New Sunday Morning start time 10am effective 9-11-11

August 2011 Newsletter

Aloha,

It was a typical Sunday morning. The worship team
was getting a sound check and finishing up on their
last song. Church was set to begin in about 10
minutes. I noticed that more people were beginning
to come into the WEKO Beach Cafe where we
worship each Sunday. I grabbed some bulletins so I
could greet them at the door. That's when I
first noticed her.

She was a pretty, petite woman with a nice smile. I
glanced her way and smiled as she slipped through
the door. I was in conversation with someone else
and made a mental note to get her a bulletin. A few
moments later I glanced around and noticed she was
standing off to the side just beside me. I walked over
to greet her.

"Is the restaurant open?" she asked. I explained to
her that the restaurant didn't open for another hour
but she was welcome to stay. She came in a took a
seat. "Is this a church?" she asked. I noticed that
English was not her first language and she spoke
with a beautiful Spanish accent.

I told her that we meet for worship at the cafe every
Sunday. I also told her she could help herself to
coffee and donuts at our table. She thanked me and
settled in.

As soon as the worship part of the service was over
and people were standing up to greet one another,
she came over and told me that she needed to go
outside and find her friend. She was concerned that
he would be worried about her. She headed out the
door and I thought to myself...."she won't be back."

A few moments later she came back in and took her
seat and told me she could not find her friend but
that she wanted to stay for church. As the service
came to a close I felt compelled to go to her and
thank her for coming. We hugged and she told me
her name was Esmeralda. She pulled out her cell
phone and showed me a picture of a young woman
in a hospital bed. I asked her who the girl was and
she told me that she was her daughter, Penelope.
She went on to tell me more of her story.

Esmeralda is from Chicago....about an hour and a
half from WEKO Beach in Michigan. She told me her
daughter is 19 and has been in that hospital bed for
a year! She had been in a car accident and had
suffered a broken neck. She is paralyzed and cannot
speak, but they have found ways to communicate.
Esmeralda had not left her Penelope's side for over a
year. She explained that her family and the doctors
were concerned about her and advised her to take a
break. She didn't want to leave her daughter's side,
but at their insistence she agreed to take ONE day
off.

Her eyes lit up as she spoke in her broken English
and she said, "I took off one day and I come
HERE. And HERE I find Jesus!" She hugged me
again and she said, "Here! Jesus is Here! (She
gestured all around the room). And here! Jesus is
here! (She touched her heart.)

I held her hands and prayed with her for her
daughter, for healing, for strength for the whole
family, and for God to be with her as she traveled
back to Chicago. That was a few weeks ago and I
continue to pray for Esmeralda.

I don't know who was more encouraged in their faith
that day.....Esmerelda...or me! You see, I came into
church that day a bit weary and discouraged, myself.
Because our church meets in the beach cafe each
week, we must set up and tear down everything each
Sunday. That particular day I found myself thinking,
"Is this even worth it? Are we even making a
difference here?"

God showed up and brought two discouraged and
weary women together so that they could walk away
that day knowing that Jesus was there! I don't
believe in coincidence. I believe in God-incidence.

Nothing we do for God is done in vain. We may
never know the impact we are making on someone's
life just by being faithful to show up each Sunday
and start the coffee pot, or fold the bulletins, or
teach a Sunday School class. What if I had just
rolled over that Sunday and decided to take the day
off? I would have missed out on a chance to be a
blessing and also to be blessed myself!

Aloha Ke Akua,

Jack & Maree