Author Archives: Lynda Stringer

Community prays for officers

Posted on by Lynda Stringer
July 10, 2016 | By LYNDA STRINGER

IMG_0131A hastily organized prayer vigil to support local law enforcement drew hundreds to downtown Mount Pleasant Sunday night.

Members of the local minister’s union, chaplain’s association and the Mount Pleasant NAACP organized the gathering at the Bell Tower across from the Titus County Courthouse in the wake of the tragic police shootings in Dallas last week.

“Everyone has come together here today to express solidarity and support of our local law enforcement,” Rev. Lenn Deloney, president of the Mount Pleasant Minister’s Union, said following the event. “God is bigger than the problems we have.”

Deloney, pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church, said he and his fellow pastors are committed to renewing a dialogue that will fulfill a hope of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that a man or woman is not judged by the color of their skin, but the nature of their character.

“Right now there are turbulent times in our country and we are glad to see these several hundred people coming together. That says that people care,” Deloney said.

Rev. David Anderson, pastor of Calvary Chapel and a police chaplain, said the focus of his prayer was healing and bringing the community together. He said since the tragic ambush that killed five police officers in Dallas, the major concern officers have communicated to him is that everyone is being lumped together and lines are being drawn.

“We can’t have lines being drawn in a country where we are supposed to serve one another,” Anderson said. “The idea behind this vigil was to break down some of those barriers and show that we are in this together.”

The ministers and the public prayed over and showed support for Mount Pleasant Police officers, Titus County Sheriff’s deputies and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, a gesture they were deeply grateful for.

“DPS Capt. Michael Scullin, who was at home Thursday night when he began getting word of the shootings, said tragedies like this one affect the whole law enforcement community.

“It’s very stressful because an attack on one is an attack on us all,” Scullin said. “It puts us all on a higher stress level with our families wondering if we’re coming home.”

He said the prayer vigil showed him and his fellow troopers, officers, deputies and agents that “evil will not win.”

“Good will triumph,” Scullin said.

Mount Pleasant Police Chief Wayne Isbell called the Dallas shootings disgusting, especially because they were protecting those protesting the recent police-involved

shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana. He said the shooter “ripped out the protest message, wadded it up and threw it away.”

 

He thanked the community for their show of support and praised the local chaplains who volunteer countless hours to minister to the officers entrusted as the peacekeepers and protectors of the community.

Mayor Pro Tem Robert Nance said the community must not respond to the national events by pointing fingers.

“We need to come together to solve the problem. It’s time to get back to our first love, to get back to God,” Nance said. “Taking guns off the street won’t make any difference until somebody has a change of heart. We need to start respecting our neighbors, our police, our schools and each other. We don’t love when we don’t respect.”

Titus County Judge Brian Lee said prayers spoken over Mount Pleasant at every level gives him comfort.

“Christ has provided a blanket over this community, especially over our law enforcement,” Lee said.

Sheriff Tim Ingram said his heart was broken over the senseless shootings and the vigil was the beginning of the healing process.

“What a powerful statement from Rev. Kirthell Roberts to say, ‘all lives matter,’” Ingram said. “It gives me a sense of peace and strength to know that we can conquer anything that happens here when you have that kind of support.”

Lynda Stringer is a Mount Pleasant-based freelance writer and owner of Stringer Media. Contact her at Lynda.Stringer@outlook.com.

 

Trinity lights up sky for 4th

Posted on by Lynda Stringer
June 30, 2016 | By LYNDA STRINGER

The Trinity Baptist Church campus in Mount Pleasant will be packed this Sunday night as thousands gather to watch the spectacular fireworks show the church has been hosting for two decades.

The event kicks off at 7 p.m. with free activities for kids, concessions available, live music and even George Washington will make an appearance.

“Our pastor, Mike Kessler started it with the community. This is our 20th anniversary,” said Trinity Worship Pastor Daniel Evans. “It’s an opportunity for Trinity to give back to the community and to show them the love of Christ and put on a free fireworks show and patriotic celebration.”

