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Sherry Cash has been attending Calvary Baptist Church for 60, almost 70, years and resides in Grand Prairie, TX with her husband Woody. Woody is Assistant to the President at Arlington Baptist University and is on campus nearly every morning. Sherry attends chapel with him regularly. Sherry also helps Woody teach the Encouragers Sunday School class, sings in the church choir, and hosts a prayer meeting Wednesday evenings at 6 pm. In her spare time, Sherry enjoys reading and spending time with her family.

Promises

In my bible seminary days, I began collecting God’s promises from the Bible. In fact, I have scraps of paper all over the place with His promises written down. One day years ago, I ran across a worn out, little brown book from the 1600’s by Samuel Clarke called Precious Bible Promises. It was so uplifting and I began scribbling down promises from that book as well. Eventually, my well-loved book fell apart (until years later I was able to find a copy of it in the Internet). When I did, I came to learn that a promise from God means more to me if I find it in God’s word. In my daily devotions, if there is a promise there, it will always mean more to me than getting one out of that little brown book ever did.

When I retired from being Girls' Dorm Parent at Arlington Baptist University after 18 years Woody and I kept busy with our Sunday School Class. Especially after I had my heart attack I needed something to do while I’m here at home, so I asked the Lord specifically to give me another ministry. About five years ago, the Lord said why don’t you share My promises you have been collecting. He impressed on me to send out promises via texting. I had never really sent or received texts, but I began small; sending promises out to my children and grandchildren. Eventually, other people would tell me they wanted to receive the texts as well so my little list started to grow. I now send out about 40 promise texts very day.

If you would like me to put you on my promise list, please contact me or send your information to Calvary Baptist Church via the contact form and tell them you would like to be added to Sherry’s Promises Texts.

Joyce Felton has been a member of Calvary Baptist Church for about 44 years. She volunteers in the Park area of Kid City, plays the piano for the Friendship class, and attends ladies prayer room as well as Bible study on Wednesday nights. Along with keeping grandchildren, Joyce enjoys cooking for her family, having them over for a meal, or cooking and sending it home with them. Joyce also loves talking with friends, quilting with those who quilt, and exchanging books with other readers.

Ladies Love Ministry by Joyce Felton

I had only attended one meeting when Loretta Cook (who started the latest version of the Calvary Ladies’ Love Ministry) asked me to help her with the purpose of taking over leadership. I appreciated her faith in me yet balked at the idea until the Lord pointed out that she had over 28 years on me and I should be willing to help. I couldn’t do what she did by organizing a place to meet each month at a restaurant, so I asked if she minded if we met at the Family Life Center and provided a meal there. We asked the ladies and they agreed to pay or help cook. And I don't have to do it by myself. Along with all the ladies that help, my daughter-in-law, Beth, and her boys help make sure all the food is prepared, tables are set, and help with all those small details that make it come together. She's been my right-hand and I couldn't do it without their help.

Working with the strong Christians and seeing their steadfast faith has been such a blessing to me and made me want that closeness to the Lord for myself. There is not a day that passes that I don’t think about my friends who attend and our friends who can’t be with us because they are not able. God has given me a love for this ministry.

The question is ”How can we not see and experience God each day as we pray for and minister to others?" What a lovely time of community and fellowship we have each month as we share about the needs and answered prayers from the month before. Wouldn’t you say that is sharing life? And serving others with cards, calls, visits, and prayers? It is staying connected with those who can’t physically stay connected to us. Most of our group do not text or Facebook, but there is nothing wrong with their ability to take the time to call and visit with each other and those in need. Amazing!

I am reminded of the chorus of an old song “Others” that goes like this:

”Others, Lord, yes others

Let this my motto be.

Help me to live for others,

that I might live like Thee.”

Being with this group of ladies has been one of the greatest blessings. They are the most caring and generous people I know. They keep up with the ones who are sick or hurting and keep me informed of the needs of others. They are truly a group of prayer warriors.

The work and commitment these ladies put in reminds me of Ephesians 4:32a says “Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted……” and again in Matt. 25:35-4 when the Lord said (and I paraphrase) when you have done anything for one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it for me.

The Ladies Love Ministry meets every first Tuesday of the month in the Family Life Center at 11:30am. All ladies are welcome and encouraged to come and fellowship!

Holly and Ruben Alvarez have been attending Calvary Baptist Church since 2010 and reside in Grand Prairie, TX with their two boys. Ruben serves on the deacon committee and security team. He and Holly both serve faithfully in the Park and Boulevard areas of Kid City. Quality time is incredibly important to the Alvarez family. They enjoy anything they can do together including vacations, movies, games, playing outside, and visiting local attractions. When they aren't spending quality family time, Holly and Ruben host game nights at their home to fellowship and do life with one another.

The Boulevard

Holly and Ruben have been serving the in the Boulevard ministry, specially designed for preschool and kindergartners, for approximately six years. It wasn’t long after they joined Calvary that the Alvarezes knew they wanted to get involved and the Boulevard seemed like an ideal place to start.

They believe the Boulevard ministers to kids who are at the beginning and best stages of their lives. It is where they start truly understanding and learning more about Jesus and His love! The Alvarezes say they absolutely love this age. The kids come in so ready to sing, play, and learn. Everything is new and exciting for them. For Holly and Ruben, it is like seeing things for the first time all over again through the kids eyes.

Holly says the more she works with children the more she feels like understands God's love for all of His children. In fact, Holly's favorite verse since she was a little girl has been Matthew 9:14 “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these”. Even now it reminds her that there is a meaningful purpose behind the children's ministry. Especially knowing those little minds are the future.

Ruben says serving in the Boulevard has been confirmation for him that this is where they should be. There is a need for children's ministry and they want to be a part of it! Ruben feels like the Boulevard builds up his own faith just by being there, seeing the kids each time, and showing them all about God’s love for them.

The Alvarezes also feel like serving in the children's ministry holds them accountable. Not only to those kids, but to others, themselves, and more importantly to God. It helps them to stay grounded and involved in each other’s lives. It's another way to share life with one another.

Trina Hall has been attending Calvary Baptist Church since 2012 and resides in Grand Prairie, TX with her husband. Trina can often be found helping out local missions organizations and advocating for miscarriage and infant loss awareness in the Grand Prairie area.

