LONGWOOD, FL-Supernatural happenings seem to dominate Joyce and Morgan Ilgenfritz's world. Yet they insist that what they do is normal. When the couple stood to their feet during a missionary rally thirty years ago, they expected to go to the far corners of the world. Since that night, the world has come to them in the nearly 400 people from 55 different countries who have lived in their home in York, Pennsylvania. It all started with an invasion-a home invasion by cantankerous "Uncle Claude," a neighbor who desperately needed them. Joyce, a practicing nurse, realized God had placed her family in a position to provide aid, comfort, fellowship, and much more to the dying old man. That single outreach started a spiritual domino effect that has resulted in numerous lives changed and a book that tells those wonderful tales.
Who knew that just a lighthouse in the front yard could attract so many? Surmounting language barriers, cultural differences, personality conflicts, diverse religious practices, and mundane inconveniences, the Ilgenfritzes have exhibited Christ's love in such a way that many of their guests have embraced faith for the first time. In DIVINE APPOINTMENTS, The Lighthouse by the Road (Sept. $13.99, 1-59781-395-8), by Bonnie S. Grau, you'll read about how the Ilgenfritzes' Lighthouse ministry began and how it has reached throughout their community to places as far away as Haiti and West Africa.
This is a story about a loving family taking in other families, being a light in this world. Meet this amazing couple, their four children, and twenty grandchildren through the pages of Divine Appointments. Written as a dedication to the whole scope of their lives and ministry, this book is meant for readers who may have given up on good news assuring them that the "Good News" is still being shared in a practical way in this day and age.
Morgan and Joyce Ilgenfritz received the Jefferson Award from local television station WGAL TV in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for outstanding community service (established in 1972 by Jacquelyn Kennedy Onassis).
Bonnie S. Grau has been a freelance writer for more than 15 years. A former elementary teacher, she wrote children's curricula for Alliance World, a Christian and Missionary Alliance publication. She has been published in a number of daily devotionals and denominational periodicals, including the Upper Room and Chicken Soup for the Grandma's Soul. She has also collaborated with author/editor David Fessenden on the book Teaching with All Your Heart.
Xulon Press, a part of Salem Communications Corporation, is the world's largest Christian publisher, with more than 3,900 titles published to date. Retailers may order DIVINE APPOINTMENTS through Ingram Book Company and/or Spring Arbor Book Distributors. Salem Communications is the country's leading Christian communications company with interests in radio, Internet, and magazine publishing.
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2007