S.O.W.E.R.S.

Students Of the Word Equipped and Running to Serve
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LEADERSHIP EDUCATION ADVENTURE DIRECTION

 

 

L.E.A.D.™ 2010 Slide Show 

 

 

 L.E.A.D.™ 2011 Slide Show

 

 

 

Posted 01/27/12

 

Tiffany Martinez is a graduate of the S.O.W.E.R.S. program and is currently living in Memphis, TN as a W.O.W. Ambassador.

 

 

 

Do all to the Glory of God:

A L.E.A.D. Account


When I first came to S.O.W.E.R.S., I didn’t know anyone here, and I’d never been to Mississippi. Even after I got in touch with the people at the farm before I arrived, nobody seemed to give me any details about what to expect. I didn’t really understand that logic at the time because I had never experienced anything like the S.O.W.E.R.S. program before, so why shouldn’t someone inform me ahead of time? Once I got here, though, and saw what it was all about, I completely understood. We don’t tell people what to expect because we don’t really have an adequate way of describing it. We could tell them certain facts, but the atmosphere is such that a person just has to come and see it for himself. That’s exactly how it is with L.E.A.D. We go, not really knowing what to think or what to expect. Really, all I knew was that I was going to be hiking and climbing mountains and hitchhiking to get there.


A word on hitchhiking…

Michael, Cassie and I decided that this would be our choice of transportation to New Mexico. We’d heard a lot of hitchhiking stories. We knew the mechanics of it, but, again, the heart of it was something that we could only discover once we were already out on the road. Hitchhiking is not about finding a ride. You might think it is, but it’s not. The idea behind it is that we are serving God. We were going L.E.A.D. because we wanted to be the best men and women of God we could possibly be. And we are constantly told that the greatest leader is the greatest servant. So, we went with the mentality that we would be helping people.


In that process, I learned that when I’m walking with Him, I receive what I ask for from God. It may come in the most unlikely ways, but, if I trust Him, He will never deny me the things I ask. Sometimes it seemed as if there was no more hope for an answer to a single prayer that we made, but right then, someone pulled over, someone walked up, or someone decided to go the extra 70 miles (yes, that happened). As long as we remembered that God had our next ride already on its way, we were golden. All we had to do was stand on the side of the road and stick out our thumbs, and we knew for a certainty that God would do the rest. We also knew that we couldn’t “play it safe” with God. We had to put ourselves out there. We had to move and believe and go where we’d never gone before. We had to go with the understanding that only God would keep us safe, even if we had to walk into places that we never would have walked into without that revelation.


Michael, Cassie, and I ended up arriving at our meeting point in Roswell two days early. We never thought it was possible, but we did it. It reinforced in my heart that God honors believing and that he can do anything. Little did I know that the next part of our journey would be just as challenging, if not more.


Being on the rocks was not easy. In fact, sometimes I hated myself for ever committing to my goal. But that’s exactly why I did it – because it would not be easy. Whether it was the climb or the hike to Sunset Peak or my solo – none of it would be easy. But all these challenges had another thing in common: God was always there. Each time I climbed a rock, someone was there to cheer me on and encourage me. It’s funny though, I didn’t realize that the only reason it was so terrifying to hang off of the edge of a cliff is because it was just me and God, alone. No matter how much my family tried to encourage me, they were not on that rock with me. They were not doing the climb that I was doing. They could not do it for me. Actually, I didn’t even have to do it with God, and a couple of times I tried not to. He will leave us alone if we ask him to. But I also quickly learned that leaving God out was just plain stupid and that I never would have made it to the top without Him. God will not overstep our free will. We can choose to trust Him, and we can choose not to. So the big choice on the rocks was whether I would let Him help me or not. We all completed the climbs with flying colors. We overcame the fear of being on the rocks over and over, and we will overcome it again if we ever get the chance.


The hardest part would come next. It wasn’t fear that we would need to conquer, but our own urge to defeat ourselves.


Our next step was to climb Sunset Peak.

