Hi Everyone,
I've been traveling for the last few weeks. I'm currently in Wisconsin! Guess what? We got a little snow flurry this morning - wow, I miss the Louisiana temps!
I've worked for a few days in the TouchGlobal office on Crisis Response Ministry training materials. We are developing training to hopefully take to churches across the U.S. on how to develop a Crisis Response Ministry. I'm going to a Cross Cultural Church Planting School next week (as part of my long-term missionary training) and I'm really excited to attend that and find out more about the church planting process.
In Louisiana, it was recently determined to move towards church planting and we're taking steps in that direction. It's great to see the fruit of the ministry evolve to that stage!I'm planning on going back to Louisiana after the church planting school for a week, then I come back up north for another class. Since I've been accepted for long-term missionary service, I'll be visiting churches every chance I get. Please join me in praying for open doors for people to come along side of me in partnership - both in prayer and finances!
Thanks for your prayers and your interest in the ministry in Louisiana. Please keep the Crisis Response Ministry in your prayers as well - for God's provision and opportunities to share the gospel. We have lots of staff transitioning within the next month - leaving for the summer. Please pray that God sends more staff laborers.
Since I've been in WI, I've had an opportunity to work on my cabin out by Cataract. I've been blessed to have a few friends help with putting on finishing touches. I have become schooled in tiling and I actually tiled my own bathtub! Hallelujah, it turned out ok. There's still work to be done out there, but it's at a point where I can stay there when I'm in town. It's a nice retreat!
God's blessings to y'all,
Mary
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
What James Taught Me...
When James was brought into Trinity Church, he had been found by a policeman while lying along side of the road. At first the policeman thought James was on drugs, or had a criminal record; he was surprised to find that neither was true. James got so weak physically as he was trying to walk to the church 1-2 miles away, that he fainted from exhaustion. He was malnourished from living in the woods with nothing to eat or drink for several days. James later told us that someone had appeared to him in the woods and told him, “Go to Trinity Church. They will help you.” James did not know who this messenger was; I think that perhaps he was an angel sent by the Lord in James’ time of need to minister to him. James had not taken a shower (other than in the rain) for months, nor had he had any clean clothes. James had many unmet needs with nothing to eat, drink, no shelter or safety, no social network or support, no income and his health condition was poor.
At the church, James was able to get a hot meal and clean up. He was able to take a shower and get fresh clothes. He was introduced to a body of believers who cared for him, prayed for and encouraged him. Fortunately, a doctor was nearby and gave James medical attention. He was then taken to two emergency rooms in hopes to receive medical care. It was very disheartening to care for James, see the intensive needs that he had, then after triage and some medical help, return him back to sleep next to a tree in the woods.
I lay in my bed that first night wondering why God had chosen to take care of me by giving me a bed, shelter, food, good friends, family and resources that I needed. What more could I do to help James? What more could I sacrifice to help him? How selfish am I with what I possess and how I spend my time? I reviewed Matthew 25 where Jesus tells his sheep to inherit His Kingdom. He said that we are to give drink to those who are thirsty, food to those hungry, clothing to those in need of clothes, care for others and take them in. We are to do so to even “the least of these”. As I thought of all that was done for James, the one thing that stood out was that he had not been taken in. He was dropped off in the woods in his sickly condition to sleep next to a tree wrapping a tarp over himself as a shield from the rain.
Emergency response can be built around individual and family crises as well as to a community disaster. In the case of James, his crisis started in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He was living on a boat in Slidell, LA, which was completely washed away in Katrina. He lived on the boat with his twin brother, who had evacuated to Tennessee. James decided to stay in Slidell during Katrina. He ended up surviving although losing all of his personal belongings and the shelter of his brother’s boat.
James' emergency state lasted for 2½ years post Katrina - I can only imagine how exhausted he must be. His story only snowballed after the storm. He received emergency assistance from FEMA and he was able to live off that temporarily. However, James did not have any help long-term – to connect with resources, another place to live, and get his basic needs met. After Katrina, he found out that his brother, whom he was close to, died while in Tennessee. At that point, James became depressed and less motivated.
For several days after James was brought to Trinity Church, contacts were made to work towards finding a solution and shelter; to find someone to “take him in.” Other ministries, organizations, nonprofits, and national programs were contacted as a resource for James. It was difficult because James didn’t have presenting drug or mental health issues. In that case, many resources are available. Because James had medical issues that was another limitation. Through much filtering and linking to community resources, a program was found that would take James in. They immediately responded and offered to pick him up. God had it figured out the whole time – I believe that He wanted to use James’ situation to do a work in my heart as well as others connected to his case. He taught me and others a valuable lesson in compassion and grattitude for what we have. God also affirmed the power of prayer and that miracles happen so often around us!
