Tell Them God Is With Me

I have been going back over old posts I have written here in the past 6 years as I put together what I think would be worthwhile to be in book form.  Recently I re-read an article I wrote in 2013 about our grandson Grant.

Grant ended up taking an ambulance ride to ER after breaking the large bones in his forearm while at a wrestling meet.  He landed with his full weight on his arm, snapping both the large bones.  I cannot imagine the pain he felt or the fear he experienced when his arm hung over in a "U" shape.  At age 11 it must have been pretty traumatic.

While in the ambulance he told his dad to call us so we would know about his injury.  He wanted his dad to tell us "God is with me".  God is with me.  He was worried, even thinking he might die at one point, but he knew God was with him.  He was in an ambulance in terrible pain but he wanted us to know God was with him.  As you can imagine, we were pretty proud of him.  We also could not help but ponder what lessons Grant was teaching us and everyone around him.

God's timing is always perfect and re-reading this story felt like a warm blanket of God's love.  My medical journey continues with eye issues that I can only put into God's hands.  We are still waiting for the monthly injections to work.  I am still limiting my "sunlight" because the retina reacts so strongly bringing with it a light show.  Truthfully it has at times brought me to my knees.  I am an avid reader and writer and my vision is kinda important.  I expect we all feel the same way.  And the Vitamin D toxicity?  I'm slowly improving.

Our brother-in-law Lanny is going through chemo for lung cancer.  It has been more than a little challenging.  In just a few weeks he will begin radiation.  Tough season.  Our dear friend L. is just beginning a familiar journey of surgery, chemo, and radiation.  Another long time friend, B. has been given a terminal diagnosis.  There are more....too many more.  We pray and we remember, God walks with them all.

"The Lord your God goes before you and will be with you; 

He will never leave you nor forsake you,  

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Deuteronomy 31:8

The words our grandson, now 17, shared that day will always hold true.  No matter what we are going through, good bad, or ugly, GOD is with us.  We are never alone.  Absolutely never alone.  He  rides with us in an ambulance, stands by the surgery table, cries with us when we are experiencing deep sorrow, celebrates with us when we are filled with joy.

God is with us.

God Of Angel Armies

I was quietly meditating, asking Holy to guide my thoughts and show me anything I needed to see for Joel and myself.  I immediately saw us in Heaven, standing on the sidelines, watching a battle taking place.  To our right were slate colored horses with riders wearing slate armor, whose faces were obscured by armor.  Swords were drawn as the horse and riders thundered forward.  To my left were the angels on white stallions, they wore no armor but carried large silver swords.  As we watched the fighting taking place, I asked Holy Spirit if we were to join in.  He said yes and immediately Joel and I were pulled up on the back of horses behind the angels riding them.  I could actually hear the horses snorting, and the swords clashing as the fight continued on.  I could feel the horse underneath me, strong and muscular.  I felt safe with the angel in front of me.  I knew he was fighting from a place of victory.  I glanced at his face and saw he had longer blondish hair and a square jaw.  His face was set firm and his eyes were on those he was fighting with, the enemy.  This is where my vision ended.

I connected what I saw with what Ana Werner spoke of a week ago.  She sent out an email to her readers , sharing that Jesus had told her to "sound the alarm". Let everyone know that there is a battle going on against full healing for people and God's angels have joined the battle.  Our part in this battle was to "KEEP praising in the midst of the battle.  Keep praising because praise carries more power than we realize."

A couple of hours later I was on Facebook and saw that Dr. Brian Simmons had given a prophetic word from God.  "I have set My armies in place, they are battle ready and prepared to fight for you......Watch the miracles break forth as you step forward in faith.  I call you to march with My Heavenly armies and see great victories for you."

I love it when God connects the dots.  When I receive something three or more times I pay attention. I have been quite discouraged by this latest medical drama with Vitamin D toxicity.  As I struggle with symptoms that keep me close to the sofa, I am more than a little weary.  Yet, God.