Evans said each year, the fireworks draw several thousand people in the area including those watching at Independence Day barbeques at homes in the surrounding neighborhoods and an estimated 3,000 that bring their lawn chairs and blankets to the Trinity grounds to watch the pyrotechnics bursting in air.

“We want everyone to just come out to our campus and have a good time,” he said.

Before the fuses are lit on the fireworks, there’s plenty for families to do. All the activities start at 7 p.m. with inflatable water slides and bounce houses, face painting, temporary tattoos and other games for kids.

Concessions will be available for purchase, but coolers are allowed.

“While all the activities are going on we’ll have the same band we had last year, The Argyles. They are an awesome cover band who will entertain the adults while the kids play,” Evans said.

At 8:30 p.m., the stage shifts to a patriotic program, including songs, a salute to the military and a special guest speaker.

“We will celebrate our country’s birthday and recognize each branch of the military, those who served and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” Evans said.

Justice Josh Morriss, chief justice of the Sixth Court of Appeals in Texarkana, will perform a monologue.

“He dresses up as George Washington and he’ll read one of Washington’s letters. It’s a pretty neat deal,” Evans said.

The Trinity Worship Ministry will sing a patriotic song set that paints a picture of God and country, Evans said.

“We will sing patriotic songs that mention our reliance on God as a country, so God is definitely intertwined within the night,” he said.

The fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. and the show is expected to last 15 to 20 minutes.

Evans said with the current political and social climate, it is more important than ever to celebrate America’s founding with unity during the Independence Day holiday.

“Our country is pretty divided and this is a chance to unite together from different backgrounds, denominations, races and parts of the world to just celebrate the freedom we have to be different and honor those who fought for and stood up for that freedom,” Evans said.

Lynda Stringer is a Mount Pleasant-based freelance writer and the owner of Stringer Media. Contact her at Lynda.Stringer@outlook.com.

 

Softball tourney raises “Skylarships”

Posted on by Lynda Stringer

June 20, 2016 | By LYNDA STRINGER

 

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Contributed Photo/BECKY CARPENTER

 

 

Skylar Carpenter wasn’t that big on acing tests, so a co-ed softball tournament held in her memory raises money for scholarships that aren’t tied to grades, but to heart.

The 5th Annual Skylarship Foundation Benefit Softball Tournament is named for the Quitman High School student who was killed in a car accident in 2011 at age 15. The tournament will make its Mount Pleasant debut this Saturday at Heritage Park. It has been held in Quitman the past four years, but the family decided to move it to Mount Pleasant because they will be relocating to the area soon.

Skylar’s mom, Becky Carpenter, who founded One Day Closer Ministries following her daughter’s tragic death, said the co-ed slow pitch tournament has raised more than $28,000 in scholarships since it began.

“Of that amount, $25,000 has been East Texas scholarships and this year, we’ve given three international scholarships, two in Haiti and one in Honduras” Carpenter said. “In those countries, $1,200 funds a full year of university education.”

She said next year, the foundation plans to expand its scholarships to Guatemala and El Salvador.

That all depends on how much money is raised at the tournament, which has in the past drawn 15-18 co-ed slow pitch teams from highly competitive teams to church league teams.

The tournament will be held Saturday at Heritage Park in Mount Pleasant. The cost to enter is $200 per team. To register a team for the softball tournament, go to skylarshipfoundation.org or call Tournament Director Tammy Daniel, Skylar’s aunt, at 903-517-2725.

Carpenter said while her daughter wasn’t interested in getting a 4.0 grade point average like her sister Shelbi, who is now a teacher at Chapel Hill Elementary School, she did have aspirations of going to college.

“I was an educator and the one thing I got frustrated about as a high school teacher and principal was that just about every scholarship was tied to grades or athletics. Our scholarships are awarded based on the heart. I make them do an essay and tell me how they are going to make a positive impact on the world,” Carpenter said.

