Last summer, my sister Laurie came from California to Mississippi to help our mother take care of some business Mom needed to do there. When Laurie finished helping Mom, she found herself back in Illinois staying at a friend's house. Little did Laurie and I know of the adventures that we were about to have together. It began when I invited Laurie to attend the Chicago Gathering of W.A.V.E.S event with me, my husband, my son, and our neighbor.
The Friday evening event so moved
Laurie that she joined W.A.V.E.S right away. We were both very awed by
the entire weekend, which brought joy, new insights, and transformation
to our lives along with the dearest of new friends. One of the new friends
we met was Christian Andréason, who sang for all on Friday evening
and whose singing brought healing to our hearts. Before we left on Sunday,
Kristen Foley gave out copies of Embraced By The Light. Laurie
and I took a few copies each, and on the way home the adventure began.
I was driving along thinking I needed to pay attention so that I would not miss the street that I wanted to turn on when suddenly I found myself turning down what I thought was the wrong street. Laurie reminded me that Betty told us everything that happened had a reason and that she thought we should be alert. The very next moment we could hardly believe our eyes. On the left was a CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORE and directly opposite was BETTY LANE!
I kept on driving, but Laurie insisted that we needed to take a picture. We went to a small shop nearby, purchased a camera, and found ourselves giving out our first Embraced from Kristen's collection to the store's cashier. When we returned to the bookstore we took photos and soon found ourselves inside visiting with the owner, who said he gave his life to Jesus Christ long ago. We talked for a very long time, took more photos, gave him a copy of Embraced, which he graciously received, and thanked him for a Bible that he gave to us. Before we left, he called us his "sisters" and we called him our "brother in Christ".
Soon my husband left on a trip to Essex, England with the Boy Scouts, and my son left on a trip to visit his grandfather out of state. That left Laurie and me alone to continue our adventure. We purchased 30 paperback copies of Embraced to add to the others we had left from Kristen. Some copies were given to receptive strangers we met, and others were given to or sent to friends. We prayed as we went! I have 2 left -- one hardcover and one paperback. We received special thanks from a few who spoke to us after reading the book. One of Laurie's friends who received a copy was especially thankful and said that she had had her own near-death experience. She read parts of the book over many times and went out and bought 5 more copies to give to family and friends.
Laurie has since returned to California, and I am home here in Illinois. We hope and pray that we can attend the Sacramento event next year. Both of us are enjoying Christian Andréason's music on CD in the meantime. We strongly recommend his All the Time CD, which was inspired by Embraced. Also, look for the "I Belong to You" and "Rhythm of Life" songs among others on current and upcoming CDs. We have been inspired, healed, and energized by his works! We believe that you will be, too!
