Another year!

Well here you find me writing again a year later! And all I can say is ALOT has happened this past year! The one thing I can say for sure is that God has shown me that Big John is staying true to what God has called him to do and he will not back down or compromise when it comes to the things of God, or the Bible. He has opened my eyes and has taught me that people are not really what they claim to be when it comes to the things of God. I know I am not perfect and I am very far from where I need to be but God has shown me a lot of things in so called Christians. And all I can do is pray. There are times I feel so alone but then I am reminded of THE ONE who will never leave us or forsake us! We are still living in Odem, Texas, but we are going to church in Portland. This past year my dad passed away in July of 2010, but I know he is in a better place and one day I will see him again. Big John had given him the gospel back in 2006 and he accepted Jesus as his Savior so I know one day I will see him again. Last year in July, Big John and I celebrated our 20th anniversary, I must say it was not a good day because I was traveling back from my dad’s funeral on the 27th. I still miss my dad so much. I know God is in control of all things and I think this past year I have learned to trust Him more. There is so much I could write but I won’t….just know that maybe next year I might post it all.....until then......

Hello

Well, it's been a year to the date since i last posted! and ALOT has happened in that one year! For starters my husband has moved us to the GREAT STATE OF TEXAS! Pastor Paul Licciardi from Bible Baptist Church in Odem, Texas asked him if he would consider being his associate pastor, well he prayed about it and in September 11, 2009 we moved! I couldn't see us moving at first cause we both had GREAT jobs and he was the associate pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Jennings La., but John assured me this was God's will so i put my two weeks notice and off we moved! We have had to adjust and it has been a bumpy ride at times BUT i must say i can see the hand of God and we are hanging on for the ride! Now as for my two kids Diana is still not getting married and she is no longer engaged, she is enrolled at the college in Corpus Christi. She is waiting on God and has been a blessing to her daddy and i. Even at 19 she is still "Daddy's Little Girl". Now John John, well he's John John and we are home schooling him. He really prefers to be in public school but for now it's best he is home schooled. And my John, well he still loves the Lord and is working full time at the sheriffs department and is the associate pastor for Bible Baptist Church. He works Monday-Friday and on the weekends or after work he does what pastor wants....He loves the Lord and is willing to do what it takes! Now as for me, i am just here holding on and working. Well i guess this is it for now i might post again soon or maybe i will wait another year! J/K

LAST POST????

Well originally i had started this blog because my daughter was engaged and this was going to be about the wedding and i was hoping that after the wedding i would be able to blog about any grand babies He would see fit to give us but I have been informed that the wedding is no longer on. I ask that you please pray for her and the other partys involved. i know the hurt of losing the one you THINK you love and how it feels as though you can never get over it but by the Grace of God and His mercy i know in time things will be restored and the pain will slowly fade away. God has a way of showing Himself in our lives and when we don't listen He really knocks us down---its not to hurt us but to help us and with that said I can truly say i have called out to Him more this week than ever and as wicked and unfaithful i am to Him---He was and is still there!!!! Thank you Jesus! i don't always understand why He does things but i can say His mercy is sufficient for me and with time He will show me why He did what He did or He might choose not to ever tell me so i can draw closer to Him and if that is the case i ask that you please pray for us all!!! We are very wicked people and the devil knows our weaknesses and uses everything he can to destroy someone or even a family but OUR FATHER will never leave us! so once again i ask that you please pray for healing and for God's will to be done! and thank God for friends who at a moments notice are willing to tell you the truth no matter how much it can hurt---and to Big John, Diana and John John i love you---

OK so maybe this will not be only posts of a wedding! I just want to ask that you please pray for the bus ministry! Big John gets so excited to see the kids! and i love to see him happy! we had a total of 19 on the van today!!! we only have a 16 passenger van but managed to get 19 in there!!! visiting these kids pays off! we had a total of 8 people show up for visitation on Saturday and God really blessed our efforts! we had 7 new riders! after church i took 4 of the kids off the church van and put them in our van to get them home! God is good and had really blessed so please pray for these kids and our helpers!

YES, THEY ARE STILL GETTING MARRIED!!!

Well it's been a long time since I have posted but i thought now would be a good time to update you all on the wedding....it's still on (they just don't have a date set) just continue to pray for Todd as he looks for a house to buy! They have both got involved in the bus ministry and i think they enjoy it---well i can say Diana is enjoying it because she has done it in the past and has enjoyed doing this before!!! Today we had a good day! We had 12 kids today, 7 were new riders! Total riding in the van including helpers and kids was 17!!! God has blessed our efforts! Just pray for the church members---there is so much i want to say about that but i won't so i ask that you pray for hearts to get right! well i guess this is all for now! and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray for me! BOY DO I NEED IT!!!

IT WAS A GREAT HONOR!