James remains under a doctor’s care and he is in the process of getting help applying for disability and Medicaid services. He still has a ways to go, but James now has his basic needs met and spiritually he is being cared for and fed. He attends three bible studies a day in this program where they are determined to help James turn his life and situation around.
PRAISE GOD – for answered prayer and sending people to minister to James! Please continue to pray for his his process of recovery, especially his medical and spiritual condition to be strengthened.
At the church, James was able to get a hot meal and clean up. He was able to take a shower and get fresh clothes. He was introduced to a body of believers who cared for him, prayed for and encouraged him. Fortunately, a doctor was nearby and gave James medical attention. He was then taken to two emergency rooms in hopes to receive medical care. It was very disheartening to care for James, see the intensive needs that he had, then after triage and some medical help, return him back to sleep next to a tree in the woods.
I lay in my bed that first night wondering why God had chosen to take care of me by giving me a bed, shelter, food, good friends, family and resources that I needed. What more could I do to help James? What more could I sacrifice to help him? How selfish am I with what I possess and how I spend my time? I reviewed Matthew 25 where Jesus tells his sheep to inherit His Kingdom. He said that we are to give drink to those who are thirsty, food to those hungry, clothing to those in need of clothes, care for others and take them in. We are to do so to even “the least of these”. As I thought of all that was done for James, the one thing that stood out was that he had not been taken in. He was dropped off in the woods in his sickly condition to sleep next to a tree wrapping a tarp over himself as a shield from the rain.
Emergency response can be built around individual and family crises as well as to a community disaster. In the case of James, his crisis started in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He was living on a boat in Slidell, LA, which was completely washed away in Katrina. He lived on the boat with his twin brother, who had evacuated to Tennessee. James decided to stay in Slidell during Katrina. He ended up surviving although losing all of his personal belongings and the shelter of his brother’s boat.
James' emergency state lasted for 2½ years post Katrina - I can only imagine how exhausted he must be. His story only snowballed after the storm. He received emergency assistance from FEMA and he was able to live off that temporarily. However, James did not have any help long-term – to connect with resources, another place to live, and get his basic needs met. After Katrina, he found out that his brother, whom he was close to, died while in Tennessee. At that point, James became depressed and less motivated.
For several days after James was brought to Trinity Church, contacts were made to work towards finding a solution and shelter; to find someone to “take him in.” Other ministries, organizations, nonprofits, and national programs were contacted as a resource for James. It was difficult because James didn’t have presenting drug or mental health issues. In that case, many resources are available. Because James had medical issues that was another limitation. Through much filtering and linking to community resources, a program was found that would take James in. They immediately responded and offered to pick him up. God had it figured out the whole time – I believe that He wanted to use James’ situation to do a work in my heart as well as others connected to his case. He taught me and others a valuable lesson in compassion and grattitude for what we have. God also affirmed the power of prayer and that miracles happen so often around us!
James remains under a doctor’s care and he is in the process of getting help applying for disability and Medicaid services. He still has a ways to go, but James now has his basic needs met and spiritually he is being cared for and fed. He attends three bible studies a day in this program where they are determined to help James turn his life and situation around.
PRAISE GOD – for answered prayer and sending people to minister to James! Please continue to pray for his his process of recovery, especially his medical and spiritual condition to be strengthened.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
My Journey
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Col 3:12
God has called me to be a vessel through which people can feel His love and compassion. I have been a work in progress and taken both baby steps and leaps and bounds in the area of my faith. After taking a short-term trip to Louisiana in April 2006, God really grew a spirit of compassion within me. At the end of that week, I answered just like the prophet Isaiah, "Here I am Lord, send me!"
There is an excitement of being called to do God's work full-time, but there is also much sacrifice that comes in and a process of letting go of the 'world'. I told the Lord that I would give up the things of this world to go where He wanted me to, but when it came down to actually surrendering those things, then I felt the weight of that promise I made. My background is in the field of social work, counseling and management. I am definitely a people-person and I have a gift for developing processes and projects. Throwing in my spiritual gifts of exhortation, discernment, administration, evangelism and teaching, God prepared me for the moment in time that He would quicken His Spirit within me to make the move to serve Him full-time.
I've seen the recovery and healing that is needed in Louisiana (and beyond) as a result of Hurricane Katrina. It's been over 2 and 1/2 years since Katrina hit and many lives remain broken and hopeless. Some people have healed and they are thankful for what they have; God has shown them what is really important in life. Tragedies like Katrina are not something that one just "get's over". However, with time, support and resources, people can regain some normalcy in their life and cope in a healthy way to what's happened.
