Hey Budge,

It is good seeing you! I pray all is well! You said this:

"I still remember wondering if skipping Mass because I was tired or it was cold--would mean I would go to hell."

This brings up something that hubby seen in our local paper. He was looking at the adds for jobs, for those memorials and things like that. There was an add for a catholic church. And at the bottom it said, "If you miss mass on Sunday you will go to hell."

No Kidding! I guess many are going to hell for missing mass! :lol

I am so greatful that our Lord is merciful! There's sure isn't!

I forgot to tell everyone! Last Sunday was our first Church service. 15 people showed up. Amen?! We Praised God for that!

Then, the one deacon said, "I want some of those bulletin's and business cards." I asked, "How many?" He said, "One." I said Okay!

I pulled them out and he said, "Oh, give me a few!" He took all the bulletines, (about 10) and he took about 25 business cards. He is telling everyone who use to come to this church that they need to come back!

AMEN, AMEN, AND AMEN! GLORY TO GOD! HE IS GOOD!

Then, we have a lady and her friend who came. They were the only two who use to come besides the deacon. The rest were members of our work from our home. These two ladies came up with tears in their eyes and said, "Thank God we have our Church back and opened." Amen?!

Hubby read from the bulletin that the church has needs. They are:

1. A man to lead in Hymns.

2. A piano player/organ player.

3. Helpers with the cleaning.

Husband doesn't stay on key very well, and I can only play somewhat! We need help! :lol And the cleaning is really too much for me, however by God's Grace, and by the help of my family we are getting the work done.

The one lady said, "I use to clean, and I will help again, only if someone be here with me." Amen, Amen, and Amen!

The first day we had someone come forward wanting to help out with the work in the church. Glory to God, this is good stuff!

Sunday evening we had four, and wednesday we had four.

Hey, we just started! We only knocked on seven doors. Hubby got sick, I started physical therapy, and it is cold out!

So, fifteen is good! I am anxious for this Sunday. We have the deacon spreading the Word, and the two ladies are going to invite folks. Amen?!

The Lord is showing us so much! I Praise His Name. I admit, I was worried. But, by the Grace of God, things went well! Amen to that!

In a few weeks, we are going to dedicate the building to God and have a carry in! Love those fellowships!

And everyone is excited! I am so grateful to the Lord for finding us faithful and putting us into the ministry. I Praise His Name for being so Good to us. We don't deserve all this Goodness! I cry everytime I think where I could of been without Jesus Christ, and I cry to where I am at in Christ.

Guess what! I want to show you something. First, we were starting a work in our area out of our home. We had thirteen people coming. Husband and I told everyone that the Lord was going to GIVE us a building. Meaning, no payments on the property.

Then, things got all messed up and we decided to wait on the Lord for a building. So, we all decided to attend another church until this all takes place. That was in September.

Our members were starting to have problems, they were spiritually going down the tubes. Husband and I became very worried over them. But what could we do?

In December, we accidentally found out that this church had split twice. Over doctrinal issues on homosexuality. So, went in and talked with the deacon. He said, "I want you to go to the community and see if there is still an interest." We have until the third week of Jan. to find out. Amen?! This was just before Christmas.

Thus we did. We knocked on seven doors. Hubby became sick, kids got sick, I started physical therapy, ect. Then it got so cold out. Amen?!

So, we had gotten about two names from the community, that would be five people. Then we had received the names from our past members who live around that community.

So, husband called up the deacon on Jan. 1 and told him the news. He did this in case it wasn't good enough. Amen?! Then on Jan. 3, husband received the keys to the church. So now, in our spare time, we are cleaning a church that sat empty for four months.

Sheesh! Then I got worried! We seen some weird stuff in the church. I got real worried. So here comes the confirming:

First, hubby started to call and confirm with the people that the churhc would begin jan. 18. The one lady, who lives across the street said, call this man, he use to go there.

Now, for a week I was practicing a hymn called the "Church in the Wildwood." Our church sits in a country setting, on a hill, it is brown, and it has a bell we ring. Amen?!

Okay, here we go:

1. Hubby called the guy, and they were talking. this man said, "We had a guess speaker come in and said that our Church was the Little brown church in the wildwood."

Amen?! Husband's mouth drops! He said, that is wild! My wife has been practicing that song for over a week.

2. Another confirmation was that the pastor prior to the one who split the churhc was a baptist preacher. He preached only The Word. The people loved him.

3. This is a King James only church. No other Bible is welcomed.

4. The deacon and the two ladies came. This is a big confirmation. If these folks didn't come or didn't want hubby being the preacher, we wouldn't be able to have the church.

And both took place, and the deacon gave us the money bag and is spreading the news of the wonderful man of God that is now pastoring the church.

5. All of our old members came back! We did have two move on us to Florida. But hey, that would of happened regardless.

6. The deacon gave husband the local far corner and told him to change the church information. Putting his name as pastor and putting the times in. Amen?!

7. Was my deceased grandmother. No kidding!

My grandmother was a born-again christian. No kidding! But, when she married husband, she assumed that he would attend her church. But that didn't happen. So, she ended up in the Catholic churhc with grandpa. She stayed in the catholic church until he died.

then she would watch t.v. evgangelists, being too old to get out. Now, she always used the King James Bible. Never the catholic Bible. I have a few of her Bibles. She also studied the Bible. She loved it, and could quote it.

Grandma died before I was saved. She died when I was going through my time of Hell with the catholic church.

The priest and my dad got into it because the priest asked if dad wanted grandma prayed for to get out of purgatory. Dad said no! I found out later, that the church knew how much money my dad had inherited from grandma. Let me say that is was a very large sum, plus the house she lived in. I live in her house now, dad gave it to me.

They wanted payment for praying her out, unfortunately for the priests, dad felt that she wasn't in purgatory. He knew where she was, in heaven.

My dad always says, you are just like your grandma. :D He says I believe like her. My dad got saved about four years ago.

Well, how does that confirm this church.

This was my grandma's church that she attended.

AMEN, AMEN AND AMEN! YAHOOO! How about that?

That was the made it in my mind. I knew at that point that this was God's will.

We were evangelizing for 16 months in a motor home. My brother got sick. The Lord forced us out of the motor home and we rented a trailer. My brother died. Two days after his death, my dad asked me if I want grandma's house. Husband said yes. We knew there was a reason, but we couldn't figure it out. Husband knew he was to pastor, but where?

Then, 10 months later it was all revealed. We had to wait on the Lord. And He manifested what we were to do, thus He then confirmed it.

Praise the Lord!

The strange thing is this. My dad calls me up one night and says, "Hey, why don't you guys come over, we haven't talked."  >D I talk to him all the time! This was in my worry time. Amen?!

We went over and sat there, ate some pizza and talked about God. Amen?! Then we said about this church to him again. He said, "You really got it?" We said, Yes! We have the keys.

Then dad told me about grandma. This was an out of the blue thing. My dad thought we were joking. We come from a family that has a great sense of humor. We do pull some good ones! But, this wasn't a joke!

See how the Lord works? He is good.

Sorry for getting off track! Good seeing you!

In Christ,

Deborah