Believe me when I say that Sunset Peak looks a lot closer than it is. The hike up was hard, but we did it. It wasn’t until the last hour that we truly had to change our minds if we were ever going to make it to the top. Up until that point, we had taken breaks and recovered our energy periodically, but the last hour we went without stopping. At one point, when asked if we could stop, Victor motioned with his hand for everybody to follow him. He said, “We’re developing ourselves. If we stop now, I’m not doing my job.” I’m sure you can imagine the kinds of things we were thinking about him. But he was right. We’re sons of God, yes, but nowhere does it say that we won’t have to push ourselves. In fact, the Apostle Paul pushed himself all the time. He went through physical and mental challenges. In order to carry out the ministry of reconciliation, sometimes we have to push ourselves to go into the valley of human need. We have to push ourselves to reach out to the people who are overwhelmed and alienated and hurting. If you think that’s a pleasant place to visit for anyone, you should think again. Yet God chose us because we can and will go. He chose us because we’re the best of the best. Would He have sacrificed His son if we were anything less? Certainly not. And that was why we pushed ourselves. We wanted to be the very best for our Lord. We made it to the top, and we made it back down. The experience was above and beyond what I thought it would be. There were times when we asked ourselves what the point was. Why were we doing this? We were tired, hungry, and weary, but we realized we were unique because we trusted in God. He gave us strength. We did what we did for His glory.


I thought my solo would be this nice and pleasant time when I would sit in the woods and never worry about anything or think of anything bad, that it would be all flowers and unicorns and rainbows. Well, I might as well have thought that I would have a tea party with a bear. I didn’t understand what the real purpose of the solo was. But I quickly got it. That first night was the hardest for me, and I think that maybe it was for everyone. I was about to eat a dinner I wasn’t actually hungry for when I realized that I was alone. I also realized some other things about myself that I wished I didn’t know. And I cried like a small child and basically threw a fit at God. I said things like, “This is so stupid” and “I’m not supposed to be alone!” So, as I was sitting there feeling sorry for myself, I opened my MRE and I found something… a chocolate chip brownie. Before I tell you exactly why this was so exciting you need to know that I like brownies above all other desserts. For those of you who have never eaten an MRE before, most of them contain the same three things as far as desserts every time. So this was a rare find. Well, I was sitting there eating the brownie, and I decided that maybe this solo thing wasn’t so bad after all. It’s silly, I know. But I was so afraid of being alone with myself because of what I knew I would find. It is really hard to discover that you’re not as great as you thought you were. And let me tell you, I discovered that. But God is there when we least expect Him to be, even when we don’t remember that He really won’t ever leave us. So, in that one chocolate chip brownie, I found out that God is strong where I am weak and that his love covers not only what is outside of us, but what is inside of us as well. And I overcame the fear of my own mind.


Journal excerpt from the second day of my solo:


April 27, 2011

Wilderness outside of Goshen…


Life is just happening and I’m not doing anything to change it. It’s like Dr. Wierwille said, “solo. Man, if that ain’t the greatest time of your life you’ve missed the mountain. Read, think, write, get rid of the ballast in your life. Just sit down and enjoy livin’!” “Great” doesn’t necessarily mean pleasant. Some of it’s pleasant, some is hard. But there are things our minds don’t get to deal with unless we’re alone. But these things have to be dealt with. “Dust” gets in the way of our walk with God. So we have to shake it off our feet. What I mean by that is, get rid of bitterness, anger, division, malice, hurt, anxiety. That’s what I’m doing here. Those things clog up my spiritual ears. It’s not about survival or testing my limits. It’s about being the best woman of God I can be. 1 Corinthians 10:31


My mistakes are many, and they try to follow me wherever I go, but it says in Psalm 23 that goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. It also says in the Word that nothing can separate me from the love of God. Hitchhiking taught me that God really can do anything. The first part of the week taught me that I can change my mind in a split second, so I should do it, even if I do it to “one-up” the adversary. Solo taught me who I am in Christ. Too quickly I forget that God wouldn’t change me for the world. All I need is His spirit. Now I am complete. I have learned to love myself in spite of all my faults because I am who God says I am, and He would not ask me to be anyone else.


