Barbara Walton
November 3, 2011
This morning was a special blessing as I walked out into a beautiful crisp October day; then I remembered my granddaughter, Helen, attending college in the Berkshires of MA, who is waking up to two feet of and has to trudge uphill and downhill to get to class. My thoughts and prayers go out to her and to all the folks of that area; many are without heat and power and may be powerless for several days.
The biggest event in our little village, this week, was the swearing in of our new mayor, Oda Rockett, followed by a reception with a beautiful cake and soft drinks. It was a happy occasion for all of us that attended. Her son-in-law, Jim Brantley represented the Rockett family. Two of her daughters, in the last week, had surgery and were unable to attend. Karen is in Baton Rouge recovering from a serious back surgery and Kim has gall bladder surgery on Thursday morning. Oda reports that they are both improving; Kim is already at home and Karen will be able to return to her home in Shreveport in a few days with Oda assisting her as she continues to recuperates.
I checked on Pat Risinger and Perry Risinger this morning and found that they doing better; Pat was able to attend church and Perry is out of the hospital and able to be out and about with someone driving him. They have both suffered from serious heart problems over the past several years and we pray for their continued improvement.
Last week was a very busy week for Mary Gene Rhodes, starting with Laurie and Phillip Smith coming on Saturday to visit with her as well as conduct an Associational Evangelistic Union/ Concord Evangelistic Conference at Cook Baptist Church in Ruston on Sunday Morning and First Baptist, Farmerville, on Sunday night. Phillip was the minister and Laurie presented a beautiful and meaningful mini-concert. They make a great Christian team and we are so proud of them for their dedication and service to God. On Monday, while Phillip visited with his family in Strong, AR, Mary Gene and Laurie had fun running the roads. First a trip to Smackover to a dress shop they had heard about and then on Tuesday a trip to Monroe to meet for lunch at Olive Garden with Beth and later, a visit the other daughters — Lou Ellen and Susan. Mary Gene said that she has been surrounded by the love of her children, grandchildren, and friends during this week that is the first anniversary of Vergil,s death and, indeed the entire past year. As we talked Sunday afternoon, Mary expressed her appreciation to the people of this area. Our greatness is in the goodness of its people which you cannot appreciate in just passing through for you might just see a few run-down buildings; you’ve got to stop, stay awhile, and you, too, will become a part of this special place called “Spearsville”.
Sunday was a blessing to our family and to all who attended our worship service as Dale Liner gave his wonderful testimony. He started off with asking if we truly put our total trust in God; then he told us that he thought that he had until a few years ago, when the doctors told him that he had to have a new liver to live. When a liver became available and the test were being run, it was discovered that he had a heart problem and needed that surgery first. During that surgery he had been given all the blood available (23 units) and the blood would not clot; his doctor prayed for him and said he could do no more. We, and people all over LA, prayed throughout the night and God granted us a miracle about 4:00 in the morning. A year later, he received the liver of an eighteen year old and he is now as good as new (with the proper medication for rejection of the liver). During this time he and, indeed, all of us, had a deeper awareness of God’s love and his Devine Power. Without Him, we are nothing!! Dale is one of God’s wonderful miracles and for this we give Him all the praise and glory for restoring his health; Dale has served and continues to serve God with his musical talent. We can put our complete trust in God and He does perform miracles even today.
Our special music for the service was by Curtis Thomas. He did a beautiful job of playing his guitar and singing an old favorite of all of us – “The Old Rugged Cross”. Even though Curtis works in ND two weeks out of the month, he never fails to attend all the services of the church when he is at home. We are grateful that he and Melissa chose members of Spearsville Baptist Church for their Christian Family.
Shiloh to Canaan 