I have a dear friend who has been dealing with a problem in her body that is causing great anxiety.  Our brother-in-law is dealing with chemo side effects as he journeys ahead.  A dear couple we have known for over 40 years is coming to grips with the doctor's words.....terminal.  Many of you are carrying your own burdens.  Life is at times so challenging.  Yet God.

God tells us we are never alone.  He fights for us.  He wraps His wings around us as a shelter.  The words I have received and what He has shown me let me know that He is very aware of what is going on and He is sending out His armies to fight.  In this situation I believe our job is to give God praise.  To step out in faith knowing He has this.  To praise Him and trust that He has it covered.  He hates sickness and suffering as much as we do.

If you find yourself in a battle.....or sitting exhausted on the sidelines.....remember that "The Lord with fight for you and you need only to be still."  Remember that praise is a mighty weapon of warfare.  Remember that God's Heavenly Armies rise against the enemy!  The God of Angel Armies Is Always On Our Side!

In The Heat and Humidity, Memories Surface

It was hot and muggy here in our corner of the world, and this kind of weather always takes me back to the two years we lived in The Philippine Islands.  Joel, a lieutenant in the Air Force was forecasting weather for pilots at Clark Air Base and because it was an "accompanying" tour, we moved there in July of 1974.

Barrio in P.I.

 I can remember clearly the intense humidity, heat, and smells that hit us when we got off the plane. It seemed difficult to get a full breath, the air was so heavy.  Eventually our bodies adjusted enough to tolerate it, but these upper midwesterners never did come to love the climate, like some.

We did grow to love the Filipino people we met, though.  As part of an unspoken government policy there, we hired local Filipinos to work for us while living there~  doing yard work, making our clothes or even living with families as full time maids.  Most rental houses off base had rooms for maids right off the kitchen.  We became very close to our first maid, Ampharo (Amphy).  She was such a feisty, tiny, little thing whom we grew to love.  When we were there Marcos was President and Marshall Law was in place.  You could not leave your home after 10 pm or risk being shot.  Our maid Amphy whispered his name, if she ever talked about him.......fear was that embedded in the people.  He, like their present day leader was not someone you wanted to cross.  For the most part, caution came more for those who roamed the jungle.  I recall being at the Baptist Servicemen's Club off base and talking with some missionaries who were there.  They had been driven out of the area where they were doing mission work by those who were then called, "guerrillas".  What today we probably call terrorists.  Their lives were at risk so they had left the jungle village they called home.  Sometimes we could hear gunfire at night from our home off base.  These guerrillas would often shoot at our planes as they took off from the base airport where Joel worked.  I don't know who the Filipino feared most......their leader or those who roamed the jungles.  As Dorothy told Toto....."We were not in Kansas anymore!"  (Or Minnesota)

Living in a third world country with deep poverty and political turmoil had a profound affect on our lives.  The war was winding down in Viet Nam and Clark had an active part in what took place.  It was a chaotic and unpredictable time.  Two of our neighbors were in undercover work off base.  and some of the stories we heard from them were scary, although we never had any trouble to speak of.  I do recall our oldest daughter saying to me one day recently, "You know it was not normal to go to preschool with bars and wire on the windows of the school bus!"  Sometimes I wonder what we were thinking to let them go anywhere!  But off they went, both Beth and Matt and have their own stories to tell about their preschool days off base.

Everyone hired 24/7 guards who walked around with rifles.  I am not so sure they were helpful, but we also lived with bars on all our windows in the house we rented.  The house had a cement fence surrounding it and a metal gate that locked at night so no one could steal your car.  There was more than once that our son Matt woke us to tell us people were outside the window speaking a language he did not understand.  He was 3 at the time.  Security lights, thick heavy metal bars, and heavy doors with bolts that went into the floor helped us stay safe.  We had no phone.  No cells around at that time and no land line for us off base.  When Joel worked nights I did not sleep so well, but otherwise I felt pretty safe at home.  I will say, if your car stalled along the way to Clark Air Base, it was better to stay with it and wait for another American to come by than to find help among the locals.  At the time, many of the young Filipino men did not like Americans.  It was just the way it was.

