Bring Others Into the Sunshine of God's Good News by Linda L. Linn - HTML preview

Chapter 2

Acts 11:21, The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

One weekend Roy Foster asked his family, “Does anyone have an idea for a new song we could use in our ministry times in the park.

Sherry suggested, “We could learn to sing the song, ‘Step Into the Sunshine’ with harmony and find some scriptures to go with it.”

“I like this song,” stated Joy, “Because it has a happy tune and it makes me smile.”

“I do too,” Hope nodded. “Singing in harmony will make it pretty, and it has some places for echos too.”

“Yes it does,” then Roy mentioned, “maybe we can bring some other people into the sunshine of God’s Good News. The song has a good message. It basically says that if you find the wonderful Good News about Jesus and pray to accept him, it’s like stepping into the sunshine and you can be smiling with the joy of knowing him.”

Sherry added, “The song begins with the chorus telling people to leave the shade and go into the sunshine of the Good News. Praying can help a lost child or a broken man, and they can have a smile from their head to their feet.

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The others nodded and since everyone liked this song, they looked up several scriptures they could memorize to go with it. Plus Roy would have his Bible with a concordance so they could look up others to answer questions people might have. The verses they all memorized included these:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul said, … I declare to you the gospel (good news) which I preached to you, which you received and stand in, and by which you were saved, … (The Good News) is that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures.

1 John 4:9,10, The way God showed his love to us was by sending his only Son into the world so that we could live through him. This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his son to be the atonement for our sins.

1 John 5:1a, Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Then they would explain that Christ means the same as the Messiah or the Anointed One, who came to redeem people.

Luke 2:10b, the angel said to the shepherds, Do not be afraid, for I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

John 15:11, These things I have spoken to you, so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be full.

Ben was talking to his two foremen, Jeff and Denji after work one evening. It was easy to take a little time after work to plan or just reminisce, since all three of them lived on the ranch, so they didn’t have a long drive to get home.

Denji requested, “Please tell me again how you were able to get the contract to build all these houses on this ranch.”

“It had to be God’s working,” Ben answered humbly, “because I really had no idea Oscar and Vera were even planning it. In fact I didn’t even know them yet. First, they asked Walt Evans if he and his crews would do it, but he told them he and his crews were tied up for months on another project, so he recommended me to them. They called me and two other companies to get bids and apparently liked mine the best because they chose me. I was amazed, excited, grateful and a little worried, but with God’s help and good foremen like the two of you and good workers like the rest in my two crews, we are making good progress.”

Jeff remarked, “Therefore, with God’s continued help we will all continue to finish the third two-story house and build two more houses on the ranch. We’ll probably finish the downstairs of the third one in a couple more months and then go start the fourth house while the other crew finishes the upstairs of the third house.”

“I agree,” and Ben continued, “this third house is even easier than the second one. Everyone knows what to do next and we don’t even have to have as many meetings. Plus it’s great to have crew members like you, Jeff. You were already a licensed electrician and now we have two others, who went to night classes to get their licenses in plumbing and HVAC. We no longer have to hire subcontractors and wait on them until they have time.

Denji added, “It also helped us, that we finished the second house a couple weeks sooner than we had the first one the year before, so we didn’t have to race as fast with winter to get both levels of the third one closed in before it snowed and got really cold outside. Then we worked inside with electric space heaters comfortably through the winter.”

“Absolutely!” Jeff exclaimed. “I feel sorry for people who have to work outside in the winters around here. In addition, it has also been a good plan for you to have two crews with a foreman on each one, so you can go back and forth between the two crews, see how they are doing, answer questions, and pitch in to help wherever you are needed. You’re more than just a boss. You’re a fellow worker, and that makes for a much better atmosphere.”

Ben responded, “Thank you, Jeff. I enjoy the relationships we have here on the job.”

Evan introduced their next Bible study time, by holding up another little booklet with the title, “Water Baptism.” He said, “Now we’re ready to learn about this topic from this booklet and the Bible verses in it.”

Brad and the girls looked totally puzzled and Flora finally asked, “What is water baptism?”

“This little booklet will explain it,” answered Evan, “scoot up closer to the computer monitors and I’ll bring up a PDF copy of the booklet on each one so we can take turns reading and following along like we did with the ‘Your New Life’ booklet. And remember you can make notes like you did with the first booklet.” They all nodded and followed his directions.