Waking Up

On July 27, 2007 I faced a tragedy that not only changed my life, but also many others lives; like a ripple in a pond. My daughter and my grandson were in a major car accident on a country highway. My grandson was killed and my daughter was severely injured, suffering eight broken bones and undergoing nine surgeries. Ultimately she lost both of her legs and spent three weeks in a coma. That moment in time shocked me to my core and grief filled my life. When my daughter finally woke up, I was there to tell her that her son was gone. Instead of crying or screaming like I expected, she was reserved. I asked if she heard me and her reply was, “Yes I know Dale is gone.” I asked her how she knew and she told us she had seen Dale with Jesus.

I was completely shocked. Until then, I had spent my time seeking God in the wrong direction. I had a nature-based belief system, but in that moment my whole life changed. God brought my family, and me, to the realization that there was heaven and God was in charge! I felt like I had woken up. God has a plan, and even though we may not know it, we have to seek Him for guidance daily. We cannot control our lives the way we think we can; we need His path, His word, and to seek His face.

My husband and I re-dedicated our lives back to God. I asked God to remove this pain and replace it with something that would bring glory to Him. In the weeks that followed, I prayed hard seeking what God wanted me to do. Then one day I knew. I asked my husband for a sewing machine. He thought I was crazy since I have never sewn before, but he bought it for me anyway. I had no idea how to work it but God gave me a gift to sit and learn that machine so I could use it for His work. I felt like God wanted me to start making children’s clothes and send them to missionaries across the world. I started making clothes for children in Papua New Guinea and Haiti. The smile of those children and love that God was sharing was the gift that God has given me.

From there I also started making angel gowns and blankets for those that have lost tiny babies. I donate them to the hospitals each year. God has also given to me a gift to make jewelry help the missionaries with things they need. Along with a portion of the proceeds, I send medical items, baby bottles and clothing, as well as formula to regions of the jungle where mothers are too ill to care for their children or have died in childbirth.

I thank God for changing my life to help others and share His love to those who needs him in their lives. God wants all of us to be the ones to share His word and His love to everyone in this world. All Glory goes to God for giving me the gifts he has given to share His love. The motto in my heart is verse Matthew 25:40 which says “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ ”

Johnny Parker has been attending Calvary Baptist Church since he was an infant and his wife, Tammy, since she was 16 years old. When the Parkers aren’t organizing the annual Calvary Car Show, Johnny serves as department leader for the school-age Sunday school classes as well ushering and deacon committee. Tammy has spent over 20 years serving in the nursery department and continues to serve in other areas of Kid City. In their spare time, Johnny & Tammy prioritize family time with their children and grandchildren for family Sunday dinners and games.

The Annual Calvary Car Show

When I was on the trustee board, the topic of Kids Camp came up. One of the issues was a lack of fund raising being done for the little kids to help those who could not afford to go to camp. Some kids wanted to go but could not do so because of a lack of funds. This information was very troubling to me because I was saved at Minnetonka Youth Camp and the thought of a young boy or girl possibly missing out on something that was as dear to my heart and important as camp because of money was a problem. I asked the Lord to use us to help, if it was the Lords will.

Tammy and I asked the Lord to lead us and show us what our part would be "if any" in making sure that any child who wanted to go to camp would be able to do so without it being a burden on their family finances. The ball started rolling fast and I knew whatever the Lord had in store needed to be a big one time event and not the usual cookie, cake, twenty dollar bag of fundraiser popcorn type effort. There were no car shows in town except the city "cruise in" which was only drawing 20-30 cars, it wasn’t really a car show. We figured if the church put on a car show and did it professionally, it would attract lots of spectators as well as classic car enthusiasts. Especially if 98% of them would otherwise never step foot on our church campus.

The thought was to raise money to send every kid to camp who wanted to go as well as attracting lots of folks who would come to the car show. Folks would come only expecting the car show but find more than that through the love of Christ manifested by our members who would one after the other introduce themselves and love on these folks. Letting them know that they go to church here and invite them to visit us sometime.

My prayer is that when one goes to the Calvary Car Show they are swallowed up by the love of our Savior and when they leave they say to themselves “Wow I'm not sure what this feeling is that I'm feeling but those were the most loving, nicest, and warmest folks I've ever been around" We as born again Christians would know that the feeling they experienced was not from our kindness or even our love, but the love of the Savior of the world Jesus Christ himself. He was tugging at their heart and placing in their heart that they HAVE TO get back to that place, the place where they thought they were going to a CAR SHOW but as it turns out it was not about classic cars at ALL! It was about the joy in those people at that church, it was about the pressing down upon our very existence that there is something bigger than ME, and whatever it is, it is calling ME, and I MUST answer that call.

Chris and Stephanie Watkins began attending Calvary Baptist Church in April 2016 and reside in Grand Prairie, TX with their daughter, Ema. The Watkins volunteer to teach regularly in the Boulevard (4 years old through kindergarten) area of Kid City. They like to spend time outside in their community garden, camping, and spending time with friends playing games or watching movies. Click here if you missed Romania Missions Part 1 by Steph & Chris Watkins.

When we first arrived, my friend’s organization was working with five families. They provided food once a month, work when the center had work to pay them for, and an after school place for the nine children to have a shower, meal, tutoring, bible study and a reprieve from the village. The women were sent home each week with strips of paper to make beads. They would come once a week to the center and have a bible study and string their beads into necklaces. Each woman was paid for the beads they made, which provided somewhat of a steady income for the family. The missionary couple that was leaving a couple months after we had arrived had befriended two teenager families in the Roma Village. The foundation did not want to leave those two families without someone to be there for them when the other couple left. We were asked then to create and expand the teenage family ministry. We started with five teenage families and ended with seven. Our youngest mom had just turned 13 and our oldest mom was 19 turning 20. In the Roma culture girls “marry” between the ages of 9 and 12 and start having babies soon after. A girl can get “married” a few ways. She is sold by her father, raped by someone and then taken as his wife, or the few just claim they are together, have sex and are married. Out of our seven families only two were married legally. All the others just claimed marriage and were married in the eyes of their people.

Romania in general is a poorer country and the town where we lived in was out in the country. A good income for a Romanian was comparable to about $300 US dollars, and for the Roma it was much less. Even though there’s tons of need everywhere, the difference is you can SEE the need everywhere in Romania where in the states you have to look for it more; it’s not as obvious here. Here in The States we pray for God to show us someone in need whereas in Romania we didn’t need to pray for it, it was just there. You couldn’t walk through town without seeing someone in need. Every day we had people knocking on our door or front gate asking for something, most of the time, it was food. Occasionally they needed shoes or diapers for the kids. We did provide food packets every month and child resources weekly for the families.