Because Skylar was so good with the elderly, Carpenter said she always thought her daughter would go into the medical field. After Skylar died, her daughter’s friends told her Skylar always said, “God has a plan for you and he’s gonna use you. I hope God can use me, too. I wanna change the world.”

“That was her thing and so many things like that came up that led us to starting this ministry,” Carpenter said. “The Skylarship Foundation was the first arm that we started immediately.”

Skylar played softball growing up and her cousins are big in the sport, so a benefit tournament was a natural first step for the ministry that now includes a communications arm led by Carpenter, who left her 25-year education career to launch the ministry. She is a Christian motivational speaker who takes her message to speaking events all over the country. There is a field missions arm that meets physical needs locally and around the world. There are also plans to build a Christian-focused retreat and conference center in the future.

Carpenter said she named the ministry after a prayer that got her through the dark days that followed Skylar’s death.

“After the wreck, it was really hard to function physically, so I leaned in on the Lord,” she said. “Every morning before my feet hit the floor I would say, ‘Lord, thank you for bringing me one day closer to that reunion with Skylar.’ The best advice I got was from a lady who also lost a child. She said, ‘Grieve. Grieve hard, but grieve forward.”

Since starting One Day Closer Ministries in 2014, Carpenter said she and her husband, David and daughter, Shelbi, have all learned surprising lessons from Skylar, whose Christian faith was unwavering and whose mission was to befriend and defend the outsiders.

One of the students who attended a candlelight vigil for her said, ‘Why Skylar? She’s the only one that was ever nice to me,’ Carpenter said.

Stories shared in a memory book her classmates made for their devastated principal included one of when Skylar was in elementary school.

“It told how she had punched a kid in the face, but that kid was a bully who had been making fun of a special needs kid,” Carpenter said.

Another student shared that his favorite memory of Skylar was when she hid in his locker and jumped out and threatened to continue every day until he agreed to come with her to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes meetings at school.

“He said he went and it was because of FCA that he came to know the Lord,” Carpenter said. “Those are the things that are embedded in me. It’s all about relationships. It has nothing to do with being behind stained glass windows inside a church building. She changed all of us.”

Lynda Stringer is a Mount Pleasant-based freelance writer and the owner of Stringer Media. Contact her at Lynda.Stringer@outlook.com.

 

First Cares4kids class graduates

Posted on by Lynda Stringer

June 7, 2016 | By LYNDA STRINGER

 

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Contributed Photo|TITUS COUNTY CARES

Cares4kids is Judy Lee’s baby.

 

She launched the local child sponsorship program in the fall of 2011 through her organization Titus County Cares.

The program matched 140 adult sponsors from the local community with 168 elementary school kids from Mount Pleasant, Harts Bluff and Winfield school  districts. The  $20 per month sponsorships provide school clothes, school  supplies with a backpack and letters from their sponsors throughout the year, as well as gifts for their birthdays, Christmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day.

The kids in the program, who remain matched with the same sponsor each year  they are eligible, are also automatically enrolled in Titus County Cares’ Empty Stocking program, which provides Christmas gifts and the Food4kids program, which sends them home at the end of the school week with a sack full of food.

This past school year, the program was open for students in first through fifth  grades, so that initial class of first-graders graduated  from the program, which was a bittersweet moment for Lee and her staff.

“I have attended most of the birthday parties and seen them grow. These  children are special to me, but it isn’t about me. I just happened to start the  program that God gave me a vision for,” Lee said.

Lee said the program plays an important part in Titus County Cares’ outreach efforts, and while most of the children won’t meet their sponsors, the impact they have made in their lives is immeasurable.

“They have made a difference in these kids’ lives. They love their sponsors. Somebody in our community cares for them, loves them, prays for them and provides for them,” Lee said. “That is a relationship that will stick with them for the rest of their lives.”

The lessons the students take away from the program as they age out are also life-changing.

“The quotes that we got from the kids says it all. When we started this program, it didn’t cross my mind that the kids would learn the lesson of how important it is to give back. But, several of them said when they grow up they want to give back and care for other people,” Lee said.

