Giving Above All Else…Our family desires to always be thankful for the prayers and support we receive from churches and individuals.  We know that the sacrifices of Christians to carry out the Great Commission is only because of God’s grace.  These last few months have once again reminded us of that fact.  At one particular conference, our family was seated on the platform as families, couples, and individuals brought gifts to each member of our family.  The service was truly overwhelming as the unique displays of love were presented to each of us.  However, the letter we received in one particular card will never be forgotten.  The letter was from a Bible college student who had participated in giving to our family that night.  An excerpt from that letter reads,

“When I left church that night and headed for dinner, I had still wished I could do more.  After I finished eating in the dining commons, I started to make my way across the church parking lot to go back to the dormitories.  As I was walking, I was staring at the ground.  Out of nowhere the wind blew a twenty dollar bill right in front of me and it stopped there, and did not move away from me.  As I stared at it for a few seconds to make sure I wasn’t seeing anything, I said, ‘Lord this is from You, so I can be a blessing to the Shadle family.  I picked up the twenty dollar bill and put it in my pocket to give to you.  I wanted to share this story with you to be an encouragement.  The Lord still works in mysterious ways, and always provides.  It is not much, but I know you can use it for your ministry.  Thank you for surrendering your lives to the Lord, to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Eric Shadle, Ethiopia