Where have you seen God at work this past week?
Kari – I had a fantastic day this past week. I was talking to one of my little 4 year old patients. And he goes – How old are you? And I go -well how old do you think I am? And he goes – oh, 14. So, that really made my day; this is why I work with kids – that was fun. I got to have another Hummingbird experience too so that was another good morning.
Debbie – Thanks Brett for the video showing us the church; I just like everyone to remember what it felt like and we can do that on Zoom as well. We need to remember this is not a TV and we are touching each other and worship just like you would in that space; I encourage you to do so; even sing – Chris & I sing a lot.
Bonnie – This week Friends of the Emmaus Community had a fire & lost their house. I just praise God that they and her father, who has cancer, got out of the house alive as well as their animals. I saw her this week and she’s just thanking God that they were all able to get out. And as devastating as it was to her in the beginning, it is becoming less devastating to her because people have reached out to them and set up gofund me page and our prayers. So God has been working in their lives as well.
Kat – Two God Sightings this week: 1) Parents have made it home safely from their trip to Michigan; I picked them up at the airport last night. 45 minutes late, but they’re safe and they’re sound in their home. 2) A friend of ours - her 17 yo daughter was in an accident several weeks ago; the final diagnosis is permanent paralysis from (inaudible). Not the news they were hoping for but, this girl is an amazing Spirit in Christ and she has taken the news and this change of her life really well. She has actually started visiting other kids in the hospital who have been paralyzed and praying with them and offering them support to help them get through their diagnosis & their challenges as well. So…it’s a sad case, but I think from this terrible tragedy we are going to see the emergence of a wonderful spiritual leader for a group of people that need extra help.
Paige – We came in late, so I don’t know if anyone mentioned it…Dear friends from the Emmaus Community, Dixie & Terry Walter, last Sunday evening their house burned completely. They successfully, by the Grace of God, got out just fine. Terry had a minor burn on his foot. Dixie successfully made it out of a second story window with 2 dogs, which is no feat when they are little dogs. One of them is a Mastiff. So getting down a ladder with the help from a neighbor; they are safe and in a hotel now. And the Emmaus Community has just really rallied around them. And they have already been able to exceed what was asked for on their gofund me to start to raise funds to be able to rebuild what they need to rebuild because the house is a total loss. We have set up a drive by drop off for supplies for as soon as they get into their rental house. It’s amazing to see the light of Christ at work even in this tragedy.
Amy – Dixie was able to get into her house and by the Grace of God she was able to salvage most of her photos. Which was quite a miracle.
Martha – Sarah completed the first week at the YMCA Academy in Bloomington, IL for 160 children at different school sites. The unfortunate thing was that the college students that they hired to tutor the children – some of them have come down with Covid because so many students have returned to college and have not recognized the fact that you can’t party safely. However, she said it went well; the nice thing about it is that a church had reached out to her asking how they could help. There was a family from Ethiopia who just moved to the Bloomington area and had nothing, literally had nothing. The lady sat down from the church people, I don’t know which one of the churches in Bloomington, and wrote Sarah out a $1,700 check for this family for schooling and anything else. God is working there; I just praise Him for supporting her so much.
Laura – God is sharing His compassion with me for people who are suffering and Westsiders are inspiring me to know what to do with those emotions. As a result, I’m taking baby steps to help serve people by volunteering at Free Food Ministries and bringing food to a sick parishioner.
Kevin – The Friday night WUMC Prayer Vigil was certainly filled with people being affected by the Spirit.
Pastor Brett – One of my God Sightings, I had a couple this week; Janelle, Kyrie, Levi & I were able to take a walk by & around the Tillicum Bridge. Both our boys slept the whole time we were on the walk so we not only got exercise and got to see the city of Portland; Janelle and I had a little time to connect. So that was a nice refreshing time. God Sighting behind me – Kyrie is singing!
Susan Weaver – Arizona has been going through some real record breaking heat and a dry spell for the last few months. And where we’re at we have been watching the storms go all around us but miss our area. Last week we had a really amazing lightning and thunder storm that dropped a lot of rain; then last night we had another one that was pretty incredible – standing out on the patio watching the entire heavens light up and hear the rumble of the thunder. The downside of it is that for the rest of today and part of tomorrow we are under a flood watch which means that if you’re out on the roads you have to be aware that there may be a lot of water come through. But the rain is the major Blessing and just the Glory of seeing God’s power last night in the lightning and thunder.