Far and wide: Bold and bright A testimony by Mindy Horr

When wondering what I could possibly write for my testimony that would explain everything that God has taught me, I was at a loss. How do I write about what brought me from when I was a little girl - trying to figure out why it was wrong that I played hide-and-seek when my parents closed their eyes during prayer - to now.

Then I figured, as the Mad Hatter would propose, I should "start at the beginning, and when I get to the end, stop." So, here goes.

As you may have read between those lines, I grew up in a Christian home. I owe much of my faith to my parents today, and I want everyone to know that having Christian parents can be the greatest asset to developing your own strong faith if you allow it. I say "if you allow it" because many of us let the shortcomings of our parents, or conversely, the strength of our parents' faith, determine too much of why or what we believe. If your Christian parents have failed at showing you the Father, remember - they are still human and are working out their salvation with fear and trembling. If your parents have succeeded, and shown you the unconditional love of an Almighty God - remember, their faith will not be enough to save you, you must make a choice to follow that same God.

All this to say, my parents, Cliff and Casey Horr, are the best people I know. Not best as in perfect, but best as in, I have watched them seek and choose the things of God every day since I can remember.

I was in the latter portion of those children above for a long time, living in the glow of their faith as I believe the Bible intends - one needs to know good in order to follow it. I allowed them to lead my own faith along behind them like a little stuffed animal led along by the leash of a child. But I had to grow up sometime, so I went away to school, and for a variety of reasons, some of which included wanting to follow God, chose Biola University. Ahem. It was in Southern California.

Now, those tumultuous 4 years in a heavy and exciting culture were more than enough to pull me away from God, push me towards God, and everything in between. I will say one thing about my time there, something that is exactly what I want to always connect with those years - God introduced me to beautiful, strong, vastly different women, who helped me through, grew up with me, and allowed me the first bud of what I like to refer to now as my "feminist" side.

I'm so sure that I may end up losing some of you at this point, but please, stay with me. As opposed to what many people think when they read the word "feminist", I am neither one who is fighting vigorously for women to be allowed the same rights, wages, and jobs as men. Nor am I one who scoffs at the attempts of men to lead the world, and claims that women could do better. I would actually like to stop this whole comparison and figure out something else.

From the very beginning in Genesis, God told us we were different. "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (1:27). There is something distinct about God's image that He put only in females, and it was put in me - but what is it? And THAT is what I'm all about figuring out. Not, how do I stack up against the image of God that was specifically placed in man.

I believe I've gotten way ahead of myself. Well, maybe not. This thought of femininity was racing through my head and heart about the same time I decided that Southern California was again pulling me away from God - not to mention I couldn't get an interview anywhere, was making balloon animals for tips, and was living on a sailboat near Venice Beach - I was making all the wrong choices. Not exactly where I saw myself post-a 4 year degree and a heart that knew better.

Along with three of my other friends, and with one waiting for us there, I moved to Korea in August of 2009 to teach English for a year. Reasons being: 1. I would have a job that would make use of all that school I had done, 2. I would finally be able to start paying off loans from that school, 3. I could save money once the loans were paid off so that, 4. I could travel.

I think, at this point, God must've been looking down and chuckling, saying "oh, that's cute, Sweetie, you think THAT'S why you're going to Korea."

Within the first month, I realized. Community.

I say this word with so many images racing through my brain, that it will be extremely hard to pinpoint where exactly it changed for me - from being just another word to describe a neighborhood or group of people - to being this vibrant, life-giving, moving thing that would replace the institution that church has become in an instant if people really understood what a church, as a body of people, was meant to be.

I've come to realize that I will never (well maybe not never but it will take quite a long time to) unpack what God was doing those long months in Korea. Months where I couldn't believe what I was a part of. Months where I would've given any thing to be out of it. Months where I felt both at the same time. Months where I knew, with every single atom of my being, that whatever this uncomfortable, awakening, and glorious thing was, it was from God. 

And it was God's.

There wasn't anything that any one of us there had done to orchestrate it, though God did use specific actions and words and emotions of certain people to be very instrumental in its growth. And, though there were a handful of men that God used as brothers in Christ to show me a good many things, it was the women He had placed around me to affirm and encourage me, that I, ME SPECIFICALLY, was someone that God NEEDED, to show an aspect of His image to those around me, for the glory of HIS kingdom.

Two stories to tell in illustration, and then I'll conclude.

I think it was the third or fourth week after I'd arrived in Korea, when I experienced my first outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Not on me, but for me, from someone whom I barely knew. Our group of teachers, recruiters, friends, and family all gathered together to worship, pray, and just fellowship, during which this man was given a vision for each of us in the group. As I listened and watched the reactions of people I'd known for years, and people I'd only known for weeks, I was skeptical yet intrigued, as I'd never grown up in a charismatic environment. Yet, when he came to me, the words that he spoke gave me goose bumps and brought tears to my eyes.

"Mindy, I had this vision of you, with your ponytail being tossed about in the wind, and your heart yearning to be taken more seriously then the little girl that everyone sees you as. You have such wisdom and maturity, but you're afraid to use them because you're young, and look even younger, and feel unqualified to speak up. Don't."

How could he know what I'd never voiced aloud to anyone, ever? How could he see to the very core of my insecurities, see everything that was limiting me from stepping into that person God needed me to be? Truth is, he didn't. But God showed him. I believe this with my whole heart.

