This story is about an experience that my sister and I will never forget...I hope that the story inspires you as much as the experience did us...

It's great to be home! Even though I didn't leave the state and was still enjoying the pleasures and magnificant veiws that Kentucky offers, it's still great to be home! I missed my husband Dennis, my son, daughter, granddaughters, Boomer and the farm in general. It was a great couple of days of relaxation, sight seeing, and shopping. I mentioned yesterday that I had met a wonderful character while on our visit to Cave City. In a nut shell here's how the story goes. The first day of our trip, my sister wanted to stop at a gift shop that sold unusual rocks, and precious stones among other items. I was eager to stop as I am a rock collector and was anxious to pick out a few stones to take back to my classroom. I picked out a few stones and we walked inside the shop where I laid the stones on one of the checkout counters so I could browse the other items. I purchased a box of fossilized sharks teeth and fossilized insects for my students to enjoy, I was so excited with my discovery, I neglected to notice that my stones hadn't been included. The day before we left I began to sort through my souvenirs and realized that the stones were not there and that I hadn't been charged for them. I decided to stop back by the little gift shop and pick up a few more. As we were checking out, the same little old lady was in the shop, she asked if I was buying more stones for my students. I just smiled and answered yes. As she rang up my purchase, she read my sister's t-shirt that read something about the love of Jesus. She made comments about the shirt and said that was what was wrong with our society of today...that for the most part Jesus had been left out of homes, schools, business, and too many lives. She also said that she had felt compelled to speak with us the first day that we were in the shop, but was reluctant. She also said she told the Lord, if it was His will for her to talk to us we would be back! She told both of us that God had told her tell us that we had a work to do for Him, but it hadn't yet been revealed to us, that we would know it when He did. She also looked at my sister who is very shy and said, Don't think that you can't do this! My sister later told me that she was thinking at that very moment, not me I can't! She turned to me and told me that when I felt burdoned down by the worries of life and when things seemed to big that even He couldn't take care of...to remember that all things were possible with God! And that I should cast my cares upon Him, that He wanted to carry my heavy load. She asked if she could pray with us. We were willing, keep in mind that the there were other customers in the shop and a few waiting to be checked out. They stood by silent and watched, very paitient. She asked me to hold out my left hand and she began to pray a beautiful prayer not touching my hand but tracing an invisible cross, and then in a circular motion as she prayed. I began to feel a warm circular feeling going through my hand, as tears ran down my face she continued to pray. In a few moments she moved to my sisters hand and prayed a similar prayer. She asked if we believed in the Holy Spirit, we both nodded and she explained what we had both felt in our hands was the power of God and the Holy Spirit. I have been a Christian for twenty seven years and felt the cleansing power, humble spirit, the Holy Ghost power, and joyful spirit within my being on many different occasions, but this was different! She also explained that it wasn't everyone that she was lead to witness to, but she knew that we were in need of encouragement and that we were willing vessels for the Lord. She gave each of us a worry stone, that she said would serve as a reminder of our visit, and if we ever felt the need to visit her again, to feel welcome. It was an unusual experience as well as a spiritual one. My sister and I both went to relax and get away for a few days, away from worries and trials that we both had experienced as well as a little down time. We were both in need of uplifting and inspiration! It was also highly unusual for us to get the opportunity to go together, this was the first of hopefully many short trips together! We left the shop both in tears, tears of joy and tears from heaven. I have met prophets in my time, those that speak words of encouragement to Christians. I have also had words spoken to me from prophets that come to pass, just as they said it would. Not from a fortune teller, but an annointed Christian who lives close enough to the Lord that He is willing to use them to speak to others. When we were trying to buy our farm, the family who was selling the farm backed out of the sale on various occasions, I would get my hopes up and they would back out...I was about to give up as they said they had decided not to sell. One week before our loan closed a lady who didn't know me or the situation was at church, she prayed for me and told me that even in the morning I would have an answer for this that I prayed so deeply for. I knew that it was about our farm...the following morning I got a call that they had decided to sell. I wasn't surprised, because I believed! Faith! The loan closed one week later and we've lived here for ten years. Some might ask what was different about the experience in Cave City. I would never have expected for this to have happened in a souvenir shop filled with people. This lady was surely a willing servant and an obedient Christian....I have wondered about how many lives that she has touched in this little rock shop on the side of a back country road. During our stay I saw automobiles with tags from Florida, California, Texas, Main, Ohio, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Washington, Vermont and many others. I don't think that it would have mattered if we had've been from Washington...God knew that we were both in need of rest, relaxation, and uplifting and He used a precious little old lady who cared and whom we will probably never meet again to supply our needs! God truly does work in mysterious ways...just a few thoughts this beautiful Sunday afternoon from the mountains of Kentucky....