Trip to Camp Gruber to greet the new cadets

  I get to the Church, and we start loading all the equipment. We get into a couple of vans and take off. Derek drove a van and let me sit in the passenger seat. We had a nice conversation on the trip over there, I think he mainly just wanted to know where my heart was at. We get there, set up the instruments and a little while later the groups start coming in. This is the only time we will get a chance to see them before they go to TYA. There were like 80 of them, maybe more. Derek welcomes them then the band plays maybe 4 songs then he gives a message on why they need God in their lives, then an alter call and over 25 boys come forward to receive the Lord into their hearts. It was amazing, I got to pray with a few of them. I knew that God had set everything up for me to be there! We started attending that church. 

Pryor on Fire Ministry

  Every Sunday TYA would bus the teenagers to the church, and we would have a service just for them, they called it Pryor on Fire. Then after that service we would have a regular service for everyone else. On Wednesdays we would have a service for the cadets and break up into small groups. After a couple of weeks Derek asked me if I’d be interested in leading a small group and I said yes (As part of my commitment to God I decided to say yes to any ministry opportunity that came my way.) After a few weeks after one of my messages, I asked if any of them would like to receive Jesus into their heart as Lord and Savior, and one of the boys raised his hand! It kind of shocked me, I had to do a double take. I had never prayed with anyone to receive Jesus into their heart. I was overwhelmed with joy and so glad that God was able to use me to bring about change in someone’s life, that I could be the reason that he will be in Heaven some day! 

  After a year or so we moved back to Muskogee, my dad was talking about retiring, so I was going to move back so I could work with him and eventually take over the business (which never happened). He did building maintenance for banks in the area. We started visiting several churches around Muskogee trying to find one that we liked. Little did we know that God had it all planned out! 

  Pastor Derek would occasionally talk about going into the jail cells and witnessing to inmates, I thought that would be amazing to be able to do that, but I just didn’t know anyone that could help me get started with that, but that was the ministry I wanted to pursue. 

  We were at Pizza Inn one day, it was getting close to Christmas and there was a poster on the wall about a Christmas event at a church called Abiding Life Fellowship, I had absolutely no interest in going to the Christmas event but the poster looked so professional that I wanted to check out the church that made it. Sounds crazy huh? I looked up the address and the next Sunday we visited there, it was a small church, they were really friendly, so we started going there. 

  After a couple of weeks, the Pastor (Pastor Callahan) asked us out to lunch after church. While we were visiting, he asked me what area of ministry I would like to be involved in. I told him Jail ministry, he said that he knows the guy that is over that at the Muskogee County Jail, and I would just need to watch some videos on what we can and can’t do at the jail. Then he said he would get the videos for me and give me the phone number for Danny the head chaplain that is over the jail ministry! Wow! It was obvious that God had set up that meeting!

Muskogee & Wagoner County Jail

  I started going to the Muskogee County Jail every Sunday afternoon, several of us would meet and pray then disperse into different locations within the jail. 

This is a random image that I downloaded just to give you an idea of a jail pod. This one is much bigger than a Muskogee Co. Jail pod.

  There were several pods with Tables in the middle and cells around the perimeter for adult males, there was one pod for adult females one for male youths and one for what they called detox. Detox was two separate rooms, the first room had a metal cage in it around 7 feet wide and 8 feet long with a raised section large enough to lay on or sit on. That was called the drunk tank but the guy's in it weren't always drunk. Sometimes it was to separate them for some reason. There might be one to three people in it at a time. There was always other inmates in the room also laying on mats or sitting against the walls, it had a window to talk to a guard. The second room had a raised section in the middle of the room for guy's to sit on, eat on or even lay on. Around the room were 4 or 5 cells, a window to talk to a guard and a phone. Detox was where everyone that got arrested would go first. Most of them would only be there for the weekend. That's the area that I wanted and that's the area that God gave me! Since most of them are only there for the weekend it is so important to reach them with just one message! I would go to the each room and give a message and speak with several of them one to one.