My heart is to serve God to the greatest capacity that I can. I want to be willing to do anything for Him at any given moment. I still don’t know if I would. You never really know until you’re in the situation. I do know that I climbed a mountain for Him, and I spent three days with next to no human contact for Him. That’s not much, but God loves me. I went to L.E.A.D. so that I could grow even just a little into the woman I want to be, and I learned that I am already like Christ because it’s Christ in me. The real trick is behaving like him all the time.


I learned at least three things: God can do anything; I have the ability to change my mind; and it’s Christ in me, the hope of glory. I also came back with a goal:


1 Corinthians 10:31:

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.


Thanks to all the people who picked us up on the highway. I pray for you every day and I believe that God will give you prosperity for helping us.


Love in Christ,


Tiffany Martinez

 

 

Victor Wierwille is a graduate of the University of West Florida, BS magna cum laude and graduate of Fellowlaborers, Christian Family Fellowship. He is currently president of S.O.W.E.R.S.  

 

 

 

 

L.E.A.D. Outdoor Academy™

 

Around 30 years ago, L.E.A.D. was a mountain climbing program that took place in the Capitan Mountains in New Mexico.  This past April the program was attempted again for the first time in 25 years as a part of a full time Christian leadership program.  The S.O.W.E.R.S. walked the same mountains and climbed the same rocks and had some of the same instructors as those many people did those many years ago.  Over the course of my life I had heard from people how they remembered the L.E.A.D. program and how much that experience changed their lives for the better.  I didn’t really realize how great of an experience it was until I went through it myself.  You can’t put into words all of the things you learn there in those mountains.  If you could, then we wouldn’t have to face those rocks, we could just teach it in a classroom.  However, some learning requires field trips.  Sometimes you have to stop talking about it and face your fears; sometimes you have to climb that mountain yourself. 

 

I know some folks are going to think twice about those of us who went hitchhiking.  But I wish you could have seen the heart of the people living in this very country… how they took care of us and blessed us and even walked with God.  Yes, I saw God work in strangers, who maybe didn’t know as much about the Word as you do, but they had guts and therefore God was able to work with them.  It was a beautiful thing.

 

The S.O.W.E.R.S. program should be helping people to learn the Word of God and learn how to apply it practically.  The addition of the L.E.A.D. program to S.O.W.E.R.S. is a huge leap in the lives of the students to walking with God in all aspects of life.

 

“On Belay,”

 

Victor Wierwille

Victor Wierwille can be reached at VictorPaul38@aol.com

 

Posted 5/5/10

 

 

 

Stacy Siedlecki is a graduate of the Ohio Center for Broadcasting and graduate of Fellowlaborers, Christian Family Fellowship. She is currently a coordinator of S.O.W.E.R.S.

 

 

 

 

NOTE: Below is a letter Stacy recently wrote to friends and family that she has allowed me to put up on this website.  I thought it would bless you to hear more details about our LEAD trip.

God bless,

Victor Wierwille

 

-GOD-

The Word is Faithful

May 4, 2010

 

God bless you in the powerful name of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I am believing that this letter finds you well and blessed.  I wanted to send a letter out to my friends and family to share with them the incredible experience that I had at L.E.A.D. (Leadership, Education, Adventure, Direction). 8 young people made their way to Tinnie, New Mexico to do some mountain climbing, rock climbing and rappelling.  It was an experience that not a single one of us will forget!  God moved and we all saw signs, miracles and wonders follow!

 

L.E.A.D. was by far one of the most incredible experiences of my life.  I’m not sure that there are enough adjectives in the English language to describe all the things I felt and had the privilege of going through.  With that being said, I will do my best to share my heart on the things that we did and more importantly, the things that God showed me.

 

Victor and I hit the pavement on Monday, April 19th.  We arrived at the Travel America truck stop at about 7:15am.  Once there, we got out there and stuck out our thumbs.  (Actually, we held up our sign but you get the picture.)  It took us 2 and a half days and 15 rides to get us to Roswell, NM.  We beat our deadline by arriving a little over a day early.  Let me say this about hitchhiking.  First of all, all the students, Victor and myself included, were given the option of deciding their own travel.  Plane, train or automobile, we were all given the choice of method of travel.  Four out of six of us chose to take the “hitchhiking challenge.”  Victor and I both agreed to this.  We wanted to see and believe God by way of this method.  After much prayer and consideration, we were both in agreement and excited to get out there.  The only other thing that I can say about it is that I’m so very thankful that we made the decision to hitchhike.  It was an experience that I will never forget.  It was its own adventure.  We saw great signs, miracles and wonders on the road.  One of which I would especially like to share with you.