Through this word, and the people present who had heard it, over the next several months I was given the space in which to practice at being a fully functioning part of the body God was forming in Korea.

Yet I still battled timidity outside of that core community. February rolled around, and our group of women gathered for a women's retreat, in which we were all asked to petition God for a new name. What? No, not like Samantha or Allison, but what would God call us to, or call us for, that we hadn't ever considered being. I was at a loss.

I wrote down every word I could think of in a journal. What had I not asked God for? Believe me, I'd asked for a lot. Doesn't mean I'd gotten them all, come on - patience? - that's taking forever.

And then it hit me.

There was one thing I'd never thought to ask for, and it makes sense, seeing it was the one thing that I didn’t WANT to ask for. So I wrote it very little at the bottom of my page.

boldness

I'm not sure if my writing it smaller made me feel better or not, but it's quite comical when I look back at that journal. And in looking back, I wonder when it started happening. It wasn't immediate, and it wasn't all at once. About two months after returning to the States this last fall, I found myself talking with a friend and I heard myself speaking the name of God quite frequently and with a familiarity that was as comfortable as my best friend. Speaking in awe and adoration of all that He had done. Not hushing down my voice to an almost whisper because we were sitting in a smaller Starbucks with tables closer together. And it wasn't just this one time, one place, one friend. I looked back over the last months in Korea, the 3 months of traveling, and the two months of being home. When had this become normal?

I think my mind did a double take. Was this boldness? Wait a minute. I wasn't standing on a soapbox, shouting to the world to listen to me. But I was living a life that naturally brought about these conversations, whether I started them or someone else did. Me, bold? That was all God.

So where have I come - from that little girl hiding behind the speakers with a grin to now seeking out ministry with women wherever, whenever and in whatever capacity I can.

I am no longer my parents' faith. I am no longer a girl who is content with people knowing I'm a Christian because my dad is a pastor. I am no longer an opinionated woman among a wealth of immature men. I am no longer a spectator of the Spirit moving in others. I am no longer a sitter-byer as someone more qualified steps up.

I am a talmidah of my Rabbi Jesus. I am a girl whose greatest desire is to continue stepping into all that God has equipped me for. I am a strong, intelligent woman, made of the image of God who needs to encourage the men around her to seek out who they are in God's image. I am being moved by the Holy Spirit for His purposes that have Kingdom value. I am entrusted with much and much is being required of me.

This isn't the story of how I became a Christian. This is the story of how I've become who I was always supposed to be - a woman who knows the purpose and plan for her life is something that God is so fiercely passionate to see through, how could she not succeed?

This is the story of how I became me. And am continual becoming.

So, sorry, Mad Hatter, there is no end.

Mindy Horr, a BOLD woman of God

Dearest Mindy,

I praise God this morning for the BOLD woman that he is developing within you.  That in your boldness the gospel will be shared and your testimony will grow and grow.  I love your last line and you are right…there is no end.

As I sit here and think about your words and your journey’s that you have taken in your life I have a moment of pause and awe.  What an amazing adventure.  You are so blessed to have these special times, special adventures, and faraway travels.

So often we get stuck in a rut, in a place, in a time, and we don’t look outside and realize that the world is a big place and that God is wrapped up in hearts all around it.  Grow where you are planted, is a saying that I have been told, and I love it.  You must be planted in a flower pot, and you get to be taken many places.

I loved looking at all your pictures on Facebook.  They scream character!  Excited to see where the Lord will take you.

I just realized that Kael was being very quiet.  Too quiet.  Here is what I found…

Looks like Momma needs to run to Walmart and get new make up.

Oh joy!

"Hey you in the 'tighties' what do you think you're doing?!?"  And my I just say, getting make up off a toddler is not easy.  I triumphed, but it was a trick.


Lord bless you little lady!  Bold and bright.

Xoxo

Ronda

Love Letters

The glory of the Lord is my strength and my song.  I met a woman yesterday who shared with me her story of God’s glory, and her face glowed.  She beamed with light as she shared of the miraculous way in which the Lord worked in her life.  Her story starts by my estimation around 13 years ago when her husband was sent to prison and she was left to raise her two children on her own.  He would be in prison for 5 years, and for 5 years she would be a single mother.  What he was guilty of is not of consequence to the story, but I can tell you he loves the Lord and it is evident in his life.

She started to tell me a story, but had to back up and expand it a little further.  She told me how she was in desperate need of a good car.  The car she had been left with was a smokin hot Mustang and she detested the attention it brought her.  She needed a mom car, a reliable mom car.  So she found a dealership that was owned by a Christian couple and they helped her find a car on their lot and gave her favorable terms for her trade and really did right by her.  Two weeks later the car broke down.  She went back to them and they gave her a car to drive in the meantime, but they quickly realized that the amount of money it would cost to fix her car (which they were willing to do) would be greater than just letting her pick between two other cars.  She selected one and they told her to drive it a week or so and make sure she really like it.  She loved it.

She had to go back in and fill out the papers for the new car.  That day she was a wreck.  She was broke.  She owed rent, and it was late, and she had another bill that was due.  Times were tough for this single mother of two who was working two jobs and going to school full time (she is a GO-GETTER).  So she woke up in the morning and started praising God in her crisis.  She gave him her bills and she said “God, I can’t do this.  This is what I owe, and you know what I have.  I know that today you are going to show me your glory and you are going to make a way.”  All day long she said these words, “you are going to show me your glory.”