We held weekly bible studies, brought the moms and babies to the center to teach them to how to bathe their children and babies, they would come once a week for showers and baths, and provided them with diapers and formula if needed. We provided food while in the hospital as well as monthly packages, started a morning center for the kiddos who were 18 months or older, in-home financial budgeting lessons and guidance, and jobs for the men when we had them. Eventually the girls started making the joy beads as well. We saw God work in and through us continually while we were there. But we enjoyed seeing it when the families we served saw and experienced God. One week, Chris figured out how much a family would need to make and how many days they needed to work to pay their bills for the month. Then they prayed for the work to come. The Roma have a hard time finding jobs in Romania because nobody really wants to hire them. As the week went by, we didn’t see the husband of one of the families at all until the end of the week. When we ran into him and asked him where he was, he replied that he was working all week. Then Chris reminded him that they had just prayed for work and how God provided. He thought for a second and his face lit up, like a light bulb turned on. It was awesome to see him recognize God’s provision and how He answered his prayer.

We also became their advocates in the medical system; we would take them to doctors and be their voice. With the conditions in which they lived in, there were a lot of medical needs, especially with the young children. We would help with their medications, but also help them with their medical care. The Roma did not receive the best medical care and sometimes don’t receive any medical care at all. We would intercede for the families on a continual basis. Sadly I think the only reason our families got treatment is because we were with them and we were Americans and would give them money to get help.

The conditions of the hospitals over there are not the same standards as our hospitals here in the states. One of our young families was having their first child. They had her in the delivery room while strapped down on a metal table. As we waited in the waiting room with her family and her husband we found out that she was going to need to have a C-Section. At that point the family got really anxious and we didn’t really understand why. We were told that while a procedure may be routine in the States, it can be dangerous over there. We prayed and then we talked with the doctor. We realized that they were not going to give anesthesia and that we had to bribe the doctor so they would give her the proper medications.

Chris and I were a shoulder, a reprieve, an ear, and a friend. We LOVE them and miss them greatly. The Roma people gave us a piece of their hearts, which in a culture like theirs means more than any monetary item we could give them.

My time in Romania has changed my prayer life and how I relate to God and others; always being thankful for what have. The Roma have an expectation that because we are Americans we are rich. Their thoughts are we have unlimited resources and we are to help them. There are times we have been exhausted by helping the families and others in the Roma village because after we help meet a need they automatically bring you a list of more to do, demanding you do them too. This was routine throughout our entire time there. Half way through our time there I realized that I am no different with my relationship with God. I have frequently given my “request” to God and when he answers I usually give him another list. With this perspective I have learned to stop and say thank you and appreciate what God has given us. And when I do ask a request I do it with a grateful and cheerful heart.

God used Romania to instill an excitement for watching God work in others life’s; rejoice with others and shoulder each other’s burdens. He also reminded us of His provision. One of the many opportunities that I, Chris, had was working with each family individually – a financial bible study teaching Gods principles on finances and helping them each create a budget for their family. During the process of helping them budget, and teaching them how to manage their resources, I noticed that God always provides exactly what the families needed. Now, the families mismanaged their funds but it was a revelation to me and a couple of them that He always provided and He expects us to be good stewards regardless of what stage of life we are in or how much is given. It was also eye opening to the concept of how we are slaves to our debts (Proverbs 22:7).

In the Roma village the concept of debt is handled rather differently than in the states and while helping the families budget, I realized they spend most of their time working to pay off debt. For us, going from both of us having full-time salaries in the States to an income that changed from month to month was unstable. The funny thing for me, Steph, though is that I was never concerned about the money coming in while we were in Romania. I knew God wanted us there and that He would provide. Different story in the States, I remember before moving constantly being worried over money with both of us working two full-time jobs.

We may not have the luxuries that we had in the states, like consistent power, a washing machine that holds more than 5 pieces of clothing, and an oven that is no bigger than an easy bake, BUT we had EVERYTHING we needed and more plus we were extremely grateful that He continued to provide each month. We are more grateful for what we have we have A LOT to be thankful for and we have learned the blessings of complete reliance on God.

Our previous church was really big on community. We had been with our same group, before we left the states, for five years. We valued them we loved them. Going thousands of miles away where you know two people, only five speak the same language as you, your new “village” has no stoplights and only one stop sign, you have to drive 40 min for most everything was a huge culture shock, and that’s even before you get to the culture being a shock itself. Our friends and family were now eight hours behind us time wise and trying to set up Skype or FaceTime dates presented its own challenges. All that to say we quickly realized how important community was/is to us and how isolating living in a strange country could be. Isn’t it wonderful that God knows us and he made us for biblical community?

The church we attended in Romania was wonderful, three and a half hour long services may have taken us a bit to get use to but it was wonderful. The people were great and many spoke English. We were placed in a group with five other missionaries in the area! God gave us people who understood and were walking similar paths. We weren’t alone! One time we went to McDonalds after church (yes, they have McDonalds and yes, it is different) and we noticed there was a group of four Americans speaking English! We introduced ourselves and they told us they were missionaries as well. God did not leave us in isolation, but we had to take a step as well. It would have been easy to live “alone” physically, but spiritually and emotionally we needed each other. We cannot stress how important and valuable biblical community and fellowship is to us. We are so grateful to be at Calvary!

In the spring of 2003, Chris was taking his first missions classes in seminary. After each class he would be so excited about a new place we could go. He was onboard for missions and eager to launch. He was not held back that he was in his first year of seminary out of four total. Looking back, I believe this is when God first started cultivating Chris’ heart for missions. Mine on the other hand took some time. I probably told him “you’re crazy” more than a few times. Missions didn’t really “fit in” with what I thought our plans for our family should look like. I have a good friend from high school who was a missions major. She planned to go into full-time overseas missions. I thought, “That’s awesome for her” and truly did see her excelling in the field, but I still didn’t think missions were for me. After college, my friend moved to Romania and that’s when we started to hear about the country from a more personal side. We visited in the fall of 2004 and fell in love with the people, culture, and country. I believe God used this trip to plant the seeds of missions in my heart. Chris and I were both still in school so it wasn’t time just yet.