 

Before leaving, many people asked me, “So what are you believing for?  Steak dinners, hotel rooms, breakfasts, plane rides…”  I didn’t have much of an answer for them.  I knew that all I really wanted was to get there early (which we did) and there was one other thing.  I got my one other thing and here is the story.

 

We were standing on the on ramp to I-20 West in Lyndale, LA trying to make our way.  A man by the name of Joel (pronounced Joe-elle) was headed to Dallas, TX and offered us a ride.  Once in the cab of his truck, he told us that “The Lord” told him to pick us up.  We were thankful for that and we got to talking about the things of God.  Joel attends a Pentecostal church.  He was telling us that he doesn’t understand why people don’t just “ask God.”  He said, “If you have faith in God and pray to Him, He will answer your prayers.”  It was that simply for him.  Well, Victor started talking about the integrity of God’s Word.  How when the Word speaks of something, we can take it to the bank.  Then he proceeded into speaking about Speaking in Tongues. (S.I.T.).  Joel told us that his minister spoke in tongues but that he didn’t understand what he was saying.  Victor began telling Joel the benefits and purposes of S.I.T.  Then I shared with him about I Corinthians direction of the manifestations in the church.  Once we shared for awhile, Joel seemed very interested and was hanging on every word that Victor and I were sharing.  I then asked the million dollar question.  “Joel, would you like to S.I.T. now?”  His eyes got large and he answered with an absolute “yes!”  I then went through the steps and in about 2 minutes, Joel had spoken in tongues!  Then we practiced for about 5-6 minutes or so.  It was incredible.  As soon as he stopped, he looked to us and said, “I spoke in tongues in my heart for you two.  For your lives and for God bringing you into my life today.”  My heart melted.  He asked if he could pray with us.  His heart was so true and tender.  And asked for God’s great blessing and protection over our lives.  And how thankful he was.  We exchanged information and proceeded out of the car.  Once back on the pavement, I turned to Victor with tears in my eyes.  I believed God for one thing and I certainly received it.  Victor and I had just led a man into S.I.T.  This man now worships God perfectly!  God moves.  No matter where you are or what the circumstance.  Praise God!

 

Journal Excerpt from Wednesday, April 21st 2010:

…Once Victor and I hit the road for our trip, we talked about the whole “what are you believing for” thing.  I think Victor put it best.  he said, “This is not about what He can do for us, it’s about what can we do for Him.”  You see, hitchhiking was to be another opportunity to serve God.  How can I bless others.  Getting to the heart of God and getting his will done.  Being at the center of it.  Our job doesn’t change day by day.  We are to worship and serve Him.  Our Father.  And let me tell you, if I had to choose between a plane ride to New Mexico vs. 2 and a half days on the road in order to lead someone into S.I.T., there is no question about it.  It’s about us doing what’s best and letting God give us his best.

 

There were some other neat stories to share.  One girl had a little Jetta, two passengers, a vacuum and a trunk full of groceries.  Once she pulled over we found out that we weren’t headed the same direction.  Then she said that she didn’t live far from there.  So, she went home, unloaded her car and came back to pick us up and drove us 18 miles to the next truck stop.  Talk about going out of your way to help someone. 

 

Another guy, Thomas, was heading from Fort Worth, TX (which was where we were) all the way to California.  CALIFORNIA.  This was the ride we needed.  But he was 22 and a bit hesitant.  He said, “I don’t know.  I’ve never done anything like that before.”  Victor responded with “neither have we.”  I ended up on the phone with his mother Cindy while she looked at our website to make sure we were legit.  After an hours worth of talking things over, he said to put our stuff in the back.  We were going 400 miles on one ride.  THANK YOU FATHER!