Candy began the reading today, “In this booklet, you'll be learning more about water baptism. That topic was also mentioned in the first booklet, but this booklet will add to what it said. This one contains teaching about what water baptism means, why it’s important, and how it’s done. In other words the

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booklet is about the what, why, when, where, and how of water baptism. Since you can read this, it won’t be like so much overwhelming information as if you would hear all at once in a meeting or with another group. It even has the floor plan of the baptismal area, dressing rooms, and showers.”

Evan read next, "Let's talk about what water baptism is. John the Baptist did a water baptism that was different from the water baptism for believers. John was getting people ready to meet Jesus by having them repent of their sins and be baptized publicly to show they had repented.”

“Where is John the Baptist found in the Bible?” Kate inquired.

Candy responded, “Both Matthew and Luke tell his story in detail.”

So they read about him in Luke chapter three and understood better about him. Kate wrote Luke 3 in the margin of her little booklet.

Then Evan continued to read, “When believers are baptized, it is in obedience to Jesus, who said in Matthew 28:19 for his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And Colossians 2:12 says that we are buried with Jesus in baptism, and are also risen with him through faith in God who raised Jesus from the dead. Colossians 3:1 states: Since you are risen with Christ, seek those things, which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God.” Then he asked, “Bonnie, would you please continue reading from there?”

"Yes,” said Bonnie, “Romans 6:3-6, says, When we were baptized into Jesus Christ, we were baptized into his death. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we are like him in his death, we shall also be raised like his resurrection. Knowing that our old man is crucified with him … so we no longer serve sin. Skip to verse 11. Likewise consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Candy commented, “Like we learned in the first booklet, those verses do not mean we'll never sin again, because that won't happen until we get to heaven. But when we do sin, we do as 1 John 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The girls nodded in understanding and Brad read next, "Here is the reason why water baptism is so important. Water baptism is a representation of being buried with Jesus when we go all the way down under the water, and of being raised with him when we come up out of the water.”

Reba questioned, “Does this mean that we have to go clear down under the water, and get totally wet?”

“Yes it does,” replied Evan patiently, “because it symbolizes being buried. We have to go all the way under before we can be raised up.”

“Oh,” she acknowledged, “it just seemed rather strange.”

“I agree,” then Brad finished the paragraph. “It is also a public testimony to the people we know, that we’ve decided to believe in, follow, and obey Jesus for the rest of our lives. Besides that, it is something we can look back on. When we remember what it means, it can help us to live our lives for Jesus.”

“Right,” inserted Candy, “I often reminded myself in middle and high school that my water baptism meant I would continue to follow and obey Jesus. It helped me to resist when some of my former ‘friends’ tried to talk me into doing something bad.”

Evan nodded and then explained, "Since you girls and Brad probably haven't seen a baptism in process, I'll show you a video clip of two people, a man and then a woman, being baptized in our church. By seeing it, you will be able to understand how it's done." He showed the clip and then asked, "Did you notice that the people put their hand up to gently squeeze their noses shut? This will help to keep the water out of your nose. Be sure to keep your mouth closed as well."

Flora continued reading from there, "If any of you wear hearing aids, or anything else that should not get wet, be sure to take them off in the dressing room. Also, if for any reason your doctor has told you to not go swimming or be immersed in water, tell us and we'll arrange to do your baptism an alternate way.”

Evan wondered, “How many of you can swim under water?” They all raised their hands and smiled, so he knew they could be baptized by immersion. So he instructed, “Go ahead and read some more, Flora.”

So she did, "It is very important that you take a shower before coming to the church. Wear clean dark colored clothing that cannot be seen through when it's wet, but it should be light-weight, so it won't weigh you down when it gets wet. You noticed their clothes in the video. We shower and wear clean clothes because we need to keep the water clean since all twelve of the churches sharing the church building will be using the same water all week. Two or three of the churches will be joining you on your day.’

Reba read next, “After you are baptized, you can take another quick shower before you dress in dry clothing. Be sure to bring your own towels and dry clothing for this purpose, and especially to dry your hair. Ladies, don't worry about trying to curl your hair before or after, and please don't use hair spray or makeup before you're baptized because it will get into the water. Be sure to bring everything you need

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with you, and arrive here at the church a few minutes before 7 PM so you won't miss any of the songs we'll sing. Be prepared to tell all the people watching that you believe in Jesus as your own personal Savior. Please keep your testimony short, because we have a lot of people to baptize that night.”

Candy suggested, “Let's tour the dressing rooms, showers, and baptismal area right after church this coming weekend. Kate, would you please read the rest?”

