The Amazon Family

Animation is a wonderful thing. I met a man one day that was making a cartoon and I asked him if I could see it when he finished. He said “Sure.” I noticed as I watched him draw that it was about a boy and his adventures in the Amazon. When the man finished he handed it to me it was a few pages long. It started out in England which is were the boys family was from but then they embarked for the Amazon. On the way the boat fluxed about in the waves like a rowboat on rapids. The sea was very rough. When the got to the coast they still had a trek in front of them till they got to the Amazon. They had to traverse through many different climates and landscape.

His family was very venturesome. Every time they saw a person they would ask them where they were and if they were headed the correct way. A few times they were told a better way to go and then were asked where they were from. They would tell them that they were emigrates from England. Sometimes they would not take the peoples advice because they liked to be trailblazers and set there own path.

To some people their trip might have seemed just like a junket but it wasn’t. It was for adventure and a new life in a vivacious climate. At times the journey to get to there destination seemed like it would never end and then something inside of them would goad them on. The vigor inside of them to have adventures in the Amazon is what kept them going most of the trip.

On there trip to the Amazon they met many people that were polytheistic which meant that they believed in many immortal gods. They talked about what gods they believed in and that they believed in reincarnation; after they died they came back as another type of animal. Then they would use the opportunity to tell them about Jesus and what he had done for them that. They themselves were mortals and would all someday die but that. Jesus died for them because he loved them so much. That everyone was a sinner and the only way for salvation was though Jesus and that they just had to admit, believe and confess. We also told them that Jesus had resurrected from the grave and is alive.

When they finally got to the Amazon they saw thought about the people they had saw and wondered how they could not have figured out that God had given them vitality. He had given them a reason to live. He was the one that created them. They then used there resources to set up a home in the Amazon and decide to stay there so that every morning they could wake up to God’s beautiful creation. The years they lived there they saw the animals that migrated every year and learned about what animals did. The animals treated them like family and accepted them. They decide that after living there for a few years that it was a viable place to live and be adventurous. Many people came and went from the area and they always had someone to share there faith with and living there was a resuscitation every day of what God had done for them.

This I Believe In the Power of God

I believe in the power of God. There have been many instances in my life that one can see God’s hand at work. One instance took place when I was fifteen months old.

Late Sunday afternoon, I walked into the kitchen. My mom was trying to get my dad to go to church ahead of us because he was one of the ministers and had things to do. She told him that she would feed us and then bring us to church. When he was almost out of the house, I pulled a pot of Ramen noodles off the stove. It scalded my chest, arms, and hands. My mom took me to run cold water on me in the bathroom. Then, my dad called the pastor of our church. He told the pastor that he had to take me to the ER. The church decided to pray for my well-being right then. It was 5 pm on a Sunday night when my mom put ice on my chest, arms, and hands. She held me in her arms while my dad drove to the hospital.

Over 1/4 of my body was bright red. My skin was bubbling up with blisters and filling with fluid. My chest, arms and hands were swollen. I felt like I was on fire; I could not be comforted even though my mom tried to comfort me by singing the whole way to the hospital. When we got to the ER, the nurse immediately took me to the back where a doctor and another nurse cleaned my burns with purified water.

Then, they put silver nitrate cream and bandages to cover up the burns. There were many questions about how this kind of accident could happen. The medical staff couldn’t believe that I pulled the pot off the stove. Sadly, the doctor told my parents that I would be scarred for life. An appointment was set with a burn specialist for the following day. When we got home, there were many messages on the machine saying that many church members were praying for me and my family.

The next day, the specialist reviewed my chart and explained to my parents what might happen when the bandages came off. He said the skin would be dead and looked horrible. He prepared them for the worst. He told my parents that skin grafting would be required. Then, he moistened the bandages with purified water. He took them off and there was no redness and no signs of burns on my chest, arms, or hands. It looked like nothing happen. The doctor could not believe what he saw. I was healed by the grace of God.

If it were not for God, then I would have been scarred for life. Through the prayers of the members of my church, my burns were completely healed. I thank God everyday for what he has done for me. After this experience, one can easily see why I believe in the miraculous power of God.

My Church
Every church has a history. To some people history may be written facts that happened. To others it is the people that make up that history. So what is different about my church and its history? Anastasia Baptist Church was founded in 1967 in St. Augustine, Florida. We have a very diverse church with many different services. ABC is not just made up of a building; it is made up of the community of believers there. Even though our church has over 1600 in worship on Sunday, it is still like a small church. With small groups, it helps community within the church.

In 1967, Ancient City Baptist Church saw a need for a church over on Anastasia Island. They bought land but held services down in a store front on Anastasia Boulevard until there was money to build. They built the first building in 1969 and added on in 1974 for more space for children, youth and the congregation. Our Pastor, Ron Moore came in 1981 and they completed the U-shape with buildings for class rooms and a fellowship hall in 1982. My family came to Anastasia in 1990 when I was eighteen months old. Mr. Keith came in 1993 as minister of music and senior adults. In 1994 we started a campaign for a new sanctuary. Bobby Crum came in 1995 as the youth minister. The worship center was not completed until 1998. In 1998 Walter West came as minister of education and administration. Bobby switched to contemporary music and young adults in 2000. Mason Reigger came in 2000 as the Youth Minister and Dan Ott came as the minister to adults in 2004. Keith Pate left January 2005 to go to Eastern Hills Baptist Church in Montgomery. Dr. David Elder came in August 2005 as the minister of music. We just finished a new building that is for a fellowship hall, class rooms, and a temporary worship facility. This facility will hold around 1100 in worship. This is some of the basic history of my church in facts.

My church has a mission. "Our mission is to reach St. Augustine and St. Johns County for Christ through Spirit-filled worship, compassionate evangelism, transformational teaching, gift-oriented ministry and meaningful relationships." ABC is like a small church because the way people treat you. All of the years I have been there, the more I have realized how much they mean to me. I arrived when there were only 200 members in 1990. As a child, the members of the church were like a family to me. As I have gotten older, I have learned many things from each of them. Many of the members took care of me when I was little. There have always been many places to serve at the church.

It is not just a church that offers just one type of service but three types of services. We have a contemporary, traditional, and blended. The church has thrived since I have gotten there and it grows at a rapid rate. Now, it has about 1600 on a weekend. This has all taken place in sixteen years. It is not just a bunch of buildings; it is the community of Christ. It is a group of believers. It is a place that a whole family can worship, no matter what differences in worship preferences. The church still seems small because you know many people. If you are not there someone is always wondering what is wrong. If you wanted to change services every week and attend a different bible study, we have them for different ages, you will fit in somewhere. We offer many activities for different ages. If we do not have it they are willing to help you start that group if you know of one that will minister to other peoples needs.

It is like a home. I have spent all day at church and still did not get all I needed to get done. If God was not with the church it would not have grown this much in these years. I have learned how to meet new people and learned to let people go. Many examples I have had in the church have died through the years and some have moved away. I have been there through two constructions. The first building I was there to see them build was the sanctuary that held 650 people. The second is the newest one that I did not even get to see the first service in because they were still working on it when I left. I have watched the church grow all these years but have remained to know many of the people that go there. All churches have some kind of history and that varies from church to church.