 

Needless to say, If I were to share all the people and events, you would never get through this letter.  So I guess that I’ll move onto the next event.  LEAD!

 

Location:  Tinnie, New Mexico

Instructors: Jack and Tina Wilson (our fearless leaders!)

Residence:  The Original LEAD Lodge

2nd Residence:  Up in the Capitan mountains.  Goshen to be exact

3rd Residence:  A personal spot for your solo up in the mountains

Dates: Friday, April 23rd to Friday, April 30th

Elevation: 7,000 ft

Number of Climbs: 10 (5 at 20-30ft.  3 at 40 ft.  2 at 150 ft.)

Number of repels: 2 (1 at 40 ft. and 1 at 150ft.

Australian Repels: 1 (that’s where you go face first off of a perfectly good mountain)

 

We hiked up to Goshen on Friday afternoon once we got all our gear together.  It was about a 2 hour hike up.  We set up camp and enjoyed the fellowship.  We all poked around for awhile just to check out the scene.  It was all so beautiful.  Really amazing.  We had our dinners (MRE’s) and then got to bed early.  Saturday was a full day of training, climbing and repelling.

 

Journal Excerpt from Saturday, April 24th, 2010:

…After that it was onto repels.  Talk bout doing something un-natural.  “Here, just walk off this cliff backwards.  And by the way, do it while being parallel to the ground”.  That was fun.  Not to mention exhilarating and unforgettable.

 

I had a very difficult climb on day 2.  It was then that the principal that Tina taught me came into play.  At one point during the training she said to us, “you need to trust God.  Sometimes when it doesn’t look like you are going to have a next move, you go anyway.  There will ALWAYS be another foot/hand hold.  God will never fail you.  Just like in life, even though you may not be able to see the next step, God does.  So trust Him.  He will not let you down.”  That certainly came into play that day.

 

Journal Excerpt from Saturday, April 24th 2010:

…I was on climb 2.  No one had gone there yet.  So I got started.  By “got started” I mean that I stood at the base of that thing for about 20 minutes.  I tried every which way to get up that rock.  I was so irritated.  After much, as I hate to admit, cussing and frustration, I finally calmed myself down and I said to myself out loud, “this is not physical, this is spiritual.”  Then I prayed to God.  I told Him that on the count of three, I was going to jump up with the only foot hold that I had and that He was going to have to show me where my hand hold was.  Sure enough, after I jumped, I knew exactly where to grab.  You see, the wall was flat.  No visible grips.  But when I put my hand far to the right, the rock caved in and I had myself a grip.  You couldn’t see it by looking straight on at the wall, but God knew right where it was.  I was so overjoyed that I even laughed out loud.  God cared enough to show me the next hand hold.  It was incredible.  I had never felt so good to make it to the top.  To have reached my goal and to know that without my Dad showing me the way, I would have never made it.  He certainly is our sufficiency in ALL THINGS.

 

Rock climbing, rappelling and hiking…it’s all my environment.  I didn’t even know that it would be.  I loved every minute of it.  Everything was a rush and exciting.  Everyone did so wonderfully.  We were challenged and anticipant for every passing moment.  I never could have imagined doing the things that we got to.  I will never forget it.  I will never forget the things that God taught and showed me.  This was a bit interesting though.  On the last day, right before we left to head home, Jack, Bob, Amy and I all took one last hike back to Goshen.  You couldn’t even tell that we were there.  We sat at one of the base of the climbs and just talked for awhile.  It was at the point that I started to cry.  I was so sad to leave.  I know that it sounds cliché but I really felt like I was leaving part of myself there.  Not to mention, it just felt so…un-natural to leave.  You go to a place like that and experience the things that you do.  You see God so large and so evident.  You learn new things and watch God work and hear Him speak and then you say, “Ok, gotta go.”  I mean why would you leave something like that?  Why would you leave someplace that you see God so evident?  Because…God is wherever you are and you have not been called to rock climb.  We have a much higher calling.  We have been given the ministry of reconciliation.  So let’s take what we have learned and move out on the Word and take that Word over the world.  I can say that I am a stronger child of God for having been there.  I will never forget the things I saw and learned on LEAD.  And the best part is, there were 7 other young people who feel the same way. 

