From Sad to Soaring

Monday morning: Early dentist appointment. I was not dreading it because it was only a checkup and cleaning appointment. I have been having problems with my blood pressure getting really high during dentist visits for a few years now but didn't think it would affect me for just a checkup. Especially since I had been walking every day for the past 3 weeks and my blood pressure had been great. But I was wrong! I should have left well enough alone but I ask the dental hygienist to take my blood pressure just for "fun" to see if only being in the office would make it high. Oh, yeah! It does! It was 180/119! Soooo....I took a blood pressure pill right then and there. Actually felt bad the rest of the day though.

Tuesday morning: Woke up with a migraine headache. Not good. I fought it most of the day. Also high blood pressure again. Had to take my medicine again....which is just prescribed for "as needed". Finally about the middle of the afternoon I was able to get my house work.....dishes, laundry, floors....done.

Wednesday morning: Was to be at my step-mother's house at 8:00 a.m. to take care of her until 8:00 p.m. She has been real sick lately and has to have round the clock care right now. I didn't feel really well but knew I needed to go and take care of her. Took my blood pressure at her house and it was high. Took another blood pressure pill. Third day in a row! And this after it had been great for over three weeks! I was getting pretty down in the dumps.

About 9:00 a.m. my cell phone rang. It was T., one of the directors from Sav-A-Life where I work once a week as a volunteer counselor. She had a story to tell me that would take me from down in the dumps to soaring in the clouds! Let me fill you in. A local pastor's wife, B., works with some teenaged girls in a summer youth program. She called T. early that morning to share a story with her. Here's what B. shared:
"Last week one of the girls in the youth program approached me wanting to know if she could talk with me about something. I told her she sure could and asked what it was. She said she wanted to know how to keep from going to hell when she died. I asked her what got her to thinking about that. She replied that she has a baby only a few months old and that she had gone to Sav-A-Life for her pregnancy test and also for parenting classes. She said that every time she would go, someone would talk to her about the Lord and about how important it was to know for sure where she would go when she died. That she had also been given a tract about salvation which she had read. The girl said she just kept thinking about it over and over and wanted to know how to be saved. I asked her what all she wanted to know and she said she wanted to know EVERYTHING! So I went over the plan of salvation with her and she was wondrously saved!"

I was just about to cry tears of joy listening to T. tell me about this! And then when she told me that the girl was one of my clients, I really did cry! Sometimes we wonder if our young clients are listening when we talk to them about the Lord. What a blessing to hear that at least some of them do! This was a great encouragement to me and a reminder to just keep sowing seeds of Truth in the hearts and minds of these young women.

That's just like my God to send me a reason for rejoicing just when I'm feeling blue! What a great God we serve!

"Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD;" Jeremiah 31: 16

We will be having our annual fundraising banquet for the Sav-A-Life where I work in just a few weeks. This is the way we raise the bulk of our support for the year. This year we are in the process of building a new center which will be more adequately equipped to meet the needs of the women we serve. Please pray for us that the Lord will send the funds we need to meet their needs!

Thank you!

Marilyn