  Every week I would try to come up with a message that would connect with them and hopefully show them why they need to surrender their life to God. Almost every week one or more inmates would raise their hand to receive the Lord into their heart or to come back to the Lord after they have strayed! 

  It wasn't a pleasant place to go, plus I'm kind of a germaphobe. It stinks in there, the inmates get loud, cursing, fighting, the guards are hollering at them at times, it can get quite chaotic! A few times the guards would get into a fight with an inmate and spray them with pepper spray. That stuff just floats in the air, after a while we're all coughing and it makes it hard to talk but I would try to continue.

  Some of the inmates had to stay in their cells during my message. One Sunday after giving my message one of the inmates in one of the cells asked me if I would come into his cell and speak with him privately. I buzzed the front desk and asked if I could go into his cell, they asked their boss then opened the cell for me to enter. It was a small cell, fortunately I'm not claustrophobic! He expressed what he had been going through and I shared some scriptures with him and prayed for him. Unfortunately, the shift change took place while I was in there. I buzzed the front desk and said, “okay, I'm ready to get out now,” they responded, “I'm sure you are!” I buzzed them again and said, “I'm a chaplain!” they said, “sure you are,” I buzzed them again and gave them my name and they checked the chaplain check in sheet and finally opened the door and let me out. I was starting to get a little worried!

  I know that some of you are thinking “yeah, jail house salvation's!” But I have ran into several people around town that I had met in the jail and they would recognize me and come up to me and thank me for coming there and sharing how God can turn their life around, and just start telling me how different there life is. They would talk about where they're working and that they got married or got back with their wife, some would tell me how many kids they have and where they're going to church. It's amazing to see how some of them have turned their life around! But of course, there are those who I have prayed with and 2 weeks later they are back in there for the same reason, but those were kind of rare.

  You meet various types of people in there as you can imagine! You might have heard about some of them on the news. I spoke with William. He’s the guy that they arrested for Impersonating an Army captain after the I-40 bridge collapsed when it was hit by a barge. He claimed to be Jewish, he got a little upset when they didn’t bring him a Kosher meal, he was friendly though.

  I would also go to the youth pod when there were youths in there. I met Harley, a 16-year-old that physically abused his 4 month old son, Doctors discovered the babies arm, elbow, rib and both wrists had been broken and he suffered a bruised skull and legs. I shared the gospel with him, he didn’t respond. Some people might be thinking “he doesn’t deserve to go to Heaven,” but it isn’t my job do determine who goes to heaven, I give everyone the opportunity then it’s up to them and God (glad it isn’t my job!)

  I would periodically go to Wagoner County Jail and preach and share the gospel with inmates. I went there one day and met Daniel; he’s the boy from Porter that stabbed another boy on the school bus one morning. The other boy died. Daniel Got a 10-year sentence. Fortunately, the boy that died was a faithful Christian according to his mom. I met with Daniel a couple of times and shared the gospel with him, he decided to ask Jesus into his heart, so I prayed with him.  

  I met a youth leader in Muskogee that got arrested, we had a mutual friend, my friend Steve had a street bike for sale, and the youth leader was interested in it so he took it for a ride. You know when you test ride a motorcycle you have see how much power it has! Well, next thing he knew he heard sirens behind him, at that point he had 2 options, he could pull over and take his punishment then or he could try to lose the cop with his impressive driving ability! Well, he chose the latter and his driving ability wasn’t so impressive, especially to the cop, so he got to spend the weekend behind bars, and I’m sure a ticket also! Again, you meet all kinds of people in there.

  After 7 or 8 years the county quit allowing us to go into the jail cells. From what I understand, one of the chaplains gave one of the inmates some medication for a headache or illness and the inmate had a bad reaction to it. To prevent anything like that from happening again they felt that that was the only way to ensure that that didn't happen again. It was so sad because of all the lives that had changed over the years that we were able to go into the jail cells and speak to groups of inmates or even one on one. They still allowed a couple of chaplains to go to a room, and inmates were able to sign up to see a chaplain but it's the ones that won't sign up to see a chaplain that probably need it the most!

