God working....

Short story: 

• 11 people saved or reclaimed in the last 3 weeks
• New girls  in bonfire
• God helps “Mary” at court
• Humbling. Board of Education paying public school teachers to train at Coda
• Coda going into the public schools in afterschool program to target at risk kids
• Coda summer camps being promoted in public schools
• Pray for laborers

Hard to explain the last three weeks:

Paul Contin saved:  A confession meeting broke out at one of our services.  Two weeks later Paul Contin got gloriously saved at age 69.  He has been at almost every prayermeeting and service and even testified to all the “who’s who” people in semi-formals at his 70^th birthday party at the theater, “Two weeks ago I became a Christian!  And Robert and Esther are mentoring me!”

 In the past 30 years, almost every time we had a confession service souls would be saved shortly afterwards. 

Mary’s mom saved:  Disaster struck at one of our student’s home.  Lets call her Mary.  Her dad may be going to jail.  Her mom, crushed beyond words, gave her heart to Jesus in my van and went from weeping and despair to laughing.  She has been in church and reaching out for God’s help since.  She will need much strength and nurturing because of her past and has to fight for every step, but that does not take away the marvel of that conversion experience.  Ann and I have never seen anything like it. 

Jane saved:  A few days later, “Jane” a troubled, rebellious girl who has gotten into serious trouble already and been hurt by the world, who has just started at TLC, got saved at school and testified openly to the lower school and then to the youth group.  In these few weeks she has gone from a rude, stubborn gal, to one that openly shows affection and expresses a desire to be a woman of God. 

Bonfire:  Yesterday we had a bonfire at my house during school.  Four of our new girls from difficult backgrounds burned things in the fire.  One burned her diary a few pages at a time, confessing the darkness and pain on those pages and then burning them saying each time, “I don’t want that anymore.  No.”  One girl burned some immodest jeans with gaping holes and wept over the temptations this kind of clothing causes men.  There was such laughter and tears and appreciation and supporting of each other.  It was glorious and so gutsy real!

Mary’s sister saved:  Last night Mary’s unsaved sister was in bed began praying to the Lord about her anger issues (temper tantrums) asking God to help her treat her brother and family right.  She came into TLC this morning and said to Ann, “I got saved last night!”

Five more saved:  At the end of the school day, Ann had all the lower school kids sit down before leaving.  Unprompted, Mikah stood up and said, “Miss Ann, I want to get saved.”  She said, “Oh…ok….why don’t you go pray with Robert.”  Then another kid said, “I want to get saved too!”  Then another and another.  Five in all.  Totally uninitiated by adults…with no piano music or preaching….

Victory at court:  This morning Mary was in court (not her fault).  She was battling anger and self-pity and slipping into dark thoughts.  I said to her, “Look in my eyes Mary.  Don’t go where you are going.  Don’t go into anger and self-pity.  Fight with the big guns.  Fight with love and faith.  Believe.”  Somehow she heard me.  Before it was over, she was inviting the social workers to our church, telling them Robert wasn’t like ordinary preachers.  Then she demonstrated by re-preaching some of Robert’s sermon Sunday to the social workers, complete with standing up and imitating his hand motions and voice at times , and telling them about her studies at TLC in Marine biology and history.  She would say things like, “I know everything in that biology book.”  “We are learning about the intercontinental railroad and the carriages that were supposed to float and sometimes didn’t….”  She was utterly failing school a year ago.

The social workers jaws were almost on the floor.  They hadn’t been trained for this.  Then she went before the judge and his comment was, “I’ve never heard a 13 year old say the things you are saying.  You don’t need counseling.  You are strong.”

One social worker said she was going to come to our church.

And to think, to God’s glory, that just over a year ago “Mary” was gothic, a fighter and had been suspended from school for fighting and insubordination five times in less than a year.

Celebrate Recovery:  Robert is starting Celebrate Recovery step study for people from both of these families and their friends to be able to attend.

These new kids are attending youth group and bringing friends.

Coda:  Coda Mountain Academy has been allowed to be promoted in four counties’ public schools and with two younger orchestras in Charleston.  Pray for Coda’s whirlwind tour in February.  It looks like the Board of Education will be paying teacher’s to train/teach with us at Coda Kidz so they can use those techniques in the public school.  So. Very. Humbling.  Only God.  Only God!  Coda has been written into a Board of Education grant and will be teaching kids music at Fayetteville High School 2 afternoons a week the Lord helping starting this fall. We will be targeting at risk kids.

Pray:  The battle is not over.  The devil is fighting hard but God is working beyond words.  I have mixed feelings about sharing this.  Without sharing, you will not know how to pray specifically nor will you be able to receive encouragement and understanding of where we are right now.  By sharing, I risk increasing the fight or altering the situation by sharing too soon.

Please make it worth my while by praying much for us.  We really need it.

Pray for laborers for the public school work, TLC and the church. 

Soli Deo Gloria