When we visited Romania in 2004 to say it was eye opening would be an understatement. There’s something about actually seeing with your eyes, smelling with your nose (yes smelling), holding with your arms, and hearing the sounds around you. There were street children everywhere; begging for food, money, candy - anything to fill their stomachs or hand off to their parents. If they weren’t begging, they were winding between you pick-pocketing to see what surprises they could find. Children were everywhere. I vividly remember going to dinner at a Romanian pizza parlor (not really similar to our pizza). The restaurant was covered with huge windows and our group was seated right near one. Throughout our entire meal there was a little blond boy just staring at us. Literally staring; big eyes peering at us as we ate. It was heartbreaking and also a good food suppressant! That little one went to bed with a full pizza belly that night. There was a noticeable difference between the Romanian street children and the Roma (or Gypsy) children on the street. The Romanian kiddos would instantly pocket the money or eat the food you gave them or they “found.” The Roma children would immediately take whatever you handed them to an adult that was peering nearby. In 2004, children and babies who were abandoned were left in the hospital until they were three. As long as their parents came to “visit” them once a year they could not be “abandoned/orphaned” and their parents would still be entitled to the money the government gives the families until the child is three. After three they went into orphanages. I should mention that adoption to The States, Americans, was closed at this time. Romanian babies that were abandoned were quickly adopted by other Romanians. Roma babies on the other hand were not. We were not allowed to enter an orphanage while we were there.

Being in a third world country can sometimes challenge what you thought you believed. The churches in Romania are much more charismatic then what you would find in most churches in America. Taking away money and niceties can strip people down to the bare. People see blessings so much easier than Americans tend to. God is all they have. Romania’s national religion is Greek Orthodox; yes, it is a religion. While we were in the city we visited a few churches (buildings). These churches literally have gold all over them. They are beautiful! They have huge paintings, beautiful stained glass work, gardens, old beautiful wooden pews, the décor was amazing. We heard stories of people hiding in their homes as the priests were knocking on their doors, because the priests would make these visits and the members were required to pay them. The church in Romania appears to be all about money. They do not believe in helping the people, and were mostly looking after themselves. The church is stuck in much legalism and even more in traditions. The Roma had their own church, but again it was very much about money. The prosperity message was mostly taught from the pulpit. Which pew you sat in in church depended on your “sins” and if the pastor had deemed you forgiven or not. The ones in front were doing good, the ones in the back not so well. The cool thing is we met missionaries from all over, obviously a few from all over The States, but also from The Netherlands, Sweden and England. God IS working through His church- His people.

In 2005-06 my friend started a foundation in Romania, specifically working with the Roma. She asked us to sit on the board and being board members gave us an inside look at what was going on with Romanian laws, politics, needs and culture.

It wasn’t until September 2011 that God opened the doors for us to go back to Romania again. By 2011, Romania had just started a “foster care” system. Back in 2007, Romania had become part of the European Union. One of the stipulations of the EU was for Romania to “clean up” the street children problem. We saw some children out but not nearly as many. The hospitals were “cleaning out” the children which meant dumping many of them at last known addresses they had for their families. Some even with people who happened to be living at the last known address and had no relation or idea who the child was. Those who didn’t get “dumped” or left and went into the foster care program and problems too. The main problem being Romanians (Eastern Europeans) do not think highly of the Roma. So these children were not being treated with the most love or respect that should be. We spent most of our time in the little village of Tinca where the ministry we were board members of was placed. We were able to spend a lot of time with the children of the center, their families and others in the Roma village.

Chris and I felt the NEED to do something; to listen and to act. If we’re being completely honest, there was a HUGE fear of fundraising of that magnitude, which kept us from leaping sooner than we did. We would constantly talk about the people, and the need, and being there, but felt completely stuck. We were there for ten days and leaving was one of the hardest things we did. God had burdened both our hearts for the needs there and finally fundraising was starting to look not so hard. Summer of 2011 was a season of much thought and prayer for us. We were feeling a heavy burden for the needy but were not sure where God wanted us. We came up with two options: (1) move to West Dallas, share Jesus, and help in one of the poorest areas of our city or (2) move to Salt Lake where Chris had been offered a job in one of the heaviest populated Mormon areas. Taking the job in Salt Lake meant we would have to fundraise for his salary. Then, sitting on the plane in September of 2011 heading back to the States, God threw another idea in the mix.

This idea was the one that burdened our hearts for many years, but we never thought the doors would open; becoming missionaries to the Roma. We struggled a bit with “are we pushing God?”, “does He really want us there”, or “are we following our own hearts desires?” We prayed, asked our community to pray, and finally in December of 2011 we both felt at peace as we sent out our first round of fundraising letters with a date of leaving for Romania in January 2013 - almost nine years after our first visit and 11 years after Chris’ missions class!

Fundraising is a full-time job. Chris and I both worked stressful full-time jobs where overtime was the norm. Yet, the money kept coming in. We would talk about Romania and someone would come up and hand us a $500 check or write to us and make a $10 monthly commitment. God basically did all the fundraising. For Chris and I this felt like confirmation from Him letting us know Romania was where He wanted us.

Chris and I left the States on January 3, 2013 and arrived in Budapest, Hungary on the 5^th. Budapest is the closest airport to Tinca, Romania; the place we would call home. We had arranged for a driver for the additional four to five hours it would take us to get there. Our first three months we lived in the team home, “Katartizo”, a six bedroom home that my friend’s ministry turned into a location teams could stay when they came on trips. In March, we moved into our permanent home which backed up to the Roma Village. Tinca, the “town” we lived in, was too small to be declared a town or city, it was a village. We had two main streets with one stop sign. We frequently walked from one side to the other several times a day, which was just at a mile. This was the norm for most villages in the area and the nearest “big” city was a drive of 45 minutes. In Tinca, the two main streets and right off of those were where the Romanians lived. Romania is still a country of segregation when it comes to the Roma. The Roma had their own section, which basically backed up to the Romanian part of the village.

Tinca had the biggest Roma population in our county. Roma, are nomadic by nature; they go where they can find food or money until they are kicked out or get bored and want to move on. As you drive through Romania, you see a few mud brick or falling down wooden shacks here and there. You see a lot of covered horse drawn carts as they are traveling, although not rare to see a Romanian in a horse and buggy too. What this means is for Tinca to have a Roma village of 3,000 was huge! Plus, that’s only the 3,000 that were “documented”. Tinca was also a village human traffickers would frequent because a Gypsy gone missing is really not a big deal to them. The Roma village did not have running water, kitchens, or outhouses. Basically they were one room, falling down, critter infested huts. There was a constant stream of liquid running down the sides of the Roma dirt streets. In the winter as you walked in the Roma village you just kept telling yourself “it’s just mud, it’s just mud” knowing full well what you were stepping in. Between the Roma village and the livestock you can only imagine the smell; Romania’s distinct scent will forever be engraved in our noses. Our home, which mercifully did have indoor plumbing and a kitchen, backed up to the Roma Village. We walked in almost every night and spent time with our Roma families. We were also the first people they went to when they needed something.