WELL TODAY AFTER BEING SAVED FOR FOUR YEARS I FINALLY GOT BAPTIZED THE RIGHT WAY! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW I WAS BAPTIZED BACK IN 2005 AND I KNOW BAPTISM DOES NOT GET YOU SAVED BUT ITS STEPS IN OUR CHRISTIAN LIFE THAT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW, WELL FOR YEARS I HAVE ALWAYS WONDERED IF IT WAS DONE RIGHT BECAUSE WE HAD BEEN WITH OUT A PREACHER WHEN I GOT SAVED AND WELL WE NEEDED TO GET BAPTIZED AND THAT WEEKEND WE HAD A MAN WHO WAS LOOKING TO PASTOR OUR CHURCH AND WE ASKED HIM IF HE WOULD DO IT AND HE SAID YES SO JOHN ASKED THE MEN OF THE CHURCH IF IT WAS OK AND THEY HAD AGREED ON IT BUT IT WAS NEVER BROUGHT BEFORE THE CHURCH---SO THE PAST TWO WEEKS I HAD BEEN DEALING WITH THAT AND THE LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE REVIVAL BROTHER SAMMY MENTIONED THAT IF IT IS NOT DONE SCRIPTURALLY RIGHT YOUR CONSCIENCE WILL NEVER BE AT EASE!!! THAT IS WHEN IT HIT ME! WELL I TALKED WITH MRS. HOWARD AND SHE DID NOT KNOW SO I TALKED TO OUR PASTOR AND HE SAID IF IT WAS NOT BROUGHT BEFORE THE CHURCH THEN IT WAS NOT SCRIPTURAL! AND THAT IS WHEN I TOLD HIM OK WELL THEN I NEED TO BE BAPTIZED AND HE ASKED ME WHO I WANTED TO BAPTISE ME AND AT THAT MOMENT I TOLD HIM I DON'T CARE IT JUST NEEDS TO BE DONE RIGHT! SO FRIDAY NIGHT CAME AND BROTHER SAMMY WAS DONE AND BROTHER HOWARD HAD ME GO BEFORE THE CHURCH AND HE EXPLAINED TO THEM WHAT I WAS NEEDING TO DO. WELL I ASKED HIM IF JOHN COULD BAPTISE ME ON SUNDAY AND WELL SUNDAY MORNING AFTER CHURCH I HAD THE HONOR OF HAVING MY HUSBAND BAPTISE ME!!! IT WAS AWESOME! I LOVE MY HUSBAND AND THANK GOD FOR HIM! HE HAS HELPED ME ALOT AND HAS BEEN THERE FOR ME IN ALOT OF WAYS! SO AS I TYPE THIS I HAVE PEACE! AND NOW I NEED TO GIVE MYSELF TO HIM AND FOLLOW IN HIS PERFECT WILL FOR OUR LIFE! SO PLEASE PRAY FOR ME! I NEED IT! AND THANK YOU JOHN FOR BAPTISING ME! I LOVE YOU!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! THANK YOU JESUS!

WELL TODAY I TURN 4!!! FOUR YEARS AGO I THOUGHT I WAS ON MY WAY TO HEAVEN BUT I WAS SO WRONG!!! WE HAD GONE TO A REVIVAL IN ODEM TEXAS WITH OUR BABY'S MOMMA---LOL OUR BEST FRIENDS! and Brother Sammy was preaching in Matthew 7---But when he got to verse 23



Matthew 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.



it hit me like a rock! i knew i was lost but my pride got in the way and i thought there was no way i could be lost because i was married to a preacher, i lived right and dressed right, i taught Sunday school and helped in the bus ministry...you know all the "good stuff" but then my baby's momma went to the altar and got saved! it was then i knew i was lost but my pride got in the way. what were people going to say! well needless to say i did not get saved that night but on the way home i cried and cried and i told John how i felt and he started telling me i was fine... i was ok and i did everything right... and that would calm me down a little but then i would start up again and cry and he told me after a few times of telling me i was fine that he couldn't do that anymore well i cried some more and he told me the HOLY SPIRIT TOLD ME TO SHUT UP I CAN"T HELP YOU! and he stayed quite the whole ride home (an hour and a half of silence and me knowing i was lost and could not admit it because what were people going to think!) man was i scared but NO i didn't get saved!

well we got home and i cried some more and fell asleep. when i woke up i felt so dirty and i thought I'll get in the shower and i will be fine! well that didn't work! then we went to the church to go clean and work on the bus and i wanted to be near john because i figured if the rapture happened he'd take me with him! how crazy is that! well anyways i would talk to DeeDee and she would tell me you got to know and i would tell her i don't and she would keep at it---well i cried some more and then i went to look for John again and i could not find him! man i got so scared and i thought God took him. well after about 5 minutes of looking i found him underneath the bus and i told him please help me! and he says i can't and he told me i don't know what to do! I'm going to call pastor Howard in Louisiana...well he calls him and he puts me with Mrs' Howard and she says to me an i quote i will never forget...

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" i tell her i don't know if I'm saved or not and she tells me well sure you do. you have to know and after going back and forth with that she tells me if you don't know i can't help you! here's the preacher! well he gets on the phone and tells me--- Melinda whats wrong and i tell him i don't know if I'm saved and he tells me well sure you do and he tells me YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO! and at that point i knew! i started crying and asking God to forgive me AND A LITTLE AFTER 230 P.M. BEHIND THE OLD VICTORY BAPTIST CHURCH IN HARLINGEN TEXAS I GOT SAVED!!!! THE PEACE I FELT ON THAT DAY! I GOT SAVED THANK YOU JESUS!!!



so with that i want to say thank you to Brother Sammy and John for being sensitive to the Holy spirit! and to DeeDee for helping me out! and counseling with me! so for those of you who read this please be sure and don't worry about what other people will think if they are right with God they will rejoice with you! IT HAPPENED TO ME FOUR YEARS AGO!!! THANK YOU JESUS FOR BEING LONG SUFFERING AND FOR YOUR MERCY AND GRACE!!!