SPIRITUALLY PREPARED

By Cindy Frantz

Written by Margaret Mendenhall

When you have lived on a farm like I did as a child, you always know what to expect when June rolls around; it is going to be a hectic and busy time because of wheat harvest. My parents own a six-hundred-and-forty-acre farm, with 500 of those acres planted to wheat. Even though I live in Guymon now and have a family of my own, if at all possible I still go back to Weatherford, Oklahoma, during this season of the year to help with harvest.

Over the years I have learned that in the process of getting the wheat out of the fields, you can't take for granted that everything will go all right. We hear of so many accidents happening at this time of year, and our family has had a special cause for concern, because, during harvest about 25 years ago, my mother's youngest brother was trying to take his combine across the dam of a farm pond when the tire slipped over the embankment. The combine then tumbled over the edge, and in the process it rolled over my uncle; unfortunately he was killed.

So every year, as we approach this season, we are aware of all the dangers lurking in unusual places that could cause calamity; so we pray. This year for two to three weeks ahead of time, I felt led to start praying about protection for everyone involved with the harvest. And just before I left for Weatherford, I had our Victory Center group, which prays on Wednesdays at noon, pray also.

When I got there, harvest was in full swing. Because the regular combine drivers could not be there for a couple of days, my dad needed me to drive combine. Thursday morning we started cutting on the “North Place.” Hot southerly winds were gusting from 55 to 60 mph. It was so windy that the combine rocked back and forth like a boat on water. However, I was having a great time in the cab listening to "Third Day" on my I-Pod. While I was singing along and praising God, I became so aware of the presence of the Lord there in that cab that I felt a small twinge of regret when Dad and my nephew, Logan, interrupted, as they returned from taking a load of wheat to the elevator.

Previously, I had just finished cutting the big terrace on the south end of the field, and normally I would have moved to the next terrace on that south end, but my Dad had called and asked that after cutting awhile on the next terrace to go to the northwest corner and cut out a place there for him to park both the wheat truck and pickup. The thought came to me to head toward that corner immediately and start there, so that's what I did.

When they arrived at the northwest corner where I was, my Dad asked if it was all right for Logan to drive the combine for a little while. Even though he is just eleven years old, he had been practice driving with my Father the day before. I agreed to let him take the wheel for a little bit. But since he didn't feel comfortable driving over the terraces to get back to the south end where we had started, as we would normally do, we continued in the north part of the field, not realizing just how critical that decision would prove to be.

We had cut almost a full bin of wheat when Logan and I both heard some kind of suspicious noise coming from the combine. About that same time, we noticed a smell, kind of like a belt getting hot. I quickly examined all the gauges, but everything checked out okay.

My Dad had parked the grain truck and pickup in the northwest corner that I had cut out, and had crawled under the truck to replace a fuel filter. Logan and I decided to dump the wheat, so we headed in the direction that Dad was parked. As we turned the combine north, with the wind blowing behind us, I glanced in the side mirror, and to my horror I saw a ball of fire. I leaped off the combine and ran around behind to make sure it wasn't on fire. Then I saw that it wasn't the combine after all, but it was the wheat stubble where we had just cut that was on fire, whipped into a fury by the raging wind.

I screamed at Logan to head to the only corner where he could get the combine out of the field, and then ran, yelling at the top of my lungs, toward my Dad, trying to get his attention. Logan also frantically honked the horn on the combine, and finally my Dad looked up and saw the fire, which by that time was only about 150 yards away.

Dad ran to the back of the pickup, and thankfully it just so happened there was a tow cable in the back that we could use to pull the wheat truck out of the way of the fire. Just as Dad finished hooking the cable to the truck, he stood up and a big gust of wind blew his prescription glasses right off his face. We took about five seconds to try to locate them, but when we saw the fire raging toward us, we knew we didn't have any more time. I jumped into the pickup and started pulling Dad in the truck. There was a waterway just in front of us, and as I was trying to steer to the side of it, my left rear tire dropped off in the soft grass, and I started to slide sideways. The wheat truck my Dad was in didn't have any power steering or very good brakes, but somehow he managed to stop before it could hit me.

