Day 2547. Last night I went to bed at 9 am and had a few interruptions because of the kids in bed with us, but it wasn't too bad. By 7 am they were up and so loud that there was no more sleeping, but this morning that was okay. I got up and started packing up the suitcases. Then I sat down to have breakfast while Randy was loading everything into the car. Only then did I finally have the time I was looking for to spend time with God and prepare for church. I had over an hour lying on the floor and worshiping him and sorting thoughts in my head. At 9:15 we started getting ready to leave the house. We took one last picture with our friends, then Randy started strapping the kids into their car seats. At 9:30 we waved them good-bye as we pulled away.
By 10 am we arrived at the church that I've know for the past 15 years or so. It was great to see the pastor and my friend again. There was already a table set up for me to put the Mali stuff on which I did. Then I gave my flashdrive to the teach guy as I had the pictures of the testimonies on there that I was sharing. I got to talk to a few people, then the service started at 10:45.
There was a handfull of children, and they stayed in the sanctuary during praise and worship. Tammy and Emmy were sitting in the first row with all the kids, while Sammy was with us. We had a great time worshipping the Lord. Then the pastor came and did communion. After that, there were announcements, and the pastor left to be with the children.
It was my turn. I took the mic and shared a few stories. The church was smaller than last year, and they were pretty quiet the whole time I was preaching. After I had shared the testimonies, I prayed and started my message. I had spent a lot of time with the Lord and was looking forward to sharing what He had put on my heart. The message was about returning first love, and I shared from my heart, including many personal stories. I finished perfectly on time at noon. I'd had this song in my head all week that the tech guy then started playing on a loop. At first I was praying over everyone, then I invited them up front if they wanted to return to first love. A few people responded, and I started praying for them. Then the worship time went up front and started playing. I continued praying, praying for healing for one man whose pain level went from 8 to 4, then for a lady who also saw improvement when we prayed for her healing. Praise God! Randy was helping me pray for people
Then the service was over. I went to the table to talk to people and sold one book. Most people had already left. My friends who we had visited yesterday had also come, just to hear me preach. It was time to say good-bye to them for good.
Then we talked with the pastor about where to go for lunch. They made a reservation at Longhorm Steakhouse, I got the address, and we packed up and loaded up and drove the 10 minutes to the restaurant. We were all pretty hungry but we had to sit by the door and wait for the table to become available. So we sat there and talked. By 1:30 pm we were finally led to the table and ordered our food. It was very good, and the fellowship was great as well. I was watching the time a little as we had to drive off by 2:45 pm. We got done eating in time, then walked to our car and said good-bye to everyone.
We were able to start our 3-hour drive to Kansas City at 2:50 pm, meaning we'd get to the church at 5:50 pm, and the service was starting at 6 pm. The kids were on their tablets. I was really tired and couldn't even tell I'd had such a long night last night. However, while I closed my eyes for a while, I didn't get to sleep.
We pulled up at the church five minutes before the service started. We had been there twice before, and they had prayed for us, but this was the first time that they gave me 15 minutes to share testimonies which was great. My friend who's connected us to that church greeted us right away, and we walked into the sanctuary where there was a table waiting for me to set up our Mali stuff which I did. They had already started worshipping. My friend took the flashdrive to the tech person. Then we sat down.
There were flags for the kids to use, and the pastor/worship leader wanted the kids to come to the front with the flags to use them there. His own grandkids were there, and Tammy was also up front waving her flag. Emmy stayed with me at first but then also went forward when the pastor asked them to. Sammy went to the front as well and hugged the pastor. It was such a precious moment. He waved his flags up there for a while. Then he went to the one girl singing and interacted with her. He asked her name and then her phone number, and kept coming back to her during worship. She gave him the mic a few times but he didn't sing into it. She later shared how much Sammy had blessed her.
The pastor had already told everyone that those were our triplets. After a while he called Linda to the front who introduced me, then I got the mic and had 15 minutes to share testimonies, and I did. People seemed to love them, and I had a great time telling them. After I was done, the pastor encouraged people to donate, then Randy and the kids joined me up front, and everyone prayed for us. It was very precious.
He did a few more songs after that, then the service was over. I went to our table and sold two books and talked to people, including the girl from the worship team. In fact, Tammy and Emmy put on all the Mali stuff I had put on the table, and we took a picture with her and the kids with the Mali stuff on. They were having lots of fun. And Randy and I had a good time talking with people. When most people had left, we packed up our stuff and went to the car to load up. Our friend was with us. We said good-bye, but only for two days as we'll see her again on Tuesday.
It was 8 pm by the time we drove off to go to our next destination and our friends' house south of Kansas City. We were all a bit hungry and ate leftovers in the car. When we reached a certain street, I realized we were right where my friends lived - friends I hadn't heard back from - so I suggested we make a surprise visit so I could see when they'd be free to meet with us. I walked in and saw them and we talked about when we could meet, then I left again.
We continued on our way, and by 8:45 pm we arrived at our friends' house. It was good to see them all again. Sammy was happy to play with their dog, and the other two played with their kids, while Randy was unloading the car which took some time. Then it was bedtime, so we said good-night. By 9:30 pm they were in bed, but for some reason it took Emmy until 10 pm to fall asleep. I had my computer out, downloaded the pictures, and had two days to write about and edit pictures for, which was too much to do. Now it's just after 2 am, and time for me to go to bed. My morning student canceled so I could theoretically sleep longer if only my kids let me.
