Norm's Notes 3-9-18 - Fairview Missionary Church

Norm’s Notes March 9, 2018

Short Stories of People God Brought Across My Path This Week

The man and woman who thought they were a couple but are actually living in an adulterous affair. I think I helped them see things from a different point of view but I did not change their life style. There are a lot of hurting families in this one.

The single mom whose “boyfriend” stole her very large tax refund and spent it at the casino. (Have you ever noticed there is SIN in the middle of caSINos?) We paid several of her smaller bills to keep water and lights on, hoping to not get her car repossessed. She has a $10 per hour job. I told her we could help more if she would call the police on him (he needs an orange suit!). She would not call the police. On this one I took off my pastor hat and had some choice words to call him and it was not “rascal”!

A friend from a decade ago who has called a few times over the years called this week. She said the only time she has ever been off drugs was when she lived in Angola and attended Fairview. She had a knee replaced and then got a staph infection. Last Friday they amputated her leg above the knee. Her husband is in jail for long term – drug dealing – and her son lives with her in-laws. She wants to come to the Angola WIT house (Women In Transition) to get cleaned up again. I told her we would pay for her rent there if it gets her started over again.

A man and woman stopped by to ask for money to get to Indy because her uncle was dying there. I gave them $30 in Wal-Mart cards for gas. She said she used to attend youth group here. He asked where the nursery was and red flags went very high up the pole when he asked that! We talked for a while then he said the nursery was where he used to have court ordered supervised visitation with his kids and child protective services. (The red flag came back down then.) Our nursery is used by CPS for those purposes on occasion.

A young man called who asked if we could put him up at a pay-by-the-week hotel, just for 3 nights, until he got paid. Another pastor in town suggested he call. We talked for a while. He has a job and I agreed to help him out. I called the hotel he wanted to go to, a place where they know me, and asked if they could put up “John Doe”. There was this long pause on their end. I heard the desk ladies talking. They really do have compassion and want to help if at all possible but they had to say no. The last time he stayed there were drugs, police, mess, etc.

One last one: this one is very good. Amber, her real name, does not attend Fairview yet. December 2017 she and her landlord stopped by to see if we could help with her rent. The landlord vouched for her. I said yes to this and she said she would work it off. She stared work the next day. She had elbow surgery that made it so she could not run a sweeper for 6 weeks. I thought she had worked it all off but she came this week to tell us she still owed us an hour’s work, $7. She is of the most conscientious people we have had here.

There have been others God has brought my way too. Who is God bringing your way to help?

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Easter Musical “Who Do You Say I Am? ” Schedule

Thursday, March 29, 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday, March 30, 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 31, 7:00 p.m.

Easter Sunday, April 1, 10:00 a.m.

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See you Sunday!

Norm