Friday, January 26, 2007

January 26, 2007

We are thanking you for your prayers and support as the Lord continues to provide abundantly for this ministry! More and more people are being drawn into communion with one another through the homeless and so many blessings are being shared!

The newspaper article about delivering batteries to the homeless continues to lead more people to minister. A co-worker for one missionary is looking for ways to get solar-powered rechargers for the batteries. One web site he recommended also sells the inverters that allow car batteries to be used to provide AC power.
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_5855_5855
A man who read the article sent a letter to another homeless lamb who was his childhood neighbor and she was able to call and thank him.

More missionaries are personally reaching out to those in need. One couple recently had two homeless men come to their home to take showers, do laundry and fellowship. Then they joined them at two NA meetings during the week! Another woman has adopted a homeless man from the Moore Square outreach. He now has a job, goes to church and is saving money for an apartment! Already this woman has been asked to share her experiences with another church and the homeless man may share his testimony about God’s impact on his life as well!

Members of a support circle for another lamb opened their home to him for a couple of nights as he was looking for an apartment. A local church also paid for a motel room to bridge the gap. Now this lamb and his roommate (who has been actively helping Church in the Woods in many ways) will need some furniture. (You can contact Danny at 793-8177 if you have some to donate).

An area church has asked a missionary to assist with the signing up of volunteers to serve those in need beginning with “White Flag Nights”. The volunteers will be asked to drive the church vans in the morning or evenings, prepare meals, set-up and do the linen laundry, or spend the night. The church would provide the showers, laundry services and meals for the Lord’s lost lambs. Please keep this in prayer as sheets, towels, laundry detergent, toiletry items, blankets, and pillows will be needed, as well as, the hands and hearts. Also keep in prayer the other churches that may want to become involved, especially the Afro-American and Hispanic churches in the Cary/Apex area. Please pray as the Lord breaks down the walls of His churches to become His Mighty Body, the Body of Christ.

Another couple spent today in search of lambs in Fuquay. They were able to find the car where they live but not the lambs. We Praise You Jesus for Your outpouring of love and compassion.
Another couple who had adopted a homeless man and woman was able to visit them in Orlando, Fla., where they have moved. Both are working at least part-time and are trying to stay clean. The man was given a Bible and called recently to say he took it to his day labor site and has begun reading it with two co-workers at lunchtime!

Another lamb who has been working fulltime and staying with missionaries has opened a bank account and a credit card to open a line of good credit. He is going to a weekly men’s Bible study and is working on getting his drivers license and a car. His ultimate goal is to provide an apartment for his girlfriend so she can be released from the hospital to his care. And another lamb who has moved into an apartment has begun volunteering for a food bank – his way of giving back the blessings he has received!

God is in ALL of this! Last week, through His intervention, one missionary couple who has opened their home to the homeless went to a party for the Extreme Makeover Home Edition that was done in Raleigh. They were seated at the same table with a cameraman for the show who shared that he and his wife had once opened their home to a homeless substance abuser! They are now mentoring a recovering drug addict. The man agreed to look into whether the show is still considering building a transitional home for the homeless in Wake County!

Two of the Lord’s former substance abusers are now mentoring and sponsoring a teen as he struggles with addiction. Praise God for life experiences!

Several people who have participated in the monthly visits to homeless camps have been so blessed they can’t wait to go again, including some whose children attended with friends. The parents now want to be involved. A woods trip missionary contacted CitW with this email: “I’m letting you know my experience with your ministry. I had many thoughts as I went to each camp. It is devastating, rewarding, sad, and joy. Joy in knowing that someone cares for those living in the camps, devastating to know that here in America, the richest country in the world, would let this happen, sad because I can not wrap them in my arms, give them a home to live in. I do intend to join you again”

As all of God’s relationships were unfolding, a photojournalist from UNC-Chapel Hill asked to be allowed to do a photo essay on how people help the homeless! Isn’t God’s timing amazing! She was able to meet some of the homeless lambs Thursday night at the medical mission, where she was considerate to not bring her camera, only a willing heart to get to know them!

