Greetings from Chalmette!

[Editor's Note: This article was originally published 2011/05/15]

This morning I was reading in Genesis and came across the part where God appeared to Abraham to announce the fulfillment of His promise of a son to Abe and Sarah. Right about then, at that part, I was thinking about the promises God made to the man and the time it took to fulfill those promises. God promised some land to Abe’s descendants, 400 yrs into the future, and 300 miles from his homeland. That was cool because He told him it would be his innumerable offspring, which Abe knows right up front, it’s a long time in the future. But then Abe grows older and starts to wonder how this will be accomplished since his wife is barren? So the Lord clears it up and tells him it will be from his own flesh. OK, cool, so we’re having a kid! TEN YEARS pass, and understandably Sarai starts to question how this is gonna happen, so she takes matters into her own hands and makes a way. OOOPS! Wrong way. Unfortunately, Abe bit into the apple….oh, sorry, got my stories mixed up. ;) We all get on Abe and Sarai’s case because this all happens in a couple of pages for us, but you gotta give em some slack. TEN YEARS went by! I get anxious if a couple of days go by without some results! (No, I’m not saying they’re excused for the wrong decision either.) Ishmael was born when Abe was 86. THEN another 13 yrs goes by, still no son of Sarai, and God appears to Abe and says the promised son will be there next year. The promise is fulfilled 25 years after it was made! I need to have a little more patience for sure!

But now we’re back at the beginning of where I started. God appears, with 2 of His angels, once again to Abraham. LISTEN to this, this is the part that hit me today! God and his angels appeared to Abraham as 3 men, and we pick the scene up here in Genesis 18: 9-15…. the Lord told Abraham that Sarah would have a son this time next year. Sarah (89 yrs old) is listening behind the Lord’s back and can hardly keep from cracking up but keeps her composure as she thinks to herself “After I’m all worn out and my husband is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”     But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

God and His angels appeared in human form as strangers. They not only knew her name but knew her thoughts as well. Reminded me of “the little old ole lady from Van Cleve, MS” that I just referred to in an update (5-4-11). If you don’t know the story, it’s about a trip (Kim’s first) that we made to Gulfport, MS in January, 2007. We came to look at the area to see about housing for our family as we were contemplating moving down from IN to help at a volunteer camp called Hope City. After work on weds, we drove all night and arrived sometime Thursday morning. The founder of HCRN, Kevin Cox, says to me all bubbly “Hey, I got something I think will work!” “Oh yeah?!” I said. He said “yeah! Follow me! and took me and showed me these big M.A.S.H. looking green canvas tents. “Look at this one! We put a bathroom in it and already made it into an apartment! We could divide them into rooms for you and the kids and maybe even connect the 2 tents together!” Now keep in mind that I’m feeling a little groggy and grumpy, and my heart just sunk. Knowing the weakness of my flesh condition at that particular moment, I just kept my mouth shut. As I felt that “sick” feeling, I knew that (sick feeling) wasn’t in line with what our spirits had been experiencing up until then, and I prayed in my head “Oh Lord, this isn’t what you brought us here for! (That sick feeling) Direct our path!” I murmured something like “that’s nice” and off I went to take a nap.

On Thursday night’s at the camp, the volunteers were given the option of going out. If Kevin Moss was there, there was no option of where to go, only IF. He would only allow you to go to “The Shed”, and that was ok as most of the volunteers enjoyed a night at this local Bar-b-que shed. And a shed it was, no, really! So, our family is setting there at a table by ourselves, and this little old lady with red hair and a cane walks up to Kim and starts talking. It’s so loud in the crowded little chicken coop add-on, that I can’t hear Kim from across the table! So this lady gets done with Kim and comes over to me. Now I wasn’t paying much attention as Kim is always talking to someone, so it wasn’t unusual for that part. But then she comes over to talk to me and I’m thinking “Oh great! Kim started this and now I’ve gotta finish it!” That old lady started rubbing my right shoulder; got right up by my ear and said “Young man, you’ve got decisions to make and I’m gonna pray for ya! Sometimes I see these things and I like to tell it when I hear it!” I’m thinking “yeah, sure lady, let’s just get this over with” as I smile but can’t look at her as she’s right up waaay inside my comfort zone! She continues on, all the while wearing my shoulder out…….
“You know when I was a youngin and I was fixin to get married, my husband had 2 brothers that were both preachers and I said to him “if you ever think about doin something like that, I’m outta here!” Well, guess what? My husband becomes a preacher and the Lord puts a callin on my life! Sometime in my thirties I start reading the Word and every time I open it up it says “sell your possessions and give to the poor” or “sell your possessions and follow me”. Is that all you have in this book of yours Lord?!

Then He wanted us to move and I’m thinking why would I want to give up everything I have and move?! See, cause we had a 3 bedroom 2 bath house with 2 cars in the garage and a boat on the side. We had azaleas in the front and fruit trees in the back. Why would I want to give that up? You have decisions to make and I’m gonna be prayin for ya! You just remember that you were told by a little old lady here in Van Cleve, MS.” And off she went on her cane.

I looked at Kim and said “What did you say to her?” You see I’m thinking that Kim had shared our story with her, told why we were here. Kim said “She asked my name, and I told her, then she asked your name, and I told her.” “Yeah, what else?” “Nothing. That was it. My name and your name”. “But you told her what we were doing here, right?” By this time she’s a little perturbed. (with gritted teeth) “I TOLD HER MY NAME AND YOUR NAME.” Ok, I’m thinking, “She’s (the lady’s) a part of the group of volunteers”, so I looked at Kevin Cox a couple of tables away and said “Who was that lady?” He shrugged and said he didn’t know and I’m thinking “yeah, right, he put her up to this!” “C’mon! Who was she? Is she a part of the group?” He said “I don’t know, maybe she was an angel!” and we all turned around to see her and she was gone! Remember, this was a crowded, no walkway, shed, about 50’ to the door and she had a cane. And there is no way Kevin could have known what had just taken place. Why did he even say that?! (Enter - spine chills.)

So on the way out, I’m trying to process what just happened, kicking myself for not paying better attention. I’m thinking about what was just said and the order of things, thinking she extracted information somehow and then made it appear “psychic”. After being convinced that she wasn’t a “plant”…… there was no way I could explain how she told me my thoughts! Thoughts that I hadn’t shared even with Kim! AND she quoted the scripture that I had been reading!

I don’t know why I felt I should share this again. Maybe you’re in a place where you wonder what God’s doing. You’re being obedient to what you feel he’s called you to, but now it seems like He’s not there and you’re questioning if you missed something somewhere. Maybe you feel like He has something more for you, but you pray and pray and just can’t seem to connect to what it is. LISTEN! Our timing is not God’s timing! He sees you! He knows the desires of your heart! He has defeated kings, sickness, and even death, raised the dead, calmed storms, fed many with little, made an old couple have kids…….. He hears you! And nothing is too big for HIM! STAND FAST! Do not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up!
I was recently given this verse and it keeps coming back because I’m so stinking wishy washy sometimes……

 1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,
because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Remember that God’s love is enduring! That means that it is not exhausted but excruciatingly patient! He is waiting patiently and not condemning the world as it deserves, so that everyone that can be saved will be saved!

We’re heading to AL tomorrow to meet with some folks about possibly setting up another volunteer camp. Please pray that the Lord would go before us and prepare the way. May HIS will be done! From there we’ll be following the yellow brick road to IN (that’s kinda funny because our van was recalled and failed the test and Ford put us in a van with license tags from Kansas) We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore, but we’ll be back in the Hoosier state before you know it!

Love to all! Keep the faith!

Monte, Kim, and the kids