WELCOME TO COFFEE WITH GOD 

By Pastor Jerri

CAMPING WITH MY SISTER

This was a camping trip I will never forget, I helped my sister Bee and brother-in-law with their three children as her babysitter and helper. I loved her kids, and they loved me. They decided to go camping and wanted me to go with them to help with the kids. We went to a beautiful creek that was crystal clear and COLD lol. We were gone for a week. Only one mishap at the creek and that was me jumping off one limb and hitting another limb with my mouth on the way down to the water. I had a nice fat lip! That happened early on during the trip so by the time we were heading home it was all better. No battle scars.

We had a wonderful time. Soon we were heading home. We were all ready to be home, it was fun, but we were tired and a bit sunburned. When we got to my house, something was wrong! The house looked empty! My mom was very sick with terminal cancer, so I was very upset for two reasons. One a shock that my home was now empty! And two I was concerned about my mom. We all sat there for a bit just in shock. Then we decided the best place to start was to go to my other sister K’s house, surly she would know where my family was. By this time, it was just me and my little sister at home. She was eight years younger than me.

When we got to my sister K’s house, we found my family there too. Due to my mom getting much worse during that week, daddy couldn’t handle her by himself, so they moved in with K. I don’t quite know how to express the weird feelings I had over this. The shock of coming home found my home empty, no note, not nothing, just empty. We were not wealthy people; I didn’t have much but what I had in my room was mine and meant something to me. My sister K’s home was small, there was no room for my things or much of our home’s things, they stacked it all in her garage. I felt lost honestly. I was only sixteen. I reached out to God, who is my everything, He kept me through so many things in my life.

Because of my strong relationship with God, I was able to get it together. But it was not easy! The sad part of this is I never recovered my things. It wasn’t long after moving in with my sister K, my mom got even worse, and we couldn’t take care of her there. So, my sister Bee took my mom to her house. She has a bigger home and was better able to care for her. I tried to find my things in the garage but never recovered much. Then Bee came to ask me to come live with her and help her with the kids and our mom. Of course I went with her.  I lived with her until after my mom passed and I got married. I tell this story as a reminder that God never fails us during the hardships of everyday life. During this time God helped me cope with it all. I always pray and talk with God. This was a very hard time in my life. It was a time when I needed God and He did not fail me.