Gospel Rescue Mission

  A lady from church (Laurie) and her husband (Bill) took over the Thursday night services at the Gospel Rescue Mission. She said that God sent her there one day, but she didn't know why. Her and her husband drove over there one day, and they set out in the parking lot asking God what he wanted her to do there. That led to her taking over the Thursday evening service each week. She sings and plays the guitar, she even wrights her own songs but she isn't a preacher, so she started recruiting people to preach. She found out that I was a Chaplain at the Muskogee County Jail, so she asked me if I wanted to come there and preach once per month. Of course, I said yes. I went there on the other weeks also and brought my computer and projector to put the songs on a screen for everyone while Laurie led the warship service. 

  Every week we’d have 30 to 40 people in attendance. I preached every 3^rd Thursday, after every message I’d give an alter call. Every week between 1 to 5 people would raise their hand to receive Jesus into their heart and a few to rededicate their life to Jesus.

  Laurie had other speakers that would come monthly also to preach or teach, and she had some that would come periodically. They all had a different style and God used them to reach people that maybe me or others couldn’t reach. 

  One man came and spoke, he told us that he was a welder and at his job they were working a lot of overtime and it was wearing him out, he was tired all the time. One of his work friends recommended that he try meth, his friend said it would help him to have the energy to go on. He said he tried it and was immediately hooked. He kept using it but it’s expensive so he learned how to make his own. He got to the point that all meth users get to where all that mattered to him was meth! He ended up separating from his wife and kids. He got a renthouse; he blacked out all the windows because one of the side effects was paranoia. He was constantly making more meth to keep up with his habit. One day he was driving in his car, and he stopped at a gas station because he began to realize how much he had given up for his habit, he was crying and depressed. He said God spoke to him and told him to go to church! He asked God, “which church should I go to” God told him, the church across the street. He looked up and sure enough there was a church across the street, and the service was fixing to start!

He goes over to the church and his wife and kids were there! He listens to the message and afterwards he goes up front rededicates his life to God and God restores his marriage. I guess like the prodigal son in the Bible, he had to hit rock bottom to get to the point where he could see that the life he chose wasn’t working and it was time to put God in control!

  Laurie was able to get people with different backgrounds, different life experiences and different styles of preaching to reach different people. I believe a lot of people’s lives were changed through that ministry!

Lake Church

  After Muskogee county sheriff banned us from going into the jail cells, I decided to have church services at Sequoyah Bay under one of the shelters.

  My friend Steve and his wife Terri volunteered to help with the services. Terri had signs made up that said Lake Church and an arrow pointing to the shelter where we were going to meet and she had a banner made up to put on the side of the shelter. I drove a green van that I used at my apartment complex that I owned in Fort Gibson. I had Lake Church put on the sides of the van in large letters. I would use it to haul everything to the lake. My wife Rosa would help set up the coffee and donuts and watch over them during the service. We had our first service on Memorial Day, I knew there would be a large number of campers on that weekend. I came out the day before to hand out fliers to all the campers. The fliers had Lake Church at the top, it had this week’s message title, and it said, no shirt, no shoes, no problem. At the bottom it said free coffee and donuts. On the back there was a map of the campgrounds with an arrow pointing to the shelter that we were meeting at. I had a sound mixer, speakers and a wireless mic. Steve would help set up and Terri would lead us in praise and worship, and she would teach children if there were any. I would give a message and afterwards give those that came out a chance to accept Jesus into their heart. Our largest group was around 34, occasionally we would have someone receive the Lord into their heart. The most memorable was an Asian exchange student.

He spoke very little English, he was there with his host family, they could communicate with him a little. Sounds like an impossible task to introduce him to Jesus huh? But it was obvious that he was interested in the man that I was speaking about. After the rest of the crowed left we all set around with him trying to explain who Jesus was and why we all need him! Somehow, we were able to communicate enough that he asked Jesus into his heart. Wow! What an experience! It was obvious that God was working on that young man.

  Lake Church ended when there was a blue-green algae problem. People were told not to swim in the lake, so most people stayed home.