In the next edition, we’ll share a more candid view of what daily life for the Roma looked like and how living out the Great Commission affected not just the Roma, but us as well.

Ready for Romania Missions Part 2 by Steph & Chris Watkins? Click here!

Weston and Barbara Winter began attending Calvary Baptist Church in 2004 and have been faithful attendees the Prime Timers Sunday school class ever since. In November 2016, Wes and Barb’s son, Jace, was suddenly called home to be with Jesus at only 42 years old. When the news came their Sunday school class was quick to respond.

Church Family by Wes Winter

It is amazing to me how fast members of the Primetime class were at our house. It meant so much to Barb and I that they would drop everything to be there, support us in prayer, and comfort us. The "world famous" Primetime class came through with meals until we eventually had to ask them to stop bringing them; it was more food than we could eat. That was such a blessing.

The cards and prayers are still coming! My dear, sweet wife is trying to answer those cards but she is overcome with grief every time she starts doing them. Please continue to pray for her. Pray for me as well. I try to restrain my emotions the best I can but we have our ups and downs. I know am not alone in this. Friends like David & Sharon and Gary & Sheryl, who have gone through this kind of loss, the loss of a son, have been so helpful to us. Please continue to pray for us.

If you are not in a small group or a Sunday school class, please join one. The love, the fellowship, the bond that you have in that class is immeasurable. I don’t know how anybody functions through life, with all of its ups and downs, without a church family. You are closer than blood. All of you are close to us. We can call on you any time and you’re there. It is a great support and a great feeling to know that you have a family, a church family that is that close.

The Primetime class will always be family and all the rest of you that aren’t in Primetime, I’ll just call you cousins OK?

Lauren Schaefer has been attending Calvary Baptist Church since 2011 and resides in Fort Worth, TX with her son Tevyn. Lauren regularly volunteers in the Boulevard (preschool age) and Park (nursery) areas of Kid City. When she's not cheering on her son's team (Go Eagles!) or serving her church, Lauren enjoys entertaining, game nights with friends, and DIY projects.

Community

In March of 2015 God blessed me with a new home. Before it was even mine I knew I wanted use it to serve Him. I didn't know how I'd do that but I figured I could host an event like the youth during D-now weekend or a life group. It wasn't long before God put it on my heart to foster children and I chose to trust His plan. As I was moving in and getting settled, I hung a sign in the front room with a verse from the book of Joshua that reads "as for me and my house we will serve the Lord". Almost immediately Satan started putting obstacles in the way.

Everything that could go wrong did; plumbing, heating, you name it. Then when I began the process of becoming a foster parent, Satan attacked me even harder. He told me I was crazy. He told me I couldn't do what God was leading me to do. One specific thing Satan said was “You can't even afford to fix your fence. What makes you think you could afford another mouth to feed? How do you think you're going to be able to do this?” I tried my best to ignore him and clung to God's word, hoping He would drown Satan out, but I didn't hear anything.

It was during the prayer request portion of my life group meeting that I found the strength to share what I was going through. This group of ladies, that I believe God stitched together, prayed over me and encouraged me throughout the week.

At the very next life group meeting, one of the men in my life group came up to me and said. "Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. we'll be at your house to fix your fence."

I was taken back,"What?"

He repeated himself.

"I will be at a work conference out of town"

"Well, can we get in the back yard?", he asked.

I replied, "Yes, but..."

"But what?"

"But I don't have any money."

He said "Don't worry about it. We'll figure it out."

I shook my head and said "What do you mean we'll figure it out?"

And he walked away.

Saturday morning came and by the time I got home from my conference they guys were already halfway done. But it wasn't until the next day when the “God moment” came. I was on my way to Church and one of the guys text me and asked "Do you hear God now?" It was like a two-by-four to the head and I broke into tears almost instantly. I had become so focused on trying to hear God through His Word, that I missed Him speaking to me through this group of people!

Community, life groups, are about developing closer connections with people who will circle around you, who know when you're feeling overwhelmed, and they will help you. If you feel like you can’t do something, they'll step in and encourage you. People to say, “Hey, you might not be able to do that right now, but I will help you! What do you need?” Without a doubt, there's a big reason that community and fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ is important. Just seeing God and hearing God work through this group of people absolutely impacts my walk with Jesus.

Stephanie Grounds has been attending Calvary Baptist Church since 2005 and resides in Grand Prairie, TX with her husband Chad and their three children. You can find Stephanie teaching in the Refinery or Boulevard of Kid City on most Sundays. In her spare time, Stephanie likes to hang out with family, play volleyball, and cheer for THE Dallas Cowboys!

Immeasurably More

Some of you might know me as Chad's wife or you might know me as the girl that wears the blue shirt since I'm always in Kid City. I met my husband at Arlington Baptist College in 1995. Seven months into our friendship, and our courtship, we were sitting in an Arlington hospital room with my parents, and a doctor with bad bedside manner. At the age of 20, he told me I needed a full hysterectomy. The words simply rolled off the tip of his tongue, “You're never going to be able to have children. You might as well go ahead and get the surgery. We can schedule it today or tomorrow.” What he said so easily, felt as if a house just landed on me, and crushed me. I also remember my very sweet, but very Texan mama replying, “Well, I don't think you are God and we will definitely be seeking a second opinion! Thank you, bye-bye. You are done here.”

The road to my surgeries began. There were six surgeries to be exact, one before I was married, five to follow afterwards, and they all led to exactly the same place: no children. It is amazing how during some of the loneliest times in my life, I absolutely felt my Savior the closest to me. He was right there beside me. He was whispering truths because the enemy was on a mission. Satan wanted to sift me like wheat and sometimes I let him. He would start whispering, “What kind of a woman are you? This is what your husband has dreamed of! All he talked about while you dated was having a family. You cannot give him that. What is wrong with you?” About the time that the enemy would start feeding me those lies, my Savior would start shouting out words of truth; everything depended on who I chose to listen to. The Lord taught me so much during my journey and gave me what I like to call “nuggets of truth”.

