Living on Mission

Micro Finance | Success in Kenya!

Thought you might be encouraged by this micro finance success story we received from CMF, our ministry partner. They partner with Missions of Hope in Kenya and God continues to use this "Micro Finance" ministry to changes lives, families, & communities! Please pray about getting involved and don't forget about the opportunity that our Elder, Tom Roberts spoke about to go with a team & use your business skills to help others in similiar ways! (see story below...)

Peninah Nyambura Michuki has now repaid 100% of the loan!

Peninah has recently been able to pay her loan back in full while remaining in good standing with Missions of Hope. During the repayment process, she has also been able to increase her savings week by week. With the funds from the loan, Peninah has been able to add the needed supply of products to her salon. Though she was able to add a good deal of products and materials, she continues to look for other ways of marketing and gaining new clients. She has also managed to pay for her child's school fees needed for this term. In all, she feels that she did well with the funds from the loan.

The funds from this repayment are now helping other entrepreneurs fund their small businesses. Your gift of a loan is changing an entire family's economic and emotional situation, and, ultimately, impacting an entire community. You can impact another life by sponsoring a new entrepreneur today.

Thank you again for your support!
BigDent.org

New Orleans | Real Life Stories

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me STRENGTH!" - Philippians 4:13

This was the word that came to mind for Amelia & Ashlie as they listened to Joseph's story. He lives in St. Roch a neighborhood that was quickly underwater 7 1/2 years ago during Hurricane Katrina and the collapse of the levee system. Joseph shared that God gave him great strength & courage during that historic time to rescue 27 other lives from the impending disaster. He loaded them up in the back of his truck & literally hauled them out of New Orleans. He returned to his home nearly 3 years later. Joseph spoke with tears in his eyes to our group at our lunch break almost as if this all happened just yesterday. He told me he still feels the fear when big storms pass though the city. However, on that day God's STRENGTH prevailed through Joseph and keeps him moving forward today...

Working Hard in the Big Easy | NOLA Team Update

Today was more along the lines of what we all expected. At the end of the day, we are all hot, tired and paint speckled. After breakfast, worship and small group time, we headed back to St. Roch (pronounced Rock), where we went to work on a home owned by St. Roch CC where tenants had recently moved out.

We spent the day mowing, pulling weeds, trimming bushes, cleaning and painting. The house was not just a half-block away from the church we visited yesterday and is directly across the street from where we have an outreach function planned for Thursday evening.

But today’s story really begins where we left off last night. A Hoosier Native named Dave dropped by Camp Hope and had dinner with us. In the course of the time he was here, Bruce convinced him to stay and be our featured speaker for worship last night. In a nutshell, here is Dave’s story. In July of 2008, he was the police chief in North Manchester IN. He walked in one ordinary day and 14 hours walked out, having left his job and having no immediate plan for the future.

The future eventually led him to volunteering in disaster relief, which led him initially to Franklin/Johnson County IN and eventually to New Orleans.

“I came down here as a volunteer for a week,” Dave said. “When I left, the people I was working with said, ‘Next time, why do you stay for two or three.’ So about a month later, I came down and stayed for three weeks. I bounced back and forth, but eventually ended up just coming down here. I’ve rented my home in Indiana and two years ago started Capstone Ministries.”

Dave explained that his ministries focus mainly on the homeless and downtrodden, but he also visits the jail each Sunday and does counseling with the teenage boys who find themselves there.

“Down here, they throw in jail for about anything. I have a 15-year-old boy I am counseling who is in jail for 52 days, because that is how many days of school he has missed,” Dave said. “I started Capstone with the idea that the skilled homeless could build a home along with the unskilled homeless and they could all live there, but I have found a new mission. I started a small garden to supplement my food. That kept growing and I now have a 3,000-square foot community garden. The vegetables are open to anyone who feels they need them. It’s what I can do to serve this area.”

It was humbling to listen to Dave speak matter-of-factly about his life-changing decision to simply walk away from a $60,000-a-year job with no real plan in place only because he felt God calling him away from the law enforcement industry where had spent 22 years.

Not sure what all is on tap for tomorrow, but rest assured, it will be the "Same, Same, but Different”.

Live Radical!

 

Ross and the WRCC NOLA Team

God's Mission in This World

Read this article in Outreach Magazine today and came across this powerful statement:

"The forces that oppose the kingdom of God in this world are not nearly as afraid of pastors as much as they are the notion of every Christ follower simply embodying and contextualizing the mission of Jesus in their lives"

Can you imagine what the local church would look like and the lives that would be changed for eternity if we all took this seriously and lived it out in an environment that God has specifically placed us to share the Gospel? Where is your mission field today?