New Community Church Student Ministry

  When Clint was our student youth pastor, he needed volunteers, so I decided to help out. At first, I simply greeted the students, but later I was asked to lead a small group. One evening, Dewain and I were leading five or six sixth-grade boys. After I gave a message, I asked if anyone wanted to ask Jesus into their heart, and two of the boys raised their hands. Then I prayed with them.

  While I was giving the message, they didn’t seem overly interested in what I was saying, but evidently they were. We never really know who is listening or who is ready to receive when they are asked.

Monarch Inc.

  Monarch Halfway House is a transitional living facility for women affected by substance use disorders (SUD). I had seen Monarch on West Broadway, and at some point I decided to ask if they had a minister who came to speak with the women. I was told that they didn’t have anyone at that time, so I asked if I could come once a week. They said yes, and I started going.

  It was hard to get people to attend because they had games and movies available or would often just hang out in their rooms. When I arrived, they would announce over the intercom that the preacher was there if anyone wanted to attend. They put me in one of their classrooms, and eventually between one and four ladies would come. I would bring someone to lead worship, I would share a message, and pray with them.

Things went pretty well until the women who regularly attended graduated from the program.

Celebrate Recovery

  I was in the group that brought Celebrate Recovery into New Community Church.  Celebrate Recovery is a Christian-based recovery program that combines biblical teachings with the 12-step principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. It focuses on healing from addiction through a faith-centered approach, offering support in a community setting. When we decided to start a Celebrate Recovery program at our church we would go as a group to several churches in and around Tulsa to see how other churches ran their services. We finally started having services at NCC. Later Boulevard Christian Church started their own Celebrate Recovery program. Theirs were much bigger than ours and at some point, we shut ours down.

Marketplace Chaplains

  From what I understand a man from Marketplace Chaplains came to New Community Church and talked to our church secretary Janet. She called me and asked if I'd like to meet with him. I said yes and went to the church to talk with him. He explained that Marketplace Chaplains provides personalized and proactive employee care through dedicated Chaplain Care Teams, offering support for various issues like stress and relationships in the workplace.

  He told me that they have a contract with Superior Linen Service in Muskogee. He asked if I'd be interested in joining the team. I told him that I would, so he gave me an application. Soon after he called me and told me that I had the job and that they were also looking for a female chaplain because most of their employees are women. I started about a week later; they found a female chaplain a few weeks later. They hired Patty, she and her husband were pastors at a church in Warner. We would go there three times a week because they had three shifts and I could visit with everyone each week, Patty would go on different days than I would so that we could have someone going there six days a week. I would go there visit with the people in the offices first then go back in the shop and walk around and visit with each person as they ran their machine, did maintenance work, drove trucks, drove forklifts, supervised, whatever they did there I could stop and visit with them, pray for them, listen to their problems, give scriptures that might help them get through whatever they might be going through. As you can imagine, some people would share their problems, and some would just keep them to themselves. Some of the people become friends, they light up when they see you, they tell you about events going on in their life and there are those that would rather you just pass them by. Most of the employees were very kind and welcoming, but they couldn't just stop working and visit, they were under pressure to keep their machine going at all times. Sometimes they would have problems with their machine, I would stand back and wait for them to get it fixed before trying to visit with them so that they could concentrate on fixing the problem. If they had a death in their family, we would go to the funeral just in case they needed someone to talk to in that moment of grief.

