The World Is Waiting
by Melanie Hemry
Becky Haas stood in the checkout line at Walmart in Johnson City, Tenn., watching as the clerk scanned her groceries. Like any 53-year-old woman buying groceries, she looked normal. But nothing felt right. Something was wrong.
Becky couldn’t find her place. It was as though she didn’t know where to take her next step.
Middle-aged, out of work, and positive she’d never made the impact for God’s kingdom that she should have, it seemed all she had were questions: Was God putting her out to pasture? Had she failed some life test? What was she missing?
Loading her groceries into the car, Becky drove home on autopilot.
She’d been raised in a Catholic family with five children. In the early 1970s, when the Charismatic renewal had swept through the Catholic Church, both of her parents had been born again and filled with the Holy Spirit. Her father had been one of the businessmen who founded a chapter of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Association.
At age 14, Becky had given her heart to the Lord while attending a crusade led by David Wilkerson. Not long afterward, she sensed the call of God on her life. After graduating from high school, she’d moved to Tulsa, Okla., to attend Rhema Bible Training Center. It was at Rhema that she was first introduced to Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, who spoke often at camp meetings, special services on campus, Winter Bible Seminars and prayer seminars.
After graduating from Rhema, Becky felt led to return to her home church, Cornerstone, in Johnson City. As a full-time staff member, she’d served there for 24 years doing pastoral care, children’s and college ministry, and administration. During those years, she had also married Jonathan Haas and raised two wonderful sons.
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