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It was a message from heaven she would never forget. After moving, Donna longed to start a Bible study in her Leesburg, Florida neighborhood. She had taught one for 20 years at her former church, so she rallied three friends and they began praying. One day while she was in Goodwill, a stranger approached her with a smile. “I have a message for you,” he said. “God is pleased with you and will soon answer your prayers!” As he turned to leave, he called over his shoulder, “By the way, my name is Gabriel.”

Donna was overwhelmed. But that was just the beginning. The very next day as she and her husband drove by a service station, she noticed a small sign announcing a neighborhood Bible study on Mondays from 10-11:30 am. “That’s what I want to do!” she exclaimed in surprise. “It’s even the right time!” Her husband John shrugged and said with a grin, “Well, you were looking for a sign. . .”  

Donna hurried back to her computer and typed in some key words. When Neighbor Bible Studies 2GO popped up, she combed through the website and signed up for training.  During this time, she and her three friends continued prayer-walking her neighborhood. On the NBS2GO website, Donna downloaded some invitations to send out, and many responded. A new LIGHT Bible study was launched.  For four months 13-15 women gathered at her house in Scottish Highlands, a mega neighborhood of 620 homes. A woman from each of its five subdivisions attends her study. Donna is thrilled that two women are already planning to start their own Bible studies. 

Have you ever had one of those really awkward moments where words shared with you just hang in the air? 

You want to respond positively, but somehow you can’t think of anything to say. This took place with Elidia during a Bible study she hosted. She was excited to begin a Bible study with a neighbor God had put on her heart. And then this happened...

“The only reason I’m coming to your Bible study is because I want to be a good neighbor,” her new neighbor said awkwardly as she looked down at her notebook.  Elidia swallowed hard.  Oh no, she doesn’t want to come, she feels obligated to come. What good am I really doing? Lord, am I doing this right? She whispered a prayer of faith and decided to move forward. “What did this passage show you about Jesus?” Elidia asked, resuming the Bible study conversation. But inside she felt confused. Why is my neighbor so resistant? she wondered to herself. Well, at least she keeps coming. . . 

“Watch out! Debbie is a seed-planter!” warned Elaine Bush at a recent NBS2GO luncheon at Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Four years ago when she first heard Debbie McGoldrick speak,  Elaine thought the format of these 2GO Bible studies was “an interesting and easy approach that brought new insights,” but she had no plans to begin a study of her own. “But I didn’t think about the seeds she was planting,” Elaine reflected. “They were lying dormant, waiting for the right season for the Holy Spirit to water them.” 

Fast-forward to the summer of 2018. She thought of Debbie while walking in her neighborhood one day, and began praying. Then she ran into her friend Sue and couldn’t wait to tell her about NBS2GO. Maybe they could work together! Sue offered to pray for Elaine, but was too busy. “I should have warned her about the seeds. . .” Elaine said.

A few months later in the fall Elaine started a neighborhood Bible study group using LIGHT, from the 2GO Bible Study Series. Though only averaging six women, the group felt God’s hand on them. Elaine smiled as she remembered one of her mother’s favorite quotes, “Little is much when God is in it.” One of her neighbors proudly showed the Bible she had just bought – her first one! Although her church taught from the Bible all these years, they had not encouraged people to read it. As she immersed herself in the Scriptures, God opened her spirit to His own. Nature took on fresh meaning. She told how the breeze that brushed her face on walks now reminded her of God’s presence, described in the Bible as a rushing wind.