“Yes, Mom,” she answered, “As you can see in the floor plan, on both the ladies and men's sides, there are four small private dressing rooms and four showers with enclosed dressing areas to dry off and get dressed after showering. There are also two small restrooms and a large waiting area with chairs while waiting for a turn in the dressing rooms, and a turn to get baptized. There are outlets for the ladies to use their own hair dryers after being baptized and showering, so you won’t get chilled, especially on winter nights. There are stairs leading up to the baptismal reservoir, which will be filled with warm water, and steps leading down into the water with hand rails so you will be safe. When finished, you’ll turn around and go back up the stairs where a helper will assist you down the stairs and to a shower. The nice, warm water of the shower will make you feel warm again.”

Flora remarked, “This little booklet was shorter than the first one we read, but it did a good job explaining about water baptism.”

Brad concurred, “Both of these booklets are very well written.”

“I agree,” said Kate, “and now it doesn’t seem so strange since we saw the video.”

Bonnie shared, “I think it sounds rather exciting, but I am nervous about having to say something to the audience.”

Reba declared, “I’m so grateful to Jesus for healing me and then saving all of us, that I look forward to telling everyone about it!”

“What a great way to feel, Reba,” Candy complimented and then recommended, “Bonnie, if you write what you plan to say, you can practice it before the special service and it will help you to not be as nervous.”

All four girls and Brad followed Candy’s suggestion and practiced their short testimonies enough so they were ready for the special service. Their baptisms were very meaningful to them because of all they had learned during this booklet about water baptism.

Evan and Candy Beckett with their four excited girls, arrived at the church sanctuary at 6:45 so they would be early for the 7 PM special baptismal service. Many other families were already there also, but they were able to sit in their usual area. The girls had remembered to follow all the directions in the booklet and had brought the necessary things with them.

They had time to look up the songs they would be singing in the hymnal and read the scriptures that went with them. Bonnie whispered, “Kate the first verse of this first song, ‘I’ll Live for Him,’ really goes well with the first booklet called ‘Your New Life.’ Let’s look up the scripture.”

Kate nodded and then read, Titus 2:12b, … we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world… Yes, and it even goes with my testimony.”

Meanwhile, Flora quietly said, “Reba, the second song we will sing is a good reminder about how we new believers should live. It’s called ‘O Jesus, I Have Promised.’ Please look up the verses for it.”

“OK,” replied Reba, “Hebrews 6:9b,11b,… Do the things that accompany salvation, … show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end… The stanzas in the song and the scriptures go well together.”

When it was time to sing the songs, the girls sang and paid extra attention to the lyrics and what they meant. One of the other churches was dismissed to go get ready for their turn. Then the scriptures sounded very forceful the way the pastor read them. In just a few minutes the first person stepped down into the water. These four girls were glad they would get to see some others baptized before it was their turn. They noticed how the people held their nose closed and kept their mouths shut as their pastor said, I baptize you, as in Matthew 28:19b, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Brad had brought his things with him and had ridden to the church with Ben and Mindy. Unice, the nurse practitioner and vet, plus the rest of the ranch families had also come to be supportive and rejoice with those being baptized.

Their church was the next one to go and Candy went with the girls to help if they needed anything. The other girls had already asked Reba to go first and she gladly consented. She had even gotten permission to give a longer than normal testimony. When she stepped down into the water she wasn’t even nervous. She was grateful that Pastor Don held his hand to steady her as she came to stand beside him.

He introduced her and she smiled at the audience before she said, “I'm so grateful to Jesus for all he has done for me. I was rescued from abusive parents and put into a very nice family on Mercy Valley

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Ranch with my new parents Evan and Candy Beckett. They, and Karen, the Bible teacher, taught me a lot about Jesus. My left leg was about one inch shorter than the right one, so I had to wear a lift in my shoe. But I was still slow and I limped, so many kids at school made fun of me and called me a cripple. But Jesus changed that for me, because two nice girls from another family on the ranch prayed for me and asked Jesus to make my leg grow as long as the other one so I could walk normally. And he did it right then! And then best of all, I believed in Jesus and he saved me! Now I desire to serve him the rest of my life.”

Flora was next, “When I saw what Jesus did for my roommate, I knew the things I had been taught about Jesus were true, so I also believed in Jesus and asked him to be my Savior. Now I will do what Hebrews 6:9b says,… Do the things that accompany salvation, with Jesus’ help.”

