Sumertime ... and ... the Work Goes On

​How Does Your Fruit Grow
 
      We were blessed this year to be able to harvest plums, peaches, pears, and apples from our fruit trees. We planted them in Nac several years ago but God has given the increase. (See photos below)

​When God’s children are careful to “plant” His Word in our hearts, not only will we enjoy the benefits, but others can see good fruit coming out of our lives. They will know we are Christians and they will be drawn to our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ.
 
United Way
 
       For over 30 years the Nacogdoches Area United Way has been a part of GODTEL’s support base, and we are very grateful. Last month, I appeared before the United Way Allocations Committee to give a brief description of what we do and to answer any questions they have about GODTEL. Now, we wait to see what next year’s allocation will be.
We are thankful for each person on the United Way Board for taking time out of their jobs and lives to try and meet the needs of our community. The other agencies are pleasant to work with as we share with them and they with us when we or they have a need or a surplus.
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The slogan of the United Way is, “Live United” — a powerful bit of advice. I am sure you have heard the saying, “United, we stand. Divided, we fall.” (Quoted by Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln, among others.) When we combine our efforts with others, energy and resources stretch a lot further and much more can be accomplished. I am reminded of two Bible passages which acknowledge the power of living united (Genesis 11:6, Tower of Babel) and the danger of being divided (Matthew 12:25, a kingdom, or house, divided…)
 
21 Watermelons!
 
The Livingston mission received a call from The Escapees RV Care Center wondering if we would like to have some watermelons. We did not hesitate to say, “YES!” They had received a truckload and had many more than they could use. We shared a few of them but our residents enjoyed most of those delicious summer treats very quickly.
 
Garden-fare
 
The Livingston mission planted several tomato plants this year but somehow we only reaped one tomato. So much was going on at the Nacogdoches mission this Spring we did not get our hoped-for garden off the ground, rather, into the ground. Therefore, we are greatly appreciating and enjoying what others are bringing us from their gardens. THANK YOU!
 
Doing Chores Cheerfully
 
On the back page you can see one of our youngest residents (here with her mother and grandmother), doing chores.  She even volunteered to fold the towels and pillow cases. Although she had never done it before, she caught on quickly and did a very good job. (She just celebrated her seventh birthday with a party at GODTEL for which Mrs. Helen, my sister, made a wonderfully decadent strawberry cake.)