Finally, after unhooking the tow cable, I got the pickup straightened up again, and then I was able to pull the truck out of the direct path of the fire. Dad thought he had dropped the fuel filter in all the commotion, however, he felt it in his pocket, and even though it was not the right size, he managed to put it in place. He then was able to get the truck started, and drive it out of harms way.

In the meantime, Logan nervously maneuvered the combine out of the field. He had just started down a small highway that ran along the north side of the field - which was the only place he could get out of the way of the fire - when a group of custom cutters just happened to come along. They were observant enough to stop and ask Logan if he was okay. Then they helped my frightened eleven-year-old nephew get the combine off the highway onto the side of the road.

While all of this was going on, a neighbor who lived a mile away had seen the flames. In just a short time he had his tractor and disc there and started putting out the fire. Someone had called the fire department, and three different units showed up. It was fortunate that they were there, because the fire had jumped the highway. But thankfully there was only a pasture on that side, so they concentrated on putting those flames out. We spent the next couple of hours with shovels, putting out hot spots on both sides of the highway.

Later Dad did find his glasses, but they were melted. It was obvious they were not flame resistant. While all of this was going on, Mom had called my sister, Holly, Logan's mother, and told her about the fire. When she arrived at the farm, on her way home from work, we found out that she had been led to pray with Logan that morning for protection over harvest and had plead the blood of Jesus over it.

When Dad inspected the combine, he discovered that the air conditioner had locked up and apparently threw off a spark that had started the fire. Later we found out that what the devil meant for evil, through a series of God-incidences, turned out to be relatively harmless. Because we had been unconsciously led by the Holy Spirit, and had moved to the north part of the field instead of the south, in a field with approximately 103 acres of wheat, only six or eight acres of wheat stubble burned. Because of the intensity of the wind that day, if the fire had happened on the south side, the whole field would have burned. What a blessing it didn't, because that tract of land wound up producing 60 bushels of wheat per acre instead of a pile of ashes. The only thing the fire was able to accomplish was to burn a little bit of stubble, a small amount of pasture land, melt Dad's replaceable glasses, and unfortunately, roast a field mouse - to my nephew Logan's delight.

Over the next several days, when we thought of what the losses could have been, all we could do was thank God that we had prayed, and praise Him for his protection, guidance, and blessings. Over the next couple of days, the real combine drivers arrived - I was just a replacement driver. But I believe it was not an accident that I was the replacement. It was important that I be there at that particular time, because thankfully, I had been spiritually prepared for the challenges we experienced that day.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

PASTOR CHARLIE AND MARGARET

Blessed &Highly Favored

2008 OVERCOMING IN LIFE

WOMEN’S CONFERENCE

August 21^st, 22^nd, & 23^rd

This years speakers are our very own Margaret Mendenhall, Nancy James from Triumph Ministries, and Karen Jensen from Karen Jensen Ministries.

Cost is the same as last year, $30 if paid before August 15^th, $35 after the 15^th. Watch for more details in next month’s newsletter.

GETTING THE WORD OUT

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND SERVICE OR THE MESSAGE WAS SOOO GOOD YOU WANT TO WATCH AND OR LISTEN TO VICTORY CENTER AT ANOTHER TIME, HERE’S WHERE YOU CAN TUNE IN:

RADIO

1210 KGYN - Sunday Mornings 10:00 am

CABLE–GOD’S LEARNING CHANNEL- Tuesdays @ 7:30pm

Allegiance cable channel 8

PTCI‘s DITV channel 79

SATELLITE – TBN

RABBIT EARS – TBN CHANNEL 53

Wednesday @ 8:00 am

Saturday @ 8:00 pm

Sunday @ 11:00 am

MANNA MAIDENS

Mary Lou Johnson will hostess the Tuesday, July 15th, Manna Maidens meeting. Neola Gates will give the devotional.

YOUTH AMERICA JULY 14^TH THRU JULY 18^TH

The Gates family would like to thank their Victory Center family for their recent support and prayers during the wildfire.

VBS was a huge success!! Kids were entertained and ministered to for four ‘wild ridin’ evenings. Thanks to everyone that helped!

Remember to pray every day of the month for Pastor Charlie and Margaret, the Victory Center Staff, and the Church Leaders so that God’s anointing will be increased and people will be helped!

“Again I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”

Matthew 18:19