Posted: Sunday, September 26, 2010 | Author: Marti Williams | Filed under: 2k10, Community Announcements | Tags: community, fellowship, missional, Northside, prayer, Richmond, RVA, Southern Barton Heights |
Repost…
It’s not too late to attend….RSVP not required!
There’s no doubt that God is moving in Northside of Richmond, VA, and it’s so exciting to hear and see what He is doing! You are invited to a Gathering of Northside Saints to….
1 – Fellowship – get to know one another
2 – Learn – to hear what the Lord is doing in our community
3 – Share – to encourage one another
4 – Pray – to lift up the needs of our community and to glorify and worship the Lord.
We hope to see you….
Sunday, September 26th at 3pm
All Souls Presbyterian Church
19 Overbrook Road
Richmond, VA 23222
(enter on the Miller Avenue side entrance)
We would appreciate an RSVP to missmartishouse[at]me[dot]com by 9/25, so we can be prepared with a headcount. Please be sure to include the following information…
- Names attending
- Contact information like – email addresses/phone numbers
- Willingness to volunteer
In the meantime, be praying for our community and our gathering. In addition, be sure to invite other Northside Saints to attend!
May the peace of our Lord Jesus be with you!
Blessings, Marti
Marti Williams
www.missmartishouse.com
loving God and others in Southern Barton Heights; Richmond, VA
Posted: Thursday, May 6, 2010 | Author: Marti Williams | Filed under: 2k10, One Church. One Richmond. | Tags: Cornerstone Assembly of God, Family Policy Council, Interwoven Destinies, National Day of Prayer, prayer, Richmond, RVA, St Paul's Baptist Church |
What a great way to start the morning! Louis and I started our day at the Christian Leadership Prayer Breakfast at St. Paul’s Baptist Church. As we ate a wonderful breakfast, we were provided the following questions to discuss at our tables. What a wonderful time of hearing what’s happening around our city!!!
Discussion Questions
- Share a story about a Christian who is using his/her gifts and faith in Christ to impact our Community.
- What are some of the primary needs in our Community where the body of Christ could work together to bring healing and redemption?
- Are you aware of any consistent prayer gatherings in the Great Richmond Area? Share them with your table.
Our focus was on the following Interwoven Destinies.
“Each one should look out for one another’s interests, not just for your own.”
Phil 2:4 TEV
- Demonstrating unity in the body of Christ through RELATIONSHIPS. Where am I praying with other Christian leaders?
- Transforming our community through PARTNERSHIP. Where am I serving alongside other Christian leaders, congregations, or ministries?
- Serving Metropolitan Richmond through LEADERSHIP. Where am I using my gifts to serve beyond my local congregation?
Prayer Points: We spent time at our tables praying as a group and in smaller groups of 2-3 for the following topics.
- Military and Government
- Justice and Peace
- Racial Reconciliation
- Poverty and The Poor
- Christian Leaders
Enjoy a few of the pictures below and if you want to see the whole album check out this link – Christian Leadership Prayer Breakfast. Mark your calendars for next year’s Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, May 5, 2011!! For more information see www.ndp-richmond.com. In addition, on-going prayer gatherings around the Metro-Richmond area will soon be listed on that site.
Posted: Monday, May 3, 2010 | Author: Marti Williams | Filed under: 2k10, One Church. One Richmond. | Tags: 2010, Christian Leaders, Church Leaders, Cornerstone Church, Jesus Christ, Lay Leaders, May 6, Metro Richmond, National Day of Prayer, Pastors, prayer, Richmond, St Paul's Baptist Church |
5/6 Edit – If you would like to read a recap of the event and see some pictures, check out this post – TODAY! National Day of Prayer. Thanks so much for reading…and for praying with us. To God be the Glory! Miss Marti
I posted this the first time on 4/7…so, now it’s up as a reminder….
Dear Pastors, Church & Parachurch Leaders-
You are invited to
National Day of Prayer ~ Christian Leadership Breakfast
Thursday, May 6, at 7:00am.
The St. Paul’s Baptist Church
4247 Creighton Road, Richmond, VA 23223
A Call to Pray
Held on National Day of Prayer, this prayer breakfast seeks to join together the Christian pastors, church and parachurch leaders of the many diverse groups and denominations in Metropolitan Richmond. Praying and seeking God’s grace and mercy for the healing of separations among us will ultimately enhance our effectiveness in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, in serving the poor and needy, and in glorifying our Father.
