Go North on Primrose to Shadow Lane

Go north on Primrose.  Turn right on A31; by-pass Little Cedar.  Notice a cemetery on the right; go over the bridge.  On Ramport Road, turn north and travel for one mile on the gravel road.  Next, head east for one mile.  On Shadow Lane, turn north for one-fourth mile.

There it was:  David Community Church--the only reminder of a little village that existed over one hundred years ago--coming in with the railroad and ceasing to exist when the railroad left.  Currently surrounded by Iowa fields, a farm house is within steps.  A two-holer outhouse stands beside the church for parishioner's convenience--complete with an electrical light bulb, toilet paper in a can, and hand sanitizer.

We arrived at twelve noon.  After finding a parking spot amidst the many cars in the farmyard, we approached the church and noted a single entry--the front door.  Leaving the warm sunlight and quiet solitude of corn and bean crops swaying with the breeze, we stepped in.  Lively chatter and ladies dressed in summer colors lined the entryway to greet us.  We were soon seated in the church sanctuary--wooden fold-down seats, all attached one to the other, and situated in a semi-circle facing the pastor's pulpit.

Sixty some women visited quietly as they surveyed the insides of this little church.  A few dark heads dotted the room; otherwise, most donned gray.  The room quieted as one of the ladies stepped in front of the group and led in devotions.  After a prayer of thanks, someone directed us to follow the line to a table set up in another part of the room with a multicolored array of salads:  pasta, fruit, vegetable, jello, and dessert.  Picking and choosing a scoop of this, a tidbit of that, we filled our plates, picked up a glass of lemonade and carried our lap trays back to our seats.

Quiet female voices filled the room as we enjoyed food and fellowship.  Following the meal, introductions were given.  Groups of ladies came as representatives of their own churches from surrounding communities.  And, the few members of the David Community Church ,who had furnished the many salads, introducted their invited guests.  Smiles were shared; a number of long-a-go acquaintances were reunited.

The speaker, a mother from a nearby town who had accompanied her daughter on a mission trip to Uganda, was introduced.  She shared their experiences working with young women who had been captured and taken from their families to becomes slaves for enemy tribes--and, then, escaped.  The speaker, her daughter, and others traveling with them assisted these girls with caring for their children.  Bible lessons were given.  And time was spent cooking, cleaning and generally caring for each other. 

Whether we are in a tiny church in the middle of a cornfield in Iowa with sisters of the faith sharing a salad luncheon; whether we are over-seas in a far-away country holding one another's babies, we are connected.  In Christ, we are one.

After the program, we ended in prayer--for those sisters so far away in need, for rain for our crops, and giving praise for each other and the opportunities we have to make the world a better place.

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.  Romans 1: 4, 5, 6.

Wishing you God's blessings as you use your gifts this week--wherever you are.