The day went by and she kept saying it and praying it and praising God for the glory he would bring in her time of great need.  She knew she had to go sign the papers and so she drove to the dealership and as she finished signing them the owner handed her a check.  She looked up at him dumbfounded.  “What is this?” she asked.  “That is the difference between the price of the first car and the new car you have.”  She looked at the number on the check, and to the CENT it was the exact total of the two bills she needed to pay.

She was overwhelmed with joy and praised God and shared giddily with the owner of God’s glory.  What an awesome God that we serve!

As I sat reading this morning I began reading about the glory of God.  I just finished 1^st Corinthians *LOVE* that book.  I know it is a book of correction because the folks at Corinth needed lots of correcting, but the way I figure it, I need lots of correcting too.  So I drank it up!  I was thirsty.

Today I found myself in 2^nd Corinthians and 2^nd Corinthians is finding itself overrun with underlines and highlights just the same as 1^st Corinthians.  I came to chapter 4 and starting in verse 7 read:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair, persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…

{loves}

Now down to verse 15…

For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.  So we do not lose heart.  Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Ohhhhhh, isn’t this amazing!

Let’s increase our thanksgiving!  In fact let’s thank him right now.

Jesus, THANK YOU.  Thank you so much for your word...a love letter to my soul. Thank you so much for taking the weight of my sin on your shoulders, despite my sin being detestable to you.  Forgive me for repeatedly getting caught up in myself and my little life and not giving you all the thanks and all the glory and all the honor due your precious name all the time.  I am not worthy of your love and I fall short of your glory.  I fall so far short of your glory that it wouldn’t even make sense to say that I fell short…our sin separated us from God.  Enter you, his perfect beloved son, willing to give it all to come here and live amongst us.  You took on an earthly perspective and you lived a sinless life.  Blemish free.  Then you bridged the gap and covered up our sins.  You bought us, you redeemed us, you reconciled us, and you made a way so that we could have a Father – son, or Father – daughter, relationship.  Without you we would be under the law.  Your word makes it clear that under the law we would be under death.  But by the Spirit we have been given life.  You are everything, and every good thing comes from you.  Thank you for bringing rain.  Thank you for bringing cooler temperatures.  Thank you for your mercy and thank you for your *LOVE*.  In Jesus precious name, Amen.

I want to thank Lisa for bringing me chocolate on Saturday when she heard of my 'Toddler gone crazy day', and she brought me lights for my new porch (Should the Lord will it be our porch).  What a blessing. 

I also want to thank Erin.  I got a package in the mail today.  In it was a jar of Anise, a love note that read:

I am so blessed.  I have wonderful friends.  Thank you Lord!  Now I get to make Manuel’s bread…YUM!

Xoxo

Ronda

Kenya Testimony~ By Brandon Roche

Before I begin, I have to say, there is nothing you can read, watch, or hear about that really does what I experienced justice. I believe in order to really understand another culture and how God is working in that culture, one has to actually experience it firsthand. In the span of two short weeks, I have made some lifelong friends and glimpsed a small piece of an amazing culture and people that are hungry for God.

Our team consisted of 12 people, 7 students and our leader and his family, a wife and 3 young children.

Our leader’s name is Severin Lwali. He was born and raised in Kenya, specifically, the village we were going to. He was our guide at times and translator at other times. Without him, the trip would have been next to impossible. We left for Kenya on the 24^th of June and arrived in Nairobi on the 26^th at 4:30 in the morning. Two hours later, we woke up for a college-targeted church service called Frontrunnerz. Severin was speaking that day so we had to arrive a bit early. The service was held in a tent, with a few rows of wooden pews and hundreds of white lawn chairs filled the makeshift sanctuary.

Before we even had a chance to take in our surroundings, people were greeting us and making us feel more welcome then any church I’ve been to in America. The praise and worship started so we all took our seats and I watched in amazement as the 20 or so people in the room worshipped God with the most sincerity I’d ever seen. After the first service was over, a few of the women brought us to another smaller tent on the side and gave us tea and a pastry that resembled a doughnut without the glaze. Then the second service started and before we knew it, about 300 young adults crammed into the tent. During praise and worship the tent exploded with hundreds of voices, and not only that, but everyone was dancing. The praise and worship team did a few songs in Swahili that had a kind of reggae beat to them; this is when we saw the true Kenyans come out. Every single one of them has this rhythm engrained into them and can dance like no American ever could, or at least no American on our team. A few of us tried to dance along but to no avail. After church we met the 4 interns that would be accompanying us to the village. They were interning for an organization called the Journey, a college ministry on campuses all around Kenya. Ken, Joey, Grace, and Gracie were complete strangers that day, and by the end of the week became very close friends. I think overall, the Frontrunnerz service was one of my favorite parts of the trip. The rest of the afternoon consisted of catching up on sleep and a meeting concerning the rest of the week.

