Journal - Meeting the Lions

On Tuesday evening, Joni and I rode along with Tom and Barbara Christi to the Lion’s Club meeting in Ravenna. Barbara had called me last week and asked if I would be willing to attend a meeting so that they could all see for themselves what their donation helped to accomplish. I told her that I would, of course, be willing to do that. Aside from feeling obligated to the Lion’s, I also have an obligation to God to spread the word of what He did for me.
We met at their house in Gibbon at 6:15pm, and left from there. It’s a little bit of a drive over to Ravenna, maybe 30 minutes or so. On the way there, I mentioned that when I was a kid we used to go to Ravenna now and then to go roller-skating at a little auditorium that had been converted for the purpose. Barbara told me that the Ravenna Lion’s still maintain that building and they still have roller-skating there sometimes. That surprised me a lot because it was a good 30 years ago that I remember going. Most of the way there I watched a very nice sunset out the window to my left.
Neither Joni nor I had ever been to a Lion’s meeting before so we didn’t know what to expect. I’ll admit that it was quite a bit longer than I expected, but it was an interesting time. Before the actual meting began, there was a dinner of ham, cheesy potatoes, vegetables, and rolls. It was an excellent dinner, but Joni and I had eaten a bite before we left so I wasn’t as hungry as I would have liked. When dinner was finishing up, someone came over and asked if I would like to say a few words before the meeting began, and I said that I would. Joni and I had been introduced to the group before the dinner began.
After dinner, everyone gathered in chairs at one end of the large room for the meeting. The leader asked me to come up and handed me a microphone. It wasn’t a very large group so I don’t think I really needed a microphone, but I took it and said what I needed to say. It probably only took 5 minutes or so.
After that, they had the roll call. This was a little different than most roll calls I have witnessed. After each name was called, that person had to answer a question about Ravenna’s history. The group has several old-timers so the roll call took a little while as some of the questions led to discussions and remembrances. But I learned a few things about Ravenna that I didn’t know before.
After that it was just Lion’s Club business: a reading of the minutes, financial report, and discussions of new business. One of the members works for the Kearney Daily Hub as it turns out, so after the meeting she took a picture of me and Joni, with Tom and Barbara and a couple of the group’s leaders. So I guess some of the local papers may have stories.
And that was it. We rode back to Tom and Barbara’s house, then Joni and I continued on home. It was about 9:30 when we got back. It was kind of a long evening, but rewarding. I’m glad I got a chance to do that.

Psalms 40:10 "I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation."

Mark 16:15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.