One of the really cool things about the Church of God of Prophecy is that while it is a church growing and on the move, it is still small enough that everyone is pretty much interconnected in one way or another. Speaking of this, it was a huge treat to meet two good people on Wednesday night after youth service at Lakeside Church.

First I met Kenny Smith, a longtime member of Lakeside (we’re talking since 1958) who helped established the church and was an integral part in shaping it into what it is today. While we were talking about our backgrounds in the COGOP, he shared about how his daughter had passed away a couple years ago due to cancer…he and his wife are both residing in Tennessee at the moment to take care of their grandchildren, yet they visit Virginia whenever they have the chance. Hard times have befallen his family yet they have stayed faithful to the Lord.

Kenny told me one quote that I will always remember: “If we can’t hold onto Jesus, we can’t hold onto anything at all.” This quote has stuck in my mind like a lance over the past couple of days, especially with my pending move from Virginia and facing an uncertain future. I believe God used Kenny to speak to my heart directly on Wednesday night and it was such an awesome opportunity to be able to not only meet him, but be ministered to as well. God bless Kenny and his family…remember to keep them all in your prayers.

I also met Angel Grajirenesortiz, who pastors the COGOP in Lamar, Missouri and serves in the Army National Guard as a Sergeant First Class (he’s 47 years old and still going strong!!!). He was stationed at Fort Eustis for a time and was once a member of Lakeside Church a decade ago. Now he is back in the area for an advanced course in his MOS, and will be here until September 1.

Amazingly, Angel knows my parents due to meeting them a month or so ago at an event at Crimson House Ministries in Springfield, MO. He asked how Dad was doing and if he was still working with Uncle Johnny, and I told him how the Lord had provided Dad a good-paying job and now the family is able to move into a house in Republic.

He told me of his church in Lamar, a town of 3,000 or so about an hour away from Springfield. His church only has 32 members but is in the process of growing….a situation not unfamiliar to Angel as he was deployed to Kuwait in 2004 and organized a church at Camp Arifjan. He spoke of how he had prayed for the Lord to grow the church by one person per week, and the church ended up gaining over 300 members. Amazing story, and amazing how the Lord allowed Angel and I to cross paths.

After you read all this, send up a quick prayer for Kenny Smith and Angel Grajirenesortiz, that the Lord would continue to bless them mightily. They were a huge blessing to me in even just the short conversations that we had, and I thank God for the opportunity to have met such great people.