Ice Chest Salvation

Chaplains were driving through disaster area, when they noticed an elderly lady sitting in the shade by her flooded home having lunch off the top of an ice chest.  Turning around, the chaplains went back to visit with her.  She shared about the flood and being displaced .  She shared that she and her husband had been married over 50 years and had lived in this house for over 35 years.  The chaplains asked her about her eternal home.  She replied, "Well, I hope I go to heaven, but I don't know for sure".  When told "God loves you and sent His son to die for you".  She surprised the chaplains and said she had heard of Jesus, but did not know He died for her. The chaplains gently went through the Steps of Peace with her, showing her how she could know for sure that she could spend eternity in heaven.  She listened intently and then ask what must I do?  Pat then bowed her head and prayed, confessing that she was a sinner and asked Jesus to forgive her and to come into life as her Lord and Savior.  Pat, at the young age of 81, gladly took the Billy Graham Training Center Bible so she could learn more of the Peace and Hope that Jesus gives. 

Laundry Washed by Volunteer, Soul Washed by Christ

Misty and her son are living in temporary housing.  The chaplains met her near the laundry trailer, while there to visit another homeowner.  The scripture verse, that the lady doing the laundry for her and written on her bag, was John 3:16. 
  As Misty shared her story with the chaplains, they talked about the Bible verse and showed her where it appeared in the little booklet "Steps to Peace".  Chaplains  then shared the whole booklet and Misty prayed to receive Christ. 

A Sad Celebration

We were requested, as BGEA Chaplains, to attend the funeral today of a 10 year little boy, who was a member of the host church, First Assembly of God, Minot, ND.  The little boy was killed riding a 4 wheeler and ran into a barbed wire fence.  His little sister found him.  The mother is a single mom.   The little boy, Joshua, and the other children were visiting their father in Canada,  when this accident happened.  Joshua loved westerns, his favorite tv show being Bonanza.  The family was all dressed in western attire and a cowboy hat and his little cowboy boots were on the casket.  The celebration of Josh going to heaven was presented in video, showing his youthful antics as well as his baptism this past year.   The service was full of his favorite praise songs and Jesus Loves Me.  As the service ended and the casket started to be rolled out and as the family followed, the theme song of Bonanza was played, as if little Josh was riding off into the sunset......to meet Jesus...

Ginger Sanders, BGEA RRT Chaplain: Scheduled for Salvation

Ginger Sanders, BGEA RRT Chaplain: Scheduled for Salvation: A couple of weeks ago, Samaritan's Purse received a work order for a mud out in Minot, ND. The volunteers were few and the job orders...

Scheduled for Salvation

  A couple of weeks ago, Samaritan's Purse received a work order for a mud out in Minot, ND.  The volunteers were few and the job orders were many.  It just so happened that the Mennonite Christian Disaster Relief, who often have volunteered with Samaritan's Purse, came into town and requested work orders.  Samaritan's Purse gave them seventeen work orders out of the stack. 

The following week, a homeowner came to the Disaster Relief Unit to see when SP could be there to do the work.  She was told her work order had been given to the Mennonites.  She broke down in tears, as if she had no hope.  The SP office manager called for a BGEA Chaplain.  The chaplain came to the DR and started to talk with the lady to calm her.  The chaplain felt there was more here than just the house and ask the woman about her family.  The lady started to share that she and her husband were raising their 3 year old grand daughter because her father is in prison for abuse and the mother is gone.  This homeowner shared she could not forgive the father for what he had done to her daughter and grand daughter. 

The chaplain and the office manager prayed with the lady and told her only through Jesus could she forgive him, but with Jesus all things are possible.  The chaplain asked the homeowner to pray, right then, for the father and then continue to pray for him three times a day.  The homeowner hesitated, but then in tears, started to pray for him.

The Mennonites came back to the DR Unit with the seventeen job orders, saying they were not going to be able to get to them with their low number of volunteers. The office manager looked down and the lady's job order was on top!

The Office Manager called the chaplain and the chaplain came to hear that the job order was back in the hands of Samaritan's Purse.  The chaplain and the office manager had special prayer over this home and the homeowners.

A few days later this job site was given to a team.  The chaplains heard that the homeowner was going to be there when the team arrived, so they went to the home to be there as well.  Well, the team decided to stop by another job en-route and was later getting to this site.

The chaplains came down the road and saw the homeowner in the driveway waiting on the team.  (The SP team would not be arriving for 45 minutes) She told the chaplains she was faithfully praying for the man as the chaplain had requested her to do. 

Then, the husband arrived at the scene and the chaplains had the opportunity to build a relationship with him as well.  The SP team arrived and was warm and gracious and full of the love of Christ. The team suited up and went to work in the basement of the house.  It overwhelmed both the husband and wife.

The chaplains then asked the couple about eternal life.  They both listened as the "Steps to Peace" booklet was shared.  The husband prayed, for the first time in his life, to receive Christ.  The wife prayed and rededicated her life to Christ. 

It was with great joy and celebration that the wife and the little grand daughter came to share dinner with the chaplains and the SP teams tonight.  The chaplains prepared a dinner to go for the husband who was at work. 

God had scheduled this meeting with this job order....many played a part in this...but He gets the Glory!

No Barriers with God...even in Jail

Mary* attended the services at the host church for Samaritan's Purse this past Sunday.  During the week she was arrested for various charges and is also dealing with probation violations.  The chaplains decided to visit her in jail; but upon arriving were told that  "there are no visiting hours today". God did a mighty work in the hearts of the men in authority and we were granted visiting privileges.  We were separated by glass and talked through phones, but had a meaningful visit.  While holding "Steps to Peace With God" up to the window, Mary* read the prayer to rededicate her life to Christ.  We left reading materials with the guard, for her. 
 (*Name changed to protect her privacy)

Never Too Old

My husband and I attended church services Sunday morning and then left for an afternoon of relaxation and sight seeing.  We went to a state park, not too far from the town of Minot, ND.  While there, we parked our car to look out over the water, but then saw Prairie Dogs, close by, popping up out of their burrows.  Walking over to read the signage about them, the we saw an elderly man, who was sitting in his car.  My husband started to talk to him about the strange little animals. Then, he started to share his life, telling us when he was a young man, he was a well digger.  He said his health was failing him as the years past by, for you see, he will be 87 years old in a week....September 1.  We then asked him if he knew he would go to heaven when he died and he said he sure hoped so, but he did not really know. We explained to him, "Jesus died for us, so we can know we have eternal life if we ask Him".  The gentleman smiled and said he attends church frequently, but he was still not sure of eternity.  We showed him the simple prayer in "Steps to Peace" and told him, "If you believe Jesus died for you and rose again, all you have left to do ...to be sealed with the blood of Christ, is to prayer, would you like to do that?"  This soon to be 87 year old man, bowed his head and prayed to receive Jesus.