Monday, February 22

     As I mentioned last week, we had AT LEAST 120 in attendance in at our Valentine's Day services. Of those, four asked Christ to be their Savior following the services. One of them was Alicia, a married lady who first came to our deaf church when she was 16 years of age. We have witnessed to her MANY times, but she never really responded. Now, at about forty years of age, she, her husband and best friend all came to know Christ last week. Sometimes, the Lord is so patient with us in preparing our hearts to receive His word!
 
     The other person will remain anonymous, but has attended several times recently. He is married to one of our young ladies who also began attending several years ago. They have had a very difficult marriage with the young lady often coming, begging for counseling and prayer. It seems that their relationship has been one of a cat and dog in the same house. It often came to physical blows. She is a smaller lady and is partially crippled so it was always one sided. Last week he also trusted Christ and returned this week alone. His wife had to work so he came alone! He had forbidden her to come to church previously, so it appears that he really got it. His face and mannerisms appear to have changed as well. Praise the Lord he still loves sinners!

      Next, in the drama is Omar and Monse, two of our newer converts. The came back in September when Armando was with his father. Since day one, we have had a really special relationship, more like father/son. On the day he trusted Christ, he cried like a baby when he realized that God loved him, a sinner. They went home and within two weeks announced to his family and in-laws that they were changing churches and no one could  change his mind. He came a few weeks later asking to be baptized. As we have stated, that is a tremendous step for a believer here because all realize that it means total separation from family, church, heritage and friends. They were baptized in November and he has had an eternal smile ever since. He and Monse are growing so much each week. At the party, they had this skit in which he took out six different hearts, one at a time. As he took out each color, his wife explained what they meant and "quoted" (written on the back of the hearts) a verse for each one. It was probably the first time they had ever been in front of a crowd of 120, but they performed just like it was a practice in front of two people. Yesterday, he read Proverbs 18 in front of the church without a hitch, something I could not do. Next week he is to lead the service up to the preaching time. All they wish to do is serve the Lord in any capacity. What a wonderful blessing to see Christians who want to serve the Lord whether it be in front or behind the scenes.

    Ann is doing quite a bit better. This picture is at her worst. The jaw was red and quite swollen and painful. The problem was that it along with several other less serious conditions caused a cerebral ischaemia, a blockage that stops the blood flow to the brain. We are thankful for the quick response of Cheyenne in literally screaming "Mom, wake up!" several times before she got a response. With blood thinning medication and a few other things to help, it appears she is doing well with her recovery. The scare took several years off of Cheyenne and me, but we praise the Lord we could get her to medical care quickly. Do pray that she will continue to heal well. She is able to function normally now, but there is always a possibility of a recurrence in the future. By the way, on Saturday when she was released, we went directly to a maxillofacial surgeon to remove the offending root of a tooth.
    Please to continue to pray for:
         Mike Layne - diabetic; renal failure and recovery
         Dan Dilts - cancer treatment - (one of our teenagers from Illinois 30 years ago)
         Casey Stribling - Ann's mother - eye problems; wisdom for proper treatment
         Carol Gluck - pastor's wife at our sending church - cancer treatment