So I guess there’s a first time for everything. Today (05.29.2010) was one of the more relaxed days at training camp. We had the opportunity to go where we wanted to and today’s road-trip would lead us to Walmart. Both Kara and Tangi needed to get their vehicle’s oil changed. We, Kara and I, roll up into the Walmart automotive area where they do all of that. As we pull in, we notice a man…maybe in his mid 50’s standing in the area where you pull your car in. He was making notes or something. He takes note of us in the car and begins walking up to us ready to take down some information on Kara’s car. Kara and I were jammin out to a song and it was still in her head. So she’s getting out of the car, she’s singing the line, “if your eye is on the sparrow” but then fades out because it’s time to give the man info on the car. He stops what he’s doing and asks her, “What did you just say?” Kara says, “Oh nothin, i was just singing.”
The man says, “I know. What was it that you were singing?” So Kara tells him, “if your eye is on the sparrow.” He gets so happy and finishes that line with the older ‘eye on the sparrow’ song. Kara kindly tells him that that wasn’t quite the song she was singing…and as they joke about the song, he leads us up to the cart where he has his wallet, maybe some papers and a small King James Version Bible that was opened. He asks us what we’re doing there in Cartersville. We tell him that we’re missionaries helping to run a training camp for the World Race. The man immediately got krunk. That’s when…unbeknownst to us…we would become his congregation.
He told us, “I’m Pastor Sanford Lawrence! I pastor a church called Set Free Ministries. He would take us through the scriptures starting with Matthew 17:1-13 about the transfiguration of Jesus and Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah, to what it all meant in Luke 9:28-36. He began to tell us how much God was pleased with us…not because of what we do, but because of Who HE is. It pleased Him to dwell among us, die for us, and bring us to a place of redemption. His Love was greater than all. The man was almost in tears as he described the love of our God. When another car pulled up behind Kara’s to be tended to, the pastor paused his sermon and yelled out, “Stacy!!!…..Stacy!!!…..STACY!!!!!”. He said, “She’ll get to him” and he continued with his sermon. We three stood there soaking in what he said…semi-shocked that this was actually happening at the Walmart automotive center…it’s just that we don’t “normally” see something like this happening. It was awesome! Stacy never came back, so he let us go. But he left us with this..a scripture in Psalms, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord.,”
He told us, “I’m Pastor Sanford Lawrence! I pastor a church called Set Free Ministries. He would take us through the scriptures starting with Matthew 17:1-13 about the transfiguration of Jesus and Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah, to what it all meant in Luke 9:28-36. He began to tell us how much God was pleased with us…not because of what we do, but because of Who HE is. It pleased Him to dwell among us, die for us, and bring us to a place of redemption. His Love was greater than all. The man was almost in tears as he described the love of our God. When another car pulled up behind Kara’s to be tended to, the pastor paused his sermon and yelled out, “Stacy!!!…..Stacy!!!…..STACY!!!!!”. He said, “She’ll get to him” and he continued with his sermon. We three stood there soaking in what he said…semi-shocked that this was actually happening at the Walmart automotive center…it’s just that we don’t “normally” see something like this happening. It was awesome! Stacy never came back, so he let us go. But he left us with this..a scripture in Psalms, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord.,” 