The next morning we woke up around 7, ate breakfast, and began our long journey to the district of Busia, where the village Butula was located. This was the village where Hekima Academy was located; the school Severin’s mother and father started and now preside over. This was the school we would be working at all week. The drive took almost 12 hours even though it was only about 300 miles to the village. That gives you an idea of how bad the roads are. When we arrived in the village that night, around nine, we ate dinner and crashed, tired from the long journey. The next morning we ate breakfast and discussed plans for the week. Starting on Wednesday, we would begin our VBS we were putting on for the children of the school. The age of the children we were teaching ranged from 3 to 14, so we had to be very versatile in our teaching. The theme of the VBS was 1 Timothy 4:12, “Do not let anyone look down upon you because you are young, but set an example to the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” This was a great theme for these kids because the children in Kenyan culture are to be seen and not heard. But to teach them that even at a young age they can be an example to their peers and relatives was a whole new concept for them. We started off the morning at something called assembly, a meeting of all the kids in the school every morning. The teachers were very gracious and allowed us to completely take over and talk to the children. Severin introduced us to the teachers and children, which was followed by very intrigued looks at the white people. This was another favorite part of mine. I was able to bring my guitar and we were able to teach the children a song. We taught them I Could Sing of Your Love Forever with a faster, more upbeat rhythm to it. We made it faster so the children could dance, and dance they did. One of the interns, Gracie, loves to dance and came up with a few moves simple enough for the children, and us, to learn. It was amazing! Seeing them dance and sing along was just incredible.

We began the VBS by talking about Josiah and how he was only 8 years old when he became king. And that he was a great example for his people because he was constantly following after God’s heart, even though kings before him did not. The first lesson was very hard for me because I am used to speaking so fast. Without those interns there helping us, I would have never been able to communicate anything to them! They were a huge blessing. While some were teaching the lessons, others from our team lead a game that related to the story, or did arts and crafts with the children. After the lessons, we ate lunch and talked about the day, what things could we improve on, and overall, how the lessons went. In the afternoon we went back to the school and played all sorts of game with the children, we taught the children games like 500 and monkey in the middle, and they taught us some of their games. Ken and I were responsible for playing soccer with the younger children, ages 6-9. That was a blast! It eventually turned into a herd of children chasing a ball, but it was fun nonetheless. The rest of the week proceeded the same way, VBS, lunch, meeting, and then games until the children had to leave.

On Friday, however, we were privileged to accompany the kids and teachers to an awards assembly for all the schools in the district. There were about 65 schools represented at the assembly and Hekima Academy was ranked number one in the entire district! This was incredible for the small private school. A group of Americans with the kids was also great PR for the school.  On Saturday we hosted something like a carnival for the children and their parents. We had carnival games and tons of candy to give away. We also had relay races and tug-of-war we could play with the kids, teachers, and parents. After the fun and games, we all sat down as Severin gave the message of salvation to the kids and parents.

That evening we were given a goat to slaughter and eat, and that’s exactly what we did. One of our team members, John, cut its head off, while others were responsible for stringing out its intestines, which are considered a delicacy. That night we shared roasted goat, which was delicious, with the teachers of the school. They thoroughly enjoyed but unfortunately we had to say our goodbyes. I loved hanging out with the teachers because they were just as curious as the students, but could grasp the answers we gave them a bit better than the students. It was very sad leaving the next morning, as some of the students waved goodbye.

From there, we went to Lake Nakuru to go on a safari. That was the tourist section of our trip.

We stayed the night at a lodge called flamingo hill and woke up early the next morning to go see the wildlife. It was incredible!  When we got back to the lodge we ate breakfast and left for Nairobi again. The rest of the week was supposed to be filled with outreaches in the city alongside more of the Journey members, but unfortunately this didn’t work out. Brent, one of our connections to the Journey ended up being in the U.S. at the time we were in Kenya, and because of that, a lot of our plans fell through. We attended a few Journey hosted events to Kenyatta University but the rest of the week was filled with mostly learning more of the Kenyan culture.

Overall, the trip was an amazing experience that, like I said, I can’t do justice by typing up this testimony. God did amazing things to and through us while we were there. Going to a country where people have very little is eye opening and heart breaking at times. However, one thing I noticed from each Kenyan was the amount of hospitality they gave us. For instance, when we were in Butula, we stayed in Severins’ parent’s house. They gave us literally all they had and more while we were there. They didn’t even stay in the house, they gave it to us and they stayed in a neighboring building on their land. When we were in Nairobi we went to Journey leader’s apartment for a few minutes. The living room was about 12 by 12 feet maybe, but instead of saying he didn’t have enough room for the 12 of us, he welcomed us in and fed us. I think the big theme here is the amount of community and family that Kenyans have as opposed to Americans. If we have guests, we give what we want to give, but in Kenya we were greeted with everything they had.

God is doing great things in Kenya and from this experience, I hope to begin to travel the rest of the world and experience God in other cultures.

Brandon Roche, Joplin, Missouri

~Note from Ronda

My heart is busting at the seams right now!  It makes me so happy and so sad all at the same time because in America we are so disconnected from the rest of the world.  I can picture the freedom and see these people dancing and singing before the Lord and he is clapping his hands and stomping his feet to the music (in my mind).  What JOY!

When are the Kenyan’s going to do a missions trip to Joplin, because I want to go to that revival!

What you have shared Brandon has lit a fire in my heart.  There is a lot of work to be done in this place.  Thank you so much for sharing.  I am tremendously grateful for you.  You welcomed Sam and I with love and hospitality from the moment that we met you.  You treated us like we were best buds and I think that it is a gift God has given you.  You are one of the friendliest, most out-going, sincere individuals I have ever met.

I can’t wait to see what all God has in-store for your life.  He is going to do great things through you, and you are going to do great things through Christ.