When it was Kate’s turn she stated, “I was also convinced about Jesus when I saw the miracle Jesus did. So I prayed a prayer much like they did and now I’m a new believer. Jesus please help me to live as it says in Titus 2:12b, … live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world…”

Bonnie was the last of the girls. “I was so happy to see Reba be able to walk normally and I listened very carefully to those two girls as they explained the Good News again. Then I repented and asked Jesus to forgive my sins and be my Savior. Now we four girls are sisters two times. We’re foster sisters in a wonderful family and we are also sisters in God’s forever family.”

Brad came next because of when he was saved. “I was privileged to also get to see the miracle of that short leg growing long enough to match the other one. Even though I didn’t have the benefit of much teaching about Jesus, I believed when the other two girls explained the Good News. So I also asked Jesus to forgive me and be my Savior. It’s my desire to live the rest of my life to serve him.”

These five people hurried with their showers and dressing so they could get back into the sanctuary and hear the rest of the testimonies. Then they listened to one of the pastors give a very clear teaching about the Good News and then he led those who would like to accept Jesus as their Savior in a prayer they could repeat after him silently. He said a part of it and then paused so they could have time to say it in their minds. Jesus, I realize I am a sinner. … I confess these sins to you. They named silently the ones they remembered. … Please forgive me. … Thank you that you already paid the penalty for my sins, … when you died on the cross, … and God raised you from the dead. … I believe in you and ask you to be my Savior. … Amen.

Many visiting people prayed that prayer and went to receive the little booklet the pastor offered them. There was much rejoicing and thanking God for all those who had just become new believers.

Jason, Dorcas, and their little boys, Barnabas and Joshua, drove to Mercy Valley Ranch from Pine City to visit Jason’s parents, William and Anna Beckett, who live on the ranch. It was a Saturday when his sister Ruth was also there. Jason’s sister, Esther, walked from her house on the ranch to her parents’ house on the ranch, to visit also. Ruth is the oldest in the William and Anna’s family, Jason is in the middle and Esther is the youngest.

William inquired, “How are your CPA offices in Pine City going for you, Ruth and Jason?”

Ruth answered first, “Mine is going great. I enjoy going to work every day and getting to talk to my coworkers, many of whom are now believers. It’s like having a big family of sisters in the Lord right where we all work. We have many teams of two going to lunch with an unbeliever, ready to share the Good News when they have made friends with her. I also like my job of working with numbers and helping people with their bookkeeping. It’s a good career choice.”

“Ditto about the career choice,” stated Jason, “and I like praying during my lunch hour for the teams of two in my building doing the same thing as Ruth’s are doing. The atmosphere in my office has improved greatly as many of them have become believers! How are you doing here on this ranch, Esther?”

“Super, excellent, outstanding, and perfect,” Esther responded. I get to do the bookkeeping for the ranch, I have an excellent husband, our foster family is outstanding and my life is perfect for me. I’m so thankful for the way God worked all of it out in his best time and way! And how are you doing, Dorcas, my sister-in-law.”

Dorcas exclaimed, “I'm doing wonderful in every way! I don’t have to work with numbers any longer. Instead I get to be wife to my loving husband, mother to our growing boys, and homemaker for our family. I love being a part of this big Beckett family, including all the foster girls, and the adopted foster boys and their wives and families. Sam is still single and likes it. And it’s good to know two other foster boys are chaplains. Dad and Mom, how are you doing here on the ranch with your new family of foster girls?

Anna replied, “This was a brilliant move we made, coming to this beautiful ranch where the work is easier for both of us. Plus our girls, Nora, Kathy, Gina, and Helen are all learning how to live for Jesus

 

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since all of them have asked him to be their Savior. They’re also great daughters, fine students at school, and we make a good family.”

“I agree with all you said, my dear,” continued William. “Plus I like the names of our grandsons. I’m glad you are using Barnabas’ whole name, because Barney doesn’t have the good meaning his whole name has. The same thing goes for Joshua since Josh can mean to tease, etc. And now I think we should call Nathan and ask him and Esther's foster girls, Lucia, Val, and the twins Holly and Willow to come join all of us for a horseback ride since there are plenty of horses available right now for us to select ones we like and all eight girls like riding together.

Jason exclaimed, “It will be easy since all the horses are very good ones and we all like all of them! Moreover I agree about our boys’ names. Names are important. Both Dorcas and I decided that we liked Daniel's middle name, Joshua, better for him. If he ever wants to change back, it will be up to him. Now, let’s go and we can continue our conversations by switching riding partners as we ride.”

