![\"Country](\"https:\/\/faith-blog-assets.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/20170523133804\/Country-Road1.jpg\" "\\"Country-Road\\"")
When I was in Bible College, my first ministry opportunity was serving at a rural extension Sunday School in NE Pennsylvania called Island Plains.\u00a0 The location made middle of nowhere seem urban.\u00a0 I can still picture the route\u2014cross the river, take the first gravel road and keep driving a really long time.\u00a0 We met in a run-down 2 room clapboard building that had definitely seen better days.<\/p>\n
When we first arrived, there were 3-4 faithful families who had been praying that the Lord would send them workers to help stabilize the ministry and perhaps help it to grow.\u00a0 In their minds, we were the answer to that prayer.\u00a0 I decided to try the only thing I knew\u2014so I started driving my car up to the area on Saturday mornings and going door to door and inviting the neighbors along the road to church.<\/p>\n
On one of the first mornings, I knocked loudly at a farmhouse but received no answer.\u00a0 As I turned to leave a woman rounded the corner of the porch with an axe in one hand and blood all over her apron.\u00a0 I later learned that she had been out back slaughtering some kind of animal.\u00a0 For a moment I thought I was in a very strange horror movie\u2014\u201cSlaying of the Squeaky-Clean Bible College Student.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was in that setting that I met a young girl named Tess.\u00a0 She lived with her parents and sisters in a house that was as dilapidated as I had ever seen.\u00a0 When I knocked, the family eagerly welcomed me inside.\u00a0 It was fairly obvious they did not receive many visitors.\u00a0 There were many things about the home that stood out, but the biggest surprise to me was seeing that they had a dirt floor.\u00a0 I had no idea anyone lived that way anymore.\u00a0 However, they were very kind people, and while the parents had no interest in attending church, mom and dad were more than willing to let their daughters go.\u00a0 Tess and her sisters were thrilled that college students had driven that far to invite them and they readily accepted our offer.<\/p>\n
I can still see Tess\u2019s smile as she and her sisters would come each Sunday.\u00a0 They loved the family atmosphere, the new songs, and especially learning from the Word of God.\u00a0 Eventually Tess placed her faith and trust in Jesus Christ.\u00a0 She was transferred from simply being a member of a poverty stricken family on earth to joining the family of the most-high God in heaven.\u00a0 The lesson I learned that fall was that if you do a little work, you can usually find a Tess\u2014someone in need of a cup of cold water in Jesus\u2019 name.<\/p>\n
Today the buildings are bigger and the problems more complex.\u00a0 In fact this week I had several administrative issues blow up rather severely.\u00a0 But in the midst of that, the Lord gave me a marvelous opportunity to share Christ with a young woman who has made quite a mess of things.\u00a0 I\u2019m praying that soon she will report that she too has become a child of the king.<\/p>\n
I thought a lot about that this week.\u00a0 Maybe things aren\u2019t that different than my days at Island Plains.\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s as simple as finding the next Tess.<\/p>\n
So today I\u2019m going to be less concerned with budgets, buildings, and the endless paper-pushing and administration that goes with a church like ours.\u00a0 And I\u2019m going to be more focused on, thankful for, and excited about\u2026finding the next Tess.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"