The Rest of the Story ... for Now - February 2018

The insert in last month’s newsletter was the first of a two-part series about the Scopes “Monkey” Trial held in Dayton, Tennessee beginning on July 10, 1925. Attorneys were Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan, both very famous.

Soon after the newsletter was mailed out, I received the following email from a friend of ours who lives in Maryville, Tennessee:
“I just got your newsletter and article on John Scopes. One good thing that came from this was that 5 years later, some rich guys came to Dayton, dropped a pile of money and helped start a good conservative Christian college, with at least one stipulation: That it be named in honor of William Jennings Bryan. 79 year later, in 2009, we were there for our oldest daughter, Jessica, during her orientation day at Bryan College. There was one statement made by the college president that will stick with me for life. In front of students and parents, Pres. Livesey said, “I really don’t care how much smarter these students are 4 years from now, I want them to be prepared to go out and challenge a lost world.”

I replied to my friend thanking him for the follow-up information and told him, “I have always loved the assurance that no matter what any enemy attempts against a child of God, our loving Father will use it for good. The story of Joseph is an excellent example and encouragement to keep on doing the right thing and leave the end results to God.”

God’s Word declares that God created all we see in six days (one sunset and one sunrise, not a “day” of a thousand or a million or a billion years). He spoke it into existence and left us a written record of what He did.

Who is man, that any should come along and declare that they know more than the Creator? My description of that kind of man would be an ignorant, arrogant, pseudo-scientific, dupe who has been taken in by the clever lies not only of Satan, the enemy of all, but also of our deceitful, wicked hearts (Jeremiah 17:9 and Matthew 15:19)

The Phone Rang…

I answered, “GODTEL Ministries. This is Nancy. May I help you?”

A woman on the other end of the phone line said, “You already have.” She then proceeded to tell me her story beginning shortly before she came to GODTEL 13 years ago. She said she was a real mess, doing drugs, when she became homeless and somehow found her way to our mission. As she heard the Word of God day after day, she realized that the only hope for a positive change in her life was to let God have control. She said she got on her knees before Him and vowed to follow and trust His leadership.
Through the years she has had some struggles as God used a variety of circumstances to test and grow her faith. Recently she discovered she had a large sum of money due her from the State of Texas in unclaimed funds. These funds had been accumulating since she was at GODTEL and she had been so “out-of-it” back then, she forgot she had been receiving a monthly check, which had continued to be paid even though she was not receiving it because the address was wrong.

She expressed thanks that her life was stable, that she had a car, and a paid-for mobile home. She said she called to let us know that God and GODTEL were the reason her life had changed from one of misery, chasing the next high, to one of peace and productivity. She said she planned to come back to GODTEL for a visit soon and I encouraged her to do just that.

As I hung up the phone, I rejoiced and thanked God for His faithfulness, goodness, and the encouragement her call had brought.

This Month’s Insert

At the end of each year we total up the number of people who have been ministered to at each of our shelters during the previous 12 months. Our insert reports those figures in a different form than those given on the back page of this newsletter. Also included are other bits of information and a brief history and description of GODTEL. (Next month’s insert will be Part 2 of “The Scopes Trial.”)

A Cold Reception

That’s what we found on our return to Livingston from Nacogdoches following the week it snowed. Our pipes had frozen and we had to fill up jugs with water at the mission to make it through the night. As we had only one flush in our toilets, we got to practice what a missionary to Africa told us about flushing toilets, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.”
As the weather warmed up we discovered broken pipes under the women’s dorm, my office, our house, and the mobile home behind my office. Terry and Greg were kept busy getting parts and making repairs. Bro. June’s temporary patch on our burst pex pipe, using auto heater hose, worked like a charm till we could make permanent repairs.

Many Thanks

The knitted caps and scarves, along with the gloves and mittens we received at Christmas have been very popular with our residents and we are most grateful to the donors of these and other items who are showing the love of God to the people we minister to. Each month we have guest cooks coming on a regular basis providing special meals and sharing God’s love as well. Our deeply heartfelt thanks to you all.
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May God abundantly bless each one of you who helps in any way for choosing to be a part of this ministry to the poor, homeless, and hungry people of East Texas. May He protect you from the evil one and give you clear guidance day by day as the return of Jesus Christ draws ever nearer.