Prayer Point Leaders
Don Coleman
Ben Campbell
Audrey Burton
Mark Becton
Jennifer Parham
Geronimo Aguilar
James Anderson
Wayne Mancari
Be a part of building Christ-centered bridges into the community of Richmond. Seating is limited.
RSVP: By May 1, 2010
Cost: $14 per registrant
Posted: Sunday, April 18, 2010 | Author: Marti Williams | Filed under: 2k10 | Tags: Alan Hirsch, church planters, Dave Ferguson, Exponential Conference, Florida, Francis Chan, Matt Chandler, Music, Neil Cole, Orlando, pastor's wife, prayer, silence |
This was written about noon today, Although we arrived here about 6:30p, I just got online to post it! We just got back to the villa from a wonderful mexican meal with our friends Bill and Miriam…
On the road to Orlando, by way of Charlotte! It’s Sunday morning, and Louis and I left Richmond Saturday for Charlotte to celebrate Mama’s (Louis’ mom) birthday. IPod Genius Mix rocked Hillsong United, David Crowder Band, Mercy Me and Chris Tomlin. This morning, we are chillin’ to a little John Mayer and Steve Tyrell. This afternoon, it will have to be a little more energetic, as we continue this 8-9 hour drive!!!
It’s interesting how music plays an important role in our lives and makes a significant impact on how we feel. ..whether we feel like rockin’, chillin’, worshiping or enjoying the silence. There was a time in my life that I couldn’t STAND silence. Music or TV or something had to be making some noise all the time…even when I slept…the TV was on.
At some point early in my time living in SBH that I learned to really enjoy the quiet…silence. Now I come to expect some time of nothingness. It is during this time that I hear the gentle hushed whisper of my Lord. Before, He really had to YELL at me to get my attention. Now, I look forward to those quiet still times where we can commune together.
Even on the road trip…there are times when the car is full of silliness and laughter. There are others where we are chatting and planning. And still other times where it is just quiet. No music. No voices. Just us and the road.
We are heading to Orlando for a conference….Exponential 2010. Monday – Thursday we will be among 2-3 thousand other people at the largest gathering of church planters and leaders in the world. Louis has been a few times before, but this is my first time. We are looking forward to:
- Praising God for how He is moving throughout the world.
- Gleaning from the words of people like Francis Chan, Neil Cole, Dave Ferguson, Matt Chandler, Alan Hirsch and so many others as the Lord uses and speaks through them.
- Hearing what is new and exciting around the world in church planting?
- Catching up with some of Louis’ contacts and friends he has made over the years.
- Hearing from the Lord. What does He have for us? What divine appointments? What words of wisdom? What’s next, God?
- Talking to each other about our future in church planting.
We also hope to run into the Wagler’s and the Snook’s while we are there, too! I am so glad that they will be able to experience this conference as well and look forward to exchanging notes and thoughts with them when we return to Richmond and Commonwealth Chapel.
Then, we will take a few days off to just play around Orlando…chillaxin’ and sunnin’ pool side, heading to SeaWorld, Aquatica, etc. Bill and Miriam, our friends from Clifton Forge will also be in Orlando playing this week, and we can’t wait to have time to relax with them.
Posted: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 | Author: Marti Williams | Filed under: 2k8, Frank, Louis and Me! | Tags: Commonwealth Chapel, missionary, prayer, Richmond, Southern Barton Heights, Urban, urban ministry |
You may want to read The Next Day Part 1 and Part 2 before this one!
After spending the afternoon talking to the neighbors and kids, Louis and I went up to the hospital to visit with Frank’s family. Because this was being treated as a trauma and a needless to say a crime, Frank’s personal information was being withheld. The operator would tell you nothing about Frank…not even a room number. But, we were persistent and made our own way to the trauma ICU to see what and who we could find.
That was it! We found Frank’s friends and family overflowing out of the small 8’x12′ waiting room. I admit I was a bit hesitant and felt a bit intrusive, but the Lord had directed us to go. There appeared to be some hesitancy on their part too. Not sure about us and our agenda. But, we were there to….again..just be present….to pray…to read scripture…to be the feet of Jesus. No agenda.
