Conversation

My job for the last six weeks at the hospital has been to work in the Out Patient Services area. I am supposed to make sure that people check in at the front desk for an appointment in Out Patient Services. If they don't check in, I send them back to the front desk to do so. If they don't check in, they will come over, have a seat, and no one will call them because they don't know that they are there. So it has been my job for the last six Monday's to make sure that doesn't happen.

Yesterday, while manning my post, a woman came toward me with a big smile on her face. I told her good morning, and she said the same thing back to me. I asked her how she was doing, and she said "ah, just ok". I told her that she had a big smile on her face, that counted for something.

After her appointment was over, she came up to me and started up a conversation. I have a button on my uniform that says "I Pray". She asked me about that. I asked her if she wanted the long story, or the short story? She told me to tell her everything, so I did. I told her that I was given a button at Christmas time that said " Merry Christmas, God with us". Well since it was after Christmas, I couldn't really wear that anymore. I told her I went on a search for a new button to wear, and that is what I came up with. I told her that I found a pack of three buttons, but this is the only one that was good enough to wear on my uniform. She then asked me where I found them at. I told her the name of the store and how to get there.

She then proceeded to tell me how wonderful it was to meet a fellow Christian working at the hospital. I said to her, if I had to guess, I would have guessed that she was a Christian, just from the smile on her face when she first came in. The Jesus in me, recognized the Jesus in her! I told her that I volunteer there for the Lord, first and foremost. She said "GOD bless" for doing that and giving of my time. I told her thank you, and that I really enjoyed doing it. She then told me her name and that she had to get going. I wished her a great and blessed day!

Once again, I love being able to talk about GOD, Jesus, my faith, in a public place and not have to fear any trouble for it. I praise GOD for my boldness to do so. I will continue to do so as long as I work there. All the glory to GOD!!

My Daughters Heart

My daughter had been saving up her money for an I Pod Touch for over a year. She was saving her birthday money, her allowance money, money from wherever she could get it. She was focused and determined to get this device! I really admired her restraint from spending it on something else.

Our youth group from church went to a Momentum youth convention. My daughter was in that group that went. We gave her some spending money, for food and what not. They were only gone for two days, not long at all.

She came home and told us how she divided up her meal money, so she could give some to the offering taken up at the convention. Praise GOD for her giving heart! That wasn't the best part. Not even close. She proceeded to tell us that she had commited all of her I Pod savings to the Speed the Light missions ministry. What? Where we hearing her correctly? She was giving away all of her savings! Every last cent! Praise GOD again! She was giving up what she wanted, so that someone else could benefit! My daughter is twelve years old!

So the story got around to our family and friends, about her giving her savings to a mission ministry. When black Friday rolled around, a few places had the I Pod on sale for really good price. We didn't know it at the time, but we had family in line at several stores in a couple of different states, waiting in line to make sure that she got her IPod! This brought tears to my eyes, that my family was so moved by my daughters generosity, that they were willing to stand in line for however long it took to get her the IPod! Praise GOD!!

He honors your willful giving! This is the kind of attitude we are trying to maintain. Giving is better than recieving! I praise GOD for my daughter everyday! What a gift from Him she is! To GOD goes all the glory!

Facebook

I know this may seem silly to some, and I know that Facebook will not see this post, but here goes.

I am thankful for Facebook! There I said it. I know that it is kind of like an addiction, a time sucker, but I am still thankful for it. Let me tell you why. When my Dad went into the hospital before Christmas, one of my cousins from down there by him had friended me. I accepted and we began having conversations for the first time in over eight years. She was a Christian now also, so we had a lot more in common. I had mentioned that my Dad (her Uncle) was in the hospital. She told me that she would stop by and see him. So she did. Without Facebook, that would not have been possible. I did not have her phone number and had no way to get ahold of her, or any of my other relatives.

When my Dad got sick a month ago, the same thing happened, except with a different cousin. I contacted her through Facebook and told her what was going on with him. She took control. She would head over to the hospital and give me feedback on what was really happening! Again, I thank GOD for Facebook. Without it, none of this would have been possible.

