January Newsletter - Lufkin

​2018-January-whoosh-July-whoosh-December. Another year has gone by quickly and a new year is here. Welcome to 2019. New adventures await us. Seek and follow God’s plan for your life.

EMPLOYMENT REPORT:

New jobs-0
Still working-2
Praise the Lord!

The low number of “still working” folks is due to the fact that several of the working residents moved out. These folks were diligent in saving their money and looking for a decent place to live. Their goal was reached and now they are “on their own two feet”. Praise the Lord.

CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST

Total people in attendance-48
Residents-19
Volunteers-17
Guests-12
Wow!

Eight o’clock Christmas morning the kitchen was opened. The stove was lit, the knives were sharp and ready to cut fruit. The volunteers arrived as planned. The tables were wiped and table cloths soon covered them. Pine cones, twirled ribbon and small hard candies decorated the center of each row of tables.

All sorts of busy activities were going on in the kitchen. Biscuits were laid out on big trays with butter brushed on the tops. Ham, bacon and sausage were cooked. Eggs, scrambled and fried, were prepared. Fruit was peeled, cut and put into a big bowl. Tater tots went into the skillet and came out golden and crispy.

Milk and orange juice were the beverages-just right for this delicious meal. Butter, jelly, salt and pepper added their flavor to the meal.

There was a break and those who wanted walked with me to learn more about GODTEL. There were questions asked, there were answers given. After the “walk about” we headed back to the kitchen and began the homestretch.

At 10:00 am we rang the bell. A short Bible study was presented by Martin. A prayer of thanks was said and the serving began. One row at a time got up and had their plates filled with a wonderful breakfast. The volunteers, also, served themselves, sat down and ate with us. One of the men was working. His plate was served first and put aside so that he could enjoy this special meal when he got in. It was a merry way to start our Merry Christmas celebration.

Thank you to the Willing Workers and Victory Sunday School classes at Calvary Baptist Church for the breakfast items. This has become a favorite tradition. Thank you to the Junior League of Lufkin for collecting items for our every day needs as well as a few items as gifts. Thank you to the Texas Workforce-Veterans’ Department and the American Legion for bringing gifts “wrapped” in back packs. Thank you to the Lone Star 4-H Club and the Pioneer Club for Christmas gift bags. Thank you to the Woodman of the World for adding their Christmas blessings upon our residents.

More thanks go to Mustang Machinery for the truck load of canned goods they brought to us. St. Cyprian’s, also, brought us canned goods to add to our bounty.

We don’t want to cut short our thanks. Stephanie from Etoile has come several times to cut hair. She has made a big hit around here. Both men and women have been blessed by her. Not only does Stephanie share her hair cutting talent she shares her love and faith in the Lord.

With the hustle and bustle of the season I may have left a group or person out of the thanks. Please forgive me. God knows and His reward is far better than the thank you that we can send your way. As you can tell many groups give generously to help us provide a special day for our residents.

This past month we had visits from family members. Our daughter and her two girls came up for a weekend. We decorated Christmas ornaments. We enjoyed Martin playing his guitar and then Emily (4 yrs) and Lauren (2 yrs) showed off their musical talent on the children’s guitar. Sunday we went to church. After that Amanda had lunch with some girlfriends and we had Emily and Lauren to ourselves for a bit. It was a wonderful visit.

Martin’s sister, Susan, and her husband, Johnny, came in from Kingsland. It was a good visit. Mom (Martin’s mom) had her three children for a few days. Christmas was lasting all month for us.

Christmas day our son and his children came up for tacos. We call them Christmas tacos. It does this grandma’s heart good to know her grandchildren like her tacos. Or maybe any taco is their favorite food. Whatever the reason, time spent with family is the best part.

Even with all the holiday events our guest cooks showed up with pizza, chili dogs, chicken and hamburgers. God is good.

This past month a brother in Christ changed his address from earth to heaven. GODTEL Ministries has been blessed to receive several gifts in memory of Mr. John Powers. We know Mr. and Mrs. Powers from our home church. We don’t pretend to know him well but we know he loved the Lord, his family and his country. Mr. Powers was a Marine. He served on Iwo Jima during World War II. My daddy was career Army and I hold military personnel, past and present, close to my heart.

We start this new year with hope in our hearts. Jesus is our hope and we desire to faithfully seek and serve Him every day of this year.

​Thank you for your prayers.
 
Because we serve a living God,
Martin and Mary Bake