  Around a year after I started with MPC, a chaplain in Tulsa had to have knee surgery, my supervisor asked me if I'd be willing to take over his companies until he recovered. I had an apartment complex in Fort Gibson but I could free up the time to do it, so I told him yes. The chaplain that I took over for had 5 businesses that he would visit each week. A natural gas testing company near Glenpool, a flooring company in Tulsa, A lawyer’s office in Tulsa, a machine shop in Coweta and Pryor Foundry in the Mid-America Industrial Park north of Chouteau.  The gas testing company just had four or five employees, I would go and visit them once a week, they were friendly. Most of the employees at the flooring company were friendly and easy to talk to but there was one atheist there and I could hear him making anti-Christian comments occasionally but there were others that seemed to appreciate me coming there and talking with them. The lawyer’s office was a little awkward, they always seemed so busy, on the phone going back and forth to the copy room, it was hard to get a chance to talk with them, but I tried and periodically was able to get a few minutes with some of them. The machine shop was my favorite of them all! The owner was a Christian, so he was really pulling for us to make a difference in his employees. I was a machinist in the 90's so I knew about the machines and what all the employees were doing, I think that helped me to relate with them and them with me. Some of the employees were already Christians, but there were a lot that weren't I felt like I made a difference in some of the employees. Sometimes it takes months or years for the effects of our conversations to make an impact on their lives. I can remember when I was a machinist, I wasn't a Christian then, but I can remember so clearly three people that I worked with that spoke with me about being a Christian and how it impacted their life. At the time it didn't make a difference in my life, but it helped change my mind about what being a Christian was all about. I thank God that people like that had the guts to witness to me about what God has done in their lives.

  The last company was Pryor Foundry; they had three shifts so I would go there three times a week. I would go to the front offices first, most of them were very welcoming, a few seemed too busy to get a conversation started, I was told that the Plant Manager was a atheist, but speaking to him was difficult mainly because he was always in a meeting or on the phone. MPC were brought in by the parent company, so he didn't have a choice. He didn't try to stop us or make it hard for us to do our job. They had hundreds of employees. To go into the plant area, we had to adhere to all safety policies. We wore a helmet, safety glasses and earplugs. As I would walk through, trying to visit with each employee, some would be running small machines by themselves, some would be on a team where each employee had his part in putting his parts on an assembly while other people were putting their parts on. Some parts were going down an assembly line, and some would arrive on a pallet. As I would walk past the shot blaster it would shoot little metal beads out through the cracks in the machine and they would hit you as you walked by (glad I had safety glasses on). Back in the back were the kilns where they heated the metal so hot that it became a bright red liquid in a container 2 stories tall. From that container they would fill smaller containers to move over to the assembly line where they would pure it into molds. It was interesting to me I enjoyed watching them fill the molds, then the molds would arrive where they could break the mold off the part and send the part to the grinders where they would grind them smooth or send them to assemble them to other parts. 

  Then I'd go to the maintenance shop where they would work on forklifts and other equipment that needed fixed.

  It's amazing how visiting with people just a few minutes a week you can build a friendship and be someone that they feel safe confiding in, sharing personal feelings and events that are going on in their life! Sometimes you feel like your words are falling on deaf ears and other times you can see that your words made a difference especially when we speak Gods word because the Bible says in Isaiah 55:11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

After a couple of months, the chaplain who had knee surgery came back to work. Superior Linen Service ended up closing the Muskogee plant. I then went to work for Muskogee County as the Director of Building Maintenance at the County Services Building and the County Courthouse. 

Mission Trip to Tharaka Kenya

  Linda and her husband Calvin started Each one Feed one Mission in Tharaka Kenya. Calvin passed several years ago. Linda and her kids are still heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the Mission.  

  I think Janet our Church Secretary must have spoken with Linda because Linda called me one day and told me that she talked to a man up north (I don’t remember the state) about coming and doing some construction/maintenance work at the Mission. The man had a construction company and a couple of his workers were supposed to come also. She asked if I’d be willing to come help. The trip was less than four weeks out and I didn’t have a passport. I was a little leery about going because I’m somewhat of a germaphobe! And a very picky eater! Plus, I wasn’t even sure if I could get the passport that quickly.

  Linda asked me to pray about it. I told her I would and I’d give her my final answer. Immediately after the call ended, I started praying and before I finished my prayer, I knew that I had to go! That was the fastest answer I had ever received from a prayer! I called Linda back and told her I would go and help.

  A week or so later she called me and told me that the man and his workers said that they couldn’t go, she asked me if I wanted to change my decision because I’d be the only one going there to work. I told her that that wouldn’t be a problem, I’d still go and do as much as I can. She was happy that I was still interested in going and asked me to let her know when my passport arrived.

  A few weeks later I received my passport. I called Linda and she gave me a list of items she wanted me to bring with me to the mission. 