 

“It doesn’t take large numbers of people to make things happen; it takes a few knowledgeable and committed ones.”

            -Dr. V. P. Wierwille

 

To sum up the ride home, we made it home over a day early.  At one point we rode in a stretch navigator limo, and ate like kings.  My friends, God is alive and well!  We had a blast. 

 

I hope that you were able to get some kind of picture of my trip from this letter.   

 

Thank you for all your prayers while we were gone.  It was by the believing of others as well that got us to where we were and back home again. 

 

God bless you exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ask or think.

 

Agape,

 

Stacy Siedlecki

 

Stacy Siedlecki can be reached at GoodGround1323@gmail.com

Posted 7/2/10

 

 

 

 

Dylan Dearman is a Graduate of the 2008-2009 S.O.W.E.R.S. program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After graduating from S.O.W.E.R.S., I set forth on an adventure across this great country.  In time, I accepted an invitation to go to L.E.A.D. (Leadership Education Adventure Direction). During the trip home, somewhere between the L.E.A.D. Lodge in New Mexico and the S.O.W.E.R.S.’ Clubhouse in Mississippi, I was pulled over. The cop asked for my driver's license and asked where I was coming from and where I was headed. I told him that I was leaving L.E.A.D. in New Mexico to go to the S.O.W.E.R.S.’ house in Mississippi.

 

"Do you have a job?" he asked.

 

"No sir," I replied.

 

"How do you pay for your trip?" he asked, hinting that I was doing something dishonest.

 

"God is my sufficiency: He supplies my every need," I explained to him.

 

"So God comes down and gives you money?" It was this statement of a worldly cop that sparked this letter.

 

God truly does supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Matthew 6:33 says, "But [in contrast to being worried about your needs] seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."  The Word of God is truth; I have seen this promise come alive time and time again. Thinking back on what this cop asked me: there is no other explanation for my confidence than that God supplies my every need. I am blessed to say that I have put myself in a position where there is no other way to answer the question of how my needs get met than to give God the glory.

 

If I could say one thing that the S.O.W.E.R.S. program and traveling have taught me it is this: To read God's Word, to live it, and to teach what you learn and know — receive, retain, release.

 

To know that you know that you know that you know that God's Word is truth and to be persuaded without a shadow of a doubt that there is no other answer for your life is a great realization to come to. Paul said by revelation from God that he was persuaded that God would never leave us (Romans 8:38,39). So, the next time a need or a problem arises, look to God to supply the need or deliver you from the problem.

 

You are God's best. I love you. God bless.

 

Agape,

Dylan

 

Dylan Dearman can be reached at chickeninthemicrowave@gmail.com

 

Posted 6/2/10

 

 

Jake Wilson is currently a student in S.O.W.E.R.S.  His class is graduating June 13, 2010.

 

 

 

Our Family:

A L.E.A.D. Hitchhiking Account

 

I have known my mother, father, and brother all my life. I’m the youngest in my family, and I have an understanding of the touch of a family—the love, the strong touch each person has on the other’s life. THE FAMILY, our family, all of us—millions—are born of one father, God. How amazing life is when we relax and “let God.” The simple pleasure of a challenge is reaching the top and seeing the reward. The most beautiful views are seen from the top of the mountains.

 So, there we are on the evening of Day 2 of hitchhiking, Sarah Lozano and I—with no sleep, loaded on 5-Hour Energy and Red Bull. We just got dropped off at Mitchell Hill Road just outside of Gordon, Texas. At a small truck stop, we restocked our food, water, and Red Bull. Due to our lack of patience, we stopped waiting for trucks at truck stops and just started walking till someone picked us up, which was not the best idea since we didn’t have a map.  We had no idea how far it was to the next town. However, the farthest we have had to walk up to this point was around one mile before we usually get picked up.

