THE NEWSLETTER OF NET WORK MINISTRIES, INC.

I will never forget Monday, September 21, 2009. I awakened to the familiar sound of rain outside my window. It had been raining hard for the past several days. I wandered downstairs to the garage, where our sub-basement is located. I was curious to see if the sump pumps were working properly. To my horror, I discovered that the main pump was not working and the backup was just barely keeping pace. The water was rising perilously close to our furnace and water heater. It began raining harder than I had seen in quite a while. Suddenly a torrent of water swept in from the crawlspace under our dining room, located at the rear of our house. We live on a lot that slopes towards the rear of our house. Much of the water coming off our lot was coming in from the vents in the crawlspace. I found myself sitting waist deep in water crying out “Help me, Jesus!” I realized there was nothing more that could be done at the moment. His house was in His hands. Not coincidentally, a neighbor soon offered a construction grade pump with a fire hose attachment. Even though this quickly drained the sub-basement, it was not an automatic pump so we had to stand guard and turn the pump back on when the sump well filled up. This was happening every five or ten minutes,

For over fourteen hours we fought the waters. Finally, the rain subsided. It was time to see if the original sump pump would keep up by itself so that we could have an automatic start and stop that would allow us to take a break of more than five or ten minutes. After much re-arranging, the pump seemed to be functioning properly. I actually was able to eat dinner about nine o’clock. I sat down to watch the news. Nine people lost their lives, including a two year old swept from his father’s arms. Hundreds of homes were completely submerged and all their possessions were lost. I had been feeling pretty sorry for myself up until that point. What I had experienced paled in comparison to the tragedies that I was seeing.

I checked on the pump once again at midnight before going to bed. It was functioning properly. I said to myself that God had given me the tools and ability to bring the situation under control. Plus, He had stopped the rain so now I was to trust Him to guard His home through the night. Other than waking up to a tree limb falling in the middle of the night, I slept like a baby, trusting in my Heavenly Father to watch over us and He did not disappoint!

What are the “take-aways” for me in this situation? There are a few that I can think of at the moment. First, God is sovereign. He is in control. He created the heavens and the earth. Nothing happens that is not first sifted through His hands. We don’t know why things happen, but He does!
Additionally, I did what I could to remedy the situation, but ultimately it was in the hands of the Lord. D.L. Moody once said, ”Work as though it all depends on you and pray as though it all depends on God.” In trusting this, I came to experience what John 14:27 promises, “Peace I leave to you; my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives.”

I also was reminded of keeping things in perspective. My situation could have been much worse if we had lost power. None of the pumps would have worked. As bad as my situation seemed, I realized how fortunate I was compared to many people in our community, some who lost loved ones, many who lost all their possessions. I have a renewed sense of how blessed I really am. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!


MINISTRY NEWS:

Sometimes I wish that every month I could report spectacular successes in ministry, but that is God’s business. He only wants me to be faithful to my calling and trust the results to Him. I am trying to do just that, folks. We will never fully know the impact of Net Work Ministries this side of heaven and that’s o.k. All I ask is that you pray for me to stay faithful and true to my calling.

MINISTRY NEEDS:

We are still behind for the month and year. We are unable to pay full salary for September. I will “Trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding, and He shall direct my paths.”

God bless you, dear friends!

NET WORK MINISTRIES, INC. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

NET WORK MINISTRIES, INC. EXISTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF BRINGING TOGETHER GOD’S PEOPLE AND HIS RESOURCES TO PRESENT THE HEALING MESSAGE OF CHRIST’S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, THROUGH WORD AND DEED, TO A HURTING AND LOST WORLD.


NET WORK MINISTRIES, INC.
2671 OLD HICKORY DRIVE, N.W.
MARIETTA, GA., 30064-1833
678-986-4814 (cell)
E-mail address – peggyandbuck@yahoo.com
Website: www.networkministries.blogspot.com