Lake. We thought that they might be coming, so we asked for some warmer clothes...thank you, thank you, thank you) We learned about Israel and met some people who live and work there. One guy actually helps feed the homeless there at a place called the Jaffa House--there's a neat story about one of God's way of doing things....ask us sometime and we'll tell you. We also learned about a man named Lonnie Frisbee that apparently was the catalyst for The Jesus Movement, the revival that took place within the Calvary Chapel Churches, and The Vineyard. I'm interested to learn more about that. (If the Lairds or Amy or Jason Vreeke or anyone else knows about those movements of the Holy Spirit, we'd like to know more.) This is a picture of a shofar...it was the "trumpet" used by the Israelites when they blew the trumpets and God knocked down the walls of Jericho. It was their battle cry. The trumpet blow also represented the beginning of a new month.
On Thursday, The Williams were leaving Moravian Falls and offered to give us a ride (and to let us take a shower and to take us to lunch!!) Columbia, SC was on our hearts and minds, so we asked if that was on their way...it was, so we were able to spend a little more time with them (They hold the record right now for furthest in one day...over 200 miles!) (Another thought...God has been providing couples so far...it's been a time of girl time, guy time and couple time...kinda neat how God ministers to you where you are!!) Well, lunch was good...a little too good to Chris...we were about over 30 miles from Columbia and all of the sudden Chris said...I need to find a bathroom right now. Melva quickly pulled over at the closest gas station. Chris made a bee-line to the bathroom, and I picked up a map. I wanted to find a library in Columbia...none were marked on the map, but where there is God, there is a way! Jonathan Rabon spoke up from behind me...what are you looking for? He said it a second time before I realized that he was talking to me. I asked about the library and he told me and showed me on the map where it was. Then I asked if he knew where Christ Central (the organization that we worked with in Biloxi) is located in Columbia. He had actually been looking for is earlier this month!! It's located one street over from the library. I couldn't believe it. He's also involved in a church that supports the Christ Cental in Wagener!! I went to the bathroom, but when I got back, I found out that he was going to lead us to the library!!! So we got an escort straight to the library! Amazing! The library was closed, but we found the Salvation Army (where we stayed the night last night) and then we found Christ Central. What testimonies of God's power?!!! We met person after person at the Salvation Army who has been changed by God!! Karen-who's been clean 3 years (and her story of faith...giving to God 1st and His taking care of her rent, food, and utilities when the budget didn't work out on paper) Rosa (pictured on the left)-who's known the Lord 24 years and was feeling tired and worn out has been renewed by the Holy Spirit and she's sharing the morning devotion...it was great this morning (She was also friends with Redfern that we met in Biloxi...another awesome story if we ever get to share with you in person)...Lucky's been clean for 2+ years and he gives God all the credit...he went from a hustler on the streets to serving in the kitchen where we helped with breakfast this morning! We met another couple who met through the program at the Salvation Army...He used to ride with Hell's Angels, but now he is the handy man. They just got married last month, and she works on the computers that the residents can use. Then there's Bridget--she's been in the program 1 week, but she met God about 3 years again while she was in jail through Psalm 139. She gave us 4 packets of hand sanitizer...a precious commodity on the road because they are light-weight and easier to pack than a bottle. I'm afraid that I'm leaving someone out...so many awesome stories of God's redemption in such a small amount of time! It was really great meeting everyone there and we're thankful to Kelly who God used to show us around and to give us a place to stay. I guess now it's on to Christ Central...we met Philip (who was on the run from God, but He caught up with him at Christ Central 9 years ago, and he's been working their ever since.) who put us in touch with Pastor Jimmy (who we met in Biloxi). He's in Wagener, and it looks like God is going to allow our paths to cross this afternoon. We also learned of the Thursday night service and meal. (On our way from the Salvation Army, we stopped at McDonald's where we met Melvin (not the one from Smithfield) and we invited him to go with us. He walked with us there, but he wouldn't go in, so we prayed for freedom from alcoholism and anything else the devil might be using to hold him in bondage. Pray for him when the Lord lays his name on your heart!) The service was wonderful...We met the director Sylvia Sylva, an awesome woman of God...and the 1st Presbyterian Church of Columbia was there to help with the service. The music was wonderful and the message was relevant. (Two things that happen with the Holy Spirit is involved...God keeps reminding me a lot lately that the Holy Spirit is our teacher and He reveals truth to us from God's Word if we will ask Him!) The message was from Psalm 3... When you are surrounded by your enemies or life seems overwhelming...Focus on God! Trust in God! Rest in God! Wow and what rest there is in Him!! After the service, we helped serve the meal and we met some people from the church...They offered us a place to stay, a shower, and a place to wash our clothes...Isn't it amazing how God provides? We haven't taken anyone up on their offer yet because God has provided soooo much that we are just patiently waiting for Him to lead us and to show us the next step. We did accept a ride back to the Salvation Army from Frank and Kristen...their story is similar to ours in some ways...they've been married only 1-2 months less than us...anyway...we're not sure where we're headed after we up-date, but at least you know where we've been until now! We hope that you are relying on the Lord to meet your every need and that you are taking every opportunity to boldly proclaim your story about His glory in your life!! God bless!