I will repeat, though, that we loved the Filipino people we were friends with, and also their help to acclimate to the culture.  We visited Amphy's family in the barrio a few times and went to the home of our "sew woman" during Good Friday rituals down in Angeles City.  We shopped in a local open market, and traveled on 3 crazy journeys to Mania while in the process of adopting.  More than once we drove narrow winding roads up to a military resort area in the mountains.   I truly think God had special angels that followed us around when I look back and remember all the things that did, or almost did happen.  Lots of interventions took place, keeping us all safe.

Our favorite painting from the P.I.

A father and son..........

And maybe that is the point of this rambling blog post of memories that surfaced in the heat and humidity of summer.  God was with us keeping us safe. We had amazing experiences ~ the good far outweighing any of the bad.  Our family grew by two, and friends we met there still hold a place in our hearts.  God walked with us continually, and we know without a doubt it was all part of His plan for us~~ living in the Philippines those two years.  Forty-three years later, we still speak of it.  Only God.

When God Called Us To Go West!

In 1976 Joel left the Air Force and began attending Luther Seminary in St. Paul MN.  We moved with our 4 kids and 2 cats near Como Park not too far from the seminary, living in a big, old house that we bought contract-for-deed.  After two years of study, Joel would be sent on an Internship, where he would be given a church to work in for his third year.  The pastor there would be his supervisor and mentor. After Internship he would return for his final year at the seminary.

 At that time there were not many second career seminary students, so there were only 3 locations available to a family of six for Internship.  One was a very small town up in Northern Minnesota, another was in my home town in southern MN and the third was located in Malta Montana.  We ruled out my hometown right away, as everything would be too easy....too familiar with family there.  The northern MN Internship did not feel right for us either, so we chose the Montana Internship, heading out West for a new adventure.  It was the best thing we ever did, but it almost did not happen.

Joel was dragging his feet about leaving the financial security of the home we owned.  I had no ties to the house that harbored a professionally estimated 250 bats in the attic.  I also strongly believed that if we were going to learn all we could from the Internship available to us, we needed to take this Internship and head West.
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 Joel had a list of logical reasons why we should stay, worrying about where we would live when we came back for his final year.  It took quite a bit of persuading by his cousin Luther and myself to get him looking at things differently.  It was when I challenged him about his reasons for staying put, that his fear lost the battle.  I reminded him of his calling, and that if he really wanted to be a minister and go to new places, he needed to trust God and GO.  I believed God was guiding this decision and selling our house and moving West was the right thing to do.  God moved in his heart too, he agreed, said yes to the Internship, and we sold our house, and headed West.

So that summer of 1978 found us driving through Minnesota and North Dakota and into the middle of Montana for one of the greatest adventures of our lives.  Because we did not let fear or worry get in the way,  and because we said YES to God's plan for our family, our lives were richly blessed with all He had in store for us.

Malta was a small town of about 2,000 in northwest central MT.  The Malta Lutheran Parish consisted of 4 churches in a 150 mile radius, with services also being conducted at a hot springs and at the small mining town of Zortman up in the Little Rockies.  Joel was assigned the two churches farthest north in Whitewater and Loring MT.  He/we would drive up north 75 miles into beautiful scenery with eagles and deer in abundance.  Often we would never see another car.  Whitewater was off the beaten track on gravel roads and people came from over 50 miles away to worship.  A skunk lived under the church, so at times the aroma was a bit overwhelming, and often church started "when people got there".  Loring was located right off a paved highway, a bit bigger, with a cafe and bar in town!  Once a month he served the churches of Malta and Dodsen.   He had a great mentor in Pastor Merv Olson who became, along with his family, long time friends.

