Good Morning. Let’s make today a great day/week for others. That means we might have to be purposeful to plan to do just that and not just expect it to happen.

Read the Bible Every Day

November 25
Ezekiel 28:1-30:8
Psalm 131:1-132:5
Proverbs 28:15-18
I Peter 1:22-2:17

OCC – Last Day for Drop-Off Locations

This morning, all drop off locations will be available for the final time in 2024. We will be available from 8:00-10:00 at FBC, Kentwood. Then, our last donations will be taken to Hammond, our collection center. When all of today’s boxes are taken to the collection centers, they are loaded on 18-wheelers for a ride to Dallas to one of eight processing centers. There, the boxes will have liquids and other non-shippables removed and boxes taped closed. The next step is to travel by boats, airplanes, trucks, cars, carts, hoseback, camelback, and or human backs, etc, to the next destination which has already been determined.

Each site knows when their boxes are to arrive and how many they will receive. A party has been planned and specific children have been invited. That determines which boxes go to which locations.

The children sing, listen to Bible stories, have light refreshments, etc. THEN, THEY ARE ALL GIVEN A BOX TO HOLD UNTIL EVERYONE GETS A BOX.

All the boxes are opened at the same time. Bibles and booklets in the local language are also distributed. The older children are invited to return for a series of Bible stories/lessons similar to Sunday School or VBS. That’s where a trained worker shares lessons about Jesus!

Each shoebox will impact an average of eight people! That means if you ship 100 shoeboxes, eight hundred people will hear about Jesus, have an opportunity to be saved, and then learn about having Jesus live in their hearts on a daily basis, just like in our lives.

That last paragraph is why shoeboxes are so important to me! The items we put in the shoeboxes are good, but having Jesus in their hearts is the greatest!

Prayer Focus

Let’s pray for the shoeboxes as they leave our area and make the journey to the children.

Announcement

FBC, Kentwood will not have church Wednesday night so families can be together. I do not know of scheduling plans for other churches. Be sure to check with your church about mid-week services.

OBITUARY

Willis Wendell Cox

September 16, 1940 – November 24, 2024

Willis Wendall Cox, 84, of Amite, passed from this life peacefully surrounded by his family, at St. Tammany Parish Hospital on November 24, 2024. Known as “Billy” to many. He was a man who believed in having a hard work ethic, integrity. He had a profound love and devotion to his family and faith. His loyalty to the LSU Tigers was unmatched. As such, he spent his final hours listening to his beloved Tigers claim a final victory for him. He was born September 16, 1940. Mr. Cox worked his entire life driving barges down the mighty Mississippi serving as deckhand, pilot, and ultimately captain before his retirement in 2001. Following his retirement, he traveled across the country in his motorcoach alongside his loving wife, Nelda. He visited many beautiful places but none so cherished as his lifelong residence. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Nelda Faye Grace Cox; two sisters, Joann Cox and Mary Joyce McAdams; daughter, Tonya Ainsworth Currier; Son and daughter-in-law, Edward Dwayne Ainsworth and Darlene; Son and daughter-in-law James Scott Ainsworth, and Peggy. Known as Pappy and Paw Paw, he is also survived by his 6 grandchildren Melissa Brooke Simon (Jeremiah), James “Scoot” Scott Ainsworth, Jr., Willis Edward Ainsworth (Tricia), Jessica Ainsworth Bennett (David), Charley Katherine Currier DeBlanc (Chris), and Samuel Trey Currier; 12 great grandchildren, Hunter and Beaux Simon; Camden and Sawyer Ainsworth; Jordan, Jaclyn, and Jarrod Ainsworth; Savannah, Mackenzie, and David Bennett; Judah and Gianna DeBlanc. He was preceded in death by his father, Willis Louis Cox; mother, Ozzie Walker Cox; and one brother, Truett Paul Cox; and brother-in-law, Ernest L. McAdams, Jr.; 2 great grandchildren Joliet and Kade Ainsworth. Friends will be received at McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, from 9:00AM until religious services at 11:00AM on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. Interment will follow at Friendship Baptist Church Cemetery, Amite, Louisiana. The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the dedicated staff at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and St. Tammany Parish Hospital Hospice Team of Covington for their professionalism, support, and compassionate care provided to Willis and extended to his family during his final days.

At this time, there is no obituary for Brandon Hammons.

Have a great Thanksgiving week!

Anna Lee