“I started seeing this several years ago and I realized that this is making a bigger difference than I had anticipated.”

Cares4kids Program Director Kim Hedges, who took over administration of the program two years ago, said it makes an impact on the sponsors as well.

“Many of the sponsors have been with the same child from the beginning and they really get attached.

It’s a neat opportunity for the sponsors to pray for the kids and write encouraging letters,” she said.

To sponsor a child for the 2016-2017 school year, contact Kim Hedges at Titus County Cares at 903-575-9157.

Lynda Stringer is a Mount Pleasant-based freelance writer and the owner of Stringer Media. Contact her at Lynda.Stringer@outlook.com.

Titus County Reads wraps up year

Posted on by Lynda Stringer

May 24, 2016 | By LYNDA STRINGER

 

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Contributed Photo|TITUS COUNTY CARES

 

 

Titus County Cares has closed the book on another successful Titus County Reads school year.

The program works a little differently than people might think about a reading program. The volunteers are paired up with a student for one-on-one reading time during the week. The kids read to the adults in most cases as a way to help them improve their reading skills.

“Volunteers enter the schools each week to read for 30 minutes with their first grade reading buddy,” said Mary Katherine Milam, Titus County Cares marketing director.

“The little girl I read to at Annie Simms, Natalia, loved to read to me, but sometimes she wanted to take turns, so I would read the left page and she would read the right page,” said Kim Crabb, who began volunteering with the program this year. “But, the boy I read to at E.C. Brice, Christian, he never read anything to me at all. He was so sweet, but he never said a thing to me all year. It kind of broke my heart, but on the other hand, Natalia talked plenty for him.”

Crabb said the little boy’s teacher said he was very shy, but very smart.

“She said, ‘He’s getting it, I promise,’” Crabb said. “I loved it, especially when you see them making progress.”

She said Natalia progressed through several reading levels.

“I wasn’t actually sure when I went into this how helpful it would be, but I was really impressed. I saw a lot of growth in her reading,” Crabb said.

More than 100 volunteers signed up for the program.

“Many special relationships have been formed while literacy was being promoted,” Milam said.

Crabb said she plans to volunteer again next year; she may even take on three students.

Every elementary student in Titus County received a new book and a book bag as the program wrapped up for the year.

“The books were taken to each elementary campus and laid out by grade level on tables in the lobby.  Each class came by and the children were able to choose which book they wanted to take home to keep and read,” said Titus County Cares Executive Director Judy Lee.

Milam said the most impressive part of the program is the community involvement. She said Judd Marshall, the superintendent of Mount Pleasant ISD has been a huge supporter.

“We owe much of our success of the program to his encouragement. At the first of the school year, he challenged all of his administrators to read with a student on a different campus from where they work.  It has been exciting to see these principals at different schools,” Milam said.

Milam said the children who get the one-on-one time with the same caring adult each week have been the biggest winners.

But, it has been pretty special for the grown-ups, too.

“Week after week the smile from my little buddy when he saw me made my day,” she said.

Lynda Stringer is a Mount Pleasant-based freelance writer and the owner of Stringer Media. Contact her at Lynda.Stringer@outlook.com.

 

Colonel donates Shields of Strength

Posted on by Lynda Stringer
May 20, 2016 | By LYNDA STRINGER

 

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Kellye Cooper displays a Shield of Strength| Photo by LYNDA STRINGER

 

 

 

Ministering Our Military received a surprise donation from a veteran who has been on a mission to “carry the load” for soldiers for many years.

U.S. Army (Ret.) Col. David Dodd recently learned about the Mount Pleasant-based organization and its efforts to support military troops and the Carry The Load National Relay, which makes its annual stop in Mount Pleasant on May 27.

M.O.M. hosts a rally and lunch for the Carry The Load team and invites active duty military, veterans, police officers, firefighters and first responders to a free lunch and the community to join them in the Mount Pleasant to Winfield leg of the Carry The Load Walk.

