Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the Light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.
John 8:12 nlt
You’ve seen the way the many facets of a beautifully cut diamond reflect light, right? A ray of light, piercing through the hardest stone, the prisms dispersing the light into numerous paths, revealing colors of the rainbow, illuminating all around it. That’s how our God “sparkled and shone” this past week. He was that Brilliant Light. There were so many different ways, so many different “angles” where we witnessed His Light, shining on His people, around His people, and through His people. Please allow me to share with you the ways that we saw the Light and Love of our Great Savior as we took another team on a crusade of compassion to minister to flood victims in Baton Rouge. There is a lot to share….so settle in with a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate…Fall is here, y’all!!! As you read through the testimony, see how many “rays of His light” you can find! I’d love to hear from you about the ways you see His work and how it speaks to you.
Several weeks before we were to travel, a group of friends in New Caney, TX, met for breakfast. As we were leaving the restaurant, one of the ladies noticed some large bags for sale in the store. She knew that teams were traveling to Baton Rouge, so she purchased all of the bags that were remaining and gave them to us as a donation to our Compassion Crusade project. There were a total of 16 bags. I took them and put them in the office for safe-keeping.
Once Lori returned to Texas, we began planning how we could minister to our friends at Zoar Baptist Church, where 80% of the congregation was affected by the flood. We decided to help a women’s Bible study class, where our friend, Tammy McAnally teaches. We asked her to provide a list of the members in her class that were flooded. There were 16 names on that list! About half of their class. It was then that we knew what the bags were for….16 bags, 16 flood victims…not too hard to figure that one out! We planned a meal for the entire class on Thursday evening, a time of fellowship and sharing together, and to visit each flood victim individually to pray with them and encourage them.
In further conversations we kicked around ideas of how to use the bags, what to put in them that would bring cheer and minister to the ladies who would receive them. We decided on a Christmas theme, since we knew most would have lost holiday décor in the flood. We dubbed it “Christmas in October” (shout out to all you Salado peeps!). Let me tell you…God prepared each item that was in those Christmas gift bags! As we visited each lady and handed her the bag, she would carefully go through and arrive at that very special item that God had picked out just for her! I don’t want that to be lost on you. We were amazed as we witnessed the very specific and individual ways that God lavished His love on these precious women, His daughters. Each one identified at least one item that she received as being so special to her. Some had lost their Bibles in the flood….they received a Bible. Some had made a list of things to buy and were planning on purchasing the items, only to find that they were part of the contents of their Christmas gift bag. Some hold Christmas as their favorite time of year, so the gift of Christmas early this year brought them joy. Others found joy in a nativity, a small tree or other items that would be used to put a bright spot in their living spaces….travel trailers, gutted homes, businesses. One lady was going to prepare her hot chocolate and enjoy it on the cool night ahead, sitting by a bonfire. And one was overjoyed and related how she anticipated giving her Bible to someone who never owned one. God demonstrated His great compassion and love in very specific and intimate ways, and it was a blessing to watch Him work.
We teamed up with another friend in the ladies’ class, Jean Wilson (who you heard from earlier in the videos about the flood), to visit members of the class. Jean was one of the 16 women on that class list who flooded, and she received her Christmas bag with much excitement. Jean is so full of the compassion of Christ, that she wanted to minister to her fellow classmates. She graciously coordinated visits, walked with us and prayed with us, guiding us around the city and neighborhoods. Watching her work and identify the needs of people, then minister to them was a joy and blessing for us to watch. We were so grateful for the opportunity to walk with this Godly woman. We knew that our steps had been pre-ordained when we stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up some grocery items for the Thursday night meal. We met one of the class members in the parking lot as she was preparing to leave on a trip out of town. Talk about timing! We would have missed her, had God not put her in our path that afternoon. We were able to share the Christmas goodies with her and pray with her there. We walked into that store full of joy, knowing that God was going before us.
About two days before we were to leave, it looked as if it would just be Lori and I making the journey on I-10. But thanks be to God, He brought another friend to join us! Katie sacrificed her time, and we are so thankful. There were sweet times of fellowship and sharing between us, and it was evident that this was God’s perfect plan and His perfect selection of who was to be a part of this team. I have seen Him do that with each team we have taken to Mali, so why would it be any different Stateside?! When I was in the kitchen Thursday night, I realized there was no way we could have prepared the meal and served it without Katie and Jean there to help. Oh, and Katie….she was the one who had purchased the 16 bags weeks earlier! Thank You, Lord, for the ways You bring people alongside us to walk this journey!
Another way that God loved on these women was during the Thursday evening dinner, as Lori led them in a time of sharing and celebrating the “good things”. They came together in their familiar community, where they were encouraged and fed. Many of the women shared how they had seen God’s goodness in providing for them as they work on making their houses livable again. Structural beams put in place, sheetrock delivered, a matching microwave….some simple, some big, but all God provided! With Psalm 18 as our reference, we walked through the questions of how we see God in our struggles, how He hears us and responds to us, how He empowers us in these times. The women were encouraged to write their own Psalm to God. This time together was so powerful, healing, encouraging and restoring. Only God can do that!
There was so much more! Times of intimate, personal sharing. Times of prayer for those whose struggles eclipse the flood. Thank you for the opportunity to share just a few of the ways that we witnessed God in His Brilliant Light! May He shine all around you and through you as continue on your walk with Him!
Please continue to pray for the flood victims. The majority of disaster relief teams have moved on, so now the people of Baton Rouge are left to continue putting their homes and lives back together. They will need your prayers for many months to come. Thank you for joining us in remembering them.
bowed down,
Kim