The Blessing

There is a gentleman....with the emphasis on gentle....at our church who is the most wonderful man you would ever want to meet. His name is Andy and Andy is a retired pastor in the Salvation Army. Last year when I did the V.B.S. during March Break, he came to me and said 'I'll give you a donation for your V.B.S. and I'll also teach your oldest group of kids'! Now, nobody ever wants that class...they are Grade 5 & 6 kids...not exactly the easiest to teach! He did it and did a great job! Now, I don't think I've mentioned here that every Sunday I have the pleasure of teaching 4-6 boys in the Grade 4-6 range....I will admit to being tested every week by these boys...there is one in particular who I call the instigator......he's the one that decides he has to be constantly talking, saying or doing funny things to make the boys laugh.......yesterday, when I hauled him out of the class for a time out...I told him that he was an instigator...he replied that he did it to have friends...kinda sad yes...but before you start feeling sorry for him...this boy is an only child that brags about how he can fool his parents and play one off the other.....so...... back to Andy....

Yesterday, after Sunday school...Andy comes to me and says that he and his wife will help out with V.B.S. this year.....well, I'm not doing V.B.S. this year and fortunately one of the people that is in charge of it was standing close by and I pointed him in her direction. Then he turned to me and said..' how's Sunday School...do you have enough help?'....I was in shock! When do you get someone coming and asking you something like that?! After, I recovered from the shock...I said well, no...that we needed teachers....(I'm really not suppose to be teaching...when you help run a program then it's not the most ideal situation)....Well...he said...'whatever class you need me for, I will teach...and ...I'll start next Sunday'!!!! Oh...my...gosh.....!

Every week, I have thought that there had to be someone better to do this class...every week I've come home...exhausted....every week.....

Then, eldest daughter says to me yesterday afternoon....you'll never guess what.....I said 'what?'...she said...'Howard, comes up to me this morning'....(Howard is an older man in his 70's)....he shows daughter a picture of a young boy....he says that years ago...when we all went to a smaller church, and I ran the Sunday School program there too.....that one Sunday I put individual pictures of the Sunday school kids that I had each mounted on a square of construction paper, in the offering plate and I asked each person in the congregation to pick one and commit to praying for that child......we were a very small church....about 50 people....but when that plate was finished being passed, I remember all the pictures had been taken. This was about 15 years ago...Howard says to my daughter....'do you recognize this guy....I've kept this in my Bible and I've prayed for him every day'! People....I was amazed because that picture was of my second eldest son.....the son that has been in jail twice, the son who is messed up, confused and an alcoholic...now, some might say 'well, it doesn't look like Howard's prayers have worked'...but I see it differently...I see it that it's a reminder to me...a reminder that God is still there for this son (whether the son acknowledges it or not...that God hasn't given up...on this son or on any of my children)....that God is still waiting and will be waiting because Howard is faithfully praying for that boy who is now a young man...a young man who is wandering in the wilderness.....

On Friday I wrote a post that said how heavy my heart was.....many people prayed for me...I was touched beyond words.....on Sunday, the Lord showed me through Andy and Howard, that He was still there...still holding me,....still wrapping His arms round about me....

and I was blessed.