Please pray for the people in Louisiana for their lives to continue to heal and see positive change. There are so many resources that don't exist and their needs are physical, emotional, social, spiritual, educational, financial and more.
The Evangelical Free Church of America began a Crisis Response Ministry in Louisiana post Katrina. We have gutted homes, cleared debris, cut trees, fixed roofs, and fully restored homes - drywalling, painting, siding, trimming, etc. Since Katrina, we have had over 4,500 ministry contacts doing at least 50 total rebuilds with the help of volunteers across the natiion. My ministry has focused on the emotional and spiritual needs of the people once the work has been done. A system has been developed for routine follow-up to help the people with healing and to strengthen their communities. We have reached out to over 1,500 families through the follow-up ministry. We have recently began networking in communities to form groups for support, fellowship and discipleship. The EFCA is now looking at church planting and further developing core groups in communities.
There are many opportunities for you to be involved in this Crisis Response Ministry.
1. You can volunteer to come and work for a week and coordinate a team from your church.
2. We are looking for short and long-term volunteers with skills in ministering to people, administration, construction, food services, and more.
3. Become a prayer warrior with us. Pray for an abundance of God's provision and for people's lives to be touched by the sharing of the gospel. Pray for the rebuilding materials needed.
4. Become a partner through giving monthly support, or a special offering. (email me for more details)
Thank you for taking the time to read about this journey God has taken me on. I hope that it has touched you in some way. My prayer is for you reading this to find the purpose that He has for your life. I'm finding that obedience and trust go together and they reap both a fruitful harvest and Kingdom reward! May we lift each other up on this journey called life and enjoy Kingdom living right here on this earth.
Many blessings to you,
Mary
God has called me to be a vessel through which people can feel His love and compassion. I have been a work in progress and taken both baby steps and leaps and bounds in the area of my faith. After taking a short-term trip to Louisiana in April 2006, God really grew a spirit of compassion within me. At the end of that week, I answered just like the prophet Isaiah, "Here I am Lord, send me!"
There is an excitement of being called to do God's work full-time, but there is also much sacrifice that comes in and a process of letting go of the 'world'. I told the Lord that I would give up the things of this world to go where He wanted me to, but when it came down to actually surrendering those things, then I felt the weight of that promise I made. My background is in the field of social work, counseling and management. I am definitely a people-person and I have a gift for developing processes and projects. Throwing in my spiritual gifts of exhortation, discernment, administration, evangelism and teaching, God prepared me for the moment in time that He would quicken His Spirit within me to make the move to serve Him full-time.
I've seen the recovery and healing that is needed in Louisiana (and beyond) as a result of Hurricane Katrina. It's been over 2 and 1/2 years since Katrina hit and many lives remain broken and hopeless. Some people have healed and they are thankful for what they have; God has shown them what is really important in life. Tragedies like Katrina are not something that one just "get's over". However, with time, support and resources, people can regain some normalcy in their life and cope in a healthy way to what's happened.
Please pray for the people in Louisiana for their lives to continue to heal and see positive change. There are so many resources that don't exist and their needs are physical, emotional, social, spiritual, educational, financial and more.
The Evangelical Free Church of America began a Crisis Response Ministry in Louisiana post Katrina. We have gutted homes, cleared debris, cut trees, fixed roofs, and fully restored homes - drywalling, painting, siding, trimming, etc. Since Katrina, we have had over 4,500 ministry contacts doing at least 50 total rebuilds with the help of volunteers across the natiion. My ministry has focused on the emotional and spiritual needs of the people once the work has been done. A system has been developed for routine follow-up to help the people with healing and to strengthen their communities. We have reached out to over 1,500 families through the follow-up ministry. We have recently began networking in communities to form groups for support, fellowship and discipleship. The EFCA is now looking at church planting and further developing core groups in communities.
There are many opportunities for you to be involved in this Crisis Response Ministry.
1. You can volunteer to come and work for a week and coordinate a team from your church.
2. We are looking for short and long-term volunteers with skills in ministering to people, administration, construction, food services, and more.
3. Become a prayer warrior with us. Pray for an abundance of God's provision and for people's lives to be touched by the sharing of the gospel. Pray for the rebuilding materials needed.
4. Become a partner through giving monthly support, or a special offering. (email me for more details)
Thank you for taking the time to read about this journey God has taken me on. I hope that it has touched you in some way. My prayer is for you reading this to find the purpose that He has for your life. I'm finding that obedience and trust go together and they reap both a fruitful harvest and Kingdom reward! May we lift each other up on this journey called life and enjoy Kingdom living right here on this earth.
Many blessings to you,
Mary
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