Still in Lexington...

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Well, believe it or not we are still in Lexington, NC! It’s been a wonderful visit…we really feel like we’ve found missing family members. Chris and I have been helping around the Cuthrell’s house, showing them how to use the computer, and reformatting a book on prayer that Mrs. Cuthrell wrote many years ago. We are sad to leave, and they are sad to see us leave. I guess you may be wondering why we’ve stayed so long…well, we have been praying daily for God’s guidance and direction and it seems that God has used the clouds to guide us…Chris was reading about the children of Israel and how they moved when the Cloud of God moved. Friday morning when we woke up it was cold, rainy, and cloudy, so we stayed. It was the same way Saturday and Sunday, so we stayed…In the mean time…Chris went on Friday to Fayetteville with Mr. Cuthrell, Brandon, and Nick (two of the boys from church that Mr. Cuthrell is mentoring) to visit several museums. On Saturday, we went to a fundraising dinner for an organization called Christ Bible Conference.

Jerry and Pam Lambeth, the founders, have helped raise money to build 40+ churches all over the world. He has also written several books that are being used for discipleship around the world. Pretty incredible…

We also met Mrs. Bowen, a preacher’s wife and host of Mrs. Cuthrell’s Monday morning prayer group. Chris and I read the book Enjoying the Journey by Mrs. Bowen’s husband the night before. It’s a short summary of their life together in ministry. It was amazing…the peace and joy that she has in the Lord just exuded from her face. Both she and her son, David, couldn’t stop talking about how blessed they are. As I was reading the book, I learned that Mrs. Bowen had been taken by a Christian foster family when she was really little, and they gave her a new name. When she got older and had to make legal changes to her name, the lawyer told her that she could pick any name in the world that she wanted. Well, she chose the name her foster family had given her. There’s an interesting parallel here with our Christian walk. God does the same thing for us…He adopts us into His family and gives us His name, but we have to choose Him first. He doesn’t force us to be in His family, but I wouldn’t have it any other way…there is no life outside of Him!! As we were leaving, Mr. Cuthrell commented, “It’s easy to be a Christian when you are around people like that!” (Chris and I could say the same thing about them…they have such a sweet spirit about them!) Sunday morning, we went to Heath Church with the Cuthrells. Have I said AMAZING yet in this journal?! The Sunday school class is studying The Purpose Driven Life, and they were talking about why spiritual growth takes time. One of the reasons is because it takes time to unlearn what we’ve already learned and to replace the old habits with new habits…forming habits takes time. I thought about how I constantly try to make my plans and figure things out for myself and then tell God about it. I want to unlearn that and that’s part of my reason for wanting to take this trip--to learn to rely on God and to choose His plan above my own. What a neat opportunity this trip is…time to learn this new habit of relying on God for everything and following Him…not running ahead! Then the message was on the Great Commission…going out in God’s power to do His plan with His presence!! I don’t think that ya’ll know this, but we don’t have any contacts past Honduras. We’re not worried because it’ll be a little while before we get there. Chris also just got an e-mail in which we learned that you can’t walk across the Panama Canal (I’m sure many of you already knew that, but neither of us took geography, so this was news to us.) BUT God is a big God…we met a lady at church yesterday who is from PANAMA (a country where we had no contacts) and most of her family still lives there…that’s not all…her sister works on the Panama Canal…and her other sister is a doctor in Costa Rica (another country where we didn’t have contacts). After such an unbelievable morning, could there be more? Yes! The Cuthrells invited Pastor Downing and his family over for a delicious lunch and good fellowship. Then we went back to church for a youth directed service where Amber and Jacob shared their testimonies and the youth sang. The message by Jason Vreeke was just as pertinent from Philippians 3:12-14...Don’t be content just to compete, don’t get caught up in the chaos, but be a person of 1 thing--the pursuit of God, Don’t be paralyzed by the past instead look forward to the future, and stay focused until you’ve finished! After church we chatted with several people and then went out to eat with Marilyn, Mary, Danelle & Lexi, Joe, Delinda, Mr. and Mrs. Cuthrell, Connie, and Dana. It was a great time of fellowship and sharing as well. We found a connection as well…Dana was in the same group with my cousin Clare in the Miss NC Pageant in 2002. (Which reminds me…I forgot to say that Jay Love the pastor who gave us a ride last Tuesday used to work with my friend from several trips to Mexico--Jan (Jernigan) Stewart…the family of God is so small and interconnected! I’m in awe!) Well, the clouds appeared to have lifted and the temperature is rising, so we are planning to head on some time today…of course, we’re not sure where we’ll end up tonight…I guess you’ll just have to check in to see what God is doing in a day or so…We pray that He is using you to do exceedingly great things for His kingdom! Come join us on the journey…God bless!

