May/June 2017 Shepherdess Voice

CASTING BREAD
UPON THE WATERS
B Y J A N I C E S C H M I D T
Seven years ago, when we left the churches
We had some contact with them through the
where we did Bible work in California, I was
subsequent years. Maria joined the church and
concerned about all the babies we were
recently became the head deaconess of a large
leaving behind. Spiritual babies. The ones we
church. We rejoiced! But Veronica admitted
had studied with, prayed over, and watched
they didn’t go to church anymore.
take their first tentative steps.
This March we returned to California for the first
Maria and Lorraine both attended a prophecy
time since we left. We planned our vacation to
seminar we conducted. When Lorraine was
hopefully coincide with the wildflower bloom in
baptized, Maria was there, and she began to
the desert. On Sabbath, we returned to the two
attend church but was very shy and didn’t
churches we had worked with. We invited our
want to talk to anyone. When we moved away,
old friends to meet up with us. Maria and
Maria still had not taken her stand, and we
Veronica came. I rejoiced over Maria’s
worried about her.
faithfulness. Her love for the Lord, His work, and
His church were evident, and it was a sweet
Then there was Edgar and Veronica. Veronica
reunion. It made all the years of work worth it to
started attending our prophecy seminar by
know someone had remained faithful.
herself, because Edgar was in prison. As soon as
he was released he began to attend our
We were able to encourage Veronica and later
meetings with Veronica. Soon after, they were
visit Edgar at their home too, but that evening
baptized, but the work was far from over. They
what filled my heart the most was to see Maria
finally got into a routine of regular church
reaching out to Veronica. Veronica admitted
attendance because we constantly encouraged
that the only reason they stopped coming to
them, visited them, invited them to our house,
church was that they had no friends there and
and did social things with them. But when we
no one made them go. Maria said, "Then come
moved away, we were concerned that they still
to the church where I go on the other side of
hadn’t been able to make the same kind of
town. It will be closer for you, and you will know
connection with anyone else in the church.
someone there."