We learned that Frank was not conscious. He had been shot 9 times. Upper right chest, left shoulder, left thigh, right hand and 5 times in the gut. Frank had survived surgery that repaired the extensive damage to his gut and other injuries. Geraldine (Frank’s mom) and Vicky (Frank’s girlfriend) were there. Although only 2 people could be there at any time and only a handful were allowed on the list to visit at all, Louis and I were permitted to see him. Admittedly, I was nervous. I wasn’t sure what I would experience.
Because of Frank’s serious condition, we obviously didn’t stay long…just long enough to pray. We also prayed with Geraldine and Vicky. This became a daily occurrence for Louis and me. We would head to MCV – sometimes together, but sometimes separate. After a couple of days, I think they finally realized that we weren’t going away….we were there for the long haul.
We are soo thankful for the many people that prayed with and for us. The folks at Tuesday Night Prayer Service at Commonwealth Chapel regularly lifted all of us up, and we are so grateful for that.
Louis and my relationship went from basically 0-60 in just about 24 hours. I went from barely liking the guy to seeing him every day! We all still laugh about this now. But, Vicky and Geraldine knew we were getting married before we did! During that first week, they regularly asked me (when I was there without Louis), Where’s your husband? I would repeatedly tell them, we aren’t married. I barely know the guy. We are still getting to know one another. I just met him 4 weeks ago, etc. But…they kept asking me where my husband was and Louis where his wife was.
Then finally, we were there together. I was at one end of the room getting to know one of Frank’s friends, Anthony. And Louis was at the other end of the room talking to Vicky and Geraldine. When Geraldine asked – so….when you goin’ to marry her? It’s written all over your face! You’re in loOoOoOve. I (obviously) was ½ listening to the conversation and glanced at Louis out of the corner of my eye, when I saw that Louis had turned a deep shade of RED!
This was a lovely time of bonding, sharing, and communing with Frank’s family. It didn’t take long before we were hugging each other as we greeted and as we said farewell. We were 2 vastly different groups of people in every way possible with very little in common brought together by a tragic event. Now, over 2 years later, we are sharing life together…birthdays, holidays, etc.
Although I am SOOO sorry that all of us had to experience this event, I am thankful for the friends and dare I say family that is now the result!
But challenging times weren’t far off….
Posted: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 | Author: Marti Williams | Filed under: 2k8, Frank, Louis and Me! | Tags: Jesus, John 1:14, missionary, prayer, Richmond, Southern Barton Heights, Urban |
Picking up from the 3/20 post The Word Became Flesh… (click if you want to read it before continuing)
I have been really struggling on what to say and how to continue telling this story about how we met Frank and his family. The last thing I want to do is to hurt anyone by my words or release any confidential information. So, I will not give many details, but will tell what I feel comfortable with until I can talk with Frank and his family.
That night, Louis and I went up to the hospital, just a couple of miles from where I live. Thankfully, it was close since Frank had been shot 9 times!
After praying for wisdom, Louis and I walked into the Gateway Building (like a lobby) of MCV, now VCU Health Systems. I’m not sure about Louis and how he was feeling, but I was feeling a bit out of place and nervous. The lobby was FULL for 11:30pm on a Sunday night. I didn’t quite understand. Louis and I were the only white people in a lobby full of black people where it was eerily quiet and heavy when we walked in. Still in a bit of shock, I’m not sure why I didn’t place them with Frank.
But, Louis, having spent many hours and visits in the hospitals with church members, knew what to do. He introduced himself to the receptionist/guard and we asked for a status update on Frank. When a short woman beside me, firmly and loudly stated…that’s my son! What do YOU people want with my SON?!?!? I quietly and quickly introduced us to her and let her know why we were there. She quickly responded, Not YOU people! YOU didn’t help my son! I assured her that we did and quickly explained again why we decided to come up there. I gently guided her over to where the others were located, as they looked at us with a bit of distrust.
After praying for some help and wisdom, I calmly introduced myself and Louis. It was probably helpful that I introduced him as a Reverend! After learning that they had no knowledge of what happened or if Frank was even alive, we shared with them what we knew….where I lived, the events of the evening, we didn’t see it happen, how we responded, what Frank had said to me, and how he was alive when he was taken to the hospital. The distrust from the crowd waned a bit.
