Do you ever do what I did this morning? Personally I like to have my daily quiet time pretty soon after waking; for me it sets the pace for my day and gets me started on the right foot. Plus the longer I go into my day, the harder it seems to get back to read the Bible and have my prayer time. Well, that is exactly what happened this morning; I went in my office, checked e-mail, got involved in checking Facebook, and before I knew it, almost an hour had passed since I woke up.
My reading today was in I Samuel 16 where verse 7 spoke to me: “For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
Create in me a clean heart, dear Lord, one that follows after You first; one that seeks Your direction and guidance for my day.
I shouldn’t have been surprised when I read the entry for June 15 on the LWML perpetual calendar, taken from Alma Kern’s book, You Are Special: “When love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control are evident in our lives, we will be beautiful– not just to look at but also to live with.”
Lord, work the complete package, the fruit of the Spirit, in me and in my heart. And thanks, too, Lord for bringing it all together for me today, and every day!

Enjoy your time in God’s Word and your walk with The Word made flesh, Jesus Christ!

I was on a flight from Springfield, Missouri, to Chicago, Illinois, where I would catch a flight to Milwaukee, my destination. The Missouri District LWML convention had ended and I was on my way home. The flight attendant came down the aisle offering beverages to the passengers. When he got to me, he said, “Would you like something to drink, Ms. Wendorf?” My initial reaction was that I had forgotten to take my name badge off when I was finished at the convention, but that was not the case! He knows my name!

Some background information: our flight had been delayed several hours due to severe weather in the Chicago area; had the flight attendant wiled away the time memorizing the seating chart for the flight? Or did he have a paper on his cart with the names listed? I won’t know for sure.

One thing that I do know for sure, and that is He knows my name! And that is a capital “H” for He. My dear Lord Jesus knows my name; I have been called by name in the waters of baptism. The background information for that fact is in His Word, the Bible.

Thank You, Lord, for Your Word; thank You that You know my name.

This afternoon I was attending the Executive Committee meeting of the Missouri District LWML. We had just talked about the grants on the national level; the print out that they had was dated April 12, 2010. I was able to tell them that checks had been mailed out earlier this week, and to check our LWML website for the latest update.

We went on to the next order of business when I “happened” to reach into my purse and get my cell phone out; it was on silent mode, but I noticed the screen showed an incoming call from Dr. Tom Zehnder, Executive Director of LCMS World Mission. I slipped out of the room to take the call; when he calls it is something important!

Dr. Zehnder shared with me what had just happened in the offices of LCMS World Mission; there is a large bell that is rung whenever there is news to share with the staff. The bell was rung, and the staff gathered round to hear the news…which was  LCMS World Mission had just received a check from LWML for over $160,000, in partial payment of four grants on the national level! They were praising God for His timing in this gift, which by the way had been requested in December 2009, and it was only this past week that the funds were available to pay some grants!

Those of you who know me can imagine the tears welling up in my eyes as I realized the celebration in St. Louis was going on while we were talking about the updates and grants being paid; Missouri District President Janice Rose was gracious enough to allow me to interrupt the agenda, put Dr. Zehnder on speaker phone and have him share with those at the meeting what he had just told me.

Wow; can you tell why I love this position that the Lord has called me to serve in as president? Thank You Lord, for your perfect timing! And thank you for supporting the mission grants with your prayers and your gifts.

Today I traveled to Springfield, Missouri, for the Missouri District LWML convention, which meant waking up at 4 a.m. for my flight to Chicago. How exciting it was to be at O’Hare airport the day after the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup. Seeing the newspaper headlines and people decked out in Blackhawks shirts was fun. Couldn’t help but think of the time when all who are in Christ Jesus will receive their crown of glory; much better than any earthly crown or treasure.

I was waiting in the gate area for my flight to Springfield when I received a phone call; the woman who called me decided that the call should wait until I am back from the convention next week. Good thing, as I hung up the phone I herd the announcement, “Final call for boarding American flight to Springfield, Missouri.” If I had continued on that phone call, I might well have missed my flight; thank You Lord, for directing every aspect of my trip!

Friday morning, June 4, I had the opportunity to meet someone who has a long-standing connection with LWML, Mr. Nicholas Salifu. Mr. Salifu is currently studying at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, and will graduate in December. He is from Ghana, and will return there to serve as a pastor. Mr. Salifu was at the airport when I arrived; Pastor Troxel was driving both of us to the Central Illinois District Convention.

We in the LWML first heard about Mr. Salifu in a video that was shown at the LWML convention in Fort Worth in 1987. The LWML had funded the production of a video that highlighted his life,  serving as an interpreter for LCMS missionaries where God’s Word was planted in His heart. The Lord found Salifu and he was converted, leaving the Muslim doctrine that his father had embraced. Salifu went back to his home village, led Bible studies and meetings in his home, sharing what he had learned about Jesus Christ. The result was documented in the video, Salifu’s Harvest, which showed large numbers of villagers being baptized, by the missionary, in the name of the Triune God.

Now I wasn’t at that convention; I was home with three young children. I did talk with Alberta Barnes who was president at that convention. She told me that everyone was so encouraged by the video; the lights went up and standing at the podium was a man who said, “I am Salifu!” She described it as an electrifying moment. Only a few people knew that he was going to be there, it was a top secret. I guess it was quite an experience for those who were there. I do know that there were quite a few of the women from the Central Illinois District who were at Fort Worth; they were eager to see Salifu again and hear his story.

