Three FIRSTs!

Being in the Ministry is interesting for sure!

We have done pre marital counseling, rehearsal and a large wedding and didn't get a thing, not even a Thank you card. We have done funerals and various other things and sometimes we are given a financial gift and sometimes not. The greatest reward is one God gave: after the funeral of a stillborn baby girl, the couple called some nine month later saying they were pregnant with twins! That was the neatest reward of all - and they sent us pictures when they were born!

This last Thursday we had a funeral (Celebration of her life!) of a dear lady of our Church. Oh she will be missed greatly, and yet oh how we rejoice for her victory!

But let me tell you about the personal blessings to us that were unusual and special:

First, we were both given white flowers to wear during the ceremony! That indeed was a FIRST for us and so sweet. I know how PLEASED Alice would be that her children had honored us in this way.

THEN I received a check for SINGING! I have never been paid for singing at a funeral. THAT was a first! Ken was given a check also. Again I could see Alice smiling from Heaven, at how her children were showering us with love.

Florida is currently in a cold spell and we needed heat for the celebration service. The heat was not working right in the Church and Alice's family JUST HAPPEN to be in the heating and cooling business. So they did ALOT of labor and even bought parts and fixed our system. No cost to the Church. They probably saved the Church hundreds of dollars! Oh Alice would be so proud of her children and their attitude towards using their talents to benefit 'God's House'.

Ken stayed up all night trying to make a DVD for the family - compiling pictures he took at the viewing, the burial, people greeting each other, etc and played "I CAN ONLY IMAGINE" in the background (which is the song I sang at the Celebration). He has never made a ppt/DVD before. He studied, downloaded, experimented and finally this morning he produced it! He made six copies and took it over to the family tonight as a Gift from us.

The family had apparently had been expecting us, but no one had called us. Each one thought the other had called us to come over tonight. No one had called. So they were glad to see Ken. In a lovely manner, the children of dear Alice announced that they are donating Alice's car to us. You will have to ask Ken what kind it is - but it is a four door, so now we can pick up people more easily. It is much newer than our ailing Sebring. Our car has had so many issues llately that we knew soon we would have to buy something else before long. THIS takes all the pain out of searching and deciding. The LORD gave us a car!

This Hymn comes to my mind:

"I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazerene and wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned unclean.
Oh how marvelous, Oh how wonderful and my song shall ever be.
Oh how marvelous, Oh how wonderful is my SAvior's love to me.