DEAREST FRIENDS,
Please note that these stories were written over the last few days in the Adirondacks. We did not have internet access. You will love these stories.
Now, we are in Cape Cod, Massachusetts with Heather’s grandparents. Tomorrow, on Sunday, we will be at a Congregationalist Church sharing. This is our last show of our summer ministry. Please hold us in your prayers. It will take me 2 days of driving to get home. I will see Georgia and home on Tuesday evening. Keep praying as we are sharing with an ocean of people as we travel. Every stop for gas is an opportunity.
MY 2 FAVORITE THINGS!!!
The view that the children enjoyed was incredible, beautiful mountains surrounding a blue lake. The director of the camp had given the counselors a choice of bringing their children to the puppet show or doing something else. Half the children did not come. We continued to pray and before we finished the first song, we had all the children. They were trying to play a game , but realized that all the children were looking in our direction, so they joined us. Praise God!
Our favorite part of the show was when the children asked Jesus to be their Savior. They prayed out loud. In this part of the country, this was a wonderful, unexpected blessing. Please pray for these children to grow strong in their new faith. We were not at a Christian camp, so this made what we saw God do even sweeter.
After we finished, one little boy came up to me and smiled. He said,”If I had to name my 2 favorite things…I think that they would be first the prayer and then the men in black puppets.” He had asked Jesus to be his Savior and really enjoyed the puppets.
TICONDEROGA
The locals here simply call the place Ti. It is an Indian word that means the place between 2 waters. There are 2 lakes here, Lake George and Lake Champlain, and beautiful mountains. The lakes are so big that they have their own weather system.
We are so far from the inner city of Baltimore where we spent last week. When I woke up this morning and saw the view, I wondered if the children there can even imagine such a place.
Still, the story that we share is the same. Jesus is the answer to every problem no matter where you live.
A NURSING HOME
We began our ministry in this place in an odd place for a puppet ministry team. We were asked to share at a nursing home. The lady in charge is a very sweet Christian who wanted those she cares for to hear about Jesus. The puppets sang Christian rewrites of songs from the 50’s and 60’s. The residents smiled and tapped their feet.
One man shouted out something at me that at first I did not understand. He said,”I love Jesus”. I wished that I knew his story .
I told a Bible story and talked about fear, hopelessness, and how when we know Jesus, we are never alone. They listened. God was kind to us to send us to this very unusual place for puppet ministry. Best of all, the door is now open for our pastor friend to return.
I confess to you that at first I said no to this program. The last time we shared at a nursing home, it did not go well. We were in Northern Ireland and Mike was with us. Sam Shaw, Assistant Director of the puppet ministry, had a sweet Aunt in a nursing home. She loved Jesus and is now with Him. That day we had hecklers, like the old men in the muppet show years ago. They yelled all of these things as I was telling the Bible story. One said,”Why did we come?” A lady responded,”They made us.” Someone asked,”Why don’t we leave?” A lady answered,”I can’t get out of my chair.”
This program went very differently. Please pray for these dear friends. By the time you have hair my color and are living in a nursing home, you no longer harbor illusions about living forever. Some of these friends have not settled important business with the Father. Ask the Lord to show them their need.
THE PARK AND THE CHURCH
One beautiful morning, we set up in a park and did a show. In front of me was an amazing waterfall. I told the story, the children and their parents listened. However, one father decided to leave in the middle of the story. As he walked away, his children held onto his hands. They were both were looking backward, trying to listen as long as they could.
That night, we did a second show at the church. Some came from the show in the park. At both shows, we had many visitors. It was a sweet joy to tell so many children in New York about Jesus and His hope.
God is very kind to us! We even enjoyed a picnic on Mount Defiant, a boat ride on Lake George, and went swimming. What fun!
In Jesus, Linda for a tired and happy team…Seth,Paige,Jared,Heather. and Krista