They Are Everywhere

Mustard Seed Chronicles: Story Time with LU Grandma

Families and Parents, you have played a big part in the lives of currently enrolled students, those who are now graduating or have graduated. You may not realize the immensity of your gift to the world! Even on a small scale, I can see the immensity of your gift. There are many people associated with Liberty University who live in Lynchburg, and in the past couple of weeks, I have noticed the Lord’s gifts through His people more and more.

Two weeks ago, my husband passed into Heaven to be Home with Jesus. He was a former Liberty University employee who worked as the Director of Admissions for many years and left quite a legacy. In the days before his death, he was ministered to by a lot of the nursing students from Liberty University. They were so sweet, and they would come in and visit and pray with him. That meant so much to him because being in the hospital can be a very lonely experience.

One day one of the nursing students said to me, “Our instructor wants to talk to you immediately.” I thought oh! something’s wrong! But she encouraged me, “No, No! She wants to just talk to you.”

Their instructor greeted me so kindly. She said, “Ms. Timi, you are the reason I’m doing what I’m doing today. I struggled in my undergrad nursing program, and you were my Student Advocate! You are the reason that I graduated because of all the help you gave! Now I get to help train these ladies!”

I gave glory to God because He is the one that helped. I was just the conduit.

On the following Saturday morning, while I was doing normal tasks that you do after someone leaves your home whether they’re a visitor or someone who is part of the family, I met some very precious people. The morning was chilly, so I had my Liberty sweatshirt on when I took our recycling to the shopping center collection site. When I stopped in the parking lot, I saw an “easy up” tent and some people standing around. When I opened the door to my car all four of the young people came to the car and said, “Can we help you? Can we help you? Let me let us take the stuff and help you.” They were Liberty students there for Serve Lynchburg!

One of the workers there looked at me and said, “You’re Timi Plyter. You knew my mom for years.” She told me her mom’s name. “I’m her daughter!”

The last time I had seen her she was a very young child at the church I was attending. And now, she is grown up and the one supervising the recycling program at Liberty University.

It was so sweet to reconnect, but that wasn’t the end!

From the grocery store and through the parking lot, I saw a young man approaching the group with a bouquet of flowers and the young lady told me that was her husband. I thought how sweet it was for him to bring her flowers. “Well,” she said, “These aren’t for me.” And she handed them to the young lady next to me. It was her birthday! With the flowers delivered, and me getting to sing my very special birthday song to her, I was introduced to the young man. He looked at me and said, “Ms. Timi, you were my Student Advocate when I was in school!” I gave glory to God because He is the one that helped. I was just the conduit.

After we talked for a bit, they asked if they could pray for me and my family. They prayed a beautiful, beautiful prayer. Recycling became a prayer meeting!

After recycling, I continued my morning tasks and headed inside the store to pick up a few things. Outside there was a young woman looking at the flowers that were on sale out front. I heard her say to the young man next to her, “Oh, Honey, I’ve got to get these flowers. They’re on sale.” His reply was kind, but he said, “Honey, we don’t have room for any more flowers.”

The Holy Spirit told me to go talk to them. As we entered the store together, I asked her if I could talk to her for a minute. She looked at me with a big smile and said, “Sure! No problem.” I put my arm around her shoulder, and said,” Honey, you really don’t always have to buy things just because they are on sale.”

I relayed to the couple the story of my beloved deceased husband who would always go right to the meat department whenever he was at a grocery store because his father had been a butcher and he knew there would be special cuts for sale. He would bring home massive amounts of meat whether we needed them or not because “they were on sale.” For all those bargain purchases, his declining health made it so that he didn’t get to enjoy any of it. I told her, “Honey, you don’t have to buy everything just because it’s on sale.”

She smiled, and said, “Point taken.” Her husband looked at me with a huge smile and said, “Thank you.” Then he looked at me closer and asked me my name. I told him, and he said, “You were my Student Advocate when I was an undergrad. You were the reason I was able to graduate because you helped me so much.” I gave glory to God because He is the one that helped. I was just the conduit.

We all hugged and went on with our day.

The point of these stories is not to brag about myself! The point is that we all have families and jobs in our lives and have a choice as to the legacy we leave. We can be instruments of God’s wisdom, grace, and mercy to others simply because that is what we are called to do. Sometimes the service to others may seem like it is nothing but routine. But then later, just like in these stories, you discover that you were the hands, feet, and voice of the Lord in their lives, and it made a difference.

That is what Training Champions for Christ is all about. Parents, family members, guardians, and friends have had a huge part in students’ lives. You have been a conduit of God’s help to them. As they will be to others.

Liberty students are all over the world and right down the street in our communities. You just never know when you will run into them. They are literally everywhere!

Prayer:

Abba, Father, thank You for what You do in the lives of us all, not just Liberty’s students. There are those all around us that need YOU and Your loving care. Help us all to be that shining light of Jesus to them so they can share it with others.

I pray this in Your loving name, Jesus.

Amen!