Lord bless you brother!

Your friend and sister in Christ,

Ronda

Take 2 ~By Dorothy Platt

I call this “Take 2” because this is the 2^nd attempt at writing this. I began earlier and was on the 2^nd page, nowhere near the end; now we are going to the very condensed version of my testimony. When you have lived as long as I have, (70 years, I don’t mind tellin’) there are too many chapters in life to convey in detail.

God has always kept my back! “…For the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” (Isaiah 52:12). This is my testimony in a nutshell. When we listen to Him, (the key is to listen), he will keep us from making many mistakes. Unfortunately, I have made a great many mistakes in life because I didn’t listen to Him.

God has richly blessed our family in many ways, and I believe it has a great deal to do with the fact that both my husband and I have always tithed. We both tithed before we married. My husband of 51 years has never been without a job, our bills have always been paid (sometimes not as quickly as we would have liked) and we have never had to go without. Our washers, dryers, and other household appliances have lasted longer than normal. God has always met our needs. He is faithful!

We did live from paycheck to paycheck for many years, but I would have to say, honestly, it was mostly due to our lack of being good stewards with our finances. If we didn’t have the money we could always put it on a credit card, right? It took us awhile to realize we couldn’t do that. We did some stupid things in our younger days. Again, I can just say, God had our back and showered His favor toward us. “For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.” (Psalms 5:12). The favor of God has most definitely been upon our lives.

When the newspaper in Decatur, Illinois downsized in 1982 we weren’t concerned because Larry had been there 16 years, right? Wrong! They let 6 people go and he was one of them! Again, favor—they gave him 6 months heads up. How many companies do that? Resume after resume sent out, but no response. While in the bathroom at work one day, Larry picked up a paper with an ad from the Houston Chronicle: seeking newspaper pressmen. Long story short, we were soon headed to Houston, Texas. This country girl who had grown up on a farm, gone to a one room country school, (all 8 grades in one room, total of 22 students) living in Houston—no way, José. Again, God had our back and it turned out to be the right thing for to us. (We didn’t think so at the time). My saying at that time was “God has something better for us”, and indeed He did!

Living in Houston, Larry made excellent wages that prepared him for retirement. God had begun His “setup” for the remaining chapters of our lives. Larry and I had individually both thought to ourselves that Joplin would be a good place to retire but had not mentioned it to each other. One evening at dinner it came up that if we moved to a smaller town he could retire sooner. Both of us said, “Joplin” and it was a plan set in motion—but we had no idea it would happen so soon. The expenses of living in a large city just didn’t compute with retirement as well as house payments. Larry drove 28 miles to work each way. Of course, retired, he wouldn’t be doing that, but everything was a drive in Houston! Houston is a spread out town and Texas is probably the only place where you will see pastures of cows between your home and the mall.

Joplin seemed the logical choice for us. We met in Joplin where we both attended Ozark Christian College. Our son, Steven attended and graduated from OCC, as well as his wife. Joplin was familiar territory. I grew up 45 miles from Joplin and it was always a treat to come to Joplin to shop. Go to the big city. (Now that we live in Joplin, we think we need to somewhere bigger to shop!).

I was born and raised in Missouri, (near Lamar) and we were married in Lamar. We married in March before the year that I attended OCC was over and Larry was in his 2^nd year. Don’t tell your kids, but we had only known each other from September till we were married in March. What can I say; we celebrated our 51^st anniversary this past March.

When school was out in May we moved to northern Iowa where our 1^st son was born, then we moved to southeast Iowa and number 2 and 3 sons were born. From there we moved to Decatur, IL and were there for 16 years and then the big move to HOUSTON. We lived in Houston for nearly 23 years and in November of 2004 we moved to Joplin. I really like Texas and I still get homesick for it.

In October of 2004 we were headed to Lamar for my 50^th high school class reunion. The night before we left on vacation, the Chronicle offered early buyouts to several employees. Larry had to make an immediate decision that night and took it. The early buyout gave us 6 months wages. So when we came up for the Class Reunion we stayed a few extra days, sought out a realtor and met with her, did some scouting around, went back home and put our house up for sale the next day in what “they said” was an impossible market. Larry found out that the buyout actually took effect while he was on the week of vacation. He was already finished with work before it was time to go back to work. How sweet is that? Fast forward to Joplin by December 1! (Two years later on a visit to Houston, we found out if Larry hadn’t taken the buyout he wouldn’t have still had a job. Does God watch your back or what?).

Our house in Texas hit a snag and was set to close the morning we were to leave Texas, but yet another snag and it didn’t close. We had already started loading the U-Haul with the crew from church and it was too late to turn back. We literally headed to Joplin with no place to stay as we couldn’t close on our house here without the cash from our Texas house. Another miracle of God was in store for us. This was really a faith walk for us. By this time, I am really beginning to groan—“Not another water-walking’ experience. Lord, I don’t really want to get out of the boat.” But again, God had our back. You know what, we haven’t sunk yet—up to the knees a few times, maybe even up to our necks sometimes. No matter what you are going through, if you remain faithful and keep trusting God, He will keep your head above water. You might have to tread water for awhile, but you won’t sink! I know that for a fact.