We moved into what we affectionately called "The Internage" which was next door to the Parsonage.  It was an older house they had moved in from a ranch, and it had an add on kitchen.  When you walked from the dining room to the kitchen you went down about a foot on a slant.  There were not enough bedrooms so our oldest, Bethany, slept in the large hallway on a twin bed.  She liked that since she could read by the downstairs light at night when she was supposed to be sleeping.  There was a makeshift shower in the basement and a lime green claw foot tub in the upstairs bathroom.  A porch made for a nice place to sit on summer days when mosquitoes were in abundance outdoors. There was always a warm feeling in that house that held so many memories of the families that had lived there.

Joel was involved in every aspect of ministry; preaching, teaching, counseling, and more.  The only part of ministry Joel did not have any prior experience in was officiating at funerals, but early that fall tragedy struck with 8 funerals taking place in less than 3 weeks.  Three were murder victims from the northern churches Joel served.

Three men from California were trying to escape the crimes they committed there, and while driving through Loring to the Canadian border they went into the bar where they raped and murdered a woman, then killed her husband and another man who was in there at the time.  It was devastating to the town, and when they were caught the men were kept under 24/7 armed guards in Malta by many officers because there was some fear of vigilante justice.

One of the first weekends we were there the fair and rodeo was going on, so Joel went with Pastor Merv to help at their Sunday "church".  It was a bit chaotic with bull riding going on nearby ~ one rider being knocked unconscious, a cat chasing a rabbit, a small plain flying overhead,  and the train making itself known as it traveled through.  Joel was definitely not in the Midwest anymore!  He  rode horseback with a wagon train and preached at their Sunday service where a drunk cowboy came through on his horse.  He also participated in a round up while we were there, and as a family we helped new friends brand cattle.

Joel in the red hat

Our favorite Christmas service has been written about before...........Christmas Eve at Zortman in the Little Rockies where we climbed a hilly path up to the church.  A pot bellied stove was our only heat source on a bitterly cold night as we sang familiar hymns with lantern light reflecting off the walls.  Beautiful memory.

We learned so much there about serving a congregation.  We were the 19th Intern the Parish had welcomed into their community, they knew how to take care of their Interns.   It was one of the best experiences of our entire lives, and we are so grateful that God led us to this small town in Montana.  It is a reminder that when we listen to His voice, and heed His calling, amazing things happen!

And Joel's concern about a place for us to live during his final year?  We received a phone call a couple of months before going back to the seminary from a student who was going on his Internship and he wanted to know if we wanted to rent his house while he was gone.  He told us he would share the profits when they sold their home, for the year we were there.  Only God!

A Firm Grip

  We had been visiting Joel's folks at the farm.  I woke up and went downstairs to find his mom getting ready to cut our son Matt's hair.  I was not brave enough to say anything, but turned around and ran upstairs to get Joel.  He let his mom know she was not to cut our son's hair.  It was long, yes.....it was the 70's and Matt was sporting a thick mop of hair.  Lots of bangs!  We were very grateful for that hair just a few months later.

Joel, Beth, Matt, and myself were visiting friends in the Canadian bush that summer of 1973.  We had rented a tent camper and were spending a week at their Christian camp in the bush country.  It was a sunny day when we set out to explore, using canoes to paddle our way.  We stopped to eat our picnic lunch on a large rock area.  After eating, our son Matt, age 2, went to play by the water.  Suddenly he fell in and I ran as fast as I could to the water.  He had already disappeared, so I reached down into the water searching, and found his long hair.  I grabbed hold, pulling hard to get him to the surface.  I don't think I stopped shaking for the rest of the day.

Matt age 3

It seems that this lovely picnic sight, with the beautiful water and level rock surface was the top of what continued to be a cliff underneath where currents ran strong.  He was being pulled underneath into an area where we could not reach him when I grabbed him by that thick mop of hair.  How thankful we were that my wariness around water got me to Matt in record time....how grateful we were that Matt's thick blonde hair gave me something to grip when I wrestled with the current to bring him back to the surface and into my arms.  Only God.

