Brother Jerry would be proud!

Brother Jerry would be proud!

Most of you folks who are reading this article know that I have been making small wooden crosses for over 20 years.  I made them, initially, as pillow agape for Walk to Emmaus events in the Lubbock, Texas area.  I made them in lots of about 75 to cover all the participants for their walks. See related articles in the website, www.BIN2Salvation.com.  In those 20 years, from 1990-2010, I had made/distributed 20,150; because for the purpose of this article, I added them up.

Then, in June of 2011, after the destruction in Joplin, Missouri, God revealed to me, while in Joplin as a cleanup volunteer, to make 100,000 crosses, and then He would talk to me. lol, REALLY!  That is what He said to me, clear as day, in the middle of night in Galena, Kansas, where we were spending the nights at a sister church to Grace Baptist Church in Joplin, a mere 6 miles into Kansas.

As of September 2011, I had only made 23,446; but, I was being to distribute more crosses.  I had developed, or, rather, my daughter, Joni Beth Dobbins Nichols, aka. the Website Queen had developed the website that you are accessing.  She did all these elaborate things so that the Cross Ministry could be showcased, not for me, but for the Kingdom.

As of December 31, 2011, just at New Year's Eve approached, I hit the halfway mark......50,000.    I was filling orders, left and right, simply with the people that were asking if they could get crosses for their particular mission trip.  The website was a way for folks to see what the cross ministry was about, and the ease of obtaining crosses for mission trips,etc. 

As of February 1, 2012, I hit the 65,000 mark.  I spent the rest of the month filling orders that went to Zambia, Africa, and another location that I cannot remember.  After all, it is not about where they are going.....
A friend wanted some for his church in Stamford, Texas.  A Methodist minister wanted some to go to Haiti.  A church friend's son was going to El Salvador.  Another Methodist minister went to Mexico. It was hectic, but I was keeping up with the orders.

Then, during the month of March, there were no orders for crosses; yet, I was motivated, somehow, to continue to cut them out, and package them for upcoming orders.   Some mornings I was up at 4 am, out in my shop working 12-16 hours a day, feeling anxious about getting more ready for shipping.  During this mad frenzy of shop time, I produced 33,000 crosses.  I had no idea when they would be needed, or where they would go.  Needless, my wife thought I was nuts to feel pressure to make crosses BEFORE they were requested.

Then, all of a sudden, I got a plethora of orders, 3 separate mission trips to Africa, 2 separate trips to El Salvador, a trip to San Salvador, as well as a Mug Ministry order, and Easter egg crosses.  As it turned out, I had just enough to cover all the new requests.  My new total stood at 98,675.  Boy, was I getting close to the goal of 100,000!

I wondered about how could I possibly have known to have that many crosses ready when they were needed?  Then, I recalled the scripture in Isaiah 65:24; I answered before they called.  Look up that scripture on your iphone and read the touching commentary of the missionary in Africa, and the children's needs.

But, the rest of the story,,,,,as Paul Harvey used to say, was that my cross count was short of the 100,000.  I was totally okay with it, because I knew that an order would come that would put me over the top.  Sure enough, just a day, or so ago, I got a call from my brother Jerry's church in Irving, Texas, requesting crosses to throw out, instead of candy, at their July 4th parade.  I told my sister-in-law, Melba, that I would be sending 2000 crosses to cover that event, even though they thought that half that many would do.

See, I knew that there was a reason for all this mystery...and know that my oldest brother, Jerry, (he passed away in December, 20110, would be proud that his church took the cross count over the top.