They all hurried to get ready and the people and horses enjoyed each other for the next two hours.

Riley and Amelia had been praying, talking and brainstorming ways they could help their son, Mark, since his twin sisters took up a lot of his parents’ time and they could tell that he felt left out at times. Finally they reread the list of ideas given out by the church and asked the Lord to show them a way to combine a ministry with a way to help Mark. This time as they sat together on the couch after putting the children to bed, one idea seemed to jump off the page for both of them.

“This could be it!” Riley exclaimed. “Even though there are no orphanages any longer, there are some group homes. Maybe there is a boy close to the same age as Mark and we could be long-term foster parents to him until he is nineteen.”

Amelia smiled in agreement. “Perfect idea, Honey. This would give Mark a foster brother and they could be like fraternal twins. Then he wouldn't feel left out. It would also give him someone to play with while we are busy with his twin sisters.”

Together, and with both sets of their own parents, and their pastor, they prayed and talked about it and planned some more until they felt sure. Then they went to see the people at social services about the process and how to do it. Those people gave them several boys names and the location of the group homes. The process included making appointment and going to visit each child on the list. Mark would have a chance to play with each one while the parents and people at the home would observe to see if the two children would be compatible.

After many visits and some repeat visits one child stood out as the best choice in the opinion of all the people observing. Riley and Amelia had taken the training for foster parents and had gotten their license, so they were ready to be assigned that boy as their foster child. They would be able to raise him as their own until he was nineteen and could go earn his own living.

One evening they had invited both sets of grandparents to come over for an evening of playing with the children and then visiting after they were put to bed. When many topics had been covered, Riley gave Amelia a nod and she started the announcement.

“Now,” stated Amelia with a smile, “we have some news to share with all of you! Riley and I have found the right boy so we can make the addition we told you about to our family, and Mark can have a ‘brother’ his same age.”

Riley continued, “So we are going to be long-term foster parents to a boy who has been in a group home since he was two and now he is three years old. His name is Luke and he will be coming here tomorrow. This is part of the reason we asked all of you to come visit at the same time, so we could tell you all at once.”

“We’re looking forward to this, even though it will add more work for us,” added Amelia and then she explained the process they had gone through to get to this point.

Connie commented, “This didn’t take as long as I thought it might, and I think it sounds like a very good plan. I’m glad you will have time to get him prepared for kindergarten in the church school, because you’re using the good daycare materials.”

“Right, and I would imagine that Mark is very excited about having a ‘brother’ his own age!” Ernest exclaimed.

Riley nodded. “He sure is, but we haven’t told him when yet. We’ll wait until tomorrow and tell him before Luke arrives with enough time for Mark to ask questions and get answers. Then we can remind him about how he needs to act and how to help Luke feel like he belongs to our family.”

“I like this plan also,” and then Glenda suggested, “we’ll pray that they can be like fraternal twins. Mark won’t have to feel left out because the girls have a twin sister. It will be like he has a twin brother of his own, even thought they aren’t identical.”

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Patrick concluded, “I agree and I’m glad we’ll have another grandson we can help you with sometimes. Besides, this is a good ministry for your family and it will be such a blessing to Luke.”

Vern and Lora and their friends, Frank and Becky Warner, got a late start on this trip to the Moab area during the week before Resurrection Day / Easter, and they hoped they would get to stay at Rifle Falls State Park campground even though they had not reserved spaces. But all the spaces were filled up, so they walked up to see the falls, which are very special, and then traveled further on toward Utah. They stopped at a little BLM camping area called Rabbit Valley near the Colorado and Utah borders. This one needed no reservations and was free. They found a nice designated site where both families could camp for the night.

They both even had time to cook outside on little camp stoves rather than building a campfire. Then they got to talk to some of the other campers who came over to visit after supper.

They talked about various topics and then one man mentioned, “I don’t think it will be long before the end of this world.”

Another one of them said, “I agree, but I’d have to figure in the fulfillment of prophecy.”

“Yes that’s important,” Vern declared. “Which prophecy were you thinking about?”

That man answered, “The ones Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24. He took his new testament out of his pocket and read verses 4b-7, Jesus said, ‘ Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many. And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you do not be troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.’ Most of these verses have already happened.”

Lora had her Bible open there also and commented, “Verses nine and ten tell about many believers being persecuted and hated and killed for Jesus name’s. That has happened and continues to happen, especially in some other countries.”

