Last week, we lost a highly valued and treasured part of our ministry. A Godly man from our church who was committed to praying for us daily, has relocated his home to heaven. After speaking this past Sunday at Ebenezer UMC and Calhoun UMC (both near Olney, IL), we drove back home to attend his evening memorial service. Praise the Lord that we did, as his service was a blessing to us, and to all that attended.
Olney, is about 3 hours south of our town, and as some of you may be aware - home of the white squirrels. The church services at Ebenezer and Calhoun were such a blessing and a source of encouragement. They opened their doors and their hearts to us. Jonathan loved singing from the hymnals, as he's not used to that. These two churches share a pastor, and requested prayer for their upcoming revival. Remembering revivals from our time in the Baptist church, we sat and silently longed for a good ol' fashioned revival. The Lord answers silent prayers that are the deepest desires of our heart. The memorial service we attended for this precious servant of Christ was nothing short of a revival. We entered the memorial service exhausted and sorrowful of our loss...
We left the service...
- being blessed to have known this man of God,
- with our hearts full of joy that we know where our joy comes from,
- with a challenge to be more Christ-like,
- with a responsibility to reflect the one we serve ~ JESUS!!
We praise the Lord for Ron Hayes and the legacy he has left us!
Before we returned home from Olney, we were invited to lunch by a precious seasoned couple. The Lord touched their hearts to partner with us in ministry. Our time together was blessed as we could see how the Lord orchestrated our partnership for His glory. We praise the Lord for this sweet couple! Aside from not seeing a single white squirrel, we have several reasons to visit the Olney area again.
It has been interesting to reflect back over last week and how we lost our good friend - Ron. However, the Lord continues to bless us by placing new prayer warriors in our lives every week. We praise the Lord for you and your faithful prayers for us. We have felt them, and they are sustaining us during these busy and challenging days.
We are making preparations for sharing with Ellen Moore UMC in Fairfield, IL this Sunday. On November 5th, we have been asked to briefly share during our church's High School Youth Group's Spaghetti dinner. Then that night, we plan to make the four hour trip north to Cedarville IL, (west of Rockford), where we will be speaking on November 6. On November 13, we are planning to share in Paxton, Il at the Upper Room Church. We ask that you continue to pray for our time with these churches, our health, and for traveling mercies.
Blessings to You!
Doug & Cindy
No comments:
Post a Comment