This month I’m pleased to share one of God’s success stories this school year directly from that Good News Club Coordinator:
“On September 19, 2020, we had our annual training day for Mason County. It was so SO great! Nathan did a fantastic job delivering the message the Lord had given him. I felt like I had been to revival! I remember Nathan telling us just because we have always done something one way doesn’t mean we are to keep on doing it that way. This year was going to definitely have to be different and we were to be open to a NEW HARVEST!
"Fast forward -- we had all our ducks in a row, thinking we could be up and running. Paper work in, a place to have Club, all the volunteers ready. Permission slips ordered. 372 of them bundled and taken to our school and were passed out. Then we were shut down again. The virus. November we still could not meet. December we had dates set ready to go again. Last year we had 108 kids enrolled. This is our 9th year at New Haven Elementary. The church we were walking our kids to for club this year was shut down by their area Bishop. We were even signed up to meet twice a week so we could keep them all safe and have half the kids on one day and the other half the other day. I just kept hearing Nathan’s voice, maybe it was the Holy Spirit’s voice that just sounded like Nathan’s to me, saying at our training “Has the Lord changed? Has the need for the love of Jesus to get into these kids changed? No it hasn’t!”
"So I called the mayor of our town and I asked him if I could rent the community building and walk the kids there. He finally said he didn’t mind but then other organizations would have to start asking him to use the building and he couldn’t allow that -- too much physical contact. I then called the local Library to see if we could meet there. The Governor of WV said no to that. I was so discouraged! I kept praying and we kept in the meantime mailing out lessons and activities to all our club kids. Then a very wonderful, Godly man said to me, “Have you found a place to have Good News Club yet, Beth?” I said, “No. I keep hitting brick walls.” He said to me, “Well there is always the American Legion.” (which is just down over the hill from our school). He said some parents might frown upon taking their kids there or they might not allow us to use their building. I thought it was worth a try.
"One Sunday I called each individual person signed up for club and asked over and over if anyone had any objection to me taking their child to the Legion. You know what? Not one person objected!!! Then I called the American Legion and asked if I could rent the large room for a bible club every Monday from 1:45 to 3:30. Guess what? They said, “Well sure, we would be glad if you came!” I said, “Praise the Lord! I’ll pay you!” They said, “Oh no. It will be free!”
"On Monday, March 1st we walked the kids down the hill from the school to the American Legion! We started out with 36 children the first week but we have already grown to and enrollment of 50! But the best part is that on March 22nd we had two precious souls come to Christ! How sad is it that churches haven’t been willing to open their doors but the American Legion opened us with opened arms?! God has a way when we don’t think there is a way! He goes above and beyond what we could ever imagine! God is good all the time!”"