My body is rejecting some long hard hours this week. It makes me look forward to this coming weekend all that much more. My shot gun rider this morning is a hot cup of Door County Blueberry Cobbler Coffee.
Dear God, I want to take a minute not to ask for anything from you but to simply say thank you, for all those I have met, or ministered to, or worked along side of over the years on short term mission trips. I want to take some time to say thank you for all the pens I lost and for all the pens provided by a young lady named Christy.
Philippians 1:3-11King James Version (KJV)
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.
11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Christy also came into our lives during the time we spent working with the youth group at Faith Bible Church. Not an easy kid to work with at first. Christy wanted nothing to do with youth group or any of the leaders. At the threat of being kidnapped ( Joking) she came and tried it. During her "try us " period a young female youth worker befriended Christy. Game on! Christy grew in the Lord with the friendship and mentorship she was receiving. Then it happened! Christy tried a short term mission trip. I immediately saw some leadership skills and a willing ness to serve. Christy has been on numerous trips since then, usually in a leadership role. She is quite meek, but filled with the Holy Spirit and can have a take charge attitude in seconds. She leads with love. Christy desires to see others hear from God and obey. She has this uncanny ability to think like I do and anticipate my moves. The minute I am looking for the pen I lost, she pulls out another one out of her back pack for me. I tend to use about 15 pens per trip. She always has an endless supply of chewing gum, Pepto Bismal and toilet paper. When things are very tough on a trip Christy can make us laugh.
I wonder what or how she would have turned out if it weren't for the leader who took interest in her? I am so thankful she did. Christy has been like a right hand to me on many trips. You just never know when you will need a safety pin in the Lima airport. Christy will have one. Who can you reach out to that might just be the next Christy? Who are you thankful for?
God bless,
Marty
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