I am a 57 year old caregiver of a retired, shut-in who is 91 years old. I live here 24/7 and my goal is to treat him "like a king". 2 Corinthians 6:4 says "In everything we do we show that we are true ministers of God." 

I never really saw a direct connection between what I was doing and the purpose of my life. Pastor Rick's book helped me understand that not only was I fulfilling my purpose but that it was not a chore. For many years I felt I had missed my calling. I felt like I should be doing more for my Lord.  Service surely couldn't be my calling, because that came natural to me-no effort at all. Yes, my calling is to be a servant to all and love everyone as Christ does.

I have 4 children, one daurghter. All my sons live in Atlanta. My brave little girl moved to California and I was unnerved. I have been praying for all my children to find their calling in the Lord. Ashley didn't know anyone there. I prayed the Lord would bring her Christians along her path to befriend her and invite her to church. Little did I know He was already working behind the scenes. 

I went to a church in Gainesville, GA. Since taking this position as a live-in care giver 8 months ago, I have not been able to attend services. Then, I learned I could stream live. WooHoo! The church has another campus in California between where Ashley lives and where she works. Imagine that. And its only a 10-15 minute drive. It eased my mind when I found out because I knew God was telling me He had it all in control. 

After several months of living in Irvine, she called one Saturday and told me she was going to church. I had to ask her to repeat those words because I have never heard those words come out of her mouth. I have always heard, "Do I have to go to church?" I played it cool, tried to still my leaping heart and asked her a few questions. Her boss and his wife had invited her to go to Saddleback. Vaguely, I remembered the name but couldn't put two and two together. 

As soon as I got off the phone with her, I went online. I was again pleasantly surprised when I found out it was Rick Warren's church (didn't want her going to some cult church, lol ). That was the first time I streamed live at Saddleback. What a blessing. Through the power of the internet I was able to enjoy the service as my daughter did. The next day Ashley called and told me I would love it. She knew the kind of church I drug her and her brothers to. We started talking then about going to the live service when I came to visit. 

About two weeks ago, I was able to leave my charge in capable hands and come visit her for 4 days. It had been almost two years since I had seen her. The first thing she wanted to do was introduce me to her boss. I met her co-workers and Jonathan. 

As Jonathan and I shared, he realized the only way for me to be a part of a fellowship of believers was online. He told me about his friend who was in charge of the online ministry and how my story would encourage him as he learned the huge need for this kind of ministry. 

I can not leave my home, but I can have a small group meeting here. Immediately after attending the Saddleback service on 1/20/2013, I felt an unction to start a home group in Gainesville, GA. I bought 2 each of the books I would need to start and the dvd. Last Thursday, my friend Loretta came over at 7:00 and we talked about how to give this "knowledge" away to others who needed help learning their purpose. Possibly, their purpose is right under their nose as mine was. 

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