DAY THREE: LET IT RAIN by Bobby Carnathan
It was a rainy wintry morn on Sunday when we had decided that we should attend The Church at Trace Crossing. We had been invited by our friends Michael and Shelby Ritter on numerous occasions to attend. But we never had the opportunity until then.
We arrived at the church located on the Ole Miss Campus in Tupelo, the bottom had just fallen out of the skies, and the parking lot was completely full. I had thoughts of turning around and going back home due to the poor weather conditions. But Carmen had spotted an empty spot close to the entry of the building. I parked, began looking for an umbrella, and as Murphy law would suggest no such luck finding one. Then from out of no where a man (Ed Bartee) appeared carrying a large family size umbrella. He escorted us to the entry of the church.
Upon entry of the church, we were met with love and compassion by all we came into contact with. We were, as you would say, taken by the hand and led by others throughout the church. It felt like a family reunion. Michael took me over to the table where coffee and donuts were placed (my favorite by the way). And Carmen was led away by Shelby.
Dawson was taken to the nursery, while Janna Grace clung to our every move. We then came into a room filled with conversation and excitement. We found our seats in the back as most Baptist do, and waited for the service to begin. Janna Grace, our oldest, has always been somewhat of a shy individual in new environments. She does not stray to far from the comfort of Mom and Dad. Suddenly she gets up and sits next to a woman (Emma Kate) on the row in front of us. Stunned by what we were seeing because Carmen and I had not formally met this person before and to our knowledge Janna Grace had not either. But on this day Janna Grace found a friend introduced by faith and received by love.
Carmen and I sat and listened to the preacher, a young, passionate, faith driven man, deliver a sermon with such heart felt emotion. I felt like a part of me had been missing something prior to this day when it came to church. But here I felt that I belonged in this body. I even told Carmen on our short drive home that I want to be a part of The Church at Trace Crossing.
Carmen, the kids, and I never did become a part of The Church at Trace Crossing instead The Church at Trace Crossing became a part of us. We love our faith family that has adopted us as their own and enjoy the many blessing that we have received by our attendance at the church. God is truly within.
It is our hope that we continue to extend the same love and compassion to others so their experience at The Church at Trace Crossing will be as special to them as ours is to us.
Lord, our most gracious heavenly father, I pray that you will give us the strength to drive in the rain, the courage to walk through the door, and the ability to experience the love you have for us. Be with this Church Family in all they do. Amen
We arrived at the church located on the Ole Miss Campus in Tupelo, the bottom had just fallen out of the skies, and the parking lot was completely full. I had thoughts of turning around and going back home due to the poor weather conditions. But Carmen had spotted an empty spot close to the entry of the building. I parked, began looking for an umbrella, and as Murphy law would suggest no such luck finding one. Then from out of no where a man (Ed Bartee) appeared carrying a large family size umbrella. He escorted us to the entry of the church.
Upon entry of the church, we were met with love and compassion by all we came into contact with. We were, as you would say, taken by the hand and led by others throughout the church. It felt like a family reunion. Michael took me over to the table where coffee and donuts were placed (my favorite by the way). And Carmen was led away by Shelby.
Dawson was taken to the nursery, while Janna Grace clung to our every move. We then came into a room filled with conversation and excitement. We found our seats in the back as most Baptist do, and waited for the service to begin. Janna Grace, our oldest, has always been somewhat of a shy individual in new environments. She does not stray to far from the comfort of Mom and Dad. Suddenly she gets up and sits next to a woman (Emma Kate) on the row in front of us. Stunned by what we were seeing because Carmen and I had not formally met this person before and to our knowledge Janna Grace had not either. But on this day Janna Grace found a friend introduced by faith and received by love.
Carmen and I sat and listened to the preacher, a young, passionate, faith driven man, deliver a sermon with such heart felt emotion. I felt like a part of me had been missing something prior to this day when it came to church. But here I felt that I belonged in this body. I even told Carmen on our short drive home that I want to be a part of The Church at Trace Crossing.
Carmen, the kids, and I never did become a part of The Church at Trace Crossing instead The Church at Trace Crossing became a part of us. We love our faith family that has adopted us as their own and enjoy the many blessing that we have received by our attendance at the church. God is truly within.
It is our hope that we continue to extend the same love and compassion to others so their experience at The Church at Trace Crossing will be as special to them as ours is to us.
Lord, our most gracious heavenly father, I pray that you will give us the strength to drive in the rain, the courage to walk through the door, and the ability to experience the love you have for us. Be with this Church Family in all they do. Amen
2 comments:
Bobby,
Our experience was very similar to yours. We, like you, were invited by Shelby. We had heard about Trace for a while but never ventured out until she invited David and me. A year and a half ago we were greeted in the parking lot by some familiar faces to us ~ Wayne, Michael, and Derald. Ever since we walked through those doors in April 2007 and were met with smiles from Mrs. Edith and a hug from Emma Kate our lives have been transformed. My prayer is that whosoever walks through those doors experiences God's presence and the love we have for Him from our faith family.
Serving Him,
Tami
I LOVED reading this. Bobby- you wrote such a great post. We love you and your family so much! Thank you for this post. It touched my heart. Tricia
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