Lufkin - July 2017

“For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth …” 2 Timothy 4:6,7,8a The calendar says summer is two/thirds over. But we know that the hot temperatures of summer are here for another two months. Then the happy days of summer turn into days of classroom hours of lessons, tests and homework assignments. EMPLOYMENT REPORT: New jobs-2 Still working-4 C.N.A. graduate-1 Praise the Lord! Her name is Paula. She checked in late April. This is her second time at GODTEL. Enrolled at the Adult Learning Center, Paula was working to earn her G.E.D. She was committed to this task. She had to get to Angelina College for her classes. One day she was told of the same help at Mosaic Center which is much closer. A short time later Paula came into the office with a question for us. She was interested in attending the Certified Nurse Aid classes that were starting at the Mosaic Center. Would we allow her to attend these classes? We prayed about her request and said yes. For six weeks, Monday through Thursday, Paula went to class. She studied and studied. Years ago she had been a nurse aid, but time passed with new information to learn and put to use. The state test was scheduled. Bright and early one Sunday morning she went to the college for her exam. We know she passed and did well, but the 7-10 days of waiting to know for sure have seemed like forever… In the meantime, Christi is having surgery and she will need some help when she comes home. So...guess what?! Paula gets to put into practice her newly attained education. Now who would have thought, months later, that God would put all these people and decisions together for a perfect ending? P.S. She is still on the road to complete her G.E.D. Go, Paula! Earlier this summer Joseph was gone for a few weeks helping his mother after she had surgery. This past month Christi went south to Conroe to help her daughter after surgery. The week she was on nursing duty, Christi got grandma hugs and visits with her sons. She loved on her daughter with prayers and words of encouragement. Oh, and she did some cooking, too. Hungry mouths had to be fed, you know. Healing takes time, but it was time for Christi to come home. Before Christi left Conroe the next care giver was in place. God is good. The heat did not stay in the kitchen. The grills and barbeque pits were fired up for all sorts of social and family gatherings. And with that said-our guest cooks were on fire with their meals. We ate pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, baked chicken and sloppy joes. A few watermelons landed in our kitchen. They were chilled and cut and eaten, a cool treat, indeed. Martin and I had two special invitations this past month. We were invited to eat fried fish and eat homemade ice cream and be blessed with Christian fellowship. We gathered up mom, threw her in the car and headed south. We prayed for our country and thanked the Lord for the food and the “cookers’ of the food. We laughed and shared news of our busy lives. It was a blessing of Biblical proportions. Our second outing was to Spring. Our youngest grandchild celebrated her first birthday and we had to join in the fun. Lauren was a delightful participant. She did not disappoint us. The candle was lit and she wanted to touch it, but her parents quickly moved it out of harm’s way. She tested the small cake with her finger once and then again and then again. Later, all were gathered around Lauren as she pulled books, toys and a doll out of the gift bags. She shared her toys with some of the younger guests. She enjoyed all the fanfare. And we enjoyed her. Thank you, Lord! More action took place in the kitchen. The paint is on the walls. No new color just white on top of white. But it looks nice and new and fresh. Martin and Joseph are putting aluminum splash guards up. The new look didn’t end there. The big room and hallway, also, received a paint job. There is no slowing down at GODTEL during the summer. We still prepare and serve three meals a day. Dolores is our faithful cook. Even though we have quite a few regular guest cooks and some special cooks, Dolores makes sure the residents are well fed the other days of the month. Crystal keeps the residents’ clothes clean and dry Monday through Friday. The kitchen towels are washed every day of the week. It is one hot job, but Crystal does it with a smile. Warren supervises the meal clean up chores. He keeps the men’s dorm organized and he assigns beds as the men come in. His day job is yard work. Even after a long, hot day of mowing and weed eating he still has enough energy to do his part at GODTEL. Right now, we have James, Joe, and Pedro who have been helping with the painting and yard work. Thank you, guys. We appreciate your help. I did not forget you, Kristen. Happy Birthday to our first grandchild who is 15 years old! Love you, girl. Please remember Christi in prayer. She will be having back surgery August 14th. She will have a long healing and rehab process. Pray for GODTEL, we will be one worker short. I won’t be short in thanking you for your support and partnership in God’s ministry at the top of the hill on Moody Street. Because of Him we serve, Martin and Mary Baker