I have 2 beloved friends I call my ‘balcony people’. You know…the one or two you can call at any time for any reason…be accepted, never judged. Both of these ladies serve on staff at New Hope Baptist in Fayetteville, Ga. One of them is Food Services Director and the other serves in the Finance Dept. as well as helping in the ‘serving’ lines.

They planned a trip here a few years ago and I literally spent days trying to get the grease and grimes off my 20+ year old stove prior to their arrival! I knew my friend would have a melt-down seeing the condition of my stove! The chore became a joy as I began thinking of our friendship through the years and I thanked our Lord for the presence of these 2 ladies in my life.

Fast forward a few years. With more and more Impact teams coming and the size of the teams getting larger, I needed to purchase a bigger and newer stove. I purchased a stainless steel, 5 burner.

Mmmhmm. Stainless steel. In sub-Sahara Africa. Dust…we breathe it. Sometimes eat it. Forever try to control it…I find myself almost daily praying and thanking our Lord for these two ladies as I seem to be constantly wiping down and cleaning up the stove!