Frost on the grass and rooftops. Steam rising from roofs as the sun rises. Warm afternoons on my porch, where I go to warm up since we keep the thermostat low inside the house! Ah, late autumn in West Virginia.

The past two weekends Randy and I traveled by car and plane to two very different areas of the country. The last weekend of October saw us heading north into central Ohio. Literally, the center of Ohio, to Centerburg Christian Church. Farm fields surround small towns and homes reminding me very much of central Michigan where I grew up. I felt quite at home, actually, but it wasn’t just the terrain; it was the people.

What a joy to be hosted in the home of the pastor and his wife and 4 children. We really connected with the kids; they reminded us so much of our own grandchildren in ages and delightfulness! I received a supreme compliment when one of the girls (there are 3 of them, aged 11, 9 and 7 with brother aged 5 years) said to her mom, “Know what, Mom, Miss Jacque reminds me of Grandma”. Wow. To be associated with a person who loves her grandchildren and is loved by them… I was humbled. And that was just staying in the home! We had a good time with the church folk the next day.

Randy was given the whole preaching part of the Sunday service and God abundantly worked in that time, as well as in meeting and talking with the people of 3C church that morning, and later at a pot luck dinner (oh yum!) and special evening singing service. These folk reminded me of so many church people I grew up with as a child and young person. The phrase “salt of the earth” people kept coming to mind; the kind of caring folk you want for your neighbors! We were so privileged to minister to them and thank God for that opportunity.

Then this past weekend we were off again. Just yesterday (Sunday 6th) we got back from visiting another part of the country, very different from Centerburg, OH.

Randy had been asked if he would be a speaker in a Marriage Retreat being put together by Arcola Covenant Community Church, situated outside Newark, NJ (New York City, “the City”, is just across the bridge). He agreed, though we had never done anything like this before! Randy was the main plenary speaker and had 3 sessions. I shared the floor with him in the last 2 sessions. This was really a first for us. We had prayed much that God would speak and pour out His spirit on His people as Randy opened the Word of God. We believe He answered prayer.

God was working mightily in this whole marriage retreat (there were 2 other presenters who held workshops as well) in answer to prayer, not just ours but the church as they prepared for this weekend. These dear couples, ranging from married 4 months to 20+ years, were all so eager to hear what God had for them, were so open to learning and growing! They were a delight to be with. I wish we could have more time with them! They are in a growing, dynamic church; they have a young pastor who really has a heart for the Lord and we rejoice so in that!

In both these very different parts of the country and different cultures; one white, middle-class, rural, mid-America; the other first and second generation Korean-Americans, highly educated and all in professional careers, we felt the love of God pouring through each group and each person. The bonds of blood, the blood of Jesus Christ, bind us tightly together as family. What a privilege and joy has been ours to meet so many brothers and sisters we didn’t know before! We are richer for it.

We thank God for these opportunities to minister to Christ’s body, the church, in different ways. This is really “up our alley”, so to speak! We have a passion for this very thing, and sense God’s gifting by His spirit for it and we are so excited about the doors God is opening to serve His people across the country.

I remember as a young wife and mother, attending a ladies’ Bible study hosted in the home of one of the ladies in our church in Florida, studying a passage of scripture which spoke about the older women teaching the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children and so on, and thinking with desire in my heart, I want to do that! I want to teach the younger women to love the Lord and their families. Then immediately I also realized, I was one of the “younger” women and had much to learn. So I have been trying to faithfully learn and grow over the years, in my walk with Jesus. Now, as an “older” woman, I get to share what I have been learning! Who says there aren’t benefits to getting older?! Even “Senior” discounts can’t hold a candle to serving others!

Thanks for your prayers for us. Continue to pray for Randy and me as we make ourselves available to serve wherever God opens the door. May He be glorified and His church built up.

Jacque