Camping sur Mer, Carleton-sur-Mer, Quebec, Canada
The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. ~ Proverbs 12:15
One misty, moisty morning, when cloudy was the weather . . .
And it stayed that way all day long. We stayed in. I propped up my foot. Blaine did research.
Or at least is supposed to be there . . .
Here’s another excerpt from my God Moments Journal:
In 1996, I was growing weary of Blaine saying we didn’t have money for stuff. So unbeknownst to him, I started looking at the want ads after he went to bed. One night, I found one asking for a part-time receptionist. As I read it, a revelation! “I know that guy!” It was Ron Southerland, veterinarian by trade and song-leader at our home church, Springfield Baptist. I had no idea he was looking for someone. And he had no idea I was looking for work. I left the article circled for Blaine to see in the morning. He agreed I should check it out and we talked about hours, etc. I wrote up a resume – such as it was – and drove it over to his office, leaving it with the girl at the front desk. Later that day, I was asked to come in for an interview. We discussed the normally good advice that friends and family shouldn’t work for each other, and I made it clear that if it didn’t workout between us, he should never be afraid to let me go. I was there 10 years, until the day he closed up in November, 2006.
I met a lot of people during that time. Spiritually, I grew even more. It’s incredible how we sometimes don’t realize what spiritual babies we are until God begins to cause growth. (or is it growing pains??) So let’s see. Where to begin?
When I first started, Sonia and Bethany were there. We worked together for quite a few of those 10 years. A couple of years into working together, they confessed that they didn’t like me working there at first. They thought I was some kind of spy or something, but that I proved myself to be a good worker and was trust-worthy. (Like I didn’t know they didn’t like me. It was pretty obvious! But, I never let on.) I knew I was doing my job and doing it well and eventually, I won them over. It began the first time they needed me for information. Ron’s wife Janet, was having problems with her second pregnancy. They wanted to know what was going on – if she was OK. I had access to information, and ways of getting information, that they didn’t. So there ya go. Proving once again, it’s not what you know, but who you know! 😊
I spent most of my years working there never speaking to anyone about salvation. Of course, they knew I went to church. Bethany was a devout Jehovah’s Witness and spoke of her beliefs often. But, usually I didn’t say anything. I never had before, and quite frankly, I didn’t know how. I couldn’t see how I could possibly make a difference in anyone’s life without a “dramatic” conversion experience. In addition, it was ingrained in me that you kept your spiritual life between you and God. Period. You could talk about your church and what was going on there, but never about heart issues. I knew from my time of attending Springfield Baptist that this was not true, but I didn’t know how or when to speak up. So day after day, I continued being part of people’s lives and being too afraid to care enough to try to save them. I often felt led to talk to Sonia. But I never did. Then she quit and I had such remorse! Eventually, I sent her a copy of my testimony I gave at church following my dog-bite (we’ll get to that incredible story later!) and a letter telling her how sorry I was that I never talked with her about spiritual things. I never got a response from her. I prayed for her almost daily, though. That God wouldn’t allow my pride and fear to stand in the way of her salvation. Then, she came back to work for a short time, and believe it or not, I blew it again!! Never said a single word to her!
But then one day, out of the blue, I got a phone call from her. She said she had some questions and that I was the person she thought could answer them. She had been told by someone that since she had consulted a psychic that she was condemned to hell. And she was terrified! Sonia had never been to church. Knew absolutely nothing about The Bible (including its name!), or Jesus, or the Holy Spirit or things of the church. She knew very little about God. But she did believe there was a heaven and hell. Anyway, I told her that whoever told her that was wrong. I explained why and then I sent her a list of verses, which I wrote out for her. I don’t remember how much later it was, but she called again and wanted to talk some more. I had no idea where to begin! I prayed for wisdom. I asked others to pray for wisdom. This “talk” was only going to come from God. Period. I started by asking her to talk about what she knew or believed about basic things, because that would at least give us a starting point. Then I had her read the books of John and James. I went in search of a “beginners” bible study we could do together. It was shortly into that study she devoted her life to Christ! And God was gracious enough to allow me to be there! To be an aide in her salvation! To reap the harvest! I will be forever grateful for His compassion and forgiveness to me! You may be wondering how I know her conversion was genuine? The week following, one of the questions in our study was a sort of “how do you know”. She began to tell me specific things about how she had changed – – and she named every one of the fruits of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23! Remember, Sonia hadn’t been to church. She knew absolutely nothing. And yet, she can see changes in her life that directly correlate to the fruit of the Spirit?!?!? I had goosebumps on top of goosebumps! She could see my reaction and was confused by it. The “What?!?” question was barely past her lips when I began to explain the significance of what she had just told me! Praise God again for allowing me to witness that! It was beyond exciting!