About eight years into my journey with infertility I was at my very lowest after learning a birth mom was choosing another family; not Chad and I. This was the second time we had tried to pursue adoption and the door had been shut. I fell on my face in my living room floor and sobbed from the depths of my soul. I gave myself time to weep and mourn before I got up and I went to the Word. That's where the comfort came from - friends can give you comfort, I love my family more than life, but the Word is what kept me sustained. I remember telling the Lord specifically, “I am lost. Please take away this desire to be a mom. I feel dried up and empty.”

My kind and gracious Savior took me to the Bible study I had been doing. The verse was Isaiah 58:11,

”And the Lord will guide you continually...” Wait Lord, you mean I’m not lost?

“And satisfy your desire in scorched places...” My desire was to be a Mom and let me tell you, I felt really burned.

“And make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Wait, I’m not dried up?

Then I gave up! Not the way you quit something, but I surrendered once and for all. This journey would be 100% His will and not mine, His timing and not mine, His way and not my way. I promise you, besides salvation, that was the sweetest surrender of my life!

In August 2008, after a nine-year battle with infertility (and you can say nine years, “like oh yeah nine years” but that’s a LONG time), I found out we were expecting. I embraced every moment of sickness. Every time I felt like throwing up I celebrated; I was so excited! It was a reminder of the life that the Lord had amazingly placed inside me. One month later we found out we weren’t only expecting, but we were expecting twins! At 20 we were told we would never have children and 13 years later we’re carrying twins... TWIN GIRLS! Their daddy was in trouble.

Everything was going perfect until my 24^th week. I taught at an elementary school, having a normal day, until the pain hit. I thought, “Good grief what did I eat that you two disagree with?” Before I knew it, I found myself in the nurse’s station at the school, buckled over, while she told the school counselor to get me to the hospital pronto! This could not be happening.

At the hospital, they told me I was in full labor. This was not good, it was January and my babies were not due until May! There were about six people in the room and everybody was doing something different - rolling me side to side, giving me shots, pumping meds through my IV. I had no idea what was happening because nobody was talking to me. I remember thinking, “I haven't even had a Tylenol since I found out about these babies!”

I was finally able to ask what the nurses were giving me but nobody was listening. Finally, one nurse looked at me and she said, “Honey, we're giving you steroid shots. Your babies’ lungs have not developed. If they're born today, there's a very good chance they’re not going to make it.” I was devastated. They had done a sonogram and Baby A weighed one pound and Baby B weighed 14 ounces! This was a nightmare, but within a few hours the meds started working, my body was responding, and life started making sense again. I was told the girls were stable, but I would have to spend the duration of my pregnancy in the hospital on bed rest. Two days later as I lay in that hospital bed, two of my precious friends were trying to cheer me up and brighten up my room. I'll never forget they painted a verse for me on a little board:

They hung it up in my room without knowing a few hours later that verse would be my lifeline! I had complained to the nurses that I was having a hard time breathing and they told me it was the medicine they gave me to stop the contractions and I was okay, but the feeling continued. I insisted that I really couldn’t catch my breath, but they suggested that I was going through some anxiety. Once I made it clear that I COULD NOT BREATHE I was taken for a CT scan and chest X-rays. The techs were laughing and having a good time, cutting up, and then all of a sudden they were very somber. When they took me back to my room, they treated me like I was a delicate rose. I was confused, “What’s going on? What happened to the funny people from before?”

The techs said my doctor would talk to me if there was anything they needed to discuss. The on-call nurse came in and she told me they found an aneurysm on my heart. They were talking with a heart specialist who would be in shortly to discuss this with me. The heart surgeon arrived with my mom, my husband, and preacher. When I saw preacher, I knew it was bad. My husband wanted to break the news to me, so with tears in his eyes, yet so strong, he said, “Stephanie, this aneurysm has to be removed but in order to do so, it requires open-heart surgery. They're going to have to lower your body’s core temperature to the point that your pulse is very weak. But the girls won’t survive that.”

I refused and insisted we just wait because they were only 24 weeks; we just needed to give them a chance and wait a little longer. The heart surgeon insisted that I didn’t have time. The aneurysm could burst at any moment. Again, I insisted we give my daughters a chance. I suggested doing a c-section. They could deliver the babies (and we would pray for God to sustain their life) and then the doctors could do the open heart surgery afterwards. The surgeon told me my body could not go through a c-section and in then immediately have open heart surgery. I would die on the table. I recognized the options all as lose-lose situations but right there hanging in my window, seriously the same day, was this freshly painted sign: God is able to do IMMEASURABLY more than all we can ask or imagine. It is His promise, immeasurably more, and that was what it would take. A peace came over my body that I can’t explain to you, it was the Lord, and I resolved this wasn’t my story. This was not where God brought me. He did not bring me here for this.

No heart surgeon in DFW wanted to touch me because I was a huge insurance liability, but the hospital found a surgeon in Houston who would do the surgery. The plan was to CareFlight me to Houston so the doctors wanted to do a sonogram of my heart. They brought in the sonogram machines and told all my family and friends to step out. As hot tears were streaming out of my eyes, they had me swallow a scope. Normally scopes are done while you are under anesthesia, but I couldn't have any, so I was consciously swallowing a scope that would take a picture of my heart. The process seemed to last forever but I felt (literally felt) my Savior holding my hand through it. After it was over, I looked up at that surgeon and he had a very strange look on his face. He told me I had done well and walked out of the room. That was all he said.

I was later told the heart surgeon went straight to my husband and a waiting room full of prayer warriors there that day. The doctor looked at Chad and told my husband he couldn’t find the aneurysm. It was on the CT scans, every test they did, but when they did the sonogram the aneurysm was gone. Chad asked if I still needed surgery, and the doctor said “Nope. She doesn’t need anything. It's gone.” The doctor was so puzzled and even had me go in weeks later for follow ups. He admitted he didn’t know what happened. I said, “I do! I told you. It was God. He did immeasurably more...”

I want to thank so many of the people who prayed. When you tell somebody you will pray for them: pray for them! Prayer works and God is still in the miracle business! I was able, with the Lord's help, to hang on to those precious baby girls. At 32 weeks, my beautiful twin miracles made their debut. Abigail Elise came first weighing 4lbs, 6oz and Reese McKenna came one minute later weighing 3lbs, 7oz. and they are the joys of our lives. I want you to know that God is still in the miracle business. He loves to show off because nine months later, we all discovered there was a sibling coming. Our son, Noah Colt was born 18 months after his sisters, rolling in at 9lbs pounds. More than their COMBINED weight.