We just shared that we wanted to be there for anything that they needed. When one of Frank’s friends said, but you already have done so much. I explained that we hadn’t done all that much, but that Jesus had done it all. We also stated that we were there to be with them and pray with them. Whatever they needed. When another friend said, so what are we waiting on…let’s pray…as he stuck both hands out to grab the hands of those around him. Louis led us in prayer for the family, the doctors and medical staff, for Frank, etc.
Although it often felt awkward for them…and for us, Louis and I continued to hang out with Friends and Family for another hour or so before going back to my house. Some might call it the gift of being present.
Louis and I were up rather late that night…processing, chillin’, decompressing. I am sooo very thankful for the many many prayers that were offered up for us and for Frank and his family during this time. I don’t know for sure WHAT Frank was doing that night or WHY someone wanted to shoot him. I can assume that it was a robbery…but it wasn’t. He still had everything on him that a robber would want. And…based on my extensive (HA!) experience, I don’t think a robber would shoot him 9 times! I can’t help but think it was personal. We could all probably guess and probably won’t be far off from the truth. Whatever it was. I still don’t need to know.
What I DO know is that my God is in control and He loves us more than we can EVER imagine! I do know that…
…my mom and her friends were regularly praying for me (since January 2007)
….the Lord had introduced Louis and me a month before (not in July 2007) for a reason.
…my heart had changed that Saturday night for a reason.
…Louis and I were home and cooked out on the grill that night (instead of going out)
…Louis wasn’t outside when the shoot occurred
…the kids were dropped off early from youth group and they weren’t outside
….Louis remembered to cut the grill off
…we were NOT going up the inside steps
for a reason. There were soooo many things that the Lord did to protect us and to prepare us for “such a time as this”. All this was done, so that we could be there when Frank got shot. Remember…no one else responded. He would have been left to die that night on the street beside my house. That’s what I used to tell Frank ALL THE TIME…God loves him SOOO much that He did all of this AND MORE. We had been there…as the feet of Jesus. Nothing more…nothing less.
I had prayed a year before for the other ½ of my pair…in ministry to Southern Barton Heights. And God had heard and had answered…in HIS time…His perfect time.
Louis and I have been in the ministry business together ever since!
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!
Posted: Friday, March 19, 2010 | Author: Marti Williams | Filed under: 2k8, Frank, Louis and Me! | Tags: Faith, Holy Spirit, Jesus, MGV, missional, missionary, prayer, Richmond, Southern Barton Heights, Urban |
So…If you didn’t read yesterday’s post (Change of Heart…Just in Time) be sure to. Otherwise, this one MIGHT not make a whole lot of sense.
I wonder…what would have happened if we decided to go out to dinner that night…or if we hadn’t gone out on Saturday night…or if I had in fact kicked Louis to the curb before this night….if I hadn’t given him another chance like my friends were encouraging….or if we had met back in the summer of 2007 instead of the end of December. ANY number of decisions could have changed the rest of this story…in SOOO many ways. Personally…I’m thankful they turned out the way that they did. So, I had a change in heart…just in time…for such a time as this. To be there…the night Frank got shot…..4 weeks after Louis and I had our first date.
Let’s pick up there.
view from the breakfast nook window (Frank was between that pothole and the gutter)
It was about 8:30p on that Sunday night, January 27, 2008. After seeing the crime from the breakfast nook window, Louis went running out the door…stepping off the retaining wall (this was b4 the fence was built) onto the sidewalk and into the curb where the victim laid. He stopped and just looked at him for a moment…and I wondered…what is he doing? And mentally screamed…Give him first aid!!! I found out later that Louis was stopping to say a quick prayer before he did another thing. (Shame on me!!!)
I ran back into the house to grab some towels sitting on the dryer and some plastic grocery bags to use as gloves. I had been first aid trained many years ago, but have never had the use for the training (gratefully). Neither of us are medically trained, but we did have the Holy Spirit to guide us…and that was all the wisdom we needed! Louis took his lower body and I took the upper body. Frank was laying on his right side with his head in my lap. Not knowing whether a bullet had hit his spinal column or not, I braced his head in my lap. At that time, we found 3 wounds – left shoulder, gut and left leg. Later we learned that he was shot 9 times – left shoulder, left leg, right upper chest, right hand, and 5 times in the gut.
view from the back door/deck
As he laid there while we attended to his injuries, I encouraged him and asked him a few pertinent questions ~ name, next of kin and her number, who shot him (he didn’t know), age, etc. Only one other person came to his assistance, held his hand for a moment, prayed and ran back in the house. I was so thankful for my neighbor! No one else came.
