Dearest Friends,
CRAZY LOVE!
All of us are willing to do a lot of crazy things to attract the attention of people on the streets. Steven Gould is the leader of Reality, the band that we always travel with in Ireland and Northern Ireland. There is a matching puppet that wears this same wig and looks remarkably like Steven. Everyone always smiles when they look at Steven and his puppet. Street shows are very different from other kinds of ministry. No one is planning on coming to a puppet show on the street. They walk by and we have just a few seconds to get their attention before they have walked past us. Street shows are crazy! You never know who will come and how they will act, but they are wonderful.
Our last Sunday of The Rose of Tralee Festival was very special. Everyone said that we would not be able to go out that afternoon because of the weather. Every forecast that we checked called for rain, but God had other plans. We were able to do three full sets and the band was able to do four full sets. Eventually, the rain did come, but by that time hundreds of people heard about God’s rescue plan for them. It was incredible! This was God’s gift to every one of us and a very sweet answer to prayer. Again, it was on a Saturday, the street was full of children and most of them were sitting on the pavement, waiting to hear a story.
I always tell people that most of the world is not coming inside to our church buildings. It is that certain knowledge that drives all of us to keep going to the streets even when we find it difficult. Thank you for praying for all of these shows. The children and their parents may have just seen the band and us, but God the Father saw all of you on your knees. We are very grateful!
WHAT A SURPRISE
I always know that God can do anything. I love watching how He opens doors for us in places that surprise us. A gentleman saw us on the streets of Tralee last year and kindly invited us to come to his Catholic church for a family fun day. Everyone loved the show! The priest was very generous in his praise for the program that we had done. For me, one of my favorite parts of this show was how the older members of the church stayed along with the families. I told the story of a very heroic man who lived hundreds of years ago and told pirates about Jesus. I used the story of Zacchaeus and the miracles of Jesus to explain how this heroic man had such great love for such unlovable men. I was thrilled to tell the children how anything we hold in our hands can be taken from us. However, Jesus we hold in our hearts and no one can take Him away from us. Everyone really listened! I was truly surprised by God and His sweet blessing.
In Jesus,
Linda for Kelsey, Leslie, Reality, and God’s Handiwork