Praise and Prayer on June 24th 2025
I often say to the Lord, "This is a test, isn't it ?" I got that from my dear sister, Joy. The Lord made it possible for me to see her one last time, for a week in Virginia on my way from France to Arizona. We had wonderful talks about finishing well. I called her 1-3 times a week this spring. The last call was less than a week before she left for Heaven. She prayed, "Lord help me to finish well !" She did, and is Home now. I really miss my "big sis".
Somehow I was joined by a hitch-hiking tick on my cloths from Virginia and he was hungry when I got to Phoenix. He bit me 7 times in the back of my neck at the Lord's Table ! By Wednesday I was swollen and in the ER of Mayo Clinic. After a "positive" lab test, I was declared a victim of Lyme's. I always wonder why they call the results positive. I guess it was for the tick...until I killed him. So, I'm on strong antibiotics for ten days and then another test. Yes, all my joints hurt and I'm really exhausted. It's just another test !
Praise the Lord for strength to work on my "blown engine" in the 1932 Dodge. I told the Lord on the way back from my fall Florida trip Across America with Christ that I don't worship my car and would be okay leading people to Him in another way. But, all the way from San Antonio, TX, to Phoenix, AZ, He put so many people across my way that were attracted by the antique car, and my message on both sides, that I told the Lord, "Okay ! Okay ! I'll fix it when and if I can get back to Phoenix." I did, on 4 of 8 cylinders and the old Dodge died totally in my own garage. At 74 it is obviously the last time I'll be able to do this, but friends and neighbours come by my shop and we have good talks about salvation. The car is a great example. It's just another test !
If you have been to Arizona in the summer, you know how hot it gets. My work shop is an oven when it's 117 F outside in the shade. The Lord provided a little air conditioner, so I'm surviving working from sunrise to noon. That gives me time to shower and work at my desk for Bible commentary translation, message and Bible study preparations. It's just another test !
Many years ago Trifon Kalioudjoglou, working for the Lord in Vichy, France, told me, "Work those phones !" He practised what he preached and was a great example for me. He is Heaven now after being a CMML missionary for many years. But every day I rise at 4 AM and send off a Bible verse, with a thought question, to about 100 new and old Christians I have met. I pray for each person as I send them a personal message. The answers I get are often amazing. Trifon didn't have internet, so I still call people weekly in France and North America to talk with them about the Lord. Trifon was right, it just takes a little discipline. It's just another test !
I will be flying to France on August 5th, landing in Paris for a three day weekend of outreach. The Lord made it possible for me to find and buy a tiny one room apartment in Paris, so I will be able to sleep there on August 6th for the first time. Thank you for your prayers for my new neighbours. The next three day weekend will start the next Friday in central France. It's just another test, but our Lord "gives us strength as our days".