The kicker of our story is that I delivered all three of those babies in the same hospital where that first doctor told me I needed a full hysterectomy and would never have children. Wow, I guess my mama was right when she said that things aren't always as they seem.

Will Maxwell has been attending Calvary Baptist Church since 2012 and resides in Grand Prairie, TX with his wife and children. Will assists Calvary's Communications Team during the week in the sound booth as well as ushering and helping with the Judgement House production. When he's not working or pursuing his Electrical Engineering degree with UNT, Will enjoys playing video games, carpentry, and keeping his marksmanship skills honed.

God Didn't Give Up

Although I wouldn’t know until years later, my journey to Christ started while I was in the military. I enlisted in the Marine Corps out of high school and served for nine years. I was active duty during 9/11 and spent significant time deployed to the Middle East. I was close to other Marines, men I considered brothers. Some of them were devout Christians and whenever a situation would go awry they would look to me and say, “God was watching over us today.” Being the hardened heart I was, I would brush it off and crack a joke. Truth be told, I often could not explain why certain things happened the way they did. I lost too many brothers along the way. We didn’t grow up together, but I would have traded my life for theirs without hesitation. I carried a huge amount of guilt, not for what we were called to do, but the fact that friends, my brothers, did not survive. I felt left behind. I wanted to be with them cracking jokes and hanging out.

When I left the Marine Corps life behind in 2008, I had a hard time dealing with being in the “real world”. People seemed rude and as if they truly did not care about anyone but themselves. I found it difficult relating to anyone who had not been military and deployed. This was very dark period for me; I was fighting an uphill battle every day. I leaned heavily on my wife of 14 years (and counting) and a former Army brother I met after joining the civilian world. We developed a bond quickly because Daniel understood what it meant to have a rough night (because of my nightmares) or that I felt off (because of my anxiety) or the pain was bad today (from my back injury). He could look at me and know something was off and that I needed him to just be there. Half the time we didn’t talk, and when we did, we were cracking jokes.

Daniel invited us to his church many times in the first years I was out of the military. Eventually, my wife started attending on a regular basis while I stayed home or “had something to take care of”. Soon, my wife recommitted herself to Christ and invited a Life Group into our home. I was absolutely against that, but I love her, so I let it ride. As the weeks passed, I found myself getting involved with the group. I also realized these people did not judge me in any way. They knew about my military service, deployments to the Middle East, and they did not care. They showed me unconditional love even with all of my faults (to include anger, rage, and the occasional outburst).

Over time, I started attending the church on a regular basis and enjoyed helping out around the church (especially preparations for the Judgement House production). I developed a friendship with the Pastor, Brian Loveless, and Outreach Pastor, Ron Adams. I would meet with these men regularly. They would always tell me that Christ will accept me, faults and all, but I did not believe I was worth saving. I did not believe that Christ would want me in His church, but God didn’t give up on me. Since I wasn’t listening to God’s pull on my heart, He found a more forceful way to get my attention. In the span of a single week we had our car repossessed, could no longer pay our bills, and everything else that could have gone wrong did!

When things fell apart, I had a meeting with Brian. I laid everything out and again he pointed out, “Christ is after you and is calling you”. In that moment, I understood that I could not do life my way. I needed Christ in my life. I needed Christ to lead me and lead my family. That was when I finally accepted Christ in the pastors office, crying and broken. The feeling that I had someone in my corner was instant.

I would be lying if I said my walk with Christ since that moment has been easy. There have been trials and times where I fall flat on my face. The difference is instead of trying to do it my way, I allow Christ to direct me through prayer and open myself up to His “nudge” in the right direction. I still have flaws, but they are being worked out through our trials. God puts me in situations that are difficult, and once the initial shock is over, instead of getting vengeful I start looking for the thing that I am supposed to learn from this.

In 2013, my wife and I had two miscarriages relatively close together. The losses tore me up inside, but instead of letting it destroy me; my wife and I lead tour groups through the Judgement House production. We explained what we were going through to each and every person in our group and how we believed that God would see us through. Our church family rallied around us too; giving support, listening, and encouraging us.

A few years later, God gave us two more sons. One was born in January 2015. And a year later, God put an 18-year-old man in my path, leading me to bring this young man into the family. Now all four of our living children are thriving and our family is complete.

I have a saying, “family does not have to share our blood but must be willing to shed blood for each other.” It’s an idea carried over from my time in the military. You must be willing to help each other, be there when a family member has needs, fill in the gap when one appears. You must be willing to follow through with action, not be the type of person who attends church each week just to check off a box. I have a large church family now, and when we have rough patches, they’ve come running to help. There are multiple women I call “mom” who pray over us, brothers and sisters in Christ willing to help. Being a follower of Christ is more than getting baptized and making a proclamation of faith. Those things are important, but there is much more. You need to read the truth (the bible), you need to surround yourself with friends who will speak the truth into you, and you need to be an active member of your church (both through work and through tithing) and the most important task of all - pray on a regular basis.

Pray for your family, pray for others when they are in the middle of a trial, pray for your pastor, pray for your church. One on one time with God through prayer will open you up to direction and guidance. You will be amazed how he uses you! Being a follower of Christ is not easy. You will face trials on a regular basis. You will have more questions than answers most of the time. However, eternal salvation and being in a relationship with Christ is worth it. I wake up every day with all the faults I went to bed with, but I now lay it all at the cross every day knowing He will see me through. My sincere hope is that my story will speak to someone who needs to hear it; someone struggling to understand that Christ is there for you. His gift is free and all you have to do is accept it. And if you have questions, come to our service at Calvary Baptist Church on Sunday, we will help you answer them.

I want to give a brief background so that you may all know me better.

My name is Janette Cook. I have been married to my husband Bill for almost 20 years. We have three beautiful children. I have been a part of the Calvary Family for most of my life. Calvary was the sending church for my family as missionaries to Brazil, where I was born.

I was asked to share my personal experience in the ministry of Foster Care. I am NOT a writer, but here goes…..

Our journey into the world of Foster Care started 19 years ago, when my husband Bill and I suffered a devastating loss. We lost our first child, Shelby due to “miscarriage”. God blessed us with two healthy children. Michael is now almost 17, and Jonathan is almost 14. Although, I would make jokes about being able to have a Family Four Pack, my heart longed for more children.