     So, we continued with what was working—we kept walking. We walked 3 1\2 miles until we reached the next town. There was only one building called “The Smoke Shack”, which, from the outside, looked like an exotic bar, but the night was closing in fast, so, after a quick talk, we decided to keep walking to the next town. We had walked around four more miles till we saw our first sign: “15 miles to Ranger/ 82 miles to Abilene.” I looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was far behind the hills and the stars were beginning to shine. We were both exhausted. Then Sarah started sporadically jumping and waving to the passing cars. As I searched the ground for a good place to camp, we sent a massive “S.I.T.” text from the phone to the family. We were not looking forward to sleeping under the sign, but the odds of getting picked up at night were slim . . .BUMMER!” Now we were cold, tired, and sore from our nearly 11- to 12-mile hike for the day with a 76-pound pack on.

We were getting ready for a long night when, all of a sudden, a police officer pulls over on the side of the road. “Righteous—our ride,” I thought.  We explained to him how we got here and why our licenses said I was from Florida and Sarah was from Texas. He politely offered to take us back to a hotel on Mitchell Hill Road. We quickly accepted, knowing there was a truck stop on Mitchell Hill Road. On our way to the hotel, we told him all the exciting things that had happened so far on our trip.  We further explained why we were hitchhiking. At the hotel, there was a small group of locals on the porch watching the sheriff drop off the two hitchhikers.  Then, with a “Be careful and good luck,” he was gone.

We now had a hard decision to make. We would either go to the small truck stop or get a room for $55… H-m-m-m.  Now, at the time I was ready to go to the truck stop, even though the pack was getting very heavy and Sarah was dozing off in the chair… H-m-m-m.  Then I said quietly to myself, “GOD, I’M EXHAUSTED AND THE RED BULLS ARE LOSING THEIR EFFECT.” As was thinking these things, an older man and “Pam”, the clerk at the counter, walked over and asked, “Do you have any money?”

“Yes, we have money. I’m just trying to decide whether to stay here or go to the truck stop for a ride,” I told them.

They said, “Okay” and walked away.  A minute later, Pam returned: “We can get you a room for $20, but there’s no a\c or TV.”  I replied the same as before with a thank-you. She smiled, mumbling, “Maybe we can get you a better room for cheaper.”

I replied the same as before with “I have enough money.”

She ran off to the office. I looked at Sarah and asked, “Do you think you can go on?”

She smiled, shook her head “no” and said, “I’m exhausted, but will keep going if you decide to.” Now I was having trouble keeping my eyes open as well, so we decided we would get a room and start fresh and rested the next morning. Just then, Pam poked her head out of the door and called me over—sneaky-like. At 9:40, I walked in to the office and saw Pam behind the counter rustling some papers. She said, “We have a room for you.”

I responded “We’ll take it. We are really tired.”

She smiled and said, “Yeah, ya’ll look dead out there.” I signed some papers as she checked my ID. She handed me a room key.

“How much do I owe you?” I asked.

She looked at me with a smile: “Nothing. We’re giving you a room.”

 “THANK GOD,” I say loudly, “and thank you, Pam.”

She looked at me and said, “The Lord works in mysterious ways.”

“Yeah he does,” I said awkwardly. Then I told her what we were doing and why we were hitchhiking. I offered to her help and asked if she wanted to pray. She grew more serious and said,

“Maybe. We’ll see in the morning.”

“OK, we’ll pray in the morning,” I said and went off to gather Sarah and get to our room where we found showers, a bed, and good rest.

In the morning, we got our things and met Pam on the porch with loads of smiles and thank you’s. We asked if she was ready to pray. She told us about her being diagnosed with possible cancer. Then, we started sharing with her Romans 10:9 and went through Galatians and Ephesians on how we are sons and daughters of God. We went into how it is not God’s intention that we suffer, but that we be whole by our believing, that when we believe God, He will make us whole. We also covered the power in the name of Jesus Christ.  Then, Sarah and I prayed in the name of Jesus Christ and claimed Pam’s wholeness. When we were through, I looked at Pam. Her eyes had filled with tears. She was choked up but said to us,

“I believe you two were sent here for me!” Before we left, we reminded her that she was God’s daughter.

So, there we were, three of us of the same family of God. We had never met before, but we believed God and we each took care of each other’s needs.  That’s the tender touch of the love of the family.

AMEN!

Jake Wilson can be reached at backlashjake@yahoo.com