Recently we drove to Patterson to help out a fellow planter and his congregation. They were having a special service and wanted every member to be present to participate. So Bev and I were the nursery attendants.

We had five toddlers. I have decided that watching toddlers is like herding cats. I kept praying for the Spirit of Sleep to come over the group, but he never showed up. When the door finally opened and parents started arriving to collect their children I felt liberated.

I came back to Merced with two strong impressions. The first was the importance of Christians networking together to get things done. I know that the Patterson church would do the same thing for us. All we have to do is say, “Will you help us?”, and it is as good as done. Getting help from fellow disciples opens up doors of blessing in a way that nothing else does.

The second impression is comraderie that is created when we are united by a single vision. Over lunch we talked about the progress of our individual plants, strategies we are using, and our hopes for the future. We understood each other.

I would herd cats again for our friends. I know that this sort of investment is more than a couple of hours of helping out with the children. It is also friendship, trust, and serving one another.