Four Friends and a very small church....

How the Lord met our support needs recently...

Four friends who meet for coffee and hot chocolate in Syracuse, NY (our hometown) who have a connection with my twin sister; a year and a half ago while visiting my sister invited me to their meeting place. A McDonald's not far from my sister's home. We sat for about 45 minutes and while I was drinking hot chocolate I shared about Costa Rica and answered their questions. Recently, they all decided to pool their money together and signed up for monthly support.

Then there's the small church in N.C. They barely have enough money to pay their Pastor on a regular basis. If you stood on the outside of their church you might think from a distance that they didn't have much to offer. No BIG programs! Not a lot of bells and whistles! If you had the opportunity to go inside like we have had so many times, you would observe a church that prays, and prays hard, for their church body, and for their community. It is a church that serves the community around it, and has passion for introducing people to Jesus Christ. They have stepped out in faith to support us.

Less and less money is given in support of missionaries every day and there are many who can never raise enough funds to get to the field.

To all of you, four friends, a small church, family, friends, our supporting churches: Thank you! We are overwhelmed with your generosity! We are so blessed, so grateful and so encouraged!

Seeking Support

This past week has been a week of "contacts". As we've gone through our days, God has used friends and some of our supporters to let us know of some local churches where they specifically have contacts with the Pastor, and would like for us to send a letter about our ministry. Some have even gone before us and spoken to their Pastor directly on our behalf. Yesterday afternoon I pulled out the two sheets of "notes" that I had taken all week in conversations with these friends and supporters. I sat at our kitchen table and stuffed envelopes with a letter, the Global Outreach brochure and our prayer card. As I sealed the first envelope and placed on the postage stamp, I felt a sense of urgency to pray for the "church". And so I continued in that fashion, as soon as the postage stamp was placed, praying for that individual church until each envelope was complete. What started off as a seemingly mundane task, evolved into a time of asking God to work in the churches that were receiving the letters, not just on our behalf and for our ministry, but in His behalf; begging God to bless, to heal, to grow these churches. Again, I am reminded of my short comings. I pray for our church, but I cannot remember the last time I prayed for Garner ACC. Well, you get the picture and the point that God made. Would you join me in praying for these local churches where the Gospel is spoken? God knows their names. 14 letters are going out in the mail this morning. These churches, Gospel preaching churches, need our prayers to have an impact within their congregations and on our county!