Then, Frank stopped talking to me. As his head laid in my lap, I encouraged him, prayed and stated, Frank…I know you are scared. I know that you are hurting. But, we are here to help; and you are going to fine. If you can’t say another word, just call on the name of Jesus. There is power in just His name. At this very second, Frank reached up with his left hand and grabbed my thigh. I knew then…that he was calling on the precious, healing name of Jesus. Frank would indeed live.
Although we had told the kids to stay inside, I remember looking up to see Lil Mike standing on the retaining wall looking down. What a frightening scene for a 14-year-old to see up close. Not to mention, I found out later that he knew Frank. I yelled for them to get inside…only for them to move to the front porch where they could still see from a distance.
The first responders (police, fire department, and ambulance) started to arrive. It was so surreal. Watching over Louis’ shoulder as the yellow tape was strung and people started gathering behind it. Fire Trucks. Police Cars. Sirens. ambulance. One officer gathered information from me while I was still with Frank. The paramedics arrived; and I was able to given them vitals:
multiple.gunshot.victim.name.age.no.pulse.breathing.2.times.a.minute.
Satan meant for him to die, but our Lord. He has other plans for Frank!
Posted: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 | Author: Marti Williams | Filed under: 2k7, Louis and Me! | Tags: divine appointment, Holy Spirit, missionary, prayer, Richmond, Southern Barton Heights, Urban |
As some of you know, today I am in DC for the O’Hara St Patrick’s Day Clan Dinner and Party. This marks about 25 years that I have been coming up here….only missing 2 in 25 years. I forgot to download pics for the blog…so stop by later and there may be some here.
Also…thanks for reading!!!! And hope you have an awesome St Patrick’s Day. This post is in honor of my dear wonderful and loving friend Judy O’Hara. After fighting a long good fight with cancer, she went to heaven a month before I met Louis. I like to think of Judy whispering in God’s ear….Now, let’s talk about Marti. It’s about time that she met the other 1/2 of her pair. RIP Judy O’Hara! We love and miss you!!!!
More about me and Louis!!! YAY!!! I knew I couldn’t keep the romantics in my life happy if I didn’t keep telling the story….
OK…so now…we have my buddy Marc who was praying with me. Don who was giving me life changing scripture. Becky and Lowell who were praying with Louis and Jennifer who was just being the messenger, right? Oh yeah…and about 20 women in my Bible Study and my 2 girlfriends who wrote lists with me. Could there BE any more people involved?!?!?!?
So….Jennifer calls Becky that night, the 22nd…leaves a message. Becky calls back on Sunday the 23rd with the number. Jennifer calls Louis. Louis says after Christmas he will call…as he was busy prepping for the Christmas Eve Service. And I hear…after the holidays…which I think after New Years.
So, the 26th rolls around and I get a couple of calls from a number I don’t recognize and I am afraid it’s work…so yes…I screen the call, because I am on vacation! No message is left. Then it dawns on me DUH! maybe it is Louis. So, I call JP and plug Louis’ number into my phone, so I will know that it is him. Because it WAS him calling. We still disagree about him not leaving a message to this day! :o) But the story is so much better this way!
So, the 27th of December (piece of trivia….yes, we got married a year from the date we first talked on the phone!!) rolls around…this is where it gets interesting…..and I am meeting with a neighbor and his friend looking at their business plan. They had some business idea that they wanted to pass by me. My friend had to cut out and left me with the other guy. I started to get a little nervous. Something just didn’t feel right. I felt like I was in a dangerous predicament. I tried gently to get him to leave…and he wouldn’t take my hints. We had begun to have some theological discussions….not quite debates….but we definitely had some differences in opinion. For one…this guy thought he WAS Jesus. So, I started to pray…Lord, get me out of this. This doesn’t feel right at all, while still remaining calm. So after a minute or 2 (which felt like and hour or 2) my phone rang. Yes…you know what is coming….I look at the phone and it was Louis calling.
