...come meet Michael and Dillon, from Moore, Oklahoma

Michael (left) and Dillon (right) came to Joplin from Moore, Oklahoma.  Dillon came first with his youth group.  But after returning home he and a friend planned another trip out.  They told Michael that they were returning to Joplin and he wanted to come too.

Last night I introduced myself to Michael and Dillon as they sat at a table in The Core Cafeteria.  Our youth praise team practice is on Tuesday nights back in The Core and so while they were checking mic's and tuning instruments, I had a little bit of down time.

My camera battery is dead so I took this snapshot with my busted up cell phone.  Won't win any awards for amazing photography, but it lets you see with your eyes two young men who have servants hearts.

I didn't get to talk to Dillon much, not because he wasn't willing, but because I ran out of time.  I did however get to know Michael a little bit and our discussion blessed me tremendously.

Michael doesn't belong to a church.  In fact, from chatting with him I gathered the following:

1. He has a sincere heart that desires to serve and help people.

2. He is very intelligent.

3. He used to just believe in a higher power, but now he believes in God.

4. He said he would like to believe that Jesus was the son of God.

5. He was unsure about the Bible.

6. He was weary of Christians.

I got only a few moments to chat with him about this...and I treasure them.  Church, if you are reading this, the field is within our church walls.  We have a rare opportunity to bless and be blessed, to love and make new friends.  These people that are coming from all over the country, it may be their only chance in their busy lives to spend a few days helping.  We see them day in and day out, a mirage of faces, a sea of people.  Try and not get USED to them...See each one for what they are....a brother or sister in the Lord, or an opportunity to share the love of Christ.

A smile and "hello" can go a long way.


Heavenly Father, I praise you and I thank you so much that we are presented with such an opportunity as this.  Continue to supply all the needs to keep this operation up and running while we take care of all these travelers. Give us servants hearts and an attitude that is pleasing to you.  I pray that you will help us to be bold in sharing you with the people that we meet.  I pray for open hearts that are ready to receive your precious gift of salvation.  Salvation from the law, salvation from death, and that they will get to have the most amazing thing of all: a relationship with the creator of heaven and earth.  You are joy and peace and everything good.  We PRAISE your HOLY name! AMEN

~Ronda

It's a baby!

Sunday Crystal, our children's program director, called me and let me know that Misty, who was scheduled to be teaching in "The Rock", our children's department, was having contractions.  She was very pregnant...she is no longer pregnant.  YAY!  Welcome Rhaelyn Nicole!  Congratulations to Travis, Misty, and their family for their new addition.  Can't wait to see that little pumpkin!

So, because Misty was taking care of business, I got the privilege of hanging out with the kids.  And let me tell you, they love getting their picture taken.

We goofed around at first and then we got into God's word.  Then we played "Quack, quack, ribbet"  my favorite!!

We have an awesome group of kiddos.

Lord, thank you so much for each one of these little squirrels.  I pray that this week you will minister to their little hearts and allow them to be witnesses for you.  Children can be so bold.  I pray that they will get opportunities.  Thank you for our children.  Thank you for our facility so that we can teach, play, and grow!

We love you! Have a blessed week!

Ronda

...come meet our new friends from Huntington Beach, California

Love this group from Huntington Beach, CA. I took them to the airport today...They came to Joplin for several days. Love meetin everyone.


~Mary


I saw them at Church on Sunday and I wanted to come and track em' down and get their story.  But I got snagged and detained after church for a music meeting.  Mary, you will have to tell us more about them!


So grateful that people would sacrifice vacation time and come visit Joplin.  It is HOT exclamation point and multiplied to the 10th power right now... So grateful for all the hard workers.  We feel so blessed!  Thank you!


If you have it in your heart to help us as we feed all these helpers, we will put your offerings to GOOD use!  You can check out the tab at the top if you feel so led.  LOVE YA!


