Christian Witnesses

The Golden Triangle area is readying for the 2011 Bill Glass campaign, Champions for Life.
The latter part of November and the first of December we will experience the love of the Lord as Christian athletes, bikers and others will rally to witness in 76 elementary schools and all the local prisons.

To kick off Champions for Life, Robert Smith pastor of Pinewood Baptist Church and the Cowboy Church on Highway 105 East of Sour Lake invited families to visit the cowboy church on Saturday. Isn't this cowpoke having fun!

We were entertained and enlightened by Zach Dishman, professional bareback bronc rider, who gave his testimony to an enthusiastic crowd. He talked about his faith as he has overcome many injuries, and trials of being a Christian in a sport that is "pretty wild". He encouraged everyone to follow their dreams.



After enjoying cowboy stew, lots of beans and hotdogs, the wanna'be cowboys toasted marshmellows for s'mores and sang
choruses along with guitars.

Devin Wyman, pro football lineman, was the keynote speaker for the kick off Champions for Life banquet. Devin played in the Super Bowl as a rookie defensive lineman with the Patriots and has played for other professional teams.

6'8" tall, weighting 335 pounds, he can bench press over 500 pounds and run th 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds.

Devin encourages kids to be successful and trust the Lord as he speaks in schools through out the country. He tells them then can make a "U" turn in their lives as he demonstrates folding a stainless steel skillet into a taco. He will be visiting area schools in November.

Bikers serve the Lord. Last Sunday I visited Pinewood Baptist Church to experience a biker rally. Over fifty bikers congregated at the church to worship and to listen to the testmony of"Big Al" Aceves.

"Big Al" was a ganster, drug abuser and frequently in prison. He grew up in an abusive family and on the streets of Los Angeles. After two tours in the Army in Viet Nam, he returned to a life of crime and started the Mongoul Nation motorcycle gang.
Through the persistance and love of a friend, "Big Al" accepted the Lord and made a complete turn around in his life. He works with other bikers in Christian bike clubs and at rallys. He has a Christian rehab for men on parole from prison.

"Big Al" was on his knees in prayer for the bikers' rally that left the church and rode to pray at area prisons in preparation for prison ministry in December.

We may not have exciting stories or be champions, but we all have a testimony of faith to share.

October Birthdays. 5,10 and 93 years young

Saturday, Oct. 1, we joined birthday girl, Gianna, her mom, Cora, baby sister, Genay, and a passel of little girls to celebrate Gianna's fifth birthday. The "Hello, Kitty"theme was well received with reverberating loud "Meows" coming from the jumpy house.

Gianna and her friends donned ruffley net tutu's and kitty-cat ears. Keeping an eye on running, squeeling little girls was a challenge, like herding cats!

Sunday, Oct. 2nd was my mother's 93rd birthday. We spent the day with my brother, Alan and his family in Lake Charles. We enjoyed worshiping at East Ridge Baptist Church where he is pastor, and then had a lovely meal with birthday decorations at their home.

Don't you love Great Grandma's tiera and Hawaiian bola!




Not to be left out, we also celebrated my niece, Julianna's 10th birthday at Alan's. Her birthday was actually on Oct. 1.

Granddaughter, Chelsea, who lives in Orlando also celebrated a birthday in September. She is now 17!

As for me, I no longer have birthdays.

Diaster Relief in Bstrop

Friday, Sept. 15, I was called out by Diaster Relief to travel to Bastrop, TX, and assist in feeding volunteers, firefighters, the Red Cross and victums of the devestating wildfires. Although the fires were by that time mostly contained, 130,000 acres of forest and fields had been been burned as well as from 1,700 to 2,000 homes distroyed. Bastrop State Park was smoldering. The smell of ash hung heavy in the still air.

In the center of Bastrop at the fire department I stopped to pray at this sculpture of a firefighter with hand written signs asking for prayer.
Winds had shifted preventing the town center from going up in flames.

In one subdivision that I traveled through on an Emergency Responce Vehicle, 600 homes were distroyed, leaving a very few homes still standing. Thirty-eight families, members of the First Baptist Church, had lost their homes. People told of escaping within minutes of the fires engulfing their homes.

This is part of the cooking team I worked with, cooking meals for 200, twice a day, under a tent in the heat.

The second photo is of Hank emptying chili from a tilt skillet into a cambro for distribution by the Red Cross.

Two of my new friends and co-workers play patty cake with oven mits in front of the convection ovens. We had to take breaks from the hot, heavy work and long hours.