The man nodded and continued reading verses 11,12, “And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

“Yes, that has happened already also,” Vern remarked as he was following along in Lora’s Bible, “and I’m thankful for the promise in verse 13, But he who shall endure to the end shall be saved.”

“So am I,” and then the man stated, “I think the first part of verse 14 is the prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations, and then the end shall come. There are still some places in the world who have not heard the gospel yet.”

“How true!” So Lora suggested, “And we won’t know for sure when all the world will have heard the gospel. Even then, it’s up to God when all the end time prophecies will happen. So could we all do together what Matthew 9:38 says, Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send forth laborers into his harvest.”

They all nodded and as believers they joined hands and prayed in agreement, each one adding a sentence or two,

Vern prayed, “LORD we are looking for and (hoping for) the hastening of the coming of that great day as it says in 2 Peter 3:12a, but we also realize there are millions who have never heard the Good News of salvation. Please show us our part and help us do it.”

“Yes,” The first man added, “please help us go out and bring in as many of the lost ones as we can in the time we have left.”

The one who had read so many verses continued, “I agree. Enable us to do our part of witnessing about you, Jesus, like you told the disciples to do in John 15:27b.”

“Exactly,” Becky went on, “and continue to show us how each of us can obey what you said, Jesus, in Matthew 28:18b,19 and 20, … All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to observe all things I have commanded you. And I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. We thank you for that promise.”

“Positively,” Frank concurred, “we remember that we only have as long to work for you until you come again, Jesus. Thank you for the opportunities you bring our way on these RV ministry trips.”

The wife of the second man prayed, “Yes, and I thank you that some of our friends in Pine City sent us the idea to use traveling as a ministry also and for the unity we feel with these two couples.”

“Exactly,” the other wife tacked on, “it’s been so good to share scriptures and prayers with fellow believers this evening.

 

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Lora concluded, “Yes, Lord, this has been very good. Please send out many more people like you sent Paul as I paraphrase Acts 22:15, to be your witnesses to all men of what we have seen and heard about Jesus. And we ask that the Holy Spirit will draw many lost people into Jesus fold. We pray in agreement and in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.”

After the prayer circle they stood there talking and Vern remarked, We attend the Grace ‘n’ Faith Church #4 in Pine City, and that’s where we got the idea for using RV trips for ministry times.”

The first man stated, “This is amazing!” Then he asked if they knew a couple there, and gave their name. The Jones and Warner couples both knew them and were happy they all had a mutual friend in the church. Then they all said goodbye and God bless you since it was getting too chilly to stay outside any longer.

The next day the two couples went south of Moab and saw Wilson Arch as they were driving. It was on the other side of the highway. They would stop there on their way back toward Moab. Then there was another very special arch, not too far from there on the other side of the highway, but not visible from it. They drove on a dirt road to get closer to it, found a place to park and then walked all the way around the huge rock formation containing the arch.

Becky mentioned, “This book says it’s called Looking Glass Arch, and it must be because of it’s shape.”

“I agree,” and later Vern pointed, “look over there. There is another smaller arch on the other side of the alcove. But you can’t see it unless you stand close to this spot.”

“I see it,” said Lora, “and you can’t see it from the other side of this alcove either. I think arches are so interesting. There are so many different sizes and shapes and it’s fun to find extras close to the main one we were searching for in the area.”

Frank remarked, “This arch is the reason we decided to sell our motor home and get a four-wheel vehicle that could pull a small trailer. Then we could get closer to this arch and go find others away from the main highways and national parks.”

“I’m glad you did,” stated Vern, “and I’m especially glad you told us about it and taught me how to drive this kind of vehicle.”

After enjoying Looking Glass Arch they drove back north, stopping to get out and take many pictures of Wilson Arch. Then they drove to where the road to Cameo Cliffs takes off from Highway 191. They found a good place off that road to park their trailers in a dispersed camping site so they could camp there the coming night. By leaving the trailers there, they were able to drive the moderate trail that not very many people usually use. They found many places to park and get out to photograph the abundant scenery in the area.

Lora mentioned, “I like this area, because it has so many unusual formations. I also like the way the signs emphasize staying on the established road so the other areas don’t get ruined.”

“I agree,” Becky said, “and besides, this is not at all crowded like some places we’ve been.”

Frank went on, “Yes, and there are some small challenges along the road, like small ledges and some areas of sand and bumps, but overall its pretty good so far. Even the part along the cliff edges wasn’t very scary.”