~Ronda

...come meet Bethel Community Church from Oklahoma

This group was set up in the hall at church studying Gods word.  They then began to give praise reports and talk about their reaction to seeing Joplin.  Some of them for the first time, and a few of them were return visitors.  Each one of them took turns praying for another in the group.  They held hands, little did they know they positioned themselves right in front of one of our WALL of HEROs, they are a part of us now.

If you get a chance, come to the church and be blessed by meeting these people.  Ask them where they are from, engage them.  The stories that you will hear will blow you away.  Why would anyone want to come to Joplin, especially these days when the media is gone…I will tell you why, because God called them.

I want to meet the people that God called.  SUCH A BLESSING!!!! Take advantage of this gift.

God give us strength.  I pray for all the workers as they head out into the heat today that you will put a bubble of cool protection around them.  That they will find shade and water wherever they go.  That you will be a cool spring that wells up inside them; in your MIGHTY power you will be their AC.  Send a breeze.  Enough to cool, but not so much that it is a challenge.  Thank you for taking care of your people while we take care of business.

God, please continue to provide.  Please continue to send people, food for the volunteers, food for the WE CARE Grocery Store.  Lord we praise you and thank you for seeing every need and providing with everything it will take to carry this out until you would desire us to do something different.  Give us clear direction, and let us have eyes to see and ears to hear your will for us.

I pray for Pastor Larry as he prepares for his message tomorrow that you give him every word, and that you will supply him with extra peace, and extra strength during this time of great harvest.

Thank you LORD, for preparing hearts for the message tomorrow.

We love you.

AMEN!

Have a wonderful weekend folks!  Enjoy your friends and family, or your jobs if you get the honor of working on the weekend.  Lord bless you, have a wonderful day!

Ronda

...come meet Kevin & Kary Duffy, Yellville, Arkansas

Mary Mary quite contrary grabbed me in the hallway and told me I needed to meet some folks.  When Mary speaks, if you are smart, you listen.  So I met some folks, and Mary was right...they were just who I needed to talk to.

Tonight I had the pleasure of visiting with Kevin and Kary Duffy.  Kevin did not like getting his picture taken.  Come on Kev!  May I call you Kev? Nothing to be scared of…sometimes I get a good one.

I gave them a quick rundown of who I am, what I am doing, why I am doing it.  They listened patiently, but after hearing them talk, I don’t think they needed any direction on how to interview.

You see, they have been interviewed more times than they can probably remember.  They have been interviewed by newspapers, news stations, ESPN, CBS Sports, etc… And behind it all is a God story, and it is a good story.

Kary started out by asking me if I saw the bus…no, no I haven’t seen “The Bus.” Then she began by telling me that she and Kevin were high school sweet hearts.  They smiled at each other as she told me this and you could see in their eyes that they love each other deeply.  Then she shared with me about her three children.  Kymball, Korbin, and Kyli.  That is when the story took an unexpected turn.  Unexpected because she had joy…she had a smile on her face…she had peace…

A year and a half ago their first born son Kymball Duffy, football #72, 16 years old, full of vibrant life, was taken to be with his LORD and savior after an automobile accident.

This is when Kevin jumped in and they both talked back and forth about all that took place with the media.  He told me how they kept trying to tell about how it was a GOD Story…not a Sport Story that the media was trying to spin it as.

People from all over the country blessed them by sending money.  In comes the bus.  Kymball had always given his dad a hard time that their youth group had to go on such long trips and that they needed a bus.  So they took the money they were blessed with and God provided this beauty!

I am excited and very hopeful that they will type out their story and all the “God parts” as they put it, so that I can share it with you.  They said God was everywhere, in every part of it.  They came, Church on the Rock, Kevin and Kary Duffy, and a portion of their youth group to help Joplin…36 blessings and a bus.

Thank you for coming, thank you for sharing, and thank you for your JOY!  What a wonderful testimony!

