Heels Dug In

Dear Sisters In Christ,

It is a privilege to share with you our spiritual journey while we were away the past five years.  When the Lord directed our family to transfer from here to San Antonio, Texas in the summer of 2000, we went with our heels dug in.  Everything we loved was in South Dakota. Texas seemed to be a land of heat, humidity, and too many people.  Even though we were unhappy, the Lord proved His love for us, by providing a host of blessings.

Looking back, I can see that He consistently blessed us in opportunities for ministry to those “too many people.”  It was several years before we really developed a close church family; meanwhile, the Lord kept us working.  I jumped right in to being a leader in AWANA, two years in Chums, one in Sparks, one in Cubbies, and one in JV.  Randy preached and gave creation seminars at several of the churches.  In the fall of 2001, the Institute for Creation Research sent Randy on a 16-day creation science speaking tour around Texas.  Casey and I accompanied him, setting up book tables at each church.  In 2003, we joined the San Antonio Bible Based Science Association. Through them the Lord used Randy to speak at two city-wide creation seminars.  We frequently found ourselves teaching Sunday School and never had a dull moment, when it came to ministry in Texas.  The Lord constantly assured us of His desire to use us as His servants and keep us growing in His Word.

I really missed my close BFC family in Rapid, and I yearned for spiritual fellowship and study in the Word.  The Lord more than answered that prayer by leading me to join BSF (Bible Study Fellowship).  I was greatly encouraged to be around so many women who wanted to seriously study and apply God’s Word.  The lectures were like getting a double-dose of church in a week, which was a double blessing to me.  He also opened the door for me to take the BSF leader’s training this past spring, which I hope to use at BSF this fall.  If you are interested in BSF and want to get some “spiritual meat,” please feel free to ask me about it.

The Lord gave us one year of diversion when Randy went to school in Boston in 2002-2003 to get his Masters in Public Health.  New England was beautiful, richly historical, and a whole new cultural adventure.  (How to pahk the cah, and learn verses for Awaners.)  God provided a good church and plentiful ministry experiences there, too.

The years in Texas were filled with other challenges: a lot of family ups and downs, stressful job situations, lack of close friendships and a different climate and culture.  But, God encourages, comforts and makes Himself known in ways we do not anticipate.  One of His most precious ways was through giving us numerous ministry opportunities.  Now He has brought us back to South Dakota, for which we are very thankful.  How wonderfully we have been welcomed back by the saints here!  We look forward to seeing how our faithful Lord will lead us and use us here with you.

“Thus says the Lord Who made the earth, the Lord Who formed it to establish it—the Lord is His name:  Call to Me and I will answer you, and will show you great and hidden things which you have not known.”  Jeremiah 33:2-3.

Your sister in Christ,

June Guliuzza