* Kyle's day of Salvation...Rick Gage...

This weekend was a busy one... May 2, 2009
Kirk & I made a over night trip to Atlanta for business/test. Kamren stayed with Chips & Lynda and Kyle stayed with Papa John & MawMaw Judy. On Saturday Carrie & Caroline drove to Graceville to get Kyle so he could go with them to a Youth Rally at their church. We got home early, but it was very late when Kyle came home so it was not until we got to church this morning that I had a chance to ask Kyle about the rally.

I was very shocked/happy when he told me that he had gotten Saved!!!!!!!!!!
I was taken back by that reply. I have been in church all my life and I know how many times young children can go to the alter and "get Saved" so my 1st thought to this was ok this time it's for real and he knew what he was doing this time.

Many years ago when Kyle was younger and not into sports he would spend the summers with his sister Melanie, and he had gotten saved and Baptized then.
About three summers ago he went through Confirmation at CUMC and was Sprinkled. And the sad part of all of these we were not present at any of these.

We questioned Kyle about this at lunch today and asked him what was different this time and what happened for him to make this life altering confession. His reply was: Dad I was young then and I thought all I had to do was say I was sorry every time I did something bad or wrong, now I know you must change and live different. It's not about saying I'm sorry for each bad thing, God forgives us for everything, it's that God is with me all the time and I must live Godly 24/7.

Now, anyone that knows Kyle, will say that Kyle is not a bad/evil kid, Kyle is a very good kid with a bid heart. Now what he tells us next is what broke my heart.

He had been at this rally with Rick Gage be the guest speaker. I think he was a football/coach, he now runs the Go Tell Youth Camps. I guess at the end of the service much like most rally's they end in a Alter call.(1) Kyle said the preacher said to raise your hand if you needed prayer or if you wanted to live for Jesus.(2) Kyle lifted his hand. the next step was for the leaders to look for raised hands and go tap someone on the back. Kyle said his head was bowed and he felt the tap and all the time he was hoping it would not be Caroline's dad but he didn't know who it was.(3)The next step was for the leader to go get the person they tapped and take them to a room and pray with them. Kyle said when the leader came to him his knees buckled because he knew the voice(the voice of an Angel). (4) Kyle come with me!!!!!! It was John....Caroline's dad.
(5) Kyle & John with into the room and John began to talk to Kyle and this is were my heart began to break. Kyle said I know what I did was right and for real because I cried and my heart felt good and I didn't care that it was my girlfriend's dad, it was just me and God and I had never felt that before.
Just to let you know how the works: Carrie told me today that they did not see Kyle go up but he was siiting with Caroline and she knew he went up but she also thought that he was already saved and she just thought he was going for prayer and she kept trying to find her dad to pray with him but could never get hid attention. She said she just kept thinking why are you not getting to Kyle. John said he was just standing up front looking for someone to help, when Pastor Rick looked at him and pointed to Kyle. John said he had no clue that when he laid his hand on Kyle's back that it was Kyle until the pastor said: Take the one you have your hand on in a room and pray with then and help them with whatever they came to the alter for. John said it was only at that point that he realized it was Kyle. He said this is when you know that this is God working. He said that Kyle was broken and Kyle told him he had been saved and baptized but this time it was different. He realized that you just don't say your sorry for your sins but you must live a different life. John said he knew that Kyle had really made a change in his heart and life.
Thank you so much John, Carrie, Caroline and Catherine for coming into Kyle's life and having him in church at the right time. Thank you John for being the one to take him down the road to salvation. You will always have a special place in his and my heart. Sometimes this is something parents cannot do. But thank the Lord the Clark's were there at the right time. Thank you for being a great Christian influence on Kyle.
Only time will tell where Kyle & Caroline will be in 5,7 or 10 years or who they will spent the rest of their lives with as Husband and Wife, but one thing I do know is this family will always have a special place in Kyle and my heart's.