Dodd, who served in the military for more than 27 years, including two deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan, offered to donate “Shields of Strength” dog tag necklaces for the group to distribute to those who attend the rally. The necklaces come in a wide variety of styles and have Bible verses on the back.

Dodd will also walk with the Mount Pleasant team and will serve as the event’s keynote speaker.

Kellye Cooper, the co-founder of M.O.M. said Dodd contacted her saying he wanted to partner with the group and donate the dog tags for the rally, for Gold Star families and for every care package the group sends to military troops.

“I sent him an email that said, ‘This is great. I love the offer, but I don’t want to ask for too many’ and asked if they could give me an estimate of what I could ask for,” Cooper said. “Col. Dodd emailed me back and said, ‘We’re talking thousands. You ask and we’ll provide.’ He said that when they can no longer provide, God will find a way.”

Cooper said more than 1,000 people attended the rally last year at the Mount Pleasant/Titus County Chamber & Visitor’s Center. The rally starts at 10:30 a.m., with the national relay team will arriving at around 11 a.m.

“They are providing a Shield of Strength for every single person that attends. I have one for every first responder, one for every member of M.O.M. with the appropriate branch of service. and also, they sent folded flag Shields for every Gold Star family that attends.”

Cooper said she can’t put into words what the generous offer means to her group.

“I have probably cried more tears over this than anything in a long time. This is unbelievable to me,” she said. “I’m absolutely blown away.”

The Shields of Strength necklaces were created by Kenny Vaughan, the story of which is told in his book of the same name. Vaughan won the 1996 national championship in water-ski jumping after striving for the title for 15 years.

Dodd, a man of deep faith, came across Shields of Strength while serving in the Army. He found soldiers wearing the dog tags they had attached to their military issue tags. The Shields had the verse from Joshua 1:9 inscribed on them: “I will be strong and courageous. I will not be terrified or discouraged, for the Lord my God is with me wherever I go.”

While on active duty, Dodd handed out more than 10,000 Shields of Strength tags to members of the Armed Forces, military families and senior U.S. and international leaders.

He told Cooper that he’s never seen a ministry that changed lives the way the Shields of Strength ministry has.

“He said he could try to give people Bibles all day long and they wouldn’t accept them, but if he gave them that Shield, they would attach it to their dog tags and somewhere along the line, they’d read the scripture and come back later and ask about it,” Cooper said. “We always said this ministry was about God, that we wanted God to be foremost and what better way to present this than in a way that people will accept it.”

Dodd said he has a special request for those who receive a Shield at the rally.

“We will ask them to wear the Shield and when they see a member of the Armed Forces or a First Responder, to thank them for their service and give them their Shield of Strength.”

The idea ties perfectly into the mission of Carry The Load, which seeks to bring back the true meaning of Memorial Day and honors the military and those who serve their communities in first responder roles.

“The word picture created by Carry The Load is powerful on many levels. Warriors do carry heavy loads of combat gear and equipment. Often they carry heavy mental and emotional loads,” Dodd said. “They will carry the load as far and as long as they possibly can without asking for help. That is how they are wired, to carry the load for others.”

The Shields of Strength will be an additional gesture from a grateful community to a deserving few who take on the challenge to serve.

Lynda Stringer is a Mount Pleasant-based freelance writer and the owner of Stringer Media. Contact her at Lynda.Stringer@outlook.com.

 

Jo’s collects diapers for needy tushies

Posted on by Lynda Stringer
Caroline Blackard-Jos Diaper Drive

Caroline Blackard donates to Jo’s diaper drive.|Photo By LYNDA STRINGER

May 13, 2016 | By LYNDA STRINGER

The first thing a parent does when their baby is crying is check their diaper. But, what if it needs changing and there are no diapers left in the bag? That’s a dilemma many families in need face and when they turn to Titus County Cares for help, right now, they are being turned away.

“Titus County Cares has been out of diapers for two months,” said Caroline Blackard, the acting manager at Jo’s Coffee Shop, which launched a diaper drive Friday for the organization to help meet the need. Many of the staff have small children and understand what a huge issue it can be for parents. Blackard said Belle Baker, the mom of a 2-year-old boy, is the leading force behind the drive.