What a delight it was to see his presentation and hear of how the Lord has used him to spread the gospel and to study further, culimnating in attending the seminary.So here we are some 23 years later, seeing the results of mite money that was given to support LCMS missionaries and projects in cooperation with LCMS World Mission. It doesn’t get much better than this! God allows us to get a glimpse into the work that He is doing through our gifts and prayers.

My weekly radio interview on KFUO this past Tuesday, June 8, was all about Salifu; often the programs are archived on KFUO and then also available on our LWML website, under the news section.

Thank you Lord, for faithful missionaries who share your Word; thank you for those who provide funding so missionaries can go where you are calling; thank you for letting us see You at work n our world. Thank you for the ministry of Nicholas Salifu; bless him in the final preparations for becoming a pastor in Your church.

Friday morning, June 4, I flew from Milwaukee to St. Louis to get a ride to Quincy, Illinois, where the Central Illinois District LWML Convention was going to be held. As I have often said, travel these days is not too much fun, but it is a great way to get somewhere fast. In the case of St. Louis it is about a 50 minute flight versus an 8 hour drive. Enough said! It was very cold in the terminal so I had gotten a cup of hot tea that was way too hot to drink; why do they do that? Oh well, I decided to take it on board with me and sip it after it cooled. The plane that I was on was a small regional jet with very small overhead compartments. My computer case did not fit; it did fit under the seat, if you count overlapping into the foot space of the person next to me. that seat was vacant, so I had a possibility that it would remain so. However, jsut a few minutes before the door closed a young man came and took the seat; he was dressed casually in shorts, a polo shirt and tennis shoes; this becomes important later on. He was very gracious and said that he had plenty of room for his feet under the seat in front of us; thank you Lord, for placing a kind man next to me! About 20 minutes into the flight I was engrossed in my book, and somehow bumped that cup of tea that was on my tray…right onto my seat mate! Talk about a gracious man; he quickly jumped up and got some paper towels from the flight attendant and we mopped up the tea. Thankful for several things: the tea had cooled considerably, so no one was burned; the lid did hold and not too much tea was spilled; and (remember) he was wearing casual, washable clothes. Whew! My jacket will have to be dry cleaned. For the rest of the trip we talked; he is a pipe-fitter, traveling to where the work on nuclear power plants is located, keeping his family in Milwaukee. He is a native of Puerto Rico, and convinced me that is one place I want to see. We talked about the Lord and our faith in Jesus.
Thank you, Lord, for directing my steps, and my missteps!

A little confession here, I have tried to quit drinking “soda” or “pop” or “soda pop” or “soft drinks,” whatever you call them. I know there are chemicals in them that are not good for my body; they are expensive; and they may cause me to eat more. All things I really should avoid.

Recently I had decided to stop, again. I was on day #1 and had done pretty well, so far. On the way home from doing some errands, I decided to drive through McDonald’s and order a large soft drink, to reward myself for getting lots done that day. As I was approaching, my cell phone rang, and I took the call. I wasn’t about to be rude and try to juggle a phone conversation with a fast food order, so I drove right by, without my beverage.

Saved by the bell, or the “ring” of my cell phone. Thank You, Lord, for timing things and for intervening in my life that day. You care even about the small details of my life. You took care of the biggest detail when Jesus died and rose for my sins.

Thank You, I think? No, thank You, I know!

Do you ever find yourself overhearing things, like phone conversations? On a recent flight the woman in back of me was making a phone call before the cabin door closed and all phones had to be turned off…and that is why she was calling. She was asking for help to turn off her cell phone! I thought that was pretty funny and had a little laugh over that.
Wouldn’t you know it, the very next day I got a new cell phone. Then I was the woman trying frantically to turn off her cell phone!
Reminds me of the saying that when you point a finger at someone three of your fingers are pointing back at you. I should have known better, would you agree?

Thanks be to God for His gift of forgiveness, especially when I should have known better.

This past weekend I attended the Atlantic District LWML Convention in Suffern, New York. While there I met a long time LWML member, Enid. She is 85 years old, attends most of the district retreats and events. Why, she even travelled to this convention all by herself…except for her seeing eye dog.
Enid has been blind since birth, but it seems that she hasn’t let that stop her from much at all. She worked in a job for over 40 years, participates in her church services, and is quite independent.
Did I tell you that she rode a train, then took a bus, and when she got off the bus someone helped her get a taxi that brought her to the hotel where the convention was located. Pretty amazing, isn’t it? Somehow, all of my excuses for missing a meeting or event seem pretty lame.

Lord, thank you for crossing my path with Enid’s; the joy she has in Jesus her Savior radiates from her face. Thank you, too, Lord for how you teach me and put things in perspective for me. And thanks, too, Lord, for safe travel, especially for Enid.

Saturday evening I was sitting at the dinner table with guests at the Atlantic District Convention; in the course of conversation, someone had asked me where I had lived; I mentioned that we had lived outside of Cleveland for 22 yeas. A little later one of the women asked where specifically “outside” of Cleveland, and was it anywhere near Painesville? Well, it was Painesville; turns out that her husband, as a child, had been a member of the same church, and had been baptized there. His baptismal sponsors were the parents of the woman I had mentioned in a previous entry, You Have Mail.
This is all tying together in a wonderful way showing God is in the details…the woman who asked about Painesville was not a member of the Atlantic District. She was there manning the display for Concordia Publishing House. We just happened to be sitting at the same table that evening.

Some might say that it is a small, Lutheran world!