Thursday, June 27, 2013

Day 176

It's Day 176 of  The Red Shoe Project and I'm wearing my RED shoes and comfortable clothing.  The time has come to go home.  

Who would have imagined that God would do so much, in a mere five days, right here, in Rome, Georgia?   Many of the rich experiences I've had here, I've written to you about, but there was so much more.  After all, there were at least ten people staying at Mama Fire's and many more who stayed elsewhere and attended the conference. They all take with them their own treasured memories.

There was Lesha, who played piano;  Kelly with the amazing smile and her wonderful little girl, Hope;    Edna, who preached a great word, (she's Mama's sister);  my new friends Marilyn and Carol, who know more old choruses than I do;  there was Jean, sweet Jean,  and the gals from Ohio who stayed with Kathy, (a powerhouse of prayer, who's also Mama Fire's daughter);  my FL/GA friends...  Annie and Peg;  And us Florida gals... Angie, Nancy, Bonnie and myself.  Yesterday, Angie  flew home.  Today, Bonnie, Nancy and I are driving.  We had a time of prayer, this morning, with Mama and Leslie and headed out.  I jumped in the SUV and positioned myself in the front passenger seat, Nancy hopped in the back, and Bonnie started her up -- Off we went!

I thought about all the amazing women that I was with this week. One, in particular, I got to know a little more than the others.  I can't help but think about how Marilyn and I connected.  We shared a room together.  She slept on an air mattress and I slept on the recliner.  You get to know someone when you share a room.  She played the guitar and led us in choruses well into the night.  We had a lot of laughs together.  She likes to laugh and I think that she may have as many stories as I do.  After everyone else went to sleep, Marilyn and I stayed up and chatted even longer.  A new friendship has begun!

I can't leave Georgia without giving THANKS TO GOD for the Woman of God who really made this all happen.  She'd point out all the wonderful ladies involved who cooked, prayed, preached, worshipped, ministered, invited, housed, transported, advertised and funded this whole project.  And they are to be commended.   But at the heart of it all is our beloved,  "Mama Fire"...  a woman sold out to God - to do His work - to lead souls to Christ - to preach His Word - to lay hands on people and pray for their salvation,  baptism,  healing,  and deliverance.  She's there to be an example, and to direct and guide women, like us, whom God has given the opportunity to sit at her feet.



"The Spirit of the Sovereign 
 LORD is on me, because 
 the LORD has anointed me
 to proclaim good news 
 to the poor.
 He has sent me to 
 bind up the brokenhearted, 
 to proclaim freedom for the 
 captives and release from 
 darkness for the prisoners, 
 to proclaim the year of the 
 LORD's favor and the day
 of vengeance of our God..."
 Isaiah 61:1




THANK YOU Mama Fire 
for your generosity and love!


We made it back to Sarasota in about ten hours.  We stopped many times for gas, snacks, and restroom breaks. We weren't gone half an hour and we pulled into the first Starbucks we saw for a Chai Tea Latte. (That was my idea!)  LOL.   We finished reading our book on "Deliverance."   We had some good ministry discussion.  We testified back and forth of all the things the Lord had done.  We laughed. And we cried.

We popped on some victory music and hooted and hollered, joyfully, unto the Lord!  Then, right as we were pulling into Sarasota, we saw a rainbow.

It was a GREAT road trip in RED shoes!

Gail