Today is the funeral for my friend Chenda. I have shared this story many times. She walked into our church, West Mobile Baptist Church, with one of her sons during our Bible study (Sunday School) time. This was before our church had regular security and deacons on duty in our foyer so I usually stayed in the foyer during that time to be available for those who walked in or to handle anything that might arise. But they walked in at 10:30, only about 20 minutes before groups would dismiss and church would not begin until 11:00.

I didn't want them to just sit for 30 minutes so I asked them if they wanted a tour of the church. So we walked around and took a tour. During that time she told me that when they had lived in another state, after her family had been resettled here from Cambodia, she attended church, believed in God and was baptized but when they moved to Alabama, she never really started back going to church. She realized her boys, who had grown up here, did not attend church so didn't know God like she did. 

What impressed me was her questions. She wanted to make sure our church believed the Bible. Here are some of her questions and if you know me, you know how I answered: 

You do believe Jesus is God, right?  You teach the Bible just like it is written?  That Jesus died on the cross for our sin and rose again? That we have to surrender to Jesus and follow Him, right?

I have forgotten more that she said but it blessed me that before she even sat through one sermon, she was checking up on our church to be sure we believed the Bible. 

I took Chenda the next week to Sandy Wingate's ladies class because Sandy had lived overseas for 16 years and handled newcomers so beautifully. I knew the ladies would love her and help her get settled in at our church and they did. She attended for the last 9 years of her life. Three of her boys trusted Christ and were baptized at WEMO. 

This photo shows Chenda and Dolores (who passed in 2024) at the door of their church classroom after they helped decorate it for our Trunk or Treat. They are both in heaven and ironically they were two of the youngest members of that class. It is a mixed age ladies class and several members are in their 80's. 

Chenda, you will be missed at WEMO.