In Irving Illinois a group purchased the old school building and made it into a long term alcohol recovery program. Some of those started coming to worship at the Irving church, two had met there, Matt and Kim, I and not using their real names. My favorite wife, Lisa and I got to know them, and bless them and after a time, I was privileged to perform their wedding ceremony. They rented a house in Witt which I also served just down from the church and became a part of that church. I got Matt involved with the Mens group by helping him prepare sausage and gravy breakfast. After a while they had a little girl, and we baptized the girl and things were going great for the couple.
About a year later Matt started to drink again and while he was in the county jail, Lisa and Kim quickly packed, it is something Lisa will never forget as stuff was thrown into garbage bags, I drove Kim and her child south towards St. Louis, to a deserted exit, off of I55 and have never heard from them again.
I pray that they are doing well, and while some people from the Witt Church thought that all our effort failed, we know it did not because we blessed that couple and that little girl, and showed them the love of Jesus. And we still pray for them.
Whenever we show the love of Jesus it never comes back empty.