A good analogy of how God cares for us, don't you think?  We believe we are in a good place and everything looks great, but there is danger hidden from us.....yet not from God.  He knows what is coming and He keeps His eye on us.  He has a "firm grip" on us as we read in the book of Isaiah.  Our Papa God, as a loving parent, watches over us, often rescuing us when necessary.

"Do not be afraid, neither be dismayed, 

for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9  

"I'll give you strength.  I'll help you.  

I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you."

Isaiah 41:10

Amphy

When we arrived at Clark Air Base, The Philippines in late July 1974, we had to stay in a hotel for a couple weeks while searching for a home off base.  It was an unwritten policy to hire staff to work for you, and we actually hired a maid before we even had a home. She came highly recommended to us and she was a delight.  Ampharo (Amphy) taught us quite a bit about the culture and what we needed to know to survive well in her world.  She was a live-in maid, and she did most of the work.  I would try to help but she was not comfortable with that. We worked it out with me telling her I would clean and take care of the master bedroom, and she could do the rest of the house.  True to her culture, she highly respected the man in the family.  If I answered a question she asked,  she would always look to Joel to make sure he agreed!  When he came home from work she would insist on getting him something cold to drink right away. She was a tiny thing with a big personality.  We not only relied on her greatly, but grew to love her very quickly.

After almost a year of living with us, Amphy told us she had been raped by her cousin Pepito when home on a visit.  We were absolutely stunned. She went on to say she would "have to marry him now" and that she was expecting a baby.  Some may have wondered if she had just been "fooling around" and got into trouble, but in the coming days there was no doubt that she was indeed telling the truth.  She asked us to go with her when she told her parents so we agreed to do so.

Little did we know her reasoning behind such a request.  We drove her out to the barrio where her parents lived and Pepito met us there. The stick built two room house was up on stilts with the animals tethered underneath.  Her father and mother came into the room and we were introduced.  The rest of the conversation was in Tagalog so we did not understand what was going on, but we could certainly sense the tension in the air and see the tears flowing.

When we were leaving, Amphy's father came up to Joel and shook his hand.  He spoke to him in Tagalog and Amphy translated.  He had said, "Thank you for coming here today with my daughter. What has happened is a terrible thing, and if you were not here I would have killed Pepito for what he has done."   Well, then.  Now we understood why Amphy had wanted us there.

Beautiful Amphy with little Maria Louisa

We felt blessed to pay for her wedding and she chose to be married in a blue dress which we had made.  It was not a happy occasion with Amphy in tears and never smiling once.  Her family responded the same way.  Pepito was in love with Ampharo and wanted to marry her.  He had forced himself on her knowing that this is what would happen...she would have to marry him to save face in her family.  We were so sad for them all.  She continued to work for us until it was close to the time her baby would be born.  We were able to visit her after little Maria Louisa arrived and attended her baptism a few weeks later, paying the church "fee" for her to be baptized in the front of the church.  Then we went as a family and celebrated at her parents barrio home.   Our oldest daughter Bethany, then age 6, was one of her godmothers.  One side note was the the story that came from our dinner that day.  They had butchered a pig for this special occasion and the head of that pig was sitting on the table with garnishes around it.  As both Beth and Matt walked by to pick up food, Matt leaned over to Beth and said, "Did you see that?  The pig's eyes stared right at me, and his mouth and teeth chomped up and down as we passed."  I think our Matt had a vivid imagination!

We had a small cement house built for Pepito and Amphy at little cost, and we stayed in touch for several years before our letters came back "returned to sender".  We have often wondered what happened to them and pray they are doing well.  We are so grateful for having known Amphy and have her be a part of our "adventures in faithful living."  We were blessed by having her in our lives.