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day | January 11th

Learn more about the millions of women and children who are living in slavery today at http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/ and please join us in prayer this Wednesday, January 11th for their freedom!

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice." - Proverbs 31:8-9, NLT

Light up the Night!

This coming Monday is Halloween night. Whether you & your family participate in this event or not, there will be plenty of friends & neighbors who will be walking up to your doorstep or across your lawn. In our neighborhoods today, this doesn't happen very often. I would venture to guess that we may have not spoken but a few words to some of our closest neighbors or even taken time to know their names. Monday night will be one of the easist, most natural, interactions with our neighbors we may have throughout the entire year. So light up the night with the love of Jesus Christ & be a blessing to all those families & children walking up the steps. Oh yeah, have fun with it! :-)

"Make the most of every opportunity, for the days are evil" - Ephesians 5:16

 

Here are a few ways to be a blessing & a light for Christ:

• Sit out on the front porch & hand out candy to kids with a smile :-)
• Serve cider & coffee to parents walking by
• Grill some hotdogs or make some chili to share
• Hand out some safety glow in the dark items
• Share a Scripture verse of encouragement & hope
• Just be present & notice others around you
• Simply love your neighbors as Jesus has loved you :-)

Back to "Living On Mission"

We were never meant to stay in one place, whether from a geographical standpoint or in the way we live our lives. An amazing adventure awaits us if we have the courage to faithfully follow where God leads. We know the life changing power of the Gospel moves us closer to the heart of God. Historic events can shift our lives in ways we don't understand. As I listened to the stories of countless people whose lives have been forever altered by the events of 9.11, a fire began to be re-kindled within me reminding me of what living a life on mission with Jesus Christ is really all about. It's not any one program or event that we're apart of. Those opportunities are both necessary and serve as a blessing to many, however their primary goal should be to inspire us to the greater things God has for us in the day to day of our lives. Maybe it's a family serving together on a mission trip, adopting a child, or simply helping a neighbor in need. I recall a phone conversation a couple years back that made it crystal clear for me. We had a service project scheduled on a Saturday in our community. This person called me up and said "I apologize that I won't be able to make it to the service project this Saturday, because our neighbor's wife is sick and our family is taking over a meal and helping with some yardwork. My response..."That's it! You're living a life on mission with Christ! I wouldn't expect you to be anywhere else, and I don't think God would either  :-)

A Familiar Site...FHL Week 2011 begins tomorrow!

Back in the day, the legendary "Red Rocket" would haul several loads of ministry supplies to offsite locations for various outreach events. Thankfully today we have a big box truck to help with the haul, but the rocket still has its place, hauling everything from coolers, to tents, banners and tables. It's nearing a 10 year run with the ministry and has been a blessing to many. Tomorrow, we begin setup for FHL Week at 7am. If you want to see the Red Rocket in action, don't miss this opportunity. Her days could be numbered...who knows, you may even get to take her for a spin.  ;-)

Jail Ministry

Last night Don, Nate, and I had eleven inmates. Approximately seven of them were first timers to the study. Of the eleven; a couple of them weren't sure what they believed, one was Jewish and searching, one whose wife just filed for divorce (after 25 years of marriage), one just incarcerated and really struggling from the effects of heroine and cocaine withdrawal, and a few regular attendees that have really matured in their faith. One of the regular attendees (Nick) has become very outspoken for Christ and his dedication to recovery. Nick shared with everyone that his first step once released, is to be baptized and give himself wholly to a new life.

Just like having front row seats at any event - It is a blessing for all of us volunteers to be allowed by the Lord to sit and watch lives being transformed by the gospel (especially ours)!

(From Rick Craft, Jail Ministry Leadership Team Member)

Box Truck Heading to Joplin!

God provided us with a new box truck at the beginning of 2011, and now He is using it to bring much needed supplies to the people of Joplin, Missouri. Wow. Our Kingdom partners at Traders Point Christian Church will load it up on Saturday and make the first trip down to bring hope to the hurting. Both Traders Point and WRCC will serve as collection sites for donations. We are also investigating opportunities to take a short term mission trips to help clean up the devastated areas. Please keep the these teams in your prayers, the people of Joplin, the people of Tuscaloosa, and many others who have been impacted by these tornadoes. Check out www.wrcc.org to find out how you and your family can be the hands & feet of Jesus in this relief effort.