“Definitely,” and then Vern remarked, “I'm glad there are so many good places to park beside the road and enjoy the views. I especially like to see the La Sal Mountains with so much of the winter snow still on them. Some places we even get pictures including the mountains and some of the red rock formations together in them.”

They continued on until they got to a place called Wilson Point where they got out and took many pictures of the back side of Wilson Arch, which was far below them from this view point. It would be fun to compare them with the ones they had taken from in front of that arch by the highway.

From there they went back the way they had come, until reaching the loop in the middle of the trail. They took the other side of the loop back to where it joined the main road and continued on to where they had left the trailers. They were glad to see that they had been joined by a few other campers, so they planned to have a meeting after supper. It went well.

The next day they drove on the highway and then on a short trail to the trailhead for Tukuhnikivista Arch and were rewarded with a view from the back of the arch framing the La Sal Mountain that has a similar name. The arch is freestanding and has a very unusual shape, with another very small opening in the rock mass to one side of it. They spent several hours at this arch and enjoyed looking at it while they ate the lunches they had carried with them.

Becky reflected, “This is an arch that I’m sure Mindy would have liked. I really miss her and her sweet ways.”

“Same here,” agreed Frank, “she’s so enthusiastic and observant, pointing out things I might miss otherwise.”

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“We miss her too,” Vern admitted, “Lora and I have had a very hard time adjusting to our empty nest, but we finally talked it through and prayed about it and the Lord has helped us accept the normal process of her growing up, getting married and moving away. And we’re thankful she and Ben are so happy.”

“Good for you both,” commended Becky, “and her wedding was sure nice. I was surprised at how many attendants they both had, and I was glad you explained why it was such a big wedding.”

“It was Mindy’s idea for him to make the speech,” explained Lora. “We all had fun planning the wedding, and even though it was very big, it was not expensive, since Mindy wore her birth mother’s wedding dress and we gave one of the flowering plants as a gift to each attendant’s family, so they served two purposes. We kept one for our house and they kept one for their four-season travel trailer where they are living at the Mercy Valley Ranch while Ben supervises and works on the houses they are adding to the ranch.”

Frank went on, “Good, and I liked the way all the attendants wore clothes they already had and could use again.”

“Yes,” agreed Becky, “all the colors and styles went well together and added to the happy ambiance.”

After hiking back down the trail, they took their trailers and found a place to dump and refill with fresh water. Then they looked for and found some dispersed camping sites north of Moab where they could stay for the rest of the week. They were glad there were other campers in the area so they could have meetings at their campsites in the evenings.

They liked to go to the Moab, Utah area to hunt for arches that weren’t in the national parks. They were able to find information about the location and directions for finding some of those arches, by looking in some books and on the web. Often they just used the GPS locations and played a game like geocaching except to find arches instead.

During the rest of this trip, every day they were able to find two or more arches they hadn’t seen before. Then they got back to each of their campsites in time for supper and a meeting. They used the songs they had chosen with an SD card in a boom box since Mindy wasn’t there to play her autoharp. They had some good meetings, and since many people only stayed a day or two in the area, they had new people visit while they were there. Several people came to the Lord, so there was much rejoicing. Vern and Lora enjoyed the trip and were thankful they had accepted the change in their lives.

After the farm and ranch graduation / going-away party, Pedro and Luis officially joined the army when they turned 19 years old. Then they moved to the army base and lived in the barracks. Many people on the farm besides their parents and family had told Pedro and Luis they were proud of them for their decision, but that they would really be missed. It was a good feeling for those two young men. The two of them came to visit as often as they could on weekends and also got to enjoy horseback rides once in a while. They both adapted well to army life and kept studying hard for Kosuke’s classes in the evenings.

Felix admitted, “Sunny, it’s hard for me to adapt to our older boys being gone.”

“Same here, Honey,” she agreed, “But soon we’ll have two who are fourteen years old to take their places.”

Jose asked, “Hugo would you like to do like Evan and Sam did when their big brothers left the farm?”

“Not really,” Hugo confessed. “I like having you as my roommate and this will be our last year here, but I know how much it helped their new foster brothers, so I guess we better do it.”

“My feelings exactly,” and then Jose suggested, “I can move into Luis and Pedro’s room and have a couple weeks to get settled there while you help our first new foster brother.”

“Good plan, Jose,” agreed Hugo. I can teach him his chores for here at home and sit with him on the bus and then help him get used to the new high school if he has to change schools when he comes here.”