“Where she lived before there was a place where foster families could pick up things like that, so she has been involved with diaper drives before,” Blackard said.

The staff reached out to Titus County Cares to find out what their situation was with their stores of diapers. The organization said Kimberly Clark had donated seven pallets of diapers a little over a year ago, which lasted six months.

“Since then they have taken cash donations to buy diapers, but they haven’t had any children’s diapers to hand out at all for a few months now,” Blackard said.

Jo’s has set a goal of collecting 5,000 diapers during the campaign, which will run through June 18. That should provide a 10-week supply of diapers for the organization. Titus County Cares will distribute the diapers to parents who qualify for financial assistance and have been verified to have children three years of age or younger living in the home.

“This is something our employees decided to do to give back to the community,” Blackard said. “It’s something that is near and dear to their hearts.”

When donors brings in a box of 100 diapers, they will receive a free 12 ounce drink from the coffee bar. For a bag of diapers, customers will receive $2 off their purchase.

Blackard said the diaper drive is the latest community service project the coffee shop has been involved in. Jo’s, which part of Ark Ministries, just wrapped up a weeklong sale of blueberry muffins provided by Pearl’s Kitchen at the end of April. For each muffin sold, Jo’s donated $2 to CASA of Titus, Camp and Morris Counties. Jo’s had an anonymous matching donor as well.

“We had a goal to sell 250 muffins and we met that on the last day. With the matching donation, we were able to give CASA $1,000,” Blackard said.

The coffee shop is also planning a pet portrait day to raise money for the Mount Pleasant Animal Shelter.

 

MP observes National Day of Prayer

Posted on by Lynda Stringer

May 6, 2016 | By LYNDA STRINGER

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Photo by LYNDA STRINGER

 

Pictured from left, Daniel Evans, Dawna Land and Gustavo Caamal pray together on a bench outside the Titus County Courthouse for National Day of Prayer Thursday morning. 

Prayer gatherings sprouted up around Mount Pleasant on Thursday as the annual National Day of Prayer observance was held across the country.

The events were loosely organized in a come and go style at the Titus County Courthouse early in the morning and at noon and mid-morning at Heav’nly Foods using the national theme, “Wake Up America.”

On Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott proclaimed May 5 as the Texas National Day of Prayer at the state’s NDP breakfast in Austin. The date coincided with the national observance held every year on the first Thursday in May.

“These are trying times, and there is an urgent need to pray. America is at a time of crisis as some try to silence the faithful and purge God from the public square,” Abbott said at the prayer breakfast.

Karen Oakerson, Trinity Baptist Church Preschool Minister and Community Involvement Director, organized the Thursday morning prayer gathering at the courthouse.

“We wanted an opportunity for believers in our community from all different denominations to come together and pray in the Lord’s name and pray over our community, our nation and our state and also to take individual prayer requests,” Oakerson said.

Jeremy Thomas, Pastor of Center Church said the event was a great opportunity for the community and the different churches to come together.

“I noticed a lot of emphasis in praying for our city and for God to work in our city and our nation and I think that’s always important, especially in the times that we’re in,” Thomas said.

“It’s important to have unity of the believers in a town and in our country, so it’s a great way to do that.”Abbott said.  “We live in the greatest country in the history of the world, but we must also realize how our nation has become broken” and that “our nation was founded by the rule of law originally handed down by Moses. We have strayed from that law.”

He said Americans can use opportunities to be a witness for God’s grace not just on designated prayer days, but every day.

“We must do this if we are to steer America back on course,” Abbott said. 

“We must never be shaken. America must never be shaken. As long as we build our fortress on the rock of God, America will never be shaken.”

For the May 5th observances, Dr. Tony Evans, the 2016 Honorary Chairman, wrote a special prayer to be simultaneously read throughout the nation at noon.