When I was nine years old, I was diagnosed with a blood disorder called Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The symptoms of this disease are similar to Leukemia. After our second healthy delivery, my Dr. strongly recommended no more pregnancies. So, we felt that we had completed our family and it would just be the four of us.

Fast forward 6 years…

I was completely in love with my family, but my heart still longed for more… I felt guilty in that we had been SO blessed. I looked into adoption in Brazil, where I am a citizen. I sought counsel from an attorney, but it didn’t “feel right”. I had no peace about international adoption. During that time, two families I knew had adopted through Foster Care. I began praying for clarity and peace about that ministry. I came to realize that perhaps I wasn’t meant to love one more child forever, but to love many children for a time.

During the time of prayer, I had a recurring dream. Several times I dreamed about a black haired baby girl, sleeping in a cream colored bassinet. It was SO REAL…. Each time it was exactly the same! I would be sitting in my blue rocker and the bassinet was to my right.

In January of 2009, Bill and I began classes to become licensed through the state to be a foster home. In May, we had our license, a room ready for two children, clothes in multiple sizes were ready. And we waited…. The summer passed, and still we waited. No calls had come for placements, and I began to doubt. I was given a bassinet that was in pretty bad shape, so I took it apart and cleaned it thoroughly. I remember pulling the frame of the bassinet across our living room, and it hit me like a sledge hammer! I had seen this bassinet before. It was the exact one from my recurring dream.

On Friday, August 7, 2009 I answered “THE CALL”. I was told a baby girl was ready to be discharged from the hospital and they wanted to place her with us. Around 3pm, a CPS worker brought our first Foster Child into our home. I didn’t want to act “crazy” so I left the baby asleep in her car seat until after the worker had left. I closed the door behind the worker, and walked over to the infant carrier on our floor. I pulled the canopy back and was shocked! I looked up at the ceiling and said, “God, You better not be messing with me!” There she was….our little girl. The very baby God had revealed to me so many times in my dreams. Our Gracie….

No. This is not normal. This is not the way we expected things to go. We certainly didn’t expect this child to be “abandoned” with no further contact from her birth family. We didn’t expect to be blessed so soon, with the GIFT of a “forever child”. Yet, there we were…

The months that followed were full of lots of love, learning, and opportunity. God placed other children in our home, and continued to show us glimpses of Himself in each child we cared for. In the past seven years, God has blessed us with the care of 21 “bonus” children.

We have had some very difficult things to learn. Lessons I never even imagined would be things I needed to know. We have had children with varying degrees of drug addiction, abuse, neglect, and emotional difficulties. At the end of each time with our Bonus children, I look back and see that God gave grace. He gave strength. He gave understanding. He gave knowledge. He gave compassion. He gave opportunity…… Wow. What opportunity!!!

Since Bill works a full time job outside of the home, I am the one who takes the children to appointments, visitations, therapy, etc. Many times, I am in a position to meet birth parents. There have been some very eye opening lessons in that for me. I have been able to love and minister to some of the parents in ways I never imagined.

There are many times that I miss those chances to be God’s hands. Out of fear, self-doubt, whatever the case may be. Oh, how I wish I could have those times back again!!! I have spent the past seven years watching God walk through our home. He walks beside me and my husband as we strive to be His hands to these precious little ones. But….. What about the deep, dark places we can’t see? What about the inner workings of these little minds? What about the long term effects that their little bodies will endure? What about the neurological misfires, that are constantly sending false signals to their bodies? What about the emotional scars they carry? What about the physical scars that show the world what they have been through? What about the psychological scars they hide from everyone?

My head spins trying to remember the tiniest clue that I may have missed.

My heart is crushed under the weight of the love I feel.

My soul cries out to My Father for strength.

My eyes burn with the unshed tears as I realize a hard truth… My love is important….But it will never be enough!

There have been many days, when I crawl into my bed and cry. Did I do enough? Did I try enough? Did I love enough? Did I have faith enough? Those are questions that plague every foster Parent. Here is what I have learned through those difficult times…..

I VOLUNTEERED! I offered my heart on an altar of sacrifice to be broken again and again. Why? Why would someone do this? The answer is so simple, my friends. Because, I would much rather MY heart be broken when I say goodbye to a child I love, than for a child to never know what being loved feels like. I followed a call from my Father, and put my family into the path of many people who will have a chance to see God. With each child who comes into our home, I am reminded that God is providing us with a fresh opportunity; a window of time where He allows us to be His hands, His feet, His comfort to these children and their parents.

Like many Christians, I struggle to keep time set apart each day for communion with God. Although, I may not read a daily devotion…let me assure you that God speaks to me each and every day! I hear Him in the prayers of our little ones, I see Him in the smiles on their faces. I feel His peace as I hold one of His babies close to my heart.

During the past several years, we have had a personal family struggle with our son’s health. As many of you know Jonathan was gravely ill for three years and had to have his entire colon removed to save his life. During the dark days of his illness, God never once failed us! He always provided help when we needed it. We did take a short break from foster care for three months to allow Jonathan time to regain some normalcy after his colectomy. As soon as his health allowed, we rejoined the ranks. Our home doesn’t feel complete unless those beds are filled!

In our journey to help other families in their foster/adoption journey, God has opened another door for us. Bill and I have recently started a support group for foster and adoptive families. This has been something that I have prayed about for YEARS. I told our support group the following:

“I am NOT a social worker. I am NOT a medical professional. I am NOT an author or speaker or many of the other things I admire about others in the world of foster care.

I AM a wife. I AM a mother. I AM an advocate for my children and passionate about our family ministry.”

Each foster parent has a story. Each story is unique. Each calling is different, but I wouldn’t change ONE THING about ours.

What a privilege and honor it is to be His servant!!

Thank you! Thank you to each one of our prayer partners, who takes the time each day to pray for our family! Thank you for the encouraging words, and the love our friends and church family shows each of these special children!

If you would like to find out more about how YOU can make a difference in the life of a foster child, contact Janette Cook at cookiemomster.jc[at]gmail.com.

Faith | Hope | Love

Promises by Sherry Cash

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The Boulevard Ministry with Holly & Ruben Alvarez

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Calvary Car Show by John Parker

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Romania Missions Part 2 by Steph & Chris Watkins

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Church Family by Weston Winter

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Community by Lauren Schaefer

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