Jose went on, “Very good, and I can follow with same plan with the second one.”

“Thank you, Jose and Hugo!” Felix exclaimed. “Your plans will help your mom and me in many ways!”

Sunny added, “Positively! We can can do this new thing if we all work together. And just think how much those new boys will need all the help they can get from all of us.”

“For sure!” Jose exclaimed. “It seems so long ago when I was 14, but I’ll try to be a good big brother to my new roommate.”

Their new foster brothers names were Harold and Ken and they did need a lot of help, since they had been abused and both of them had to change high schools when they moved to the ranch. Their new family helped them with understanding, patience, and prayer.

Ever since their children, Ben and Mindy, had gotten engaged last year, Vern and Lora had become good friends with Ernest and Connie Clay. Once in a while they would drop into The Garden Shop on a Saturday, look at the beautiful plants and flowers and then have a short visit if business was slow right then.

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One such day Vern complimented, “This shop is a valuable asset to Pine City. We like to come in here to see what’s in season. Then if we get to visit with you in your coffee shop / Library, it’s an extra bonus.

“I agree,” and Lora went on, “did you start this business from bare ground or what?”

Ernest replied, “Even before the bare ground, Connie and I were looking for a good piece of property in just the right location for a store like this.”

“When we saw this place on what was then the edge of Pine City, we bought it and used the money we had been saving toward building materials for the first small store.”

Ernest nodded, continuing, “Then with all our young newly married energy and what I had learned from my dad, we drew blueprints, got permits and built it ourselves. We’ve added onto it several times and we’re glad we bought a large enough piece of property that we could expand the size of the store and the planted grounds outside.”

“We’ve lived in Pine City all their lives,” Connie went on, “and your compliment today, Vern, is very much appreciated. We were silently hoping Ben would want to work here with us, but instead we encouraged him to follow his dream of being a building contractor.”

Vern stated, “From what we’ve seen of the two-story houses he and his crews are building on Mercy Valley Ranch, he has become a very good one!”

“Yes, we are very pleased with him also,” Ernest agreed. “We were also happy when Amelia decided to study business and joined us at the shop for the years before her marriage and even while she could bring little Mark with her to work.”

Connie tacked on, “When Ben moved to the ranch to work, we joined the empty nest group of people, in our home and in our shop. But I’ll have to admit that we do not like it very much.”

“Now that your Ben has married our Mindy,” confessed Lora, “we have an empty nest also, and we don’t like it either. So we started praying about becoming foster parents to a teenager.”

Vern explained, “We had almost decided to raise a foster boy who is just starting middle school. We didn’t think any girl could ever take Mindy’s place in our home! But we’d have to find an after school place for him to go until we can pick him up and bring him home.

“After much prayer,” continued Lora, “we realized it would not be very fair to a foster boy to have to go to an after school place or even come to the church school to do homework someplace or play alone on the playground when no classes had recesses. He would need a mom to be home when he got home from school each day, and a dad who would come later. When Mindy was in school, it worked so well for her to go help Fiona after every school day until we went and picked her up and bring her home.”

Connie declared, “I can see why. Mindy is a very special girl, and that’s why Ben was willing to wait for her to grow up enough that he could ask for permission to court her. We can see that they’re very happily married.

Vern and Lora smiled and nodded in appreciation.

Ernest observed, “Connie and I would have room for 4 foster kids in our home, but our jobs and hours at the Shop would work better with just one.”

“Definitely,” she concurred, “being foster parents would take care of the empty nest. I wonder about which one would be better for us, a boy or a girl.

Ernest suggested, “I think we would do better with just one preteen who could help with something in The Garden Shop and be there with us after school hours. Maybe a girl would be best.”

“I think so too,” Connie reasoned, “a girl wouldn’t be as apt to become bored and there are lots of things she could learn inside the shop.”

Ernest and Connie first talked to Ben and Mindy to see how they would feel about having a foster child in their home. Both of them thought it was a great idea.

Therefore, Ernest and Connie, decided to get the foster parent training and become foster parents for one foster child. Soon after they completed their training, Tanya who was eleven and in sixth grade, was assigned to Ernest and Connie.

Tanya moved into what had been Amelia’s bedroom and got to help decide how to redecorate it. For a few months she liked it just as it was, while she thought about ways she might like to change it. Ben’s room became a combination office and exercise room.

The family had a lot of adjusting and learning to do. But they worked through all the hard spots and did very well.

 

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