Lynda Stringer is a Mount Pleasant, TX-based freelance writer and owner of Stringer Media. Contact her at Lynda.Stringer@outlook.com.

Photographer yearns for lasting change

Posted on by Lynda Stringer

March 26, 2016 | By LYNDA STRINGER

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Photo by LYNDA STRINGER

 

Professional photographer Sam Guzman is surrounded by his collection of vintage cameras in his studio in downtown Mount Pleasant. 

The owner of Sam Guzman Photography in Mount Pleasant is preparing for his fifth mission trip to Guatemala this summer with a small team who will work through the organization Believe Guatemala.

Guzman recently held a unique event to raise funds for the trip — a gallery auction of his work on canvas that featured live music, refreshments and wine.

“People said they felt like they were at an art show in Dallas,” said Guzman, who was pleased with the turnout and the response to his photography collection that he shot at scenic sites around the country and images from his previous mission trip.

The event was held at Jo’s Downtown on March 18 and raised $1,900 that will cover his travel and personal expenses while he’s there in July. He is working on raising about $2,000 to fund the projects he’ll undertake while there.

He hasn’t nailed down those projects yet and says his experience there in 2015 has given him a new sense of God’s hand in the planning.

When he landed in Guatemala last summer he planned to buy mattresses for an orphanage. Frustratingly, that plan fell through because the orphanage had changed ownership and the new owners would not accept his help.

Guzman was in a cluster of communities that grew up around a massive trash dump and the living conditions are dire. He admits he was looking for a project elsewhere because finding something that would make that lasting difference, he felt at the time, was too overwhelming.

“I asked the team there, ‘What do you need?’ and it’s not just one thing. It’s a thousand things, so I put The Dump to the side. It seemed too impossible. I couldn’t even imagine making a change there,” he said.

Guzman shared that his idea of making a lifelong change in people’s lives on his one-week trip came out of an article he read that convicted him of his reason for going in the first place. He had been on medical mission trips before with his wife, Stephanie Guzman, a registered nurse, where he served as a translator, admitting that he only went because she wanted him to go.

“But, I was really heartbroken for these people and I wanted to do more. When you go on a mission trip it changes you,” he said.

The article chastised people who go on mission trips for their own personal reasons, to see firsthand the living conditions of the poorest of the poor. It questioned how much difference a week can actually make and criticized Christians for imposing their beliefs on people.

“I used to be a box checker. Go to church, check, go on a mission trip, check that off and never go again. What that article did for me was ‘Game on, challenge accepted,” said Guzman, who is a member of Center Church and claims no denominational ties. “I’m just someone who has felt called to do this and show God’s love and if they want to know why and that opens a door to the conversation about whether they know Jesus Christ, then that’s OK.”

Sharing his faith, however, seemed farthest from his mind when he was faced with doors closing on ministry projects. It took a pastor’s wife and congregation of Guatemalans praising God for him to realize his true purpose in the poverty-ravaged landscape so far from the beauty in the images at his auction. Digging deep to expose his inner demons during a conversation in his small studio, Guzman shared the shortcomings that haunt him.

“I’m a procrastinator, I didn’t finish my degree. It makes me feel irresponsible and less qualified. I’m right with God, but I feel intimidated to be the head of this and to organize a team,” he said.

Those feelings of inadequacy brewed into a storm of frustration, and he found himself mad at God as he walked into that Sunday service with just two days left to accomplish what he promised his donors he would.

With emotion welling up in sharing the intimate story, Guzman said he knelt down in the sanctuary of the dark church with familiar Hillsong worship songs surrounding him and spilled his guts out to God.

“I started complaining and telling God, ‘You need to get someone else, someone more qualified, someone smarter, someone that manages their time better. I don’t want to be here. I want to be home with my family, my kids. I don’t even know if they’re safe.’ I’m saying all of that and the pastor’s wife put her arms over me and she says, ‘God is telling me to tell you something right now,’” he said.

He felt uncomfortable with the gesture, but he listened to her soft voice anyway.

