7-12-18 Beginings
by Nan McGee on July 12, 2018
7-12-18 Beginings
By Nan McGee | July 12, 2018
BEGINNINGS
When ChristSong first started, there were 3 of us. Caroline Bass ministered with us for over 10 years in many, many prisons. I was thinking about how we met Caroline. It was the year 2000. Bobby was in a Christian Drug rehab in Clyde, NC called Victory House. Caroline volunteered in the Thrift Store there and her husband Joseph volunteered with the men in the program.
One evening I was visiting Bobby. We were sitting outside with several others and Bobby and I sang a couple of songs. While we were singing, I heard another voice join us. It was BEAUTIFUL! The 3 part harmony gave me chills! I looked at Bobby...he looked at me...WOW! Who was that? I looked around and saw Caroline singing. She didn't even know the songs cause Bobby wrote them! Yet, the blend of voices was wonderful. That was the beginning! We practiced and sang together...it was wonderful!
After Bobby graduated from the program, she started to go into local prisons with us. She worked every day at the Thrift Store...Bobby and I were working...this ministry was very part-time.
FIRST PRISON TOUR
We would save our money, and on vacations, we would travel to prisons out of state. In 2001, we planned our first Prison Tour. We went to Ohio. We didn't have money for hotels, so we camped...in TENTS! I had grown up camping and had a bunch of gear, so it was no big deal to me. But, dear Caroline had NEVER been camping! Bobby and I still had a child at home, Robby was 13 and Caroline's youngest daughter Amy was 12...so we took them with us!
Caroline and Amy had quite an awakening to camping life...Raccoons invading the cereal boxes, Daddy Long Legs on the tent roof ( they were outside, but you could see them through the tent fabric). But, they soldiered on and stood up to the challenge like troopers.
HAND OF GOD
We had a prison service one afternoon about 20 miles from the campground. Of course, we couldn't take the kids into the prison, so they stayed at the camp. It was a beautiful July day.
We were having a good service in Chillicothe, OH at Ross CC. Caroline and I noticed dark clouds out the window... the wind started blowing...it was looking bad out there. All we could think about was our kids at the camp. We finished the service and rushed out. Bobby was driving as fast as he could trying to get back to our kids. I must say that Caroline and I were really panicking. We kept praying, "Lord, please protect our kids."
We got to a T stop. Turn left to go to the campground...The rain had stopped. We saw something in the sky that took our breath away.
This isn't the actual picture, but it sure reminds me of what we saw that day.
To the left were sunny skies, to the right was a hand in the clouds, holding back the storm! God had heard our prayers! He held back the rain and wind! We got to the camp, the kids were like "What?" There had been no sign of rain or storms. We hurried and secured everything....then the rains came.
FAITH BUILDERS
Talk about a faith builder! What He taught me that day was that He would take care of us as we did the job He was asking us to do. He has taught me that lesson over and over. Each time, it adds to my faith. He was building even then so that I would learn to trust Him completely and depend on Him for my every need.
The Lord told the Israelites to retell the stories, through the generations. To tell our children about the mighty works He has done. It is important to share these stories! It builds our faith. It encourages others. What He had done before, He will do again. What He had done for me, He will do for you.
