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GARDEN OF THE GODS in Colorado
OGALLALA NEBRASKA
STRANDED(?) IN OGALLALA OTHER PRAISES: - Good
health for the entire team |
"...and all the people were very happy because of what God had accomplished so quickly."
II Chron. 29:36
When we broke down in Indiana on
our first day out on our tour, we were amazed how God provided
for us. Little did we know that in less than a week, we would
see God's hand move in mightier ways.
LINCOLN NEBRASKA
We had a wonderful outreach at the
First Nazarene Church in Lincoln Nebraska. We performed HIS
STORY at two morning services. The cast was amazing. I (Steve)
was grateful to reconnect with a high school acquaintance who
had helped us set up the booking. We were greatly blessed by
this couple, Linda and Brent. It was hard to say goodbye.
We left Sunday afternoon, Sep 27.
And then it happened...the oil light came on. I had the pleasure
(?) of driving at the time, about 9pm on Sunday night, in
between small towns in Nebraska. (see
below for a longer version of the story of our time in
Ogallala Nebraska and how we were blessed by a Dodge dealer).
The next day, we learned that we
needed a new engine. After much consulting and prayer, we made
the decision to get a new engine. You heard the news and
read our request for financial help.
In less than 1/2 hour after sending
our email, we had received our first donation. By the end of the
first day, we had received over $1300 toward our goal! And by
the time we drove off with our new engine (9 days later), we had
received $6000.00 from people all over the US!
CORVALLIS OREGON
We had to to drive all night to
catch up for lost time and made it to Corvallis OR for our next
performance at Calvin Presbyterian Church pastored by Steve's
BFF (best friend forever, as he introduced me to his
congregation) Marc Andresen. Our disciples were greatly moved
and they served communion in their disciples' costumes while
Steve Short in his Jesus costume helped pass the elements. It
was a very moving communion!
WEST LYNN OR AND SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA
We are now in West Lynn, former home
of our team mate, Susan Nichols Jones. We will be performing a
scene from His Story at a Sunday morning service. Then off to
Southern California for an Oct. 18 LAST SUPPER and Nov. 1 HIS
STORY. (See our schedule by clicking
here
HOUSING NEEDS
We still need housing for 3 couples:
- Oct 13 and 14 - the San Francisco
Bay Area
- Nov 3 - Albuquerque NM
Let us know if you can help!
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LONG
VERSION OF OUR OGALLALA NEBRASKA ADVENTURE
How often have you ended up in a situation you had not planned on and felt like you were 'stuck' where you didn't want to be? That was my feeling as we sat in the Dodge dealer showroom in Ogallala Nebraska after we learned we needed a new engine and that it would take a week to get back on the road. Six of us were sitting, waiting: how were we going to get somewhere for lunch? Where were we going to spend the night? How could we wait a week for a new engine? At this point, a gentleman who worked at Schmidt Motors, our Dodge dealer, stopped by the area where we were sitting and sending emails and making phone calls. "I hear you're having a tough time". "Yeah, we're on our way to Oregon to perform but we got STUCK here in Ogallala!" I said. He had an interesting look on his face. "We're going to KFC for lunch and then maybe up to North Platte (100 mile roundtrip) to rent a car, and then I guess we'll have to spend the night at the motel up the street" I said. (click here to see mapquest of Ogallala) "Well, first off all, you're not going to KFC for lunch. You're going with me. Secondly, you're not staying at THAT motel!" Off to lunch we went to a local eatery. As he held the door open for me, I said, "I'm sorry we're keeping you from selling cars." He replied, "I haven't sold cars for quite a while.....I own the dealership." This, after I insulted him with saying how "STUCK" we were and that we were going to take his vehicle on a 100 mile trip! We had a wonderful lunch and returned to the dealership showroom waiting area. Evening came and he said, "You're coming home with me." We didn't know exactly what that meant but we had no where else to go. So we packed up our laptops and a little luggage and went to his (Ron's) home. (We now have learned that Ron is a believer. After lunch he had taken us by his church and we could tell it was a Christ centered congregation.) Over the next three days, Ron and his wife, Kim, provided housing in their home. They had never taken in strangers before and boy, were we strange! While we were there, we helped Kim with painting the showroom at Ron's dealership. Ron called many churches in town to try to find an opportunity for us to perform. When it became clear there were no opportunities, he loaned us a van to take to Colorado Springs where each couple on the team had friends to visit. We all had a time of refreshing and then returned to Ogallala on Monday. By Monday, we calculated the donations we had received from God's generous saints. They totalled $6000, just a few hundred short of what we needed! We are so humbled by each contribution that got us back on the road! On Tuesday, we were not able to leave until after dinner (at KFC!). We hit the road about 7pm and drove through the night to Bend, OR for a stop over with friends of Susan Jones. I will think twice next time I feel "STUCK" in a situation. God orders our steps and has His purpose in our lives. |
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