Apparently Embler is such a popular name in Davidson Co. we even have a road named after us!!

This is one example of the mind-boggling collections that Mr. Cuthrell has--buttons from presidential campaigns dating back to Lincoln's election!!

Live from...Lexington, NC

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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...

Now we're in Siler City, NC

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Tuesday morning 10/2...and now a little more adventure...we woke up to see everyone off to work and Jellybeans to skate...then we slept a little more, showered, read, and prayed. CE began working on e-mail. Then the lady came to the house to do the insurance screening on me...how crazy is that timing...she had an appointment at 11 am open and she would come to the house...if we had been moving faster we would have missed Uncle John and the rest of the family and we would have missed her...wow! We posted to the blog and then we left. We walked up to Bojangle's and I called Amy Hawkins along the way. It worked out that she and Tom were free that evening, so we planned for them to find us around supper. At Bo's we talked with David Minchew about the Lord and some politics, and we went our separate ways. After we had been walking for about 5-10 minutes, he pulled up beside us and gave us some money and then kept going. So we walked and walked and walked. Some people honked...a lot of people turned for a 2nd look. We finally made it to Wilsonville on HWY 64W near Jordan Lake. The gas station on the left looked like people would know more about camping there, so we crossed over and I went inside. CE talked to another man named David who used to go to church at 1st Assemblies of God Smithfield...the same church we've been going to for intercessory prayer...incredible!! He kept saying over and over again about how small the world is. We agreed with him then we went our own ways...We were walking down this country road to Popular Point Campground, and Chris said "This is the kind of place people just invite you to stay the night." I thought “you're probably right, maybe that will happen one day on our hike.” As we continued to walk, Chris saw a cardinal at a house and we knew we were on the right path. We turned in the campground and decided that we would stay on Loop C site 3. As we were walking down the hill, this couple was walking up the hill. We asked them how much further it was to the site, and they told us. But they also asked about what we were doing. As we began to explain about our walk, we found out that they go to a Baptist church near by. Keith proceeded to ask us to stay with them. CE and I looked at each other and said sure. As we were walking back to the car, Rhonda began to tell us about their youth leader who had just gone back to school in Buies Creek. Before she could even finish, I said "His name wasn’t Lawrence was it?!!" And she couldn't believe it....it was the same Lawrence who was the catalyst for FCA at SSS and for the beginning of our relationship with each other. He had been the youth pastor at their church!!! He had taken their youth to Caswell and Keith and Rhonda's son, Brad, had accepted Christ while they were there. Wow!! Lawrence...God brought you to Bells Baptist for more than one reason. Right as we were making this discovery, Amy and Tom walked up and then they got to hear the story! We all went back to their house (the same one Chris saw the cardinal at). Amy and Tom were bringing us dinner, so we ate and fellowshipped together. Rhonda called her sister, Laura and her whole family came over too. It was a great time in the Lord sharing and getting to know each other!! After Todd, Laura, John, and Elizabeth left, we found out that Todd was going to Greensboro and that he was willing to give us a ride to Siler City on Tuesday morning. Chris and I could barely sleep because we were so excited about what God was doing!! What an incredible example of God’s provision?!! Why is it that we fail to trust Him? It’s not a risk at all if you are depending on Him!!! This family is such a great testimony of what can happen if we just allow ourselves to be used of God every single day of our lives!!!

The Whitfields and the Hortons

Amy & Tom

Hi from Apex, NC...

back to Our Walk of Faith

Well since Friday afternoon, God has sent us 5 rides and provided two different houses...we haven't even had to use the tent yet!! (Maybe tonight?!) I'm still working out the kinks on posting pictures...bear with me... FCA meeting on Friday...

Ginny and crew came from came from NC State with our beautifully designed pack covers...thanks, ladies!!

Our commissioning...students and other friends and family lined our path to give us hugs and tell us bye...

Lashonda Haddock, a teacher at SSS, was our first ride!!

Sarah and Ashley provided our 1st place to stay and our 2nd ride. Emily Coates (not pictured...sorry Emily) was our 3rd ride...She took us to church. God allowed us to go to Wellspring one last time before we left and to go out to eat with several of our friends from there.

Then Nathan & Cassie gave us our 4th ride.

Last night (10/1) Julie, Chris's cousin, picked us up for our 5th ride. We stayed the night with Brad & Julie and their precious daughters (Emma, Abby, and Claire). They took us to Meredith's apartment where we visited with Chris's Uncle John & Aunt Sherry, Matt, Alyson, and their new baby Elizabeth, and Meredith (Thanks for having us all over Meredith!)We're on foot again today heading west on 64...wherever God leads...We love ya'll!