Also on Thursday, the medical team helped with foot problems and an acupuncturist continues to work with people to help with addictions. Two new volunteers from a local pediatrician’s office were in attendance as well.

Others are waiting to be plugged in, including a financial planner who has agreed to help with money management at any level and a low-income tax service that will provide free income tax assistance to single people earning less than $40,000 a year and married people making less than $50,000 a year. The company, Acorn Tax Service, is also looking at renting a large van every other Friday to bring those who don’t have transportation to their office, prepare their taxes, and bring them back. Anyone interested may contact Ray Bordt at 612-1320.

Donations continue to grow for outreach efforts. CITW received so many blankets from a radio station’s drive that we were able to give many to a migrant ministry and an elderly ministry! The third seat from a Suburban has been donated as a sofa/bed and many baby items were donated as well.

Several churches are collecting items in preparation for the Feb. 10 trip to the camps. This one is concentrating on camping supplies including tarps, tents, sleeping bags, small bottles of propane, flashlights, camping stoves and lanterns. Groups will meet at 1:30 p.m. at 1616 Evans Rd. in Cary. Contact Stephanie Narron at 274-8120 or snarron@worshipfacilities.com for more information.

On Monday, Feb. 12 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. there will be a workshop on support circles focusing on budgeting for families. This ties in so well with God’s increasing focus on bringing people together around those in need! The workshop will be at Triangle Family Services, 401 Hillsborough St., Raleigh. Please respond by Friday, Feb. 9, to Roberta Macauley at Roberta.macauley@raldioc.org if you would like to come.

Friday, January 19, 2007

January 19, 2007

Thank you for your prayers, support and especially for those who began the year in fasting and prayer. God is faithfully answering our prayers and showing us His glory in so many ways!

The prophetic word from the 10-day fast was this: We are to BE the church in Acts! That means fellowshipping with the lost, outside traditional church walls, as we see in Acts 2:46-47:

46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

A woman at Meredith College has written a missionary about a college class that would do advocacy work with the homeless. The missionary was just talking with her son about how an ideal college class would combine lecture with hands-on work!

The monthly outreach to homeless camps has also been magnified by God. When missionaries went to bring batteries to the camps, a News & Observer reporter and photographer went along. Their story appeared in the N&O on Sunday, Jan. 14th. You can read it online at the following link:

http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/532405.html

As a result of the story, a man who went to school with one of the homeless lambs has asked to contribute and wants to contact her. Another man has offered to donate at least 20 tickets for an all-day pancake supper at a downtown church. A Christian radio station is holding a blanket drive to provide warmth for the Moore Square outreach. Another woman called with more blankets to donate. And one of the missionaries from the battery drive is now picking up and delivering food every week.

One amazing story came from a woman in Apex. She said a stranger approached her at a grocery story and told her: “God wants you to start serving Him.” She saw the N&O story the next day and felt called to serve the homeless lambs. She was also looking for a new home church and now wants to attend the church that hosted the battery drive. And she has expressed an interested in prayer walking areas near her home. Praise God!

Someone who noticed homeless lambs on Six Forks Road has contacted CITW about finding ways to serve them. And a Baptist church has also responded to the newspaper article, asking for ways to serve.

A local realtor/developer has expressed an interest in buying and remodeling an efficiency complex that could be used as transitional housing for the homeless. He is meeting with a sister, Western Wake homeless ministry Tuesday. Please keep this meeting in prayer.

A county meeting of YMCA Indian Guides and Indian Princesses asked missionaries for Church in the Woods and the Brown Bag Ministry to set up a table and answer questions about serving.

An area couple asked for some part-time help painting and received many more requests for work than they were prepared to handle. Please pray for more job opportunities!

Another couple helped a lamb get a new tent and provided transportation to NA/AA meetings.

Missionaries were praising the Lord for so choosing to be substance free during the prayer circle. A lamb was asked about prayer to stop drinking. His response was “not until the day I die.” He returned to