Do you know what butterscotch candy is? It is delicious and nostalgic for me. Do you know what a peanut butter bar is? No this is not one of those expensive bars of candy, it is a very small individually wrapped candy with brown stripes on a clear wrapper.
Well, when I was little around 1995, there was a van that came to my house every Sunday. It would pick me and my sister up and it would take us to First Baptist Church in Galena Park Texas, where Pastor Weber would address the congregation, and Mrs. Ethridge, my third grade teacher, would play the organ.
The van not only picked up me and my sister, but other foster kids all over Galena Park Texas. We spent most Sunday mornings in Sunday School enjoying snacks and bible stories. We spent most summers at Vacation Bible School where they had an amazing snow cone stand! As a former children's ministry leader, let's just say their Vacation Bible School Rocks in comparison to mine my church is much smaller.
Now back to the van. I do not remember the name of the man that used to pick us up, but I remember exactly what he looked like. He had a sharp haircut with completely gray hair. A white man that always wore these glasses that would shade when the sun hit them. He usually dressed in a button-down white shirt with some slacks to match. He had kind eyes and laugh lines at the corners of his mouth. Every time we got off the van he would give us butterscotch and peanut butter bars.
I think about him now because I realized that he played a part in my journey to Christ. He took the time to volunteer and drive around the town to pick up foster kids to take them to Sunday school. First Baptist Church was my foundation in getting to know Jesus.
I've said this in a testimony, but I'll say it again for the rest of you reading. I do not believe in coincidence. How is it that a church would send a van to pick up a kid….. a foster kid, a discarded thing and take them to learn about Jesus?
Every path I have encountered out of the 13 plus homes and shelters I've lived in I have always found Christ. Through a person, going to church, or simply God's word.
To this day I know that God has a plan for each individual to seek him out and find him. I will tell anybody that will listen.
God sent a van for me to find Him, and I did.
Hopefully this small piece of writing can lead you to Him as well.
Thank You to everyone at the First Baptist Church in Galena Park, Mrs. Etheridge my third grade teacher and Pastor Weber for this ministry.
And a special thank you to the man with the butterscotch and peanut butter bars.
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