Precious Seed

"Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who

goeth forth with weeping bearing precious seed ,

shall come again rejoicing, bringing his sheaves

with him."

Psalm 126: 5, 6

This scripture verse reminds me of our grapevine (yes, that is one vine) that we planted a couple of years ago. One small grape seed became a vine that is threatening to take over one area of our yard. I keep training the vines to cover the metal archway that it is covering, but it looks like I will have to buy another structure to contain it. I am looking forward to those wonderful Concord grapes. What hope this gives me for Lower Brule!!

We never have two Sundays that are alike. Today was a slower, more varied day than some Sundays. We did not have as many attendees as we have come to expect, but that was not all bad. We had only one who came in first, and we did a Bible study with him. He felt free to ask some questions that he probably would not have asked if others had been there. He is longing to understand the Bible. Another came in time for worship service. The people are so warm and open. I especially felt the need for a van to bring the children to church this morning, and we have asked those who came this morning to pray for a van for the mission. We keenly feel our limitations. There are so many children who have expressed a desire to come to church, but they need the encouragement of our coming to pick them up.

We stopped to visit a friend who is sick in the hospital, and he is much improved. We appreciate our friendship with him. He told us about a man who is down the hall from him that he knows. We stopped to see this man, also, and Ray had prayer with him. It is obvious that he is not long for this world, but he opened his eyes and seemed to consciously watch Ray's face as he prayed for him. It is always troubling to watch someone, ravaged by sin, who is slipping away when that person is still relatively young. This young man was alone, struggling to breathe, trying to maintain consciousness while life was ebbing quickly away. This is why we want to work with the people in a meaningful way--the one, the twos, the twenties, whatever number God sends to us. Only God can give us the wisdom to meet the needy on the level of their needs.

This is the precious seed that we bear--the Gospel of God's Love and His Adequate Power for all of our lives. We often feel the pressures that are so familiar in this particular work, but our weeping endures for only a night, and the rejoicing lasts forever. We bear the seed (carry the load-feel the weight of all that the work encompasses), but we also bring in the sheaves (a happy time of recognizing the rewards of the work.) We need your prayers that we will not become weary in well-doing, and that God will continue to provide what we need for the work at Lower Brule.