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Now after these things, the Lord also appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of him into every city and place where he was about to come. Then he said to them, 'The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into his harvest.' Luke 10:1 WEB

By the early afternoon, we were covered up to our shoulders in tobacco gum. As we walked along the rows, we cropped the ripe tobacco leaves off by hand and slapped them under our arm. A tractor pulled a trailer, or 'tobacco drag' along a nearby path and when you had all that you could carry, you made your way to the trailer and stacked it on until it was full. Then it was taken to the barn of the day, where it was sewn onto sticks by a stringer, and hung on rafters in the barn to dry. After the tobacco was dried, it was stripped off the sticks, tied in huge burlap bags, and taken to the auction to sell.

When cropping tobacco, a layer of sticky gum would get on your arms, then the sand from the leaves would stick to that. Then another layer of gum, and another layer of dirt built up until you were covered in something resembling black tar. It was also highly water resistant and difficult to wash off.

The tobacco cropping season came during the months of July and August in the South. That was the time to bring the ripe tobacco into the barns. This was the hottest part of summer and when you bent down between the rows of tobacco, there was no wind at all. The harvesters would often struggle through the intense southern heat.

I remember one day when some of the croppers became sick, partly from the heat and partly from the diesel fumes of the tractor settling over the area. One by one, they began vomiting and falling out, leaving the rest of us to carry their row. We eventually made it through the day and filled the barn, but we sure could have used more help that day.

There is a great harvest in the kingdom of God starting to happen and the laborers are few. We are approaching the greatest harvest and many of the ones already in the field have become hurt, sick, discouraged, or passed on. Who is going to fill their shoes? Isaiah said: 'Here I am, send me!' (Isaiah 6:8) and God sent him. Wherever you are, pray for more laborers. We really need help in the field today.

It was interesting that Jesus sent the laborers out ahead of Him, to the places where He was about to go. In my life, I have always wanted to be where the revival was, but usually ended up being somewhere else while it happened. The laborers prepare the way for the Lord to come. They go ahead of Him into the fields. So if you are a laborer, know that your work is not in vain. We are preparing the way for the Lord to come.

Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank You so much for all that You do for me, for allowing me to know You. Put those in my path that I can reach and give me the words to speak and I will say them. Fill me with a boldness and Your passion for the lost, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Note: Happy Friday! Just as a heads up, the website will be down for a few hours this afternoon. We are having to have some electrical work done here, so will have to shut down the power for that time. For those who attend our Sunday service, we will still be bringing a service, but will not have time to prepare a Bible Study. We will still have worship, prayer time, and possibly a short message.Thank you for your patience and understanding, and for any prayers you may be able to send up!

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