On my prayer "walk" (I drive) today, I found myself understanding in a new way those great verses in Romans: "How shall they believe...?" and "How shall they hear...?" As I parked in the lot beside the Adult Video store and the Silver Dollar Showclub, my heart begged the Redeemer to redeem those caught up in this awful slavery of selfishness, lust, and destruction of what God has made good. The Spirit, however, moved me to pray more fervently for workers. Where are those who God has prepared in special ways to reach the dancers and the ensnared men?

When we visited Harding the Friday of Spring Sing weekend, we were pleasantly surprised to hear Dr. Monte Cox speaking during chapel. He spoke about faith in Christ, faith when we don't understand, faith at all times regardless of what type of person you are. He made a comment which brought tears to my eyes. "I don't like what Jesus says about marraige in heaven. When we died, I want Beth to be Beth...but I must trust Jesus." From the time Chris and I married (over two years ago, wow!) this very part of scripture has been a test of my faith. Quite naturally, I feared his death.

Our preparation time in Huntsville is going very well. It's strange, but the longer we're here, the more I feel like I am on the mission field (as in Cambodia). One of the new joys God has blessed my life with is going to the market. There is an old Star Mart in a place called Five Points (where 5 roads meet) just down the road from our house. The people that work there are older and poorer than the community that surrounds them, but they greet everyone who enters the store like old friends. Maggie and I walked there the other day to pick up some groceries.