We started the night by pulling something out of Felicia's grab bag! In this bag, she had items from different countries. Each lady was to say what she thought the item was and how it was used to serve God. Some of the items were money, candlesticks, chopsticks, dolls, shawls, bowls, and a musical instrument made from some type of hoof (we debated if they were sheep hooves, or deer or pig...either way it was quite interesting). How these items were used to serve God ranged from hospitality to buying bibles to making music.
We then had a devotional on being persistent. The question was asked...what are some of the activities that you do at night? Are you using your time wisely? Elizabeth George defines being persistent as being able to discover & use more hours in our day by utilizing the hours of our night to benefit more people. Some definitions given by our ladies included "being on a mission", "working hard", "being determined". The Proverbs 31 woman was persistent. She planted a vineyard, made clothing, cooked meals, cared for children...the list goes on and on. She was not idle and what she did blessed others. Another definitions of persistence is "having the same goal over and over". Our goal is to share Christ! No matter how you use your time, it should be to glorify God! We should be persistent in sharing His love and blessing others!
That was our goal for the night...to bless those who are serving Him! We took time to talk about and pray for the following missionaries.
James ~ Gospel Harvesters ~ India
James was just here visiting. He helps to run an orphanage, a Bible College for men wanting to become Pastors, and he arranges the meetings when groups come over to minister to the people. Please pray for endurance for James as he travels a lot. Pray for the Bible College especially for books for their library, and pray for the children who have lost their parents. We were able to box up 2 boxes of clothes and blankets to send to India! http://www.gospelharvint.org/
The Wild Family ~ New Tribes Mission ~ Papua
The Wild Family (they have 4 young boys) minister to the Wano tribe. Where they live, everything must be flown in by helicopter. It is very primitive...in the jungle! Their mission is to translate the Bible into the Wano language. Pray for their safety, pray that the Wano people will be open to the gospel, and pray for the boys as they live and learn over there. They did not desire much...just chocolate, seasoning packets, and Jeff's sermons (I think to scare off the snakes:)!!!!! Their parents will be visiting this summer, so they will deliver the box! http://www.ntm.org/pray/
Jamie ~ Lakeshore
Jamie headed to Lakeshore 2 years ago and has not returned! She loves it down there and loves the people! She is in charge of the volunteers that come through to help rebuild Lakeshore! Summer is especially busy for her! She will have contact with hundreds of volunteers! This is an awesome opportunity for the church to reach their community! Pray that the people's hearts will be open. Pray that Jamie will have strength for the long hours. Also pray for the completion of her house (is it really big enough to call a house?). We sent Jamie some homemade goodies, chocolate, and soup mixes. She might have more needs when her house is finished.
Brad & Joy ~ Church! ~ Brooklyn
Brad & Joy and their girls moved to Brooklyn to start a church! New York is full of people especially people who do not know Christ! Church! and its coffee shop, Postmark, has a desire to reach people for Christ! They want to love their neighbors just like Christ commanded! They have numerous opportunities to do that....through the regulars at the coffee shop, through ministering at street fairs, through kids clubs and camps, and through just loving the person who lives right next door! Pray for opportunities to share Christ's love, pray for the hearts of the people to be broken & open for Christ, pray for strength & endurance as they attempt to reach people through their activities. We were able to send homemade goodies for their fellowship time and stickers for the story time that they host at Postmark. http://www.churchofparkslope.org/
Finally, we wrote encouragement notes to all the missionaries!
Thank you to all who contributed your time, effort, and supplies! My prayer is that you were blessed as you blessed others! These people gave up their nice homes to live in smaller quarters, luxuries like restaurants, and just being close to family. We have so much...you don't have to be a missionary in another country....use what God has given you and reach others for Him in your own backyard!
Our next gathering is Tuesday, July 1! More details will follow!
