What a Trip…
Praise Jesus! I slept through the night for the first time in a week. It’s wonderful to sleep on my own bed.
Well, back to the old schedule…being in Utah was really a great vacation. We didn’t have to be concerned with anything much – besides losing my phone (which is now up and running again since yesterday afternoon) and being in so much pain. Today I feel so much better! I think that sleeping on the right bed makes a huge difference.
Anyway, when we first arrived in Utah and got off the plane I called Klysta – and sometime after that, I lost my phone. Jeff took us to see the Mormon Temple (talk about a TRIP) and like I already mentioned, as soon as we got off the plane we felt a heavy oppression. The first building we went to had a tall statue of Jesus with the sky and stars and planets (it was weird) but the second building we went into (it was the ‘Visitors’ something or another) Klysta and I both commented that the air was so THICK it was almost hard to breathe. Jeff is really great. He was raised Mormon and knows their doctrine and he has such a heart for reaching out to Mormons. We spoke with a couple of Mormon missionaries and Jeff asked some questions and you could see them both get really nervous. He asked them why there is a Satanic symbol (pentagram – star pointed downward but without the circle around it) and the sun god, and some other things. They didn’t even know what a pentagram was, but their explanation for the other ungodly things on the temple was representing ‘opposition’ – that you can’t know good unless you know evil as well.
Anyway, after leaving there we went to the One Way Lodge, that Jeff and Klysta run. It’s really cool cause it’s a motel and they have disciples and other people there too.
The whole time we were there everyone treated us like royalty. God did some amazing things – He ministered to me SO MUCH during the whole time we were there.
Sunday morning we went with Klysta’s dad, Lee – to the detention center. It was pretty nice (as far as institutions go) and we were able to speak to two different groups of young people. After the first time we spoke, a young girl came up and said that she was so glad that we came and that she needed to hear what we had to say. She said she knew God but was backslidden.
The second time we spoke, a young lady came up to me and also shared that she was so happy that we came and that she was encouraged by what we shared. I asked her if she’d like our address to write back and forth and she said yes.
We went straight to church after that and at church Pastor Coleman gave us ten minutes to share and to let people know that we’d be back at the evening service to share some more. After the service, people came up to us and thanked us. But what I was really blessed by was Pastor Coleman’s message. The Holy Spirit ministered to me – the message was about taking our focus off of ourselves and being committed to God and focusing on Him. I was really convicted that I was so focused on my pain and even convicted about losing my phone – I think it was an idol in my life. I repented.
But seriously – I have never been in so much pain in all my life. Breaking my back, being shot – ‘breaking’ my head – I mean seriously, I have never been in as much pain as I was while we were in Utah. But no doubt, it caused me to pray more than ever. Daryl read the bible to me for hours as I tossed and turned in the bed in our room. And I felt FINE while we were speaking.
At the evening service, we spoke for about an hour, and I completely forgot about the pain. I know that God really moved and He touched many people. What a blessing. Man, it was worth the pain. I was telling Jackie this morning that if I had known how much pain I would be in the whole time we were in Utah…I honestly would think twice about going. But that’s why God didn’t tell me what I’d go through before we went! I’m just being totally honest – what if God had said, “Laurie, you are going to suffer excruciating pain like you’ve never felt before but I will use you and minister to many people…” ??? Would I have said, “Okay Lord! No problem!” ??? I’d like to say that I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes – but I don’t know – sheesh, I’m still a selfish flesh bag sometimes. That’s horrible to admit, huh. Oh well…I’m just being real. I am SO GRATEFUL that we went though. It’s no wonder why we had so much opposition.
I’ve got a LONG way to go. I fall so short. It is so humbling to be used by God. I am so grateful. I realized that the weather change really messes me up…for the last four Septembers the Fibromyalgia has really kicked my butt. Two years ago, it was the Hep C too…and it lasted through January. But I still believe that God is healing me, and I won’t stop believing that. Next time we go to Utah, we’ll just go in the summertime. We LOVE the people there.
There is a couple, Leslie and John – who took us to the airport and they were just amazing. John lived a life very similar to mine – only I think his body is even more jacked up than mine is, and he was at LEAST as crazy (HARD-HEADED) as I was while I was on drugs – if not worse! God really has His hand on John’s life. I pray that he and Leslie continue to fight the good fight and allow God to continue to use them.
All in all, we were so blessed by our trip. God is so so so good. He really uses His people to show us how much He loves us! Thank You Lord!!!