This sign on the side of the ERV (Emergency Responce Vehicle) reads:

Complimentary Food provided by American Red Cross

Southern Baptist Texas Convention.

FEMA provided the food. We cooked and prepared it for distribution, and the Red Cross delivered meals to staging areas.

Karen is helping Frank load cambros (heavy insulated chests containing food) into the ERV. We sent out complete meals in clamshell containters with utinsels, and water to anyone who arrived at the feeding sites.

Frank is preparing to hand boxed meals through a side window to people waiting in line.

Tuesday the Red Cross pulled out. We had teams trained to make assessments and plan for recovery for anyone who asked for help. Teams with chainsaws, and teams trained to clean (called ash out) and restore property arrived to help. I returned home.

Please pray for these families and others who have lost thier homes to whildfires. Continue to pray for rain.

Campers on Mission

Days before tropical storm Lee threatened the Gulf coast, I received a callout for Diaster Relief to feed firefighters in the area West of Fort Worth. The deployment was canceled so I joined a group of Campers on Mission at East Texas Baptist Encampment for a work project. While the men remodeled the camp director's home and women painted, I worked in the kitchen.

Here I am joined by Chris, the camp cook, and Jan and Wanda in the dish room after preparing meals for 35 hungry volunteers. We began the day at 8:00 a.m. with prayer for the victums of Texas fires and others. The rest of the day I helped cook, serve and clean up after meals. After supper we had devotionals and song, and then played games until around 9 p.m.

On Thursday night, I presented a devotional on Isaiah 40:30-31. I asked the volunteers to look at their calling to serve and see where the Lord has verified that they were following His call.

When these unexpected moments hit us, we sometimes call it "A God Thing", as we all experienced Monday morning with clear blue skys and 50 degree temps after heavy rain, mud and the heat.

Interplanitary Race Relations

I don't ususally read about aliens, but this book, "Freedom Race", by Colleen Wait was different.

While tensions and issues of Earth prejudices (race, religion and culture) are being challenged and overcome by humans who believe that all people are created equal, and have basic freedoms, aliens descend to impose their theory of society divided not by race, but by color. The alien leaders have eliminated all religion, and accept no higher power, instead all needs and answers to society's problems are resolved by government leaders who rule with an iron hand.

Are we seeing something like this today? No true equality, no freedom, no individual rights, only government rule. Is the only reace, the human race, headed for extinction?

This book will challenge your thinking.

It may be found at

ColleenWait Writes.blogspot

Amazon.com

Smashwords.com

After the Storm

How many of you readers experienced the aftermath of a hurricane? A tornado? Have you ever tried to live without electricity: lights, TV, wifi, phones, computers? Does drinking water come out of your tap?You've probably never consideredbasic survival. Sactuary, will make you think.

Opps. I don't have a photo of the cover.

Those of us who have experienced the horrors of devistating hurricanes can relate to Claire in Sanctuary by Colleen Wait. Claire leaves a bomb shelter or storm celler to discover a decimated world devoid of humans, animals, and plants. Mountains of debris are all that remain of cities., no elctricity, running water, shelter, food or clothing, so similar to the aftermath of a hurricane or tornado. The wicked world has been distroyed; for what purpose does Claire remain?
Sanctuary is a story of survival, of learning to care for basic needs and the determination to make a new civilization under God that doesn't repeat the political and immoral past.

As I prepare and train through Diaster Relief for the eventual hurricane or other diasters, I found Sanctuary challenged my thinking.

Colleen's books may be found at:
ColleenWaitWrites.blogspot.com
smashwords.com
amazon.com/-/eB0052F5LXE

On a Mission

My calling to volunteer missions in Alaska was twarted this summer by injury and surgery. Recently an opportunity for training in a different ministry became available, so I jumped at it. Diaster Relief training, held in Orange and Houston, gave Nick, Monique and I the training to be ready to assist in the event of a hurricane or other diaster. We are now prepared to volunteer as part of the Diaster Relief team where ever the Lord leads us. We pray that there will be no future hurricanes or diasters, but we are ready to serve.

Here is another book review.

A heart for helping people leads Holly to discover her life's mission. Mount Mission by Colleen Wait follows Holly's journey of self discovery, her struggles with doubt, and her eventual commitment to the mission God has prepared her for. A thought provoking story that will challenge the reader to develop a personal mission or ministry to aid others.

This book has encouraged me to continue planning and preparation for the ministry that I feel the Lord has called me to.

Mount Mission may be found at Amazon.com

smashwords.com

and

ColleenWaitWrites.blogspot.com