(Pauline Mendenhall is Pastor Charlie’s mother who resides in
WHEN ANGELS SMILE
By Pauline Mendenhall
Written by Margaret
Mendenhall
I glanced at the clock and realized
it was already nine o’clock, the time I normally retire for the evening. As I started the laborious process of
preparing and finally struggling to actually get into bed, I could sense I was
feeling a little more despondent that usual.
We had just finished the few
Christmas activities I shared with those of my family who live here in
I had turned 89 in November and many
of the nagging pains that had plagued me for years had gotten worse, making it
extremely painful to do even the simplest of tasks, especially walking. Of all the discomforts I was experiencing in
my aging body probably the most noticeable was my hip.
Over fourteen years ago I had been visiting Charlie
and Margaret in Guymon, and very early in the morning, when I was trying to
find my way to the bathroom in the dark, I got disoriented. The next thing I knew I was plunging headlong
down their steep flight of stairs. Even
though x-rays revealed there had been no broken bones - which
was a miracle in itself - after that I continually had pain in my body
that never seemed to go away, even with various treatments.
One of those nagging pains was in my
hip, and it had gotten worse over the years, until now I was having trouble getting
in and out of bed, let alone being able to walk around easily. I had fallen several times in the last few
years, which hadn’t helped much either.
So that night I was feeling
especially discouraged about my future.
As I lay in the dark room, tears filled my eyes as I mulled over my
options. I did not want to go to a
nursing home, yet the way things were going I couldn’t see how I was going to
be able to live independently very much longer.
As I lay there depressed and lamenting to the Lord about my condition,
the gloom in my soul was as black as the darkness in my room.
Suddenly, to my astonishment the
room lit up, and into that extraordinary, electrifying radiance flew an
angel. She was beautiful to behold, with
a heavenly aura surrounding her every movement.
Her hair was curly, not long, but not short either. She was clothed in a loose filmy garment that
waved and glistened as she gracefully passed back and forth across my bed with
gossamer wings. But it was the smile I
noticed most. It was more powerful than
just an ordinary grin. When she smiled
at me I sensed waves of encouragement fill my entire being and with it the hint
of a promise, like she knew just exactly what I needed.
A few minutes passed in this ethereal atmosphere and
unexpectedly I watched another angel come in, then another, and another, until
the whole room was filled with angelic beings circling and gliding across my
bed. Each one’s facial features were
different and unique, but they were all dressed alike, and all had the same
sweet, serene smile.
Every once in a while one or the other of these
heavenly beings would stretch out their hand to me as though imparting
something invisible. It never crossed my
mind that maybe this was my time to die and they were coming to take me to
heaven. No. All I was thinking about was how wonderful
their presence was and how I would love to fly with them. An out-of- this-world exhilaration enveloped
every cell of my body and I felt more alive than I had ever experienced before.
I don’t know how long this lasted; it seemed like a
long time, but on the other hand not long enough. My concentration had been transfixed solely
upon the company of flying angels all this time, but suddenly I found my
attention drawn to the south corner of my bedroom. There I saw the form of a man so tall that
his head almost touched the ceiling. He
stood still with something in his hand that looked like a staff. I couldn’t make out his features or details
of his garment, but it did appear that his clothing was not as brilliantly
white as the others, but was more golden in color with streaks in it. I could dimly see what looked like a band
around his head but couldn’t discern the color of his hair. He was there only momentarily, long enough to
give me a steady look, then he glanced toward the flying angels and
vanished. It seemed that he must have
been the angel in charge, and that he somehow conveyed a silent signal to the
roomful of beings, because when he left the other angels disappeared as well,
and the room returned to normal.
But I would never be the same! Of course I couldn’t go to sleep right away
as I relived over and over again what I had just experienced. But finally I did drift off into the most
peaceful, untroubled sleep I have enjoyed in a long time.
The next morning the thrill of what I had experienced
the night before still lingered. Down
inside I felt different, and all day long I hugged the delicious sense of well
being to my heart, relishing its life-giving power. It was not until the next day that I
realized, not only did I feel changed inside; something was not the same in my
body. The pain that I was so familiar
with when I walked, got in or out of bed, or had felt when I performed any physical
activity was gone. My hip was pain-free! Then I noticed I was stronger than I had
been; tasks that used to wear me out, now I was able to do with no sign of
weakness.
I don’t know why I was so privileged to be granted
time with some of God’s heavenly messengers, but I know that whatever time I
have left here on earth will never be the same because of that night. Now, every night I go to bed I have an
intense longing for those dear beings to return, but even if I never see them
again while on this earth, they left behind - besides that welcome physical
touch - an inner joy and happiness that is beyond description. My outlook on life has changed, and what used
to bother me, no longer troubles or worries me like it did. In fact now I know
beyond a shadow of doubt that my mission, in the time I have left, is to
pray. Pray for my family members and
anyone else who is not ready to meet the Lord.
No wonder the angels were smiling that night; they
knew those things I was so despondent about were about to change. And when things change because of a heavenly
encounter, it has a rippling affect. You
can’t help but discover a renewed intense love for God and an undying love for
people deposited in your life when you encounter the essence of the eternal
realm. And love never fails!
So now every night when I go to bed and recall that
wonderful visitation, I no longer lay awake in hopeless despondency; but now I
relive the comforting sight of those glorious angels who so beautifully
reflected the smile of my Lord Jesus Christ to me, and I feel like I am going
to bed surrounded with smiles.
GOD OPENS
THE PRISON DOORS
By Tina Rickman
A couple of years ago the Lord spoke to my
spirit about a prison ministry, and because I didn’t know where to start, I
felt impressed to call the Mike Barber Ministries. At that time I didn’t know much about him, but
after researching and watching his program on TBN, I finally contacted
him. Over the next fourteen months I
became a volunteer counselor with the Mike Barber Ministries, and had the
privilege of going into the
At the beginning of this year I
believed the Lord was directing me to go on a twenty-one day Daniel fast
regarding the vision God had given me in 2006 concerning a prison
ministry. I wanted this to be the year
my ministry would flourish, as God would have it flourish. Two days into the fast the devil tried to
tell me it wasn’t doing any good. But I remembered
Pastor Charlie saying that just before you get ready to walk through a door the
devil would be right there to lie to you.
Sure enough, just a little while
later I was handed a letter from a lady here in the
Last year I had checked about going into the
county jail to minister to the women there and was told there was nothing
available at that time. But this time
when I requested permission to visit more than one lady at a time, the one in
charge suggested, “Why don’t you consider coming in as a minister.” I was excited because that is what I wanted
to do all along. Now I am registered to
go to the
So I believe this year God has
commanded His blessings on my life as he said he would do in the
scriptures. I feel privileged to have
such a loving family as I have here at
Tina also went on another trip to
the prison in