The River Reference

God has been highlighting Ezekiel 47 to Joel and me the past week.  In this chapter the prophet Ezekiel is shown by an angel the water flowing from God's Temple.  The angel first shows Ezekiel where it is coming from, and then he measures it..... first ankle deep, then knee deep, then chest deep, and then over his head.  On either side of this river 12 fruit trees are growing and they produce new fruit every month of the year because they are watered by the Temple river.  The leaves on these trees are used for medicine. It is a very interesting prophetic vision given to the prophet Ezekiel for Israel.

 God's references to a river first started on September 19th, a few days before our river flooded here in town. While meditating  I saw Joel by a river, fishing on the side of the bank.  He then put his pole down and took off his boots and socks, rolled up his pants and got into the river.  He waded around for a while and then immersed himself in the river.  While in the water Joel noticed a small waterfall where a fresh stream was flowing into the river.  He climbed out and started walking up the hill to find its source.  He came up to a huge boulder flecked with gold that was at least a 60 feet high. The water reflected off the dark colored rocks as it trickled down, forming a stream and then ending up in the river.  I then saw God's hands come out from the rock and He laid them on Joel's head.  As He did so I noticed that Joel's hair was dark black, like when he was young.  I heard "I have anointed you to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead."  Joel then turned around and he could see his life from this starting place and as it went down to the river.  On either side he could see things that he had been protected from, and as his life journey progressed the path got wider and wider.  At the end the path split looking like arms raised in praise to God.  I then heard the prayer of Jabez..."Oh Lord, that you would bless me indeed.  Enlarge my territory.  Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." (And God granted him his request.)   

What God showed me that morning led me to read Ezekiel 47 again.and then another devotional we read mentioned the river of God.  I remembered something similar in Heidi Baker's book, "Birthing the Miraculous" so Joel and I went back and read the chapter "Deeper Still", based on Ezekiel 47. We prayed that God would keep revealing to us what He wanted us to know about this river, because when we get the same message more than 2-3 times we know we are to pay attention.

Later that same day I went to Bethel Church's site and noticed that they were premiering the movie "Holy Spirit Reborn", so Joel and I decided to watch it.  I mentioned it in a previous post.  About half way through an evangelist from a South African villages spoke about how God came to him as a boy and led him to become a Christian.  He spent his time bringing Jesus and His healing power to the villages.  He talked about how Holy Spirit came into his life, sharing that Holy Spirit is like a flowing river.  He went on to that that when we are in a river we cannot control where it takes us, the current does that....and it is the same with Holy Spirit.  He takes us with Him and we are not in control, but we can trust Him with the journey.  He ended by saying "God is our Father and Creator, Jesus is our Savior, and Holy Spirit has been placed here in us and on earth now to empower and love us.   He wants us to surrender and let Him work through us in others."   Powerful.

So we know when we are just wading in a river ankle deep we can be in control of what is going on. When we are in knee deep we still have that control.  Waist deep as and it gets harder to go where we want to go.  Then when the water is up to our necks, we are not in control of where the river current takes us.  It is also the same with Holy Spirit.  When God asks us to surrender to Him and His plans for our lives, do we just wade in that, or do we immerse ourselves, trusting God to take us where He desires us to go.....trusting Holy Spirit as He blesses us.  Loving us, empowering us with that river of Living Water to be used by God for His plan and purpose.

I am sure God is not through teaching us about all the river references He has sent our way.  We keep asking for Him to reveal all He wants us to learn, difficult as it may be.

Pastor Seth Dahl says that Holy Spirit is never shown to be a depersonalized force.  He is God.  He wants an intimate relationship with us. He is not an "it".  He is Holy.  Part of the Trinity.  Not a wind.....but God's breath, living, powerful, and personal.  When Jesus left this earth he told the disciples that God was sending them someone to help them do even more than He had done.  Come Holy Spirit, come.

