A couple of years ago, many readers sent cards to a small church in Vermont; cards of encouragement, through a rough season for an often snow-bound community. As your letters were delivered, one of the families to which a delivery was made, had a house guest named Sally. Jason Floyd, the minister who was making delivery runs, began to study with this house guest. In time, we gained a beautiful sister in Christ. (You can read about Sally’s conversion here: https://thecolleyhouse.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=14214&action=edit.) Then later, we got the good news that Sally’s son Roger, had also been added to the body of Christ. We rejoiced together with these family members we ‘d never met.
Today, we got this news from the Floyd family, which works with this church in Bennington, Vermont. Sarah Floyd, thank you for letting us know and we will keep praying. Heaven will surely be worth it all!
Oh, Christian ladies, do some of you remember your card ministry to the members of my little congregation in Vermont? When you flooded my lonely brothers and sisters with hundreds of encouragement cards throughout that awful spring of 2020? And then, thanks to your ministry, my husband met a lady named Sally, who was baptized later that year? And then, in April of this year, her son was also baptized? (Cindy Colley has told the story beautifully on her blog.)Well, those cards have quite literally brought someone to Jesus today, sisters. Sally left this earth this afternoon after a months-long health battle that included a wound that wouldn’t heal, sepsis, congestive heart failure, and internal bleeding. She isn’t suffering for the first time in her 65 years…she was born with a heart defect and wasn’t expected to survive childhood. And we wouldn’t have known she existed if y’all hadn’t sent those wonderful cards.Thank you to all of you who participated and prayed. Please keep praying for her son Roger, her daughter Michelle, and the rest of her family, and for our little church, and for my husband, who will be preparing to preach his first full funeral at some point soon.
We never know what kind of eternal influence a small gesture may have on a single soul. Sometimes the influenced soul may not even be the target of the good will. Sometimes the positive reaction may be delayed. Frequently the giver is not even aware of the good that’s been done by the gift. But someone is with Jesus now, in part, because you took the time to send a card. I’m very thankful to be in this group with sisters who love the Word, souls who need it, and Jesus!