Taking Advantage of a Captive Audience

Long overdue for a nail pick-me-up (aka manicure), I head to my local nail salon. It’s Tuesday so not the usual crowd. Great – I’ll be in and out in a jiffy! An adorable Vietnamese girl, who by the way, speaks English very well, greets me and invites me to sit at her booth. Her name is June. "Like the month”, she says. I reply, “I’m Donna, not like Madonna!”

Initially, I go into a zone of thinking internally, but not for long. I start getting those nudges again. I’m learning to yield to those nudges, more often than not. June is my captive audience and what do I have to lose? I find out she’s 20-years-old, lives here with her uncle and aunt and their two young boys (who, by the way, annoy her sometimes, but she loves them anyway). Here for four years, she misses her family in Vietnam. I ease up on the questions as we are taken with Dr. Oz interviewing a former pharmacist on a TV screen behind her. The pharmacist incorrectly filled a prescription for a 3-year-old girl that took her life. He served time in prison though it was a combination of mistakes made by others in the medical industry. The child’s father was on the show and apologized for what the pharmacist had gone through. He says: "God helped me forgive."

June and I are touched by this story. I know I need to go in for more: “So, June, what are your dreams?” June replies: "I go to college two days a week to become a pharmacist." No wonder she is taken with Dr. Oz’s interview. "But, I don't want to stop there. I want to become a doctor, but it's going to take so long!" Now, I step up my game to being “Mama Donna”, rather than “Madonna” to her. We talk about God’s love and plans for her -- that if she’d let Him be a part of her life, He'll help her. I say, “Play the movie in your mind. Six or eight years will go by whether or not you continue on with your dreams. The movie is playing. See yourself graduating and serving in a clinic or hospital and making a really good income. Or, see the movie where you stop your studies and at the end of six or eight years, see yourself wishing you had stayed with it and regretting your decision.” She says, “I’m not quitting!”

Then I go in for the jugular. “June, do you believe in God?"
June: “I’m Buddhist”.
Donna: “I understand that Buddha was a very good man.”
June: “Yes, he taught when we do good, we receive good."
Donna: “That’s what I believe too! Jesus said, 'You reap what you sow!' The beautiful part about God is that He loved us all so much that He gave His Son to us and He died for us, but the best part that’s different from Buddha is He didn’t stay dead. He’s alive and He lives in our hearts when we invite Him in.”

June finishes my nails and starts to stand up. I ask her “Can I pray for you?” Wide-eyed, she says, “Here? Now?” I say, “Yes”. She sits down and I hold her hands and pray: “Heavenly Father. Oh, how much you love June. She’s your daughter and she has big dreams. I pray that she is given the will power to finish strong in whatever she pursues, and I pray that she wants to pursue You with all her heart and come to know you and your Son in a real and personal way. In Christ Jesus' name, I pray. Amen! I love you, June!”
June: I love you too! Will you come back?"
Donna: I will be back. What days are you here?
June: Everyday except Monday and Wednesday. when I go to school.

Going to the nail salon has always been about me settling in for a nice, relaxing, it’s-all-about-me experience. I tune out the manicurist mostly because of a language barrier. But, this day, I sensed I was on a mission. I like to think that I’ll see June again on this side of heaven and I’ll water the seeds I planted a little more. I pray that someone else will come along and water the seeds, too, and God will make them grow.

The Apostle Paul wrote: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-9)
Dear God, please help sweet June grow in You! Amen!

Expanding Our Horizons

Yesterday morning, my daughter and I reminisced as we took a road trip to Tulsa, which included spending time with Mom (aka Granny). The highlight of visiting 96-year-old Granny was when she suddenly started speaking words of great wisdom into Staci for her life and ministry -- treasured words that will be forever imprinted in Staci's heart. That of itself made the trip worth it.

Back in the 90s, I was Staci’s travel companion. Often, we traveled by air and other times, we traveled in our high top van all over the country and Canada. She would take the wheel and I would sleep on the bed in the back and vice versa when it was my turn to drive. We covered a lot of territory in that van and touched many lives at the ministry and motivational events where she sang, spoke and shared Christ's Good News.

Our lives together have never been stuck in a rut. This girl has kept me on-the-go, even to today as I am still greatly involved in her ministry which has continued on in so many ways.

Yesterday, as we reminisced about so many lives that were changed by God’s wonder-working power, I recalled an old song we sang that reminded us to remember God's faithfulness:
"He’ll do it again. Just take a look at where you are now
And where you have been.
Hasn’t He always come through for you,
He’s the same now as then,
You may not know how. You may not know when.
He’ll do it again.

To look back at some of those “where you have been” and “He’ll do it again” blessings, I took along the newsletters (way before social media) that we distributed, far and wide, from our make-shift offices in our garage. Oh, the places we went; oh, the lives of so many people that were radically transformed; oh, the lessons we learned and oh the joys of serving God.

Many seeds were planted in those days, months and years. We also experienced the joys of harvest time. We've come a long way, Baby! Now so many of those transformed lives are making a difference in the world. Staci and her precious husband, Larry, are 100% focused on changing lives. That little ministry that started in a renovated garage has expanded to nations today.

My post today isn’t about a focus on my girl or her love for God, serving Him and helping people to know Him more, though it’s worthy of focus. I wanted to impress upon you to reminisce about the goodness of God in your life. We don’t look back with wishing we could go back. We look back to count our blessings. So many seemingly impossible situations became possible. We realize there are possibilities available to us when we reach beyond where we are and allow inspiration to move to the forefront again. Who wants to be stodgy, dull and uninspired? Not me!

Matthew 13:15 says “For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed." Maybe it’s time for you to take a road trip and reminisce about the drive and determination you once had and ask God to light a fire under you again. We’re still here so we’re not done running our races with zeal and making sure we impact many along the way!