staff of Living Water International. I was definitely out of my comfort zone in a new country whose language I did not speak well. I was totally dependent on God. But I felt safe and at ease through the FPCA team members’ fellowship and the kind hospitality of LWI. They knew the country and roadways in this unfamiliar land, and had the mechanical equipment and the experience needed for drilling. Again, God provided.


The village of over 40 homes, in desperate need of a clean water supply, also contributed. They donated the land for the well and purchased the gravel and cement for the project. Men of the village worked hand in hand with us on the well, and women provided delicious meals for our lunches and breaks. Partnering with people in the village and experiencing their warm welcome, hospitality, and genuine friendship was a powerful lesson of God’s love and grace for all of his children in all parts of the world. I went to Honduras to give and help others, yet feel that I received so much more. God provided in overwhelming abundance and joy, and fresh clean water flowed. It was a life-changing week.


Our dependency on God and on one another to join in cooperation to do God’s will stands out in my mind. FPCA, Living Water International, and the Honduran Village, all were instrumental to the final project. If any one part were lacking, there would be no clean water for our brothers and sisters in this village. During the trip, I witnessed over and over again people from all three groups simply doing God’s will, and the amazing results when we join together for God’s glory.


I have learned that when I push myself outside of my comfort zone, it seems easier for me to perceive God’s guidance, provision, and care because it is in these uncertain places that I know I really need to rely on God. When I don’t have everything neatly figured out, and when I leave room open for God to show up, He does so in such remarkable ways.


What I learned in Honduras is that Jesus calls us into a community to work together in service. He asks us to offer our resources, time,


and talents. The good news is God does not ask us to do it alone, and actually, we cannot do it by ourselves. Only through God, all things are possible. Fortunately, and through God’s good design, the church becomes the platform for us to join together to work for God’s glory, here and throughout the world. Amen.


BARB SAXTON


I have been a member of FPCA since birth. Our family worshipped in the church at 5th


and Court until we moved to our present location.


I was active in what was called Young People’s group and had friends from exotic locations such as Fullerton and Guthsville. I took part in church plays and after Communicants’ class, formally joined the church in 1945. Dr. Walter Eastwood was a wonderful teacher, and what he taught us got me A’s in college-required Bible studies. My mother, who was one of the first two women elders, was a very big influence throughout my life. Her faith was strong and willingly shared. My sense of being kind and useful for others was the way we lived.


I was very indebted to Dan Thomas, an interim minister, and to associate pastor John Stoner for helping me through trying times when my infant daughter died, and later when her twin sister was extremely ill.


For many years I was an active member of the dramatic society of the church. It was a time of making new and different friends from our growing congregation. Lately, my focus has been on being a willing helper for some of the less glamorous activities to help the church function smoothly.


It gives me a thrill every time I see the large number of high school students in our Youth Choir. It’s a sign that the church is still vibrant. It has been a joy to get to know Mike and Stephen in a closer way.


This is my church home and the members are my church family, and yes, I’m still making new friends from exotic places. This time it’s from Ghana.


TOM MYERS


Often when I’m in a situation where I need comfort or confidence to help me in a difficult situation, I find a quiet place and recite the Lord’s Prayer. For me, it really helps. There have been situations, however, where my prayers did not seem to help. A friend and relative who dies of disease at an early age. A niece’s loss of a premature baby. I wonder, “Why do these things happen to such good, God-loving people?”


At my age, I am still blessed to gain inspiration from my mother, now 93. She lives in my hometown, York, PA. She has been in a nursing home for some time, and for several years now has been unable to walk or get out of bed or a chair without assistance. Every day I pray that she can sense our love, that she not feel alone, and that she simply be comfortable.


Recently she admits she is tired of the way things are. She becomes very frustrated with her physical limitations, sometimes down in the dumps. She will say, “What’s the point?” or “Why must I continue like this?” She has doubts. But then she always says, “My life is in the Good Lord’s hands. This is God’s plan. I have to have faith and make the most of it.”


And without fail, she finds some way to encourage, help, and show sympathy for the other residents around her. She takes time to learn every day what is going on with all the caregivers around her. Many of them tell me with a smile how wonderful Miss Margaret is.


After each visit, I have no doubt that my mother and God are close, working the plan. My mother’s acts of kindness, the love she continues to give, the inspiration she is, are surely part of God’s will, to be done on earth as it is in heaven.


Whenever I take action, make an effort to help someone in need around me, or convey a kindness, a consideration, a forgiveness, as my mother does, there is no doubt in my mind from the peace and satisfaction I feel when I take action to do God’s will that God is there for me... for all of us.


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