March Newsletter - Lufkin

Still summer. Still hot. Still working. Still praising God.

EMPLOYMENT REPORT:

• New jobs-6
• Still working-9
• The Mosaic Center-1
• The Fieldhouse-2

Praise the Lord!

Many thanks for the many cotton balls, band-aids and Q-tips you brought to GODTEL. Now, what do we do with these items? The band-aids go into the “medical” cabinet. The cotton balls and Q-tips head into small groups and placed into snack size baggies. Then when a resident has a need for these items we can hand them out in a neat and organized manner.

Pennington Baptist Church youth made a visit to GODTEL. We took a tour. Questions were asked, answers were given and stories were shared. This group did not come empty handed. From their vehicles fried and barbecued chicken and all sorts of yummy for your tummy food items came out. It was a delicious meal and the fellowshippin’ was a blessing.

The amazing and modern medicine...Last month Jesse had surgery on one of his eyes to remove cataracts. He was waiting to have the other eye done. The day came and he headed to Houston. That afternoon he returned and was grinning from ear to ear to be able to see.

Bible Study had just begun and Jesse fell to the floor. An ambulance was called and he was taken to the hospital. He had a heart episode. He stayed for a few days and came back to GODTEL. The next day he left to go to Arkansas where his sister lives and where he can receive the medical attention he needs. We will miss Jesse. He was a willing worker and spent hours in the kitchen helping Dolores; as well as the other chores he performed. He is in our prayers, add him to yours.

Wow. Students have been attending classes for two weeks. Nick is no exception. Before 7:00 am he and his mother head to the bus stop. By 7:00 am Katelynn is back in time for Bible Study. Then Katelynn tends to the business of the day. She is busy with parenting classes and meetings that she is required to attend.

After he gets off the bus he changes out of his school clothes into play clothes. Sometimes they go to the park. Sometimes they stay and hang out here.

Slowly, the women who have been sleeping in the hallway are getting into rooms. Several women have left. This is a good thing and makes the “moved” women happy.

Stunned is the word. It was a sight I did not want to see. One of our recent Christian Men’s Job Corps graduates was arrested on a warrant from Florida. He did not resist. He did not flee. Our hearts were broken. He has been transferred to Florida. Now we pray for the truth to be told. We pray for repentance and we pray for mercy.

Guest cooks prepared and served nachos times 2, pizza, and a rice casserole. And don’t forget the chicken from the Pennington group. Praise the Lord!

Both The Mosaic Center and The Fieldhouse have started new sessions. Once, again, GODTEL has students in both groups. Christina is at The Mosaic Center. Cody and Trent are at The Fieldhouse. Pray for these folks as they learn about the Lord and how to make wise decisions and good choices.

Again this month, Martin and I had the opportunity to visit our daughter and her two girls who live in Spring. We donned aprons and made Rice Krispies treats. We melted the butter in the top of the double boiler. We added the marshmallows and stirred them until they were melted. Then we added and stirred the Rice Krispies. That was a little harder and some of the fun faded for the girls. With wax paper the mix was spread and flattened smooth. Emily put marshmallow stars and moons on top. Finally we cut and ate the gooey treat. Yum.

The garden is gone for the season. We did not yield as much this year as we have in the past. But what we did get we enjoyed tremendously. Fried zucchini, cucumber soup and sliced tomatoes-can’t get any better than that.

 We are out of the chicken/egg business. The ladies were not laying enough eggs daily and we were spending more money on feed than they  were yielding. We mentioned this dilemma to a friend. The possible solution could be as simple as changing the environment. So...the hens now have a new home. They can roam about freely, clucking and, hopefully, increasing their egg productivity.

We don’t want to be found lacking in our thanks to you-our supporters. To God be the glory.

Because we serve a Living God,
Martin and Mary Baker