WHAT A WEEK!

     I do not know where to begin with all that has happened this week. God has moved in an amazing way and I am full of stories today. I could barely get to sleep last night because my mind was all abuzz with what happened last night at the play, as well as what God did for me, and others close to me this week. He answered prayers, brought about a miracle to Joe's family, three new lives entered the world this week (at least that I know of), and brought about a spiritual birth to my family. I guess I should just start at the beginning and let my fingers do all the work. :) 
     Let me start by saying that I wrote the play, "The Community" two years ago. About fifty six years ago, Joe's mother had a baby that she had to put up for adoption. It was a little boy, and she told me recently it was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. They would not let her say one last goodbye to him; told her that it would not be good for her to see him, and she was forced to leave, never knowing what was to become of him. I cannot imagine the feelings she must have had and how that must have been at the back of her mind her entire life. What kind of family was he living with? Were they taking care of him? Was he getting all the love and nurturing he needed? She never felt it was for her to try and contact him. She left that choice to her other five children, or him if he chose to do so. She told Joe and Mickey about him when they were around twenty years old, and Joe said the first person he told was a young lady with the last name of Waldron. 
     So, time moves forward to 2014. The week of the play. Monday's mail arrived and in the box was a letter from someone Gwen did not know. She opened it and found an unbelievable letter. It was from her son. He had been looking for her for a little while and had finally got her name through some Simmons in Indiana, who had kept up with the family ancestry. They directed him to Gwen Walford Simmons in Wallingford, Connecticut, and gave him her address. He wrote the letter not knowing what to expect. He explained that he had an adopted sister who had tried to find her birth family and had not had a good experience with that. He was hoping for better results with his birth family. 
     I believe it was the same day that Joe's sister, who (amazingly enough) lived only three miles from this new-found brother, took a ride by his house and ended up talking to him briefly. They arranged a meeting the next night and three of the siblings went to his house and spent quite a few hours there. From what I hear it was like he had always been a part of the family. They found he is married, has two daughters, and one is even married and has two children of her own. Overnight Gwen discovered she was a grandmother to two other girls, as well as a great grandmother. Yet, just the fact that she discovered he had lived a wonderful life, was well loved and cared for, was enough that a load lifted off her shoulders and she became free from guilt, from concern, and the unknown. She is going to meet him next week and I pray that her visit with Shawn Waldron (If you read two paragraphs back you will notice his last name is the same last name as the first person Joe told about him.) will be a blessing and bring about healing and restoration to the family. Her long lost son is found. :)
     The reason why I mention all this is because that is the very theme of the play I wrote. A long lost son is found as an answer to prayer. When I told people this story over the week, it was like God was already using the message of the play - it is not just coincidence that all this happened the very same week. Another soul was found (by Jesus) this week. My little Benny has been asking questions about getting saved and it was clearly bothering him that he was not. Thursday morning his teacher took him down to talk to Pastor Bish. Pastor had him sit down on the couch in his temporary office and asked him questions to see if he truly understood why he needed to be saved, even telling a story to illustrate his need. Ben clearly understood the Gospel and bowed his head, and gave his heart over to Jesus. Pastor said Ben even cried as he did, showing a soft, repentant heart. Ben came upstairs, as we were finishing up our music practice with the little students, and whispered in my ear, "I got saved!" I was so excited to hear that! He seemed to be floating on air that day and seemed to be at such peace. He spent his recess sharing with others how to get saved, and I love his willingness to be an example. 
     Wednesday I became an auntie again, to a little (well, quite big) 10 lb baby boy. Congrats to my brother Nate and his wife. I cannot wait to meet little Nathaniel and give him a big cuddle. Pastor Bish's daughter had her first little baby on Friday, and another friend of ours had a baby girl on Wednesday also. New births are wonderful, whether physical or spiritual. Praise God for His works of grace and mercy. 
     Last but not least, I need to talk about the play. God had laid on my heart that I should fast and pray for the event, so I decided Thursday was the best day. That was the day Ben got saved, and it was also the day that one of the students from the play did not come in because she was sick. The same day her brother got sick at school. He had some major lines in the play and we did not know who would take his place if he could not come. I just put my trust in the Lord. I kept saying, "God has a perfect plan for this play." From the very beginning I had said that if God wanted to use the play then He was going to work out every detail. From start to finish. I hung onto that belief. It was completely in his hands. It turned out to be just a 24 hour virus and they were both okay that night. All students showed up. The play had a few little mishaps (one very cute little girl thought the song had started and belted out the first word by herself. She realized her mistake quite quickly and covered her mouth in surprise. So cute!) and some mics kept fading in and out, as well as some missing props, but all in all it turned out to be a huge blessing. So many people came up to me after and told me a story about how it could be used to help someone they knew who was struggling with a similar issue, or how it encouraged them personally. The students did an amazing job with all their lines, and the Gospel came out loud and clear. I am very relieved it is over, but still trying to process all the events of last few days. Someone asked me if I was going to write another play. My answer was, "You need to give me time. It is like having a baby. You should not ask if you are going to have another baby right after a birth. Give me time, let me work on this one so I can make it into a something others can use, and then I will see what God has planned for me." 
     Thank you, Lord for answering my prayers! You are so good to me! To You be all the glory!