It is ALWAYS good to be back to Maryland. After I came from St. Louis, I slept straight for twelve hours. Yeah, I was extremely exhausted.
Before I tell you all about my trip though, I want to thank the leaders of the Redeemer of World Evangelical Church (RWEC): Pastor Tesfay and his wife, Dr. Amanuel and his wife (Dr. Eden), Henok and his wife (Atsede), and Betty and her husband (Dr. Azarias) and Dr. Meheret and her husband (Dr. Zerihun) and all the other leaders I didn’t get a chance to meet. Thank you and may God bless you all!
I felt appreciated, valued and cherished! You all have received me and my message as if we came directly from God. Thank you! On my way home, I was praising and thanking God for all of you and for giving me this exceptionally wonderful weekend with all of you!
I met different groups of people in RWEC.
I first met singles, people who are older than 20. I had a wonderful time with 28 of them. They had funny questions for me as well as theologically challenging questions such as: What does sexuality have to do with sanctification? I love it!
I also had an amazing time with married couples for the whole day, from 9am to 7pm. Wow! The program was organized so at the professional level that I had nothing to worry about. Time is always my number one issue in programs like this but in St. Louis, I hadn’t have a slightest worry or nervousness because I was able to use the time effectively and productively. The leaders had done marvelous job of organizing the event way ahead of time. So, there was no one running around making that last minute phone call or something. I had six sessions with married couples. What a joy, a privilege and an honor for me to invest in the lives of young and old married couples! Praise God! We laughed hard! Yes, marriage teaching gets funnier when it gets to sexuality, if you know what I mean.
I also had a wonderful time with the general assembly. Thank you everybody who came to the program. I was told that some people came from far away, driving two hours, just to attend the program. May God bless you all!
The highlight of my stay in St. Louis was the time I had with single mothers!
Aha! It was the most uplifting and heartwarming time for me ever. I laughed and cried with single mothers. At the end, we held hands and prayed and we hugged and cried one last time. What a precious time it was! I don’t know how I can thank the leaders of RWEC enough for giving me this unique opportunity to meet single mothers and hear their stories and cry with them. Thank you so much!
So, this is my message for today to anyone who is reading this post: Please remember single mothers in your church congregation! It is pointless and useless to ask, “Why is she a single mother?”
Think especially those single mothers with little kids. Their children are the ones who have never gone anywhere for a vacation; their children are the ones who look at other kids’ fathers and think, “I wish this man was my father. I wish I live with both my parents.” Their kids are the ones who live with, “How come my father doesn’t like me? What have I done to deserve this?” and many more questions! Please remember them in your prayers as well as with your generous hands (giving) and kind gestures.
“How are you doing? How are your kids doing in school? If you need something, please let me know,” kinds of simple gestures go a long way.
“Religion that God accepts as pure and without fault is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help, and keeping yourself free from the world’s evil influence.”
(James 1:27 NCV) ///