Serving in the kitchen and dining room is hard work and we sometimes feel separated from the large-scale ministry that is going on in the rest of the building or campus. I recall a powerful experience once when some members of the kitchen team gave a “cardboard testimony.” This is when persons walk silently to soft music, in a circle around the full dining room, holding up large pieces of cardboard to show transparency in their victories in Christ. On the first side of the cardboard is written a sin or distress, and on the flip side the victory. As each person gets half way around the room, he/she turns the cardboard around and shows the triumph, along with a change of countenance from sad/angry to joy/peace. On one occasion, I got to know a candidate/pilgrimwho shared with me that she been saved from an occult past and was praying that the retreat would give her the strength and knowledge to continue in her new life with Christ. I felt the strong need to pray for her that God would provide a connection to someone who would understand and could counsel her and stand with her. When the cardboard testimony began, I immediately noticed the sign that read “born into the occult.” When the card carrier reached the far side of the room, she showed the flip side: “set free/born again into Christ.” Afterwards, I asked this person if she would be willing to help. “Wow, I was fighting with myself about putting that on my sign,” she said. “I have served on teams for over 25 years, but have never shared my dark past with anyone at Tres Dias. But this time, the Lord kept after me to write it. So it must have been for this reason that I was obedient.” I was humbled to be used by the Lord to introduce them to each other. Patti Jo welcomes your comments. Send to pattjobach@gmail.com SaveSave