Harold Keller / L’Observateur / December 1, 1999

I had an exciting and very interesting Thanksgiving week. It started offSunday before last at New Wine Christian Fellowship.

Thanksgiving Day, at 6 a.m., I received a phone call from a young man that Ihad met six months ago. He called to tell me he had been free of drugs forsix months. “I never knew life could be so good!” he shared. “To think, justover six months ago, I was on my knees in a cheap motel room looking for some cocaine that I may have spilled the night before.” That’s hard for meto imagine. This 43-year-old man who was a successful salesman and aformer college football player with a degree was not long ago a cocaine addict. But the good news is that he’s now free, has a job and, most of all,grateful for what God has done in his life.

Later that morning, I attended a Thanksgiving Day mass at St. Peter’sChurch in Reserve. I always enjoy their Thanksgiving service.Jeanne and I enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal at our son’s home. His wife,Monica, prepared an excellent meal.

That night, another call came from Houston, Texas. “Mr. Keller, this is Ken!Remember me? I was at Fountainbleu Treatment Center five months ago.

Just want to wish you and Mrs. Keller a happy Thanksgiving and to tell youall that I love you. I’ve been clean five months now and feel so good! Mywife is back with me. This has been a good Thanksgiving,” he said. (I getexcited about calls like that.)This past Sunday, I closed out the week of Thanksgiving by attending services at the Woodland Baptist Church in LaPlace. My friend, EmoryPutman, is the pastor.

Sunday afternoon, I attended the dedication of the new church building for the New Foundation for Life Full Gospel Church, located at 1061 Cambridge Drive in LaPlace. My friend, Burnell Dent, is the senior pastor. You mayremember that he was an All-State football player at Destrehan High School. He starred at Tulane and played professionally with the Green BayPackers.

Yes, it was a full week. Many people from all walks of life, giving thanksat this special time of the year.

To top things off, Sunday night I got a call from a person whose voice I didn’t recognize. “Remember me, Mr. Keller?” he asked. “You planted a seedin me 10 years ago. This is Greg Horn. I’m in Hot Springs, Ark., and doinggreat! I just completed the Teen Challenge program and am looking forward to being a counselor at one of the Teen Challenge centers. Justwanted to say that I love you. Tell Mrs. Jeanne “hello.” He ended his callwith this: “God did for me what I couldn’t do for myself.”This Thanksgiving week was indeed a very special one for Jeanne and me.

The church services reminded me that the harvest is ripe and the laborers are few. The phone calls reminded me that only God can change the heartsof man.

Harold Keller is a regular columnist for L’Observateur.

Copyright © 1998, Wick Communications, Inc.

Internet services provided by NeoSoft.

Best viewed with 3.0 or higher