  I headed for the Tulsa airport around 5:00am on Black Friday 11/23/2018. I flew to Amsterdam, then to Nairobi. The driver was waiting for me holding up a sign with my name on it, I've seen them do that on TV but it was a first for me! He drove me to a B&B, got there around midnight. The driver pulled up to the gate (a lot of the houses had walls around the property and big metal gates) he honked, and a guard looked out and saw us, he was expecting us. He opened the gate and let us in. When I arrived the owner had some snacks for me, I was glad I was getting hungry, then I went to my room which was basically a separate house. I went in took a shower, went to bed and closed the mosquito net (In Kenya you always sleep with a mosquito net around the bed.)

 Got up around 5:00am (not much sleep). Ate a good breakfast (Pictured) The driver picked me up and took me to Tharaka (like a 7-hour drive). 

  The journey was very interesting! It was pretty much a mixture of asphalt and dirt the whole way. There were speed bumps about every mile, they were mounds of dirt that went across the road. The driver would speed up to 50 mph then slow down to like 5 mph for the bumps. They drive on the left side of the road. People pass on hills, around corners, motorcycles would pass in between cars (Pictured). 

  There are people everywhere, I think I saw one million people! People walking (and they dress nice, most of the women were dresses and I saw several men wearing suits. People with their cows, people with goats, people being pulled by horses or cows. Motorcycles everywhere hauling other people, haul food, furniture, even other motorcycles! They mainly use motorcycles for taxis and deliveries but there are buses and vans for transportation also.

  On the way there we had to stop at a check point. Some policemen were stopping everyone and checking their cars. They had long rifles; we had to get out while they checked the car. It was very unsettling! The driver said sometimes they claim that you did something wrong wanting you to pay them in cash and of course that goes in their pocket. Thankfully they let us go without any trouble.  

  Going from Nairobi to Tharaka we crossed the equator, there was just a little sign on the side of the road.  We stopped and got gas; it was $1.19 or 158.58ksh Kenyan shillings per liter! What makes it worse is most people only make on average $2.60 per day! That explains why most people ride motorcycles!

  We arrive at the Mission, it has a large rock wall around it with a large gate and a guard shack. The guard opens the gate, we go in. School is out for their summer break (December to March is their summer, with January and February being the hottest months.) They have an orphanage so there were several kids there. I got there around lunchtime. For lunch they fix a huge pot of something that resembles stew with corn, beans, potatoes, rice, carrots .... It isn’t bad! That’s where I had lunch every day. People would come from the surrounding area to eat at no charge! The ingredients would change from day to day.

This is where we had lunch every day.

For Breakfast Linda would fix eggs and toast.

  For dinner, the cook on staff would fix meals for us, so I definitely didn’t go hungry!

  One of the projects they needed me to work on involved the windows in the kids’ dorms. Several of the windows were missing, and many others were broken. They purchased 4 × 8 sheets of Plexiglass for me to cut into windowpanes, install, and glue into place.

Selena was one of the dorm parents. She took care of Jacklin and other girls. She asked me if I’d fix the window by her bed. She said she gets wet and cold when it rains. That broke my heart, I was glad that I was able to improve the living conditions for those kids and the dorm parents!

 The next project was to put screens on the windows. Mosquitoes can carry several diseases, including malaria. All the beds have mosquito nets but that doesn’t do much when you’re getting dressed or doing homework or hanging out in your room with friends. 

  We went to Maru, the nearest city. I think it was around an hour away. We bought some screen and 1 X 6’s to cut down for the frames. I had a battery powered skill saw. I would cut the 1 X 6’s into 1.75” strips then cut them down to the length that I needed for the windows. I would drill holes in the 1” X 1.75” strips to screw them together then cut the screen to match the frames and staple the screens to the frame. I had some piano hinge that I’d cut down file down the sharp edges and drill holes in them so I could screw them to the frame and mount the screens to the walls.

It was slow process, but you work with what you have!

This is at a Fish & Chips restaurant in Maru. This is Linda, her and her husband Cal started "Each One Feed One" Mission in Tharaka Kenya. Next to her is Festus, he does some maintenance, he runs errands and transports people. 

