Henryetta, OK, is the home of two very different famous cowboys–Dallas Cowboy Troy Aikman and world champion cowboy, Jim Shoulders. Jim’s widow is still in the church there. It was a joy working with Rev. Dale Durnell and his wife, Donna. They had been there for just a few months. Rev. Rik Marion, who had invited me, was moved at conference. So Dale had to really hit the ground running. He and his staff did a magnificent job of preparation in a short time. One of the highlights was the great participation of youth. This is a wonderful small Oklahoma church, yet we had an average of 40 youth sitting four or five rows deep, every night! The youth director told me on the last night how excited he was to see that kind of enthusiasm. “No one is telling these kids they have to be here. They are just coming because they love what is happening.” Here is a picture of one of the evening crowds. Check out the rows of youth.
Felicia was back in the saddle after spending a couple of weeks with Timothy and Kristin after the birth of Naomi. I was certainly glad to have her back! Nothing like doing it alone to remember how much she does to make my job easier. We fell in love with these kids. They were so excited to come in each evening and join in the music and Bible memory. Check out these pictures. You can see the enthusiasm in their eyes.
What a great week. The town was buzzing with excitement and the church was nearly full every night. Again, the reason for that was great preparation and prayer.