Have you ever had one of those “Aha” moments, where you realize that the LORD is making your schedule for you, and you are meeting just the people you need to meet to get the job done? Penny and I had lots of those moments in our recent road trip to Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
Each of us wear a number of “hats” – having three part-time jobs apiece, and a number of volunteer positions. We had initially planned a trip to Florida so that I could do some church business as elder of the McAlpin Advent Christian Church. As time went on, we began to see that we could kill a whole flock of birds with this stone. So, we planned meetings at the Advent Christian Village, and Bixler Memorial Advent Christian Church. The LORD provided key people for us to meet with about some projects we are working on as Asia Pacific Area Directors. He provided key people for us to meet with concerning the new ACGC Global Training Initiative. We were amazed at the number of new contacts and the amount of helpful information we received – all in one place.
The return trip was just as helpful. We stopped at Columbia International University for some missions research, and – you guessed it – meetings. We caught up with people who had studied with us when we attended there. We met and prayed with one of Penny’s former professors. One of the things that has always impressed me about CIU is how its core commitments are clear in all the classes. It can even be seen on campus. There are monuments throughout the campus to EVANGELICAL UNITY, AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE, WORLD EVANGELIZATION, and VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN LIVING. In many ways, coming back to the CIU campus is like coming home for us.
Lastly, we stopped off to visit the Walsh family, and for some … wait for it .. meetings at the ACGC denominational offices in Charlotte NC. We have been meeting quite regularly with Jeff Walsh, the ACGC world outreach director, by video conferences. The face-to-face meetings we had with Jeff and all the other helpful people in the denominational offices were encouraging and productive.
This is just a summary of our road trip. It was busy. We had the chance to interact with some great people – some of whom we have not even mentioned. (You know who you are). Returning home to Virginia now, we thank the LORD that he has allowed us to serve him through ACGC, and to be a part of this team. He is sovereign, and there are no chance happenings with him.
jeffersonvann 