This is Jackline, I think she was two when I was there, I think she's around four in this picture. my first night at the Mission I was in my room, it was above the clinic and I heard singing. I went down the stairs; all the kids were outside singing worship songs. I sat down on the stairs and Jackline came up to me and climbed into my lap.

  The next morning, I was in the chapel. They had a prayer and worship service every morning there. As soon as Jackline saw me, she ran up to where I was sitting and wanted to sit in my lap. She never spoke a word, but she was so sweet.

  One morning during the worship service, a little boy came up and wanted me to hold him. While I was holding him, Jackline came in and saw me with the boy. She made it clear to him (without speaking) that this was her spot. She grabbed his arm, pulled him away, and climbed into my lap.

  On the Each One Feed One website, they allow you to sponsor children, so of course I had to sponsor Jackline.

  In Kenya, the national languages are Swahili and English—yes, they have two national languages. Older people mainly speak Swahili, while younger people mainly speak English with a strong accent. Prior to leaving, one of my fears was the inability to communicate with the people of Kenya, but for the most part, it wasn’t a problem.

  I got to preach a message to the staff using a translator—that was a first for me! I also got to preach a message to the kids, and I was able to give that one in English.

  I headed home from Tharaka, Kenya, on 12/8/2018 around 11:00 a.m. The driver took me back to Nairobi, and we arrived at the B&B about seven hours later. I got a good night’s sleep, then woke up and headed to the Nairobi airport. Boarding time was 7:20 a.m. on December 9th. I flew to Amsterdam, where my next flight boarded at 4:00 p.m. headed for Atlanta, Georgia. I landed in Atlanta and spent the night there. The next morning I went to the airport and headed for Tulsa. I made it home by mid-day Tuesday December 11th. Longest four days ever!

  In total, it was a 19-day trip, and it was an absolute blessing. I was so glad I had the opportunity to go, see the sights, and meet the staff and kids.

Teens for Christ

  Paul (one of our teachers at OSB) is also a minister. Rachel, his wife, is also a teacher at OSB and a worship leader. They led Teens for Christ (TFC) at OSB until they temporarily retired from teaching.

  Annette is a secretary at OSB. After Paul and Rachel retired, Annette approached me because she knew that I was a minister. She said that she wanted to take over TFC and asked me if I would be interested in joining her in leading it. She would be the worship leader, and I would give a lesson each week. Of course, I said yes.

  We started out meeting every Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. because that is when Paul and Rachel had held it. However, some of the students were half asleep at that time, and some of the local students did not arrive at school that early. We decided to change it to Wednesday night around 6:00 p.m. This also allowed us to take the students to local youth services around Muskogee periodically.

  We had a core group that attended every week and others who showed up occasionally. We had a great group of students! They were always well-behaved and asked thoughtful questions. I would print scriptures and other information in braille for the totally blind students. It was wonderful to see these young boys and girls grow in their faith. This lasted for a couple of years.

Eventually, Paul and Rachel came out of retirement and resumed leading TFC.

Board member PRC

  A friend of mine, Cherry, was a board member at the Pregnancy Resource Center here in Muskogee. The high school principal, Lynn, at the Oklahoma School for the Blind was also a board member there. Lynn asked me if I’d like to be a board member at PRC because they were one short. She told me what it involved and gave me an application. I love babies, and I don’t believe that any baby should be killed for any reason, so I filled it out, and the board approved me for the position.

  We discuss what we need to purchase, review applications for volunteers, discuss changes to our website, and find ways to get financial support for the center.

Final thoughts

  I hope this story will inspire people who think they don’t have any special gift or ability to see that God can and will use you in amazing ways! I’m no Bible scholar. I’m not good at public speaking. I don’t have a great memory, so I use a lot of notes. I’m pretty much a germaphobe! If God can use me, He can use anyone!

  I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything in the world! I have seen God move in my life and through my life in so many ways, and I know the only reason is that I put Him in control. I got tired of just being a pew-warmer. I knew that God could do a better job of running my life than I ever could!