Finally, when my Dad got sick the last time and was dying, I got ahold of my family via Facebook and let them know what was happening. Same thing happened. Both of my cousins got ahold of thier parents and other siblings and spread the news. People started heading for the hospital to be with family.

Again, all because of one post on Facebook back in December, all of this happened with my family. I thank GOD that I am able to stay in contact with them most of the time! So thank you Facebook for being in existence! For keeping people in touch with one another! I am forever grateful that I was able to let my cousins, aunts and unlces know about what was happening with my Dad!

I praise Your Holy name Jesus!!! You are good!!!

Proof

When my Dad got sick a few weeks ago, I was concerned with only one question. Did he know Jesus? Was he saved? Did he know where he was going when he passed on? I guess that is three questions isn't it. I contacted one of my cousins that lives down there close to him. I asked her to go see him and ask him those questions. She reported back to me with a resounding YES! Amen! I was filled with joy, and happiness!

While visiting him in the hospital just before he passed, I was able to witness everything that she told me. He was saved, he did know Jesus, and he did know where he was going for eternity. Everytime we asked him if he wanted us to pray for him, he nodded his head yes. He would squeeze our hands in response to questions about heaven and Jesus! Praise GOD for all of this! He was in control of the situation.

So we had the visitation followed by the burial, then we headed for home. Before we did that, we stopped at my step-mom's house. She had two boxes of pictures, one for me and the other one for my brother that she wanted us to have.

A couple of days after all this, I opened up the box and started to go through the pictures. A lot of our old school pictures were in there, as well as other ones that we had taken through the years. A lot of great memories were relived by looking at those pictures.

In the middle of the stack of pictures, I came across three that stopped me right in my tracks. They were pictures of my Dad being baptized, as an adult. Full immersion water baptism! There it was. Proof that he was saved and knew Jesus. Up until that moment all I had to go on was my cousins word that he was. It was like God was cementing for me the truth that he was saved! Those pictures were in there for a purpose, and there was a reason that I got that box of pictures. I needed to see those pictures.

I praise GOD for those pictures, and for me finding them. Now I know for 100% that my Dad was a saved man! I knew that he was by the way things went in the hospital, but this really cemented it for me! Praise GOD!!!

My Dad

My Dad passed away on April 1st, 2011. He passed away peacefully in his sleep, after removing him from his life support. That was the hardest decision I have ever had to make, let me tell you! Jesus gave me the strength to make that choice. He made it possible for me to let him go and be free. Jesus gave me a peace about the whole ordeal. I was not anxious or worried at all about what would happen to my Dad. I knew that he was going to a better place. Jesus was calling him home, and I was alright with that. It is kind of fitting that he passed away on April fools day, because he was quite to joker and prankster himself. Kind of one last thing on the family to tell us everything would be ok.

My Dad had many, many health problems. He was a mess, inside and out. The moment I found out that he passed away, I knew that he was healed and whole. He was walking again. He was using his arm again. He had his eye sight back. He was with Jesus. How much better can that be! He knew where he was going and he was ready to go. He kept on staring at the ceiling in his hospital bed, focused on something. I asked him what he was looking at, and he shook his head no. I asked him if I would understand what he was looking at, and again he shook his head no. He kept trying to get out of bed, not the usual way of putting your legs over the side and trying to get out that way. He was trying to climb out straight up. He kept motioning with his arm and his legs, that he was trying to get out straight up to the ceiling. He saw the angels waiting for him. He saw Jesus standing there with the open robe, ready for him to come home!

I have many, many fond memories of my Dad, but I think that my most memorable one, is that he was saved! He was going to Heaven. That was really important to me! I really leaned on Jesus during this whole ordeal, and He gave me the peace and comfort of knowing that my Dad was going home to be with Him! With out Jesus in my life, and with out accepting Him as my savior, none of this would have been possible! I would have been a wreck and blaming God, instead of praising Him! I praise You in this storm. Jesus you are my rock, my fortress, my strong tower, and my strength!

I thank you Lord for my Dad's life. Take care of him until I see him again! GOD bless!!