We had cash from the sale of some inherited farmland in IL and with the profit of the house in Texas we were going to be able to pay cash for our house in Joplin. (Yea! No house payments). We were unemployed and we hadn’t yet applied for social security. Our records were in the back of a U-Haul truck no telling where. We began to go to banks and the 3^rd one gave us the loan we needed to close on the house here in Joplin. A couple weeks later our house in Texas closed and we paid of the loan. The bank let me use their computer to pull up our 401K account and decided we were good for the loan. Talk about “walking on the water”. “Lord, isn’t there another way besides having to do this ‘water-walking’ experience again. When I look back at the facts about that house closing, I realize how much God had our back. There is no way in the natural about that house closing that it should have happened. The lady who bought it had to get more signatures to secure her loan. I’m not sure how many she ended up with. I can only say that God performed a miracle on our behalf.

In looking through some old notes this past week, I found something I wrote in a notebook in 2006 that I would like to share with you.

Have Expectations:

·         I have always believed that retirement benefits would take care of us. They are.

·         I believed my husband would find a better job when he was laid off. He did.

·         I believed when we retired and moved to Joplin and located a new church that we would be used in a greater capacity of ministry than ever before—that we would finish what we began in our earlier days—that has happened.

·         When the Lord instructed us to leave VLCC I knew we would find a church—we did. It was get out of the boat, water-walkin’ time.

·         NOW—I believe that the death of the past and what Satan has stolen from us by applying the struggles and pressures of life will be resurrected. It has been prophesied over us that our latter days will be better than earlier—I believe it!

I just have to tell you one more thing. We have 4 wonderful grandchildren ranging in ages from 3 ½ to 18. Oh, yes we have 3 sons and 3 daughters-in-love. Our youngest grandchild is our miracle baby, weighing 1 lb. 13 oz. when she was born 3 months early. The 3 living here in Joplin, range in ages from 14 to 18. Mae Lin, the miracle baby lives in Portland, OR. We only get to see her once a year. That is really sad, but our son is very good with videos and pictures.

I would admonish you young parents out there to keep your parents informed about the children’s activities. It means so much!

God Bless all of you for listening to my rambles and I pray you find some small encouragement from them.

Dorothy Platt, Joplin Missouri

~Note from Ronda~

Dorothy,

You are always a source of encouragement to those around you.  You are always ready with a smile and engage people with your warm personality.  You are easy to love, and a joy to know!

Thank you so much for taking the time to write out your testimony.  It means so much considering all you have on your plate right now.

~Dorothy created and manages the church webpage at Abundant Life Christian Center as well as volunteering extensively since the tornado to the WE CARE, food pantry we have on our church "campus" as we are calling it these days.  They give, give, give, give, and they always have a smile, always have a friendly hello, always have a good attitude and it is a pleasure to know them.

xoxo,

Ronda

Playing the part ~By Nick Whitten

I didn’t grow up in a Christian home or Church at all, in fact far from it. My mom battled a substance addiction and got in trouble (legally) and had to go away for about a year. My stepdad liked to try different types of whips (extension cords, cutting boards, and something called Chinese torture). I didn’t meet my biological father in person till I was 10.  He seemed to be the most normal one of the bunch.

Where we lived there wasn’t a lot to do, so the kids my age got involved with drugs, drinking, etc... I thought that life would be better living with my biological father. So I packed my bags and decided to try life away from Kentucky.

Now let me say this I didn’t know who God really was. I was the one that just went with the flow.  I had a friend that said that he was a Christian, he indulged in drugs and drinking… the sad truth is he was only 13, how he got it I will never know; but it is out there.

I moved to Joplin… my stepmom, at the time, was attending a church but I didn’t know what to think. I went. I met a lot of nice people and I wanted to know more about God. I wanted to see and be touched, but I didn’t want to be looked at weird cause I was the new kid. So I just played the part (Lip service).  Then I heard something about this thing called church camp, so I thought to myself that if God was going to be a part of my life I would see it then. I started to get excited but something happened. In my free time I rollerbladed on ramps. I had dropped in on one of the ramps and came off of the ramps sideways and fell from about 5 feet in the air on my hip. Later at the ER I found out that I had chipped off a piece of my pelvic bone about the size of a half dollar. This was about 1 week before Church Camp. The doctor came into the room and told me that I would be in bed for 3 weeks and then on crutches for another 6 weeks after that. I spoke to my youth pastor and she said that we just need to hook up in agreement, and that if God wants you at this church camp you will just have a healing like you have never seen.

That night at church I thought a prayer wouldn’t hurt, so I asked for prayer (that was Wednesday, camp was Monday). I didn’t know what God was going to do, or if he could even heal me.  By Saturday I was off my crutches and by Sunday I could walk with no pain or limp. I went to church camp still just ‘playing the part’, but a part of me was hoping that there was more to God than what I knew; part of me was hoping that he even wanted me.

On the way there the Church van broke down and we had to get another ride there. At this point I was thinking, “Ok God doesn’t want us to go so let’s just go home.” But we finally make it to camp, about an hour or two late.  Once we got to the first service it seemed like nothing else mattered… I had finally realized who God was, and at that service I asked Jesus to come into my life.

I finally saw that it was not God that was trying to keep me from getting to camp… He knew that I was stubborn and that it would take a lot for me to believe. But I will tell you, it didn’t take much after I saw his love and grace. While I was at that camp I saw things that I didn’t understand like people get healed from injuries, and people dancing…I thought that was weird. When I got back to my room, (and by the way, I got paired up with a Councilor where everyone else was paired with a friend, God again), I asked about what I had seen and he brought me to the scripture where David had Danced before God in his underwear!  Then it kind of made sense; it was an act of worship.

