“And who knows
but that you have come to your royal position
for such a time as this?”
~ Esther 4:14 ~
Sherman Cutrer‘s surgery went well. He is in ICU now. Physical therapy awaits him as part of the next step to complete recovery. Keep Sherman and his family in your prayers.
Henry McKenzie is home and doing well following out-patient surgery. Please continue to remember him in your prayers.
Mr. Bobby Simpson celebrated his 83rd birthday yesterday with the arrival of a new great, granddaughter, Murphy Evans. I’m sure that made the day especially nice for everyone.
Disaster Relief by Baptists is amazing. They are sending truck and trailer loads of supplies which are passed on to areas that are most in need of them. Teams of workers have been on the job sites with some locals. Four of the men David worked with yesterday were from Tupelo, Mississippi and all David’s age or older. They drove a day, will work three days, and then drive a day to return home. Hard workers! Fine Christian men who are sleeping on cots in a Sunday School classroom right now so they can be available to get busy early in the morning. They represent only one of many teams that have arrived or will soon be arriving to help Louisiana.
Local people helping are sometimes those you would expect, but often those you would never dream of helping. They are there doing a part. It is such a blessing to learn who is helping and how they are helping. For every person tearing our floors and cutting and hauling out sheetrock, there are people transporting supplies, serving in kitchens, helping people complete applications, serving as chaplains, etc. I have seen the fruits of good, Godly leadership. My heart has been touched by the way people have responded.
People who have had their homes destroyed are learning how to say “Less is better” and “God is good”! Women are doing work you often think of as men’s work, but have stepped in to work with the men to help as many people as they possibly can as quickly as can be done. I love seeing your love in action.
Others, who are still working regular jobs, find ways to add in disaster relief and Christian love to their daily schedules. Some have traveled the roads lately collecting and delivering items needed immediately. Others have cooked and given away food, sometimes a plateful at a time and sometimes in huge quantities. There is a way for everyone to help!
People who are being helped have such of sense of love coming from church members, friends, neighbors, and total strangers. Lives on both sides, victims and helpers, have been changed this week. Changed forever!
To God by the glory!
Thom S. Rainer – http://thomrainer.com/
Waylon Bailey – http://waylonbailey.com/
Baptist Press – bpnews.net
Louisiana Baptist Message – baptistmessage.com
Scripture Writing – John 8:19-20
Devotional, Scripture, and a Song
Operation Christmas Child
The flooding at church has created a lot of work for us, but it also has brought attention to the space being used for storage and organization. It has been lot, hot, wet, and messy, BUT it is so much better now. It’s easy to recognize the good that has come about because of the flooding.
Items are being counted, grouped, and organized for preparation for our packing party. If you want to take care of a need, just ask me what is needed. If you want to help me work, just let me know when you are available. If you don’t shop much, let one of us do the shopping for you! The point is, this is a group effort.
Yesterday, I had three projects related to OCC ready yesterday morning. The ladies who came to Bible study chose to complete the projects before we had Bible study. They worked quickly and efficiently. When we finished, they helped me transport and store the items until needed in two months. What a sweet blessing the ladies are to me. They quietly work to serve God in so many ways!
The August “Young” Ladies’ Birthday Party will be be on the 23rd. I hope you are planning to come honor some of our ladies. Meet at The Cafe in Kentwood at 11:00 A.M.
The Children in Action and Mission Friends are learning about missions and missionaries. We’ve started to send a birthday card to a MK, missionary kid, every month. If you have children in the family from the age of three through the fifth grade, please be sure they get to participate. Our offering last month purchased highlighters for OCC. Our mission activity was preparing some items, bars of soap, pencils, and glue sticks, for our packing party by removing the packaging, counting, and bagging them. They were tremendous helpers and enjoyed hearing about Operation Christmas Child as we worked. We meet on Wednesdays from 6-7 P.M.
In addition to helping her class purchase some items, one lady is going to pack additional boxes with her grandchildren. If you wish to do that, please let me know. I will supply you with boxes, instructions, and labels. You can teach your children, grandchildren, nieces, neighbors so much as you shop and pack.
Our packing party will be Saturday, October 29th at 6 P.M. Please plan to be there with a Christmas treat to share as we party and pack. We will have a sweet prayer time for the boxes.
One more thing I would love for you to do is to write a note or draw a picture to place in a shoebox. You can do as many as you like. Be sure to include your name and address. One day you may be surprised to get a letter in return. I think I many even include a stamped, self-addressed envelope in some boxes. If you choose to do that, it would be wise to put three stamps on each envelope. It costs more to mail internationally. Think how exciting it will be to hear from some of the children who receive shoeboxes from us. It’s okay to send your picture too!
So much to thank God for! So many opportunities to help others! So many ways to reach out to children at Christmas! So many….
Anna Lee
The Prayer Link 
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