I look at my visitor and said..I am so sorry, but I have to get this call. I had been waiting for this call….like all my life! So, I did. and the rest is history. The guy finally left my home. Only for me to find out later, that he was in fact a bit dangerous. He had allegedly stabbed someone previously for have a religious disagreement. The Lord had answered my prayer for help and brought me the other 1/2 all at the same time! I thank Him for his protective hand!
Louis and I talked for a while on the phone, and we decided to actually meet face to face. Louis DID NOT know about Mr December at all. He was just calling because Becky and Jennifer made the connection. I let Louis pick our first date (not EVEN thinking about God’s assurance that I would meet him IN December). And Louis suggested Sunday, which I thought was a great idea..especially after I checked out the date…..December 30th!
God had in fact brought me a DATE (not necessarily the other 1/2) in the month of December. So, we went to dinner at Edo’s Squid on our first date. In fact, Louis came back on New Years Eve to attend my party. I held a NYE party for some of the neighborhood kids to give them a safe place to hang out. Ordered pizza, played video games, and a few other friends came over as well. We call this our 1/2 a date….where he first started serving in the community with me.
Sunday night continued to be date night for us. Louis would come over about 3 or 4pm. We’d hang out with the kids…watching football, etc. Then, we would drop them off at youth group before going on our date. So…he’s serving SBH with me from the get-go.
The kids were asking all kinds of questions. Were we dating? Were we having sex? (although they were WAY more crass than that…but this is a G-rated blog!) Have we kissed? etc. This will have to be a whole another post one day.
You see…there was one problem….I really didn’t like him all that much when we first met. Nothing really in particular…just didn’t like him. My co-workers were cheering me on….Just give him another chance!!! Don’t be so hard on him! etc. I wasn’t quite sure that I really knew him.
By the end of January..I had to have a LOOOONG talk with God about this. Rarely do I know what God is up to when He is doing His thing. And…this was one of those times. I had a LOOOONG talk with God. Saying….basically….God….I don’t want to waste any time with anyone who is not THE one. But, I really don’t like this guy so much….he’s a nice guy….just not for me. So, I KNOW you introduced us in the crazy way for a reason. I KNOW You know what I need…and I want what YOU want. So…IF this is the guy…you need to change my heart and change it fast, because I’m about to kick ’em to the curb…..and kick him soon. So…change my heart, Lord…if this is the one.
As you know…I had prayed for the other 1/2 of my pair…to serve SBH. If that happened to be my husband…that’s just icing on the cake.
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 | Author: Marti Williams | Filed under: 2k7, Louis and Me! | Tags: bible study, love story, missionary, prayer, Southern Barton Heights, Urban |
If you are late in coming to the story…you MAY want to consider reading the past posts….go to the bottom and click Louis and Me! This is where you will find each post in order…telling the story of how I met the other ½ of my pair!
OK…picking up where I left off in the story of how I met the other ½ of my pair.
So…I had asked the Women’s Bible Study on Faith to pray. Which they promised me they would! I was still believing in what God had told me….that I would meet the other ½ in December. My buddy Marc had confirmed it stating that he felt I would meet someone in 4th quarter. Again…we could both be right!
Early December comes, and Marc asks if I had met “him” yet. I responded no, not yet…God still has another 21 days. He hung his head hung LOW! I had never seen him quite like that before. He starts apologizing to me….telling me that he thought he had heard the Lord correctly….thinking that I wasn’t going to meet him. I would have NOTHING to do with it. Telling him NOT to give up…that I was STILL believing. That is what God told me…and I am holding Him to it. I may not have mentioned this before, but when I prayed….I kinda gave God a deadline. Having heard that you should pray specifically, I prayed that I would meet him by the end of the year. Then, God said it would be in fact be December.
Previously, Don Coleman had told me about this guy that he thought I should meet back in the summer, but he never called. Other than that…there had been ZERO interests! But, I was believing!!!
At that women’s study, I had the great pleasure of meeting my now good friend Jennifer. On Saturday, December 22 we went to dinner after church. We were just getting to know one another and were just hanging out when she asked if I had met “Mr. December” yet. I obviously said No. But I was still believing…God still had 9 more days! We laughed at the Mr. December idea and continued to eat. Then, Jennifer paused, set her folk down and said…so, I’ve been praying about this…and I think I am supposed to tell you. There’s this guy….
