January Update

“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34

 

What would we do without God’s mercy! How grateful I am that His mercies are “new every morning.”

Our church is finally on the verge of beginning our pastor search. We would greatly appreciate your prayer as we seek the man that God has been preparing. Please be praying specifically as relates to “Forbid Them Not,” both locally and internationally, as well as other ministries already established through the church. I have already had more than one pastor tell me, “Sometimes we have to give up the things we love” in regard to our prayer that God would bring a man with a similar burden. This breaks my heart, but I believe the Lord CAN answer that prayer. It is just a matter of letting God bring us together.

The 2014 Green Bean Project has come to a close. Due to the many new responsibilities on my plate, this year’s project was much more difficult to keep moving. We were able to raise about $350 dollars. This is quite a bit short of the amount that I had hoped we could raise, so I have decided to pull the local ministry out of the mix and split the funds between the three ministries we have supported through this project in the past. I will also be adding to it enough to send each ministry $150. If you would like to help with this addition, or would like to give specifically to the local ministry you can do so through the Green Bean Project page of the Forbid Them Not website

Our family had a blessed holiday season. It would be untrue to say that we did not have some very difficult moments, but we were blessed to be together. How grateful we are for the promises of God, in particular, that He never leaves us, nor forsakes us! In July, a friend of mine encouraged me to start a follow-up to the devotional journal that I published in 2013. As I prayed about this, the Lord impressed me to focus the new journal on His promises. I cannot even begin to tell you what an amazing source of strength and comfort those promises were as I began compiling them for the book. It’s my prayer that they will have the same effect on those who use the new journal.

Personally, I would appreciate your prayer for wisdom. Since May, I have inherited the responsibilities of three different people at the church because they have either gone to heaven or their health has made it impossible to carry out the work. Finding balance between what was already in place and the new responsibilities is very difficult. I have been very limited both in the areas of outreach and work. I have tried to keep in my mind that THIS is what God has for now. I greatly need wisdom in this area. Please, pray with me for the Lord’s direction. He has never failed, and since He has promised that He is the same yesterday, today and forever, I know He will not start failing now!

Please be in prayer for a young woman named Tanya and her son Isaiah. I met them just before Thanksgiving. She was calling around asking churches for a ride, so she could pick up her Thanksgiving food box at the local food bank. By the time I got her call, she was very frustrated and felt that everyone was just giving her the run around. When I picked her up that afternoon, she said to me, “You are the only church that was willing to help single moms. Thank you.”

Fifty-four percent of the kids in Billings are growing up in single parent homes. Many of them are living in poverty as a result. It’s easy to say, “Well, you made your bed, now lie in it.” But that is not Christ’s response. When someone says something like Tanya said that day, it helps put into perspective how important this ministry really is. Tanya and I have tried to get together a couple of other times since Thanksgiving, but each time it has fallen through. Please, pray that the Lord will allow this relationship to develop, and that she would come to a full understanding of what Christ has done for her and will come to Him for salvation.

Thank you so much for your prayers! I know many people have been praying for us over the last few months! We need it! Thank you for your faithfulness!