Lord God, I praise you and I thank you for letting me see what I saw tonight.  People studying your word together, people helping each other, serving each other, ministering to each other, around every corner, and in every room.  You are doing amazing things.  There is a silver lining in a tornado…you are drawing us near and we are so blessed by this time of fellowship with people that we wouldn’t have met (until Heaven) otherwise.  Thank you sweet Jesus.  Help them as they toil with their hands in the heat tomorrow.  Sustain them.  Thank you Lord!

~Ronda

...come meet Esteban! from Minden, Louisiana

Tonight I walked up to Libby and I said, I need a volunteer.  She looked around and held her hands up as if to say...'take your pick.'  So I clarified, and asked her to point me in the direction of one that really stands out.

See didn't waste time.  She told me to head over to a table where a group of youth were playing cards and to ask for Esteban.  So that is what I did.

He looked scared at first.  I am a stranger, I have a camera, I am asking him if I can take his picture and ask him a few questions... Really am I that scary?!?  Come on now.

I asked him the usual, 'where are you from?', 'why are you here?', that sort of thing.  He is from Minden, Louisiana, and he is here to help.  Thank you Esteban for coming to help.  We are very happy to have you.

Then I asked him, "can you tell me something that God has done in your life you would like to share?"

That is when I met Esteban.  He brushed the hair out of his eyes and with a passion he told me of his mother got sick, and going downhill fast.  He and his sister were devastated.  She was everything to them.  He was eight when this happened. She had serious illness and diabetes complicated the matter.  "But God healed her, she got healed," he told me.  He said he got saved when he was 8...and that his mother got healed when he was 10.  He said that she has been perfect ever since.

I wish you could have seen his eyes as he told this story.  I thanked him for sharing with me, and I praised God that I got to meet Esteban, and that his mother was healed, and that Esteban is saved.

God we give you all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise for healing Esteban's mother and for his tremendous testimony of your desire to make us whole.  To heal sickness, and to save the lost.

Thank you Lord for sending help, and for answering our prayers for a cooler day.  AMEN!

~Love you guys!  Have a great week!

Ronda

Come Play: Name that volunteer!

I met                      at the church on Saturday morning… I lost the piece of paper with her name!  Eeek!  I do remember that she was from Elgin, Illinois, and that she came with a group to serve for several days in Joplin and they found themselves at Abundant Life.  The story goes their church youth group was on a mission trip when the youth pastor felt it heavy on his heart that they needed to keep on keepin on and make their way to Joplin.

This volunteer was sporting an awesome shirt...

...and an awesome attitude as she bustled about doing any task that needed to be done.  I asked her if she could share with me a little something that God has done in her life and she barely stopped moving as she quickly looked me in the eyes and said, “Without Jesus there is nothing.  He is everything....I don't know what more to say then that.” And off she went!  She didn't need to say more...she said it all!

The volunteers keep coming in groups to help out in the tremendous HEAT.  Today it reached a scorching 100 degrees.  We are in a heat wave people!

Let’s pray for some cooler temperatures.

Lord I praise you and I thank you for everyone that you have sent to minister to the community and that you brought them to us at Abundant Life so that we can bless them and be blessed by them.  You see our great need God.  The tornado destroyed so much, and we are working hard to clean this place up.  We want to bring glory to your name for the good work that we are doing.  We put our hands to this effort daily and we pray that you bless all that we do.  We pray that you will help us to stay motivated and on task.  Not distracted by details, but that we give each day our best effort and that each day we have an opportunity to be a witness.  I pray that we will shine so BRIGHT for you!  I also pray for cooler temperatures that will even baffle the local weatherman.  I pray for a nice 80 degree weather trend. You are amazing, and we love you so much.  Bless the unnamed volunteer, and all that came from Elgin, Illinois.  Bless all that have come through Abundant Life, and all that will come.  I pray that this will be an experience that will make fresh their relationship with you.

Have a great week folks!  We love ya!

Ronda