When I came back from camp I was changed. Now don’t get me wrong, I still have struggles, but now I have a power that is bigger than me to help me through it.

God is waiting for you.  JUMP in feet first.

Nick and his beautiful (inside and out) wife Sarah and their two children, Alex and Alyssa, live in Joplin, Missouri and are cherished members of Abundant Life Christian Center.  Nick plays lead guitar and rhythm guitar on the praise team and he and his wife Sarah also help in the nursery.

~Note from Ronda~

Dear Nick,

I am so grateful for you and your love for God.  It is so awesome to get to praise God with you on Sunday mornings.  You always have a good attitude and are happy to help in anyway you can.  You and Sarah both volunteer a tremendous amount of your time to the music and children's ministry and storing up treasures in Heaven for yourselves.  I know that is not your goal, but it is his promise for your faithfulness.  You are such a blessing to so many, including me.  Thank you for putting up with my occasional whining (gasp, me...a whiner?  no!) up front.  God is working with me to have an attitude that is pleasing 100% of the time.  And to you and Sarah for watching our kids in the nursery. THANK YOU!

Thank you for sharing this testimony of what God has brought you through and how he continues to grow you.  Lord bless you brother!

Your Sister in Christ,

Ronda

Testimony of a Teen: I Am Understood ~By Dakota William Reasoner

"And sometimes I'm so thankful for your loyalty,

Your love regardless of the mistakes I make will spoil me,
My confidence is, in a sense, a gift you've given me
And I'm satisfied to realize you're all I'll ever need"

Those are some of the lyrics to Reliant K's song: I Am Understood. I picked up that CD at about nine years old having no idea that they were a Christian group at all. Seven years later that’s my favorite song. It’s like it describes my faith for me. I can’t believe how well I relate to it. God uses that song to remind me that no matter how many of those mistakes I make he still loves me regardless. And it also relates to my testimony, so let me share it with you.

My name is Dakota William Reasoner, (But you already know that). I was born on January 9, 1995 in Joplin, Missouri. I currently attend Abundant Life Christian Center in Joplin, where I’ve attended since 2007. When I was growing up on the west side of town, my Dad worked for CFI and my Mom ran a day-care at home. Things were alright at home during the day with the other kids, but once my dad got home there would be lots of screaming and yelling. My Dad and my Sister (who has a different father) didn’t get along at all, and eventually my Sister left to stay with our Aunt.

When I was about five, my Mom told me her and my Dad weren’t going to be married anymore. At the time I didn’t understand what exactly this meant. But thankfully, my Mom and Dad got along, and still do, so I was able to spend time with both of them. My Mom remarried and we moved across town. I started elementary school, got on a school bus for the first time, and sat down next to some red-headed kid. His name was Spencer. That day we became best friends.

I remember Spencer telling me and our friends about the things he had learned at Church, and we laughed at him. I went to Church with my Mom, where we sang a few hymns, took Communion and then left. I didn’t like going at all. But Spencer was telling me of this Jesus fellow who I had not really heard of. He invited me to come to Church with him multiple times, but naturally I declined. When I think back, the other guys were pretty mean to him about it, and I never stood up for him. Eventually it got bad enough, Spencer had to change schools. But then middle school came and we were going to school together again and we found out Jr. High was rough. We certainly did not fit the expectations for being “cool” or “popular”. But of course we had to try, so you could find us at ‘The Bridge’ unsuccessfully hitting on girls we had just met, cussing and laughing and talking about stupid things we didn’t actually know anything about. We thought we were real big shots.

Then there was a girl. She invited me to Church with her. And I said “sure.” You know, ‘cause she would be there. And once I went, it wasn’t so bad! In fact, I rather enjoyed it. Church was all of a sudden fun... and crawling with girls!

Yup, I was goin’ to Church for the girls. I could’ve cared less about pleasing God at that point in my life. But some of the guys from school were at that church and they didn’t like me and wanted to make sure I didn’t come back. So I didn’t. A few weeks later Spencer asked me to come to his church one more time. So I did. I was hoping it would be close to the same thing, and it was. But... Oh Crap... Now I have to sit through an hour of the youth pastor, Bryan, talking. I didn’t like Bryan all too well. I was very quick to judge him. I was willing to sit through that though since I enjoyed the social time before Service.

After a few Wednesday night services I decided to start listening to him, and what he had to say intrigued me. I had never heard of this God who created the whole universe yet wanted a personal relationship with... me. All I had ever heard of was the creating the universe part. I just didn’t think that God would be interested in somebody who wasn’t even accepted at church! I also refused to believe that I was accepted at this church. It only took one individual making it clear that he didn’t like me for me to tell Spencer that I was leaving and I was never coming back.

During that time away from church I changed schools because of rejection. And I also decided that I didn’t want to live anymore. I had intentions of slitting my own throat, and I was really going to do it. But, as I was starting to go through with it I realized I didn’t know where I was going to go when I died. I didn’t know what it took to get into Heaven, and I was too afraid of Hell to take that chance.

