I know I say this every year, but truly our 17th
Ladies' Christmas Banquet this year was the best ever. Missionary Nathan
Patterson did a wonderful job presenting the simple plan of Salvation.
Using the story of the woman at the well, he preached on "Things that
don't Satisfy." When he gave the invitation, 4 precious ladies were saved.
Each one of these ladies is special to the Lord, and we rejoice in their
Salvation. But one especially brought an extra measure of joy to many of us who
have been praying for one of the First Ladies, who hasn’t missed attending our
Banquets for 11 years, and often attends our monthly Prayer Breakfasts. "Thank You, Lord, for answered prayers.”
And thank you for your prayers.
This year's Banquet was also the most financially stress-free one for me. Besides the special offerings from some of my family members, and friends in the USA, the church here contributed in love offerings, and I put less of my money into this Banquet than any other year. Now the unusual thing about this is that we don't have a pastor. The men in the church got under the burden of this banquet like never before. These are hard-working laymen who sacrificed above and beyond their means. The ladies have done banquets, some for ten years now, and did an incredible job with every detail. Because of this, the Lord put in my heart to turn this ministry over to the church. But when I offered it to them, they said they wanted me to continue to be in charge. I’m already making mental plans for next year’s banquet. One of the results of this ministry is our new outreach to ladies on the police force. One of those ladies recently attended our Wednesday evening service.
I am happy to report to you
that my niece, Tammie González, and her husband, Henry, missionaries in El
Salvador, held their first Christmas Banquet on November 18. There was one
precious lady saved. I’m also praying for the first ladies Christmas Banquet
which will be celebrated in Ukraine on December 26. “Thank you, Lord, for giving
this burden to missionaries around the world.”
In a few minutes I will dial
the phone number of a radio station in a city about two hours away, and
broadcast my live radio program to ladies. What an honor that God has added
this new ministry to my life!
We are continuing to see souls
saved, and recently 6 were baptized. A young woman accepted the Lord in our
Wednesday evening service, and was present for a ladies’ meeting yesterday
afternoon where I spoke.
A very personal note: my
precious grandson, Levi William Miller, called me recently with the news that
always brings joy to my heart: “Mimi, I got saved last night.” Twenty of my 40
grandchildren are saved. Four are waiting for me in Heaven.
May the Lord give you a
Blessed Christmas, and a New Year full of dreams come true.
Billie Sloan
Nahum 1:7
