MCS
Fellowship Luncheon
April
22, 2003
I
wanted to share some awesome things that God did recently for a group of
Christians with MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) in the Seattle area. I had been planning a fellowship luncheon for two months for people with MCS. Five days before the luncheon, the facility it was to be held at had some
remodeling done which made the place too toxic to hold the luncheon at. In
testing the facility, I had a severe reaction to some newly installed doors I
believe had been treated with pesticides.
At the last minute, in the midst of being very sick, I had to find and
test out a new location for the luncheon. God miraculously provided a
local library conference room and restored my health enough to be able to
oversee the luncheon.
The day before the luncheon I started getting a little nervous about whether or
not the library conference room I had booked for the event was going to work for
people's sensitivities. (There are so many possible chemical exposures
everywhere that can bother people with MCS.) At that point, the Lord gave
me a scripture that I felt He wanted me to cling to to assure me He was going to
bless the luncheon. The verse was Isaiah 41:17 which says,
"THE POOR AND NEEDY SEARCH FOR WATER, BUT THERE IS NONE; THEIR TONGUES ARE
PARCHED WITH THIRST. BUT I, THE LORD WILL ANSWER THEM; I, THE GOD OF
ISRAEL WILL NOT FORSAKE THEM."
The
morning of the luncheon I prayed, "God, if you could part the Red Sea for
the Israelites, then surely You can make this conference room work for all those
attending the luncheon." Well, guess what? God performed what I
consider to be a miracle and answered my request! All 17 people who
attended the luncheon were able to stay and enjoy the luncheon. No
one had to leave early due to any chemical exposures in the room bothering them. Many
of them have not been able to attend church in years due to their chemical
sensitivities. A few people had some delayed reactions but that
possibility is to be expected anytime we leave our homes. At least no one
arrived and said, "Uh oh, I have to leave because of the carpet, perfume,
etc."
Everything
went just as planned at the luncheon. We had a delicious salad
bar catered by a friend of mine with MCS. After lunch, we sang four
worship songs: Amazing Grace, I Love You Lord, Refiner's Fire, and
It Is Well With My Soul. We then heard from our special speaker, Molly
Jensen, who is married to Dr. David Buscher, a specialist in the field of
Environmental Medicine. Molly gave an inspiring talk on how to get into
the presence of God. She used the illustration of the Old Testament
Tabernacle, showing people how to get into "The Holy of Holies" (God's
presence) through Jesus. It
was excellent--what better thing could you talk about than getting into God's
presence on a regular basis and getting changed by Him? She said that it
is in God's presence that she finds hope and healing.
All in all the luncheon far surpassed my greatest expectations! Why?
Because God blessed the whole event! He provided the room for us at the
last minute when our original location became tainted. He led us to the
library conference room and allowed everyone to stay and enjoy the luncheon. In addition, the luncheon didn't seem like an "MCS" luncheon. It
all seemed so normal as no one had to flee suddenly due to chemical exposures or
wear masks like would typically be the case in a group like that. It was
absolutely amazing!
One
woman who hadn’t been to church in many years due to her chemical
sensitivities reported that the evening after the luncheon, she went home and
every five minutes kept saying, “Thank you, Lord.”
Another woman who we prayed for at the luncheon regarding her pending L &
I case reported that instead of dropping the case like she expected, her
attorney wants to appeal it up to the Superior Court. That was a big answer to prayer for her.
The
Lord did many wonderful things in people’s lives at the luncheon. May the
Lord use the example of what He did at this luncheon to give people with MCS hope! My prayer is that gatherings like this will start springing up around the nation
for people with MCS as many of them are isolated in their own homes much of the
time. TO HIM BE ALL THE GLORY AND HONOR AND PRAISE!!
HALLELUJAH!
In
His service,
Janine
Ridings
"DECLARE
HIS GLORY AMONG THE NATIONS, HIS MARVELOUS DEEDS AMONG ALL THE PEOPLES."
Psalm 96:3