A wonderful and strange evening

We went to the ice cream social tonight as a family. It was packed! People came from towns all around. They had sloppy joe and chicken sandwiches, but that didn't do us much good. lol ;) I talked to Judy, the lady that coordinates the special musics at the church. Her husband farmed the land around our house when we moved here. He would give John and I rides in the combine when he harvested every year. Now their son farms it. I asked if she wanted to look at the books I was selling to earn money for college. She got the Peace Above the Storm. Our neighbors sister said she wouldn't get the books, she just wanted to send me a donation so I could put it all towards school. The people we'd met at church Sunday were all glad we came. We sat at the table with our mailman, Lanny, and his wife. They both work at the post office. We had a good visit. Milton came and sat with us when he got there. We found out his birthday is the 28th. I think maybe I'll send him a card or something. :) He said he's looking forward to the sing-a-long. When we got ready to leave I showed the books to Lanny's wife. She looked through all of them, flipping through the pages and commenting on them. She picked out the Peace as well.

By the time we left the social it was near 8pm. So my parents just stayed with me and we drove around to my "comebacks". One wasn't home, one (a lady who wanted me to comeback last weekend) didn't have the money again, and another lady got the Peace.

The next comeback was a little disturbing and I would like to ask you to keep it in specific prayer. On July 6 I had met a mother and her two children, a boy and a girl probably 5 and 7 years old. They were outside talking to a man in a van. I found out it was actually the mans house and theirs was a block behind, but that they were kind of together. The lady was interested in the cookbooks and asked if I could come back in two weeks. I hadn't really thought it out but today its actually been two weeks to the day. So I stopped by her house after the social. It is a very run down trailer. The little girl answered the door and looked like she recognized me. "Oh hi!" she said. I told her I'd brought the books again and asked if her mom was available. "Oh we have to be kinda quiet 'cause my mom's working." "Oh," I said, "Well you can just tell her the girl with the books is here and ask if she has time to look at them now or if she'd like me to comeback." She disappeared around the corner. Coming back she said she could take the books to her mom. So I wrote the prices on the back of a receipt and showed her what the books were. She disappeared again and in a minute came back with no books in her hand. This whole time she had looked a little nervous. She told me her mom had the books now so I could leave. I thought maybe she'd misunderstood. And what was the mother doing? So I told her, "Oh uh, the books aren't free so I can't just leave them. Did she want to get some?" "Um she didn't tell me. Just a minute." I couldn't hear much from the other room. The little girl had invited me to step inside. But what I did hear concerned me. She returned still with empty hands. "I'm sorry. She still won't tell me." I decided there may be more important things here than 6 books. So I wrote my name and phone number on the Happy D and told the little girl her mom could call me. "Are you ok, sweety?" "Yes." "Can I pray with you?" I'd prayed with them last time. "Sure. But I kinda like to pray quiet." I knelt down to her level and said a quick prayer asking God to be with her, keep her safe, and bless her. "You have my phone number, ok?" I told her before I left. I'm praying about going back with my mom. And I'm praying for God to do battle there! The little girls name is Summer. Please pray for her and her little brother and the mom.

The last house was a young mother who was at church last Sunday and who was just leaving the social when we came. We said hi and chatted for a second. I asked her if she would be interested in the books I was selling. "Sure! Stop by in the evening sometime." I figured now was as good as ever. She invited me in and looked at the books. Long story short I had to text my mom and tell her and dad to go on home and I'd call them when I was done. Susan and I talked about Leviticus 11, Daniel 2, and how she wanted to teach Sunday school for the few older kids in the church and thought the God's Answers book might be a good teaching tool. She said she was interested in learning about different denominations. She got the GA and asked when the services were at my church. "Don't make any plans for Saturday, Hon!" She called out to her husband in the living room. She also talked about liking to study the Bible. And how it would be nice to have a study group with people her age. I almost wish I wasn't leaving in 10 days. I've found several leads here already and I haven't even gotten to AFCOE yet. I'm just praying for wisdom and that God will keep the embers burning till I get back.

So counting the 6 books I had to leave at the trailer I "sold" 10 books tonight and 2 Happy D. 53 books to go! :) Ptl!