By JOHN Shelton |
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IT was a hectic week but worth every long hour . There were a few 16-hour days , and getting home after 1 am was tough , but for me , I was on cloud nine from the excitement of praying with others and the close interactions we got to have with the crowd . As a chapter , we voted on this back in November ; of course , not everyone who voted yes showed up to help , but we had just enough to handle what God wanted us to . One of my big concerns was security over the doors at the coliseum during monster trucks , crash-up Derby , and three nights of rodeo . I needed six or more people that we didn β t have , but because of a relationship with one of the local motorcycle clubs , they showed up and actually worked security , so no one on the busiest nights snuck in all of the broken side doors . Thank you , Joe , President of Cross Road Drifters MC .
We also had two CMA β ers from deep East Texas , Robbie and Melinda , show up and help us two very busy days and nights during the rodeo . Also , an extraordinary new friend , James β Cajun ,β who is not in CMA nor our chapter , showed up every day and night on his trike , ready to serve . Thanks to Larry , Gail , Dee , Bill , John W , and Chad for all your hard work and Greg , who loaned us the minibikes that were so popular for kid β s pictures . The pictures were one more thing where the public saw us and had a keepsake with the CMA logo .
The numbers : We had salvation with baptism and one rededication
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to the Lord . About two dozen oneon-one prayers and 150 wristbands were given away with explanations and pamphlets . We did just over 500 rag tracts and cleaned out most of our old brochures . We also handed out about 150 balloons and 150 CMA Kid β s story coloring books . We cleared almost $ 200 for Run for the Son during the week . But we gave out many sponsorship RFS packages , so we have no idea what will happen to those ; we β re just praying they donate . We only had two bad days of weather . Even though the small group of us was utterly beat , it was worth every long hour because of the one-onone prayers , salvation , and rededication we were part of as a group .
We are definitely going to attend these family events at any cost . People were so open to prayer , unlike many motorcycle events we go to . Yes , it β s nice giving out rag tracts and blessing motorcycles and riders , but when we get to sit and have physical prayer with people over their wheelchairs , crutches , and even a blind man β s cane , it just solidifies the importance of our chapter being present in our community .
The city Mayor took notice , and so did the Chief of Police , who told us they were proud to serve sideby-side . Also , the fairground security and overseer , Lisa , were more than ecstatic about the security help they received on the doors from the MC . This helps show that not all MCs are the same . This really opened the door even more with our community leaders , who now
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know that CMA and other motorcyclists are here to actively help our community .
Thank you , guys , for spreading the word . Thank you , CMA RFS , for donating the items we needed ; they were exactly what we needed . God knew the numbers . Everyone present stepped up and worked above and beyond , showing their dedication to serving others . Because of that , God showed up and showed us the fruits of our labor , which so often we do not get to see . Many seeds were planted , and we continue to pray that they will be watered by other folks down the road .
CMA was present for thousands of people to see , serving others , and hearing us pray over loudspeakers for each event during the derby and monster truck night invocation . Knowing our pamphlets , bracelets , rag tracts , and photos are still out there doing God β s work , I am proud to be in this organization . Thank you all . CMA
John Shelton is a member of Victory Riders chapter # 410 in Texarkana , Arkansas .
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25βͺAUGUST 2024βͺwww . cmausa . org |