The Banquet

For the past 11 years our ladies at church have held a "Hospitality Banquet". This is a huge ministry outreach where ladies hostess a table and invite 7 other ladies they know to the dinner. The idea is to invite unsaved, hurting and Christian women in need of refreshment and refocus. It is always, Praise The Lord, a success. Each year we have had the Holy Spirit move and renew, restore and heal broken hearts and lives. Tremendous outreach. This year was no different. I host 2 tables each night and I invite coworkers, friends and family. I am fortunate to have a large network of family and friends. Some have come for all 11 years. There are some family members whom I have invited for all these years that the message never seems to reach through to them. It just breaks my heart. They are always so glad to come for the nice dinner and to see all the pretty tables that each hostess sets to her own taste and resources. Each table is always breathtaking to me. But, these family members of mine always leave with a hug and a quick exit. The discouragement is so heavy while I clean up tables and sweep away trash. I cannot tell you how many tears I have shed over this issue. The speakers have always delivered the gospel message. Some years it is so clear to the guests it may as well be a flashing neon sign,"Get Jesus Now"!!! This year in particular was hard. My precious neice was saved. She is 16 and has had a difficult life to say the least. But hardly any of the family stayed behind to hug her and love on her. Just me, her mother, grandmother and my own two girls. Her sister and four others just left. These five are such a concern for me. I have come to the point I do not want to ever ask them again. I know that is the plan of the enemy. To block the gospel from their ears but their complaints just never end. The evening is too long, it is too dark, I liked last years' speaker better, that is not my kind of music...blah, blah, blah! I love this event tremendously. It always starts my holiday season off to a better attitude and focus. I just wish that it had that effect on every lady who comes. I truly do not mean to sound so discouraged and disheartend. Great things of God were accomplished. Two hindu women and a Jehovah witness accepted Christ. Plus some others were saved and many, many rededications. I saw lots of broken women lay their cares, worries and fears into the hands of Jesus. We are not doing the banquet next year. We are celebrating our church's 50th anniversary and have many events planned. Gives me an extra year to plan, pray and plant. With my family I need the time!!!

Bless Y'all
Cindy