I was like WHAT?!?! This “guy”? She continued to tell me about him. I sat there and shook my head “No! There’s no way! He’s not interested!”
I couldn’t believe it. My new friend Jennifer was sitting across the table telling me about the SAME guy that Don Coleman told me about months prior! I just KNEW it was the same guy….and I said….JP, he’s not interested. Don’s already told me about “this guy” (I didn’t have a name at this time!). Jennifer was convinced that it couldn’t be the same guy. She didn’t think that Don and “this guy” knew each other. So, I got Don on the phone. Once I filled Don in on our conversation, he simply asked…what’s his name? And Jennifer told me….Louis Williams. Lo and behold, Don AND my new friend from the bible study were telling me about the SAME GUY!!! 6 months apart!!! Needless to say…we were a little in shock!
So..the first thing I do is google him….NOTHING. Yes guys….we google you!!!! So, be careful what you put out there. Ladies..you do the same! LOL.
The rest of the night, I kept saying…Jennifer, really? Is this for real?
Long story short….Louis had spent some time with Don back in the summer sharing his heart. A few months later he had dinner with friends Becky and Lowell. Becky felt called to pray for Louis that he would meet his “God Woman”. She is a busy woman, mom, wife, volunteer and professional. Becky doesn’t have time to be a matchmaker, but she mentioned to Jennifer that she was praying for Louis to meet someone. This was shortly AFTER I shared the “Mr. December” with my Bible Study. Rather than jumping on it, Jennifer took time to pray about it first, which I sincerely appreciate.
Now it’s 12.22.07 and Becky and Jennifer went to work to get Louis and me connected….just a couple days before Christmas….when folks are busy, traveling, prepping for the day. But, I think we all had forgotten about the December deadline. Plus – I was now kinda freakin’. Could this ACTUALLY happen?!?!?!? Really????
Side note: Now, before you think too poorly of Louis….there had been a break down in communication back in the summer. THAT is why he never called. But, later you will learn that God’s timing is PERFECT!
Posted: Thursday, March 4, 2010 | Author: Marti Williams | Filed under: 2k7, Louis and Me! | Tags: Bible, marriage, missionary, prayer, scripture, Urban |
In addition to all the craziness…I still hadn’t met the other half of my pair!!! Allow me to refresh your memory.
Born in 1963….I was never married.
December 2005….at 42 years old I prayed for the bone….God answers!
December 2006…at 43 years old…Don brings me Luke 10:1-7 and the Lord speaks to me…to pray for the other 1/2 of my pair….not for my future husband.
2007….I was still meeting with a small group of women. The 3 of us were not married…and decided to write down what we were looking for in a husband. So…we each created a list, made copies and shared them with each other, so that we could pray.
Now..Marc (at work) was following my story. He was very aware of everything that was going on…and prayed with and for me. He took my list home to include it in his prayers on a regular basis. He’d come into work…and say…. “Hey Mart! I put in knee time for you this weekend!” What a dependable prayer partner!!! He was such a faithful friend!
One day following our worship service at Commonwealth, Pastor Don asked me if he could “get in my business”. Pastor Don and I were meeting on a regular basis for breakfast. He was a true God-send! He was encouraging me in my own spiritual growth and the work I was doing in SBH. This particular day…he wanted to know if I wanted to get married. Yes, I said…I do. But, that the Luke 10 scripture had changed my prayer. That I was no longer praying for my future husband…but was praying for the other 1/2 of my pair.
Now, those of you who know Don….think about voice inflection. Don’s response was “Yes! That’s what I am talking about! Yes!” With his arms pumping in the air. You know Don! Now…it kinda caught me off guard…so I didn’t ask him why! (Silly me!) But…he DID ask me…if I got a call…would I go out. That is a bit of a crazy question. I had given up blind dates DECADES ago! But, I trusted Don and his heart. More importantly…I trusted God. After all…we had quite a crew praying, right! Why shouldn’t I expect God to answer those prayers. When 2 or more or gathered….
Later…I did remember to ask Don….and he told me about a “guy”. But…that “guy” never called….*sniff*sniff*
But…I kept doin’ my thing….loving God and others in SBH, while continuing to pray.
Miss Marti's House 