Watching God Work!

Sometimes God provides gentle, or not so gentle, reminders that He is still at work even when we don't perceive it.
I spent the last few days in Abilene. It was like going home. I preached for the 11th and Willis congregation for 4 years. My life was preaching and working my way through graduate school. Pat's life was children. On any given day, she provided day and after-school care for as many as 12 kids. I've already nominated her for sainthood. Some of our closest friends are the parents of those kids Pat loved and cared for. One couple was Tony and Kiki Ganniron.
Both Tony and Kiki are from Hawaii. They have three beautiful girls. We became fast friends. They didn't attend church, knew I was a preacher and liked us anyway. We knew they were unique. We went camping together, spent evenings at the park, and just shared our lives. Before we moved, Kiki would occasionally attend church with us but Tony seldom joined her. We just continued to love them and tried, in every way we knew how, to be Jesus to them and their family. When we left Abilene in 1995, one of our heartbreaks was leaving this family that we had grown to love.
Fast Forward 10 Years!
Last Sunday I was sitting in the Highland Church in Abilene. During an early segment of their worship, they flashed pictures of families who had placed membership at Highland that week. The speaker introduced each family to the congregation. The third picture to flash on the screen was a picture of the Gannirons: Kiki, three beautiful girls, AND Tony. Tears fill my eyes, even now, as I type. My first phone call after the "Amen," was to Pat. What a gift. God allowed us to play a part in that beautiful family coming to know Him and had other Jesus-followers reach into their lives after we parted ways.
Sunday was a little piece of heaven for me. Only in heaven will we see all the ways God has used us. Only there will we see the results of all the seeds planted on our journey through this life. I'm not sure why the Gannirons placed membership that particular week, or why we decided to attend Highland for a second worship experience that Sunday morning. All I know is that God found a way to say to me: "Brent, I'm still here, still working. The people you love, I love them too. And I am working to bring both of you home to me."
I didn't get to hug the Gannirons Sunday. I think they had attended an earlier service. But, through God's grace, I will see them again . . .
Paul said: "...The Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers..." 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 (NIV)