A Voice Heeded

1970 Gold Nova

We spent close to two years in The Philippine Islands where Joel was stationed at Clark Air Base as a meteorologist.  When it was getting close to the time when we would leave, we decided to sell our 1970 gold Nova that had been shipped over when we left the states.  Except for the Americans, cars were few and far between in the country, and being it was only 6 years old, so we could get a good price for it.  We prayed for God to send us the right buyer and protect us in the process.

 After posting a for sale sign, Joel heard from two Filipino men who wanted to test drive the car and check it out.  He picked them up, one climbed in up front and one got in the back seat behind him.  As Joel was driving around Angeles City, they kept giving directions to him on where to drive.  As he was waiting to turn down a sparsely populated road they had directed him to, he heard a voice in his head say firmly, "Do NOT turn here."  He hesitated and he heard it again.  "Do NOT turn here."  Realizing quickly that he was not safe, he did as the Voice directed and drove straight ahead, pulled over in a busy area and jumped out of the car.  As he did so, one of the men reached over and snatched Joel's small calculator that had been on the seat.  Joel stayed a distance from the men and told them to get out of the car and leave the calculator behind. They did so and Joel got back in, locked the doors, and drove home.

Two days later he heard about a military man who was showing his car to two men who wanted to buy it.  They directed him to a remote area and robbed him, stabbed him and left him for dead, stealing his vehicle.  He was hospitalized and did recover.

As you can imagine, we were very thankful that God had kept Joel safe, speaking clearly to him at that moment in time, and most likely saving him from the same fate as the other officer.  We eventually did sell our car, being careful to have someone go along with Joel and stay in populated areas for the test drives!

Sometimes we hear God speak to us through His written Word, through the words of others, through devotionals, or our own thoughts.  There is the rare occasion we hear the audible voice of God. The point being made here is that I believe God is always speaking to us.  Through nature, through friends, strangers, books, the Bible, in our hearts and dreams and sometimes as a voice that comes out of no where while we are driving a car.  Today, Lord, let me listen for your voice!  Joel heard a voice....whether it was the voice of an angel or of God, he heard a voice and he heeded that voice.  In doing so it kept him from harm that day and for that we are so grateful.

A Friend Indeed

Lana and I at their cabin, 2014

As the time for my 50 year high school reunion nears, I have been thinking a great deal about my years in what I call my home town.  I moved so often as a child, but spent 8 years there....the longest I lived anywhere until our last move to Iowa.  It is a mixed bag of memories.....good, bad, and ugly.....Mostly good memories, but a couple of tough years before moving in with my older sister and her family.

During those tough times, a dear friend and her mother took me under their wings.  Dear sweet Lana used to bring me home for lunch, as we went to grade school together.  Lana and her mom loved on me with kindness, and I would stay there once in awhile too.  I am sure they noticed my clothes were not always clean, nor did they fit properly.  In fifth grade I skipped school more than I want to admit, and did not always have lunch money when I did go.  Although they never said anything to me, they knew things were tough at home and they alone reached out to me during those two years. We have been friends ever since. We don't often see each other, but when I think about that time in my life and the past 57 years of friendship, it warms my heart.  God placed her and her mom in my life and I am forever grateful that they responded to God with a yes.

Lana also played an important role in me accepting Jesus into my heart.  I can see Lana and myself sitting together in a large recliner at a friend's home.  She was talking about Jesus to me.  Somewhere in the conversation she asked me if I wanted to accept Jesus as my Savior and I said yes.  We prayed together and so began my journey in earnest of walking with God.  It still is amazing to me that such a young girl would be bold enough to share the gospel and ask me the most important question of my life.  Only God.

I am sure over the years there have been many other people that Lana has reached out to and still does.  She has lived a life of faith, often going through her own tough times.  Very difficult times, in fact, where her faith sustained her and she was an example for the rest of us to follow.

Do you have people in your life who have been a pivotal part of your journey? Someone who has a heart for God and a heart for others?  Today I honor my friend Lana, and give thanks to God for her faith, her friendship, and her big heart.  She is the definition of friend, a friend indeed!