“It sounds as though you have your own little club going here,” said Stan with a smile.

“Oh, not alt all.  In fact, our church is winning more people to Jesus than ever before.  Every day new people show up at our door.  Some come, of course, because they heard that we have food available and are willing to help.  Others come because they have no place else to turn.  But a lot of people want to be a part of a church that cares.”

Stan and Christine instinctively looked at one another.  “Yeah,” Stan said, more to himself than to anyone else.  “I guess that’s why we’re here, too.”

Mary paused to introduce Christine and Stan to another young couple, Stephanie and Tom.  After the couple went by, Mary commented, “Stephanie and Tom came to the church for the first time as spectators, but they were impressed by what God is doing, they said, ‘Wow! We always wanted to be a part of a church like this.’ They stayed and got involved.  Before long, they were excited about the Lord, and they started helping others find what they have found.

“Funny, we used to have evangelism classes, church growth programs, and all sorts of other programs in our attempts to get people to come to church.  We once had helicopter rides for the kids after Sunday school, and one time we had a hot-air balloon ride for the person who could bring the most people to church on a particular Sunday.  All those things were nice, but usually once the promotion was done, the impact on our church was barely noticeable.  But now, we don’t advertise or promote, and still the people keep coming.”

“That’s pretty impressive,” Stan agreed.

“Oh, my! We’re just scratching the surface of what God has for us!” Mary exuded excitement.  “We have a sister church in Northern California where the members of the church are building a new sanctuary and cutting their own trees!  Even the youth group is helping to work on the church, doing the wallpapering, and learning how to lay blocks.  It is a wonderful experience for them.  Another sister church in Las Vegas is now meeting in a place that used to be known as the Desert Hotel.  Are you familiar with it?”

“The Desert Hotel?  Heh, heh… err, ah, well, yeah, I am,” Stan admitted reluctantly.  He didn’t want to tell Mary that he had spent thousands of dollars, gambling away his hard-earned money at the Desert Hotel’s casino and indulging in other less-than-admirable behavior during his business trips to Vegas.  Oh, yes, he knew the Desert Hotel.

“Well, do you remember in the Old Testament that when God delivered His people from the hand of the Egyptians, He said that they would go out with the riches of Egypt?”

Stan nodded. He had no clue what the woman was referring to, but he was not about to interrupt her.

“The Bible says that the wealth of the evil has been laid up for the just.  That means that God has prepared the riches of the world for God’s people.  These days, now that money is so tight, there aren’t as many people gambling in Las Vegas, except for those who are foolishly hoping to strike it rich so they can escape the turmoil that the world is in. But where are they going to go?  The whole earth is being shaken.  So, the Desert Hotel donated its entire property to our sister church there.  We are housing people, feeding people, and ministering to them right there in what used to be a casino! It’s wonderful!”

For some reason, the woman’s ebullience at the transformation of the Desert Hotel bothered Stan.  “Aw, come one, Mary,” he teased. “You must be on some kind of drugs, aren’t you? Can you get me some of that stuff?”