I just wanted somebody to walk in on me and see what I was contemplating doing and for hours nobody came despite my yelling. And finally, after my lungs had given out, somebody came to save me, and I passed out on the floor. I woke up the next morning and told myself I had to get back to church. I had found something there. Naturally, Spencer called me up and invited me to a Friday Night Hang-out. Go- Ministries from Minnesota was there and they were really cool. One of the “Go Interns” from Kentucky, Cody, sat down with me and explained to me who Jesus Christ is and who gets into Heaven. He explained to me that nobody is an accident, not even me and my seemingly worthless life. Cody and Spencer convinced me to go to the youth camp that next weekend called Lake Invasion. I went and I gained a desire to apply the things that Bryan, the youth pastor, had talked about to my life.

For the first time, I truly believed in this God I had heard so much about. It felt so happy. I guess that’s what being in God’s presence will do. The next Sunday, May 15, 2008 Pastor Larry Bjorklund ended his sermon with an altar call and I gave my life to Jesus Christ.

From that moment on there was nothing more important than my relationship with Christ. All I want to do now is serve Him and worship Him. And I hope to continue doing that by joining the Go Ministries Internship program in Minnesota. And then later becoming a pastor and showing people that same love that snagged me before I threw my young life away completely. And by the way, the youth pastor Bryan, that I didn’t care for at first, is now one of my closest friends and somebody I look up to. I’ve never felt more accepted anywhere as I do at Abundant Life Christian Center, where I’ve gained a Faith Family and more importantly, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Finally, I Am Understood.

Dakota William Reasoner, Joplin, Missouri

Note from Ronda~

Dear Dakota William Reasoner,

I am *OVERJOYED* that God’s love snagged you too.

Life is not easy when you are a teenager; kids are mean. I remember when we first moved to Joplin and came to Abundant Life you were SO welcoming to us. You have always been a ball of friendly energy. We liked you immediately. We are so grateful to have you in our lives and we love your company, and your friendship.

I know that you are going to do amazing things for Jesus by sharing your love for Him with others. You have a powerful testimony that you can minister to others who have felt the sting of rejection, the taunting of peers, the cruelty of this time and place… Don’t let anything snuff that light. You shine SO bright!

You are such a blessing.

Your Sister in Christ,

Ronda


Also, Happy Birthday to Sam.  I love you Honey.

Focus Found ~By Erika Mitchell

Hello! I’m Erika, a writer, wife, mother, and child of God. I’m also a daughter, sister, and a friend, but that’s not relevant to the story I’m trying to tell. I also have trouble staying on task. But again, not relevant.

Or maybe it is. You see, of all these roles of mine, child of God is far and away the most important. This is the one that should hold my focus most. All the rest of them are a tenuous house of cards, but that one’s eternal. Unchanging. It’s The Big One.

I forget that though. A lot. In fact, I’ve spent the past year and a half or so forgetting it. Or, rather, relegating it to the back of my mind where I touch on it occasionally but rarely take it out for a good old-fashioned spin.

You see, I had a baby a year and half ago and it turns out that being a mother is busy and distracting. Going to church is a lot harder with a baby, especially a baby who reacts to the church nursery like it’s filled with mustard gas. In the miasma of feedings, wakings, laundry, and growth spurts I’ve let my focus slide off God.

It doesn’t make me a bad person. Just an exceedingly human one.

What doesn’t help is that I’m also a writer. Just had my first book published, in fact. I have approximately thirty stories swirling around my head at any given time, and if I get a spare minute I’m either writing or thinking about writing. So between the writing and the adorable baby, I clear out exactly no time for God. I don’t read the Bible. I rarely pray. I love God, but my spiritual growth has stagnated.

I’m not unaware of the situation. I’ve been praying for months now for God to wake up my heart. To give me a passion and thirst for His word. To renew my spirit.

He answered in the most awesome way.

I got trolled when my book came out, and some people were exceedingly unkind in their opinions on my writing. It all made for a very bad day, so I shared that with my friends in the hopes of some encouragement.

Ronda responded (because she’s a terrific friend) and offered to make me biscotti, then suggested I might like to write about the experience. To share how God has blessed me. Well, it turned out the offer in itself was how God blessed me in that situation.

It led to a heartfelt conversation between Ronda and I, during which I felt like Ronda’s passion for Christ was like a breath of fresh air to my stagnant spirit. We both felt it, and after she prayed for me and we hung up I felt refreshed. Made new. On fire for God and exuberantly joyful about it.

It amazes me that God can take the cruelty of strangers on the Internet and make something beautiful come out of it. I’m just glad Ronda had prepared her heart to be receptive to being used by God to help a friend.

Erika Mitchell, Sammamish, Washington

Note from Ronda~

Dear Erika,

You are such a gifted writer.  I love reading your witty blog blips, and the first two chapters of your book had me craving more and I can't wait til it comes out in print when I will be able to snatch one up.  I give God all glory and credit for prompting our conversation and for gentle nudges from friends.  I have had many nudges, some shoves, some shakes, some "what the heck are you doin?!?'s" and in all that I too have been tremendously grateful.  God is constantly at work in us if we desire to be worked on.

The Holy Spirit is a gentleman...he won't pry, he won't go where he is not welcome.  I am greatful that I got to be a part of your story, and that he is working in your life.  I will be keeping you on my prayer list and in front of my eyes.

And I was thrilled that you loved the Biscotti!

Xoxo,

Ronda

For those of you who would like to check out Erika's writing you can find her over at http://www.parsingnonsense.com/.