“She says, ‘God told me to tell you to stop being scared. Your family is safe and there’s no one else. Stop worrying whether you’re qualified or smart. God can do all things. He doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called,” he said.

Her words stunned him.

“I’m losing it because I’ve never experienced anything like that before. You hear about God listening to your prayers, but having them answered right in that moment?” he said.

So, in that moment, he heard God’s answer and he went back to the team working with The Dump and in his last two days there provided desks for an after-school community center, bought backpacks and school supplies, painted walls and bought cubby holes to make the building more like a school setting.

“We started checking those boxes off,” he said laughing. “I had a newfound faith after that.”

He already knows some of the needs there for this trip, including bunk beds, raincoats, concrete floors and water filters, but he is trusting a higher power to work it all out.

“Yes, I am in a hurry to know what I am going to do this summer, but in the end, I know God is going to do it,” he said.

Lynda Stringer is a Mount Pleasant, TX-based freelance writer and owner of Stringer Media. Contact her at Lynda.Stringer@outlook.com.

Ministries partner to offer life skills

Posted on by Lynda Stringer

March 24, 2016 | By LYNDA STRINGER

canstock8273718A series of Thursday night classes that begins tonight at Titus County Cares seeks to give people facing economic challenges a boost.

Life STEP, which stands for Skills Training Empowering People, includes personal money management, job skills training, meal planning on a budget and health and wellness tips.

The first week’s session is on financial management taught by Danny Muskrat. Week two’s session on March 31, led by Jeffrey Crab, will teach students how to properly fill out a job application and how to conduct themselves in a job interview. The third session on April 7 will be taught by Tennison Memorial United Methodist Church Pastor Mike Cline.

“That class will teach you how to grocery shop and prepare a meal using a lot of the items at the TCC food pantry,” said Caroline Blackard, a member of Center Church which is partnering with TCC to launch the new program.

The final week’s class on healthy lifestyles will be taught by Leah Crabb and Stephanie Guzman, Center Church members and registered nurses.

“They will be teaching healthy eating and basic medicines that you should have on hand to keep your family healthy,” Blackard said.While the classes are going on, there will be games and activities for the kids. That part will be organized by Center Church member Sarah Muskrat.

Crabb, who serves on the Titus County Cares board is also a member of Center Church, but he stresses that while his church is launching the program, they are reaching out to other churches and organizations in the community to get involved with the new ministry outreach.

“Right now it’s mostly Center Church people leading it, but it’s not a Center Church thing. We expect that if it does well and grows, we will need help from the community,” he said. Titus County Cares volunteers and National Honor Society students will be involved when the classes kick off. Crabb said this type of outreach has been something Titus County Cares has talked about for years.

“Our vision is so much more than just feeding people. Yes, we’re an emergency food pantry, but beyond that, we yearn to help these families in trying situations get out of those situations,” he said. “We talk about how we can better equip them to find a job, to manage their money. That’s been a conversation for a long time.”

The classes are open to anyone in the community not just TCC customers and having the classes at the community organization’s facility rather than at a church, regardless of denomination, is a more neutral location for many people who might not attend church.

“The facility fit the need of empowering people with knowledge in a place where they may feel more comfortable and a place that is centrally located,” Crabb said.

Center Church Pastor Jeremy Thomas said the program aligns with his congregation’s vision “to be a light in our city and make our city a better place.”

“We are looking for where God is working and joining him. He’s working at Titus County Cares, so it is a great partnership,” Thomas said.

The classes begin at 6 p.m. at the Titus County Cares building at 301 N. Edwards Ave. in Mount Pleasant.

After the 45-minutes classes, Crabb said there will be a time of fellowship and a cookout.

“We want to love on them. We’re here to love these people; we want to come together in that way, eat a meal and serve each other in that way,” he said.

For more information about the Life STEP classes, call Titus County Cares at 903-575-9157.

Lynda Stringer is a Mount Pleasant, TX-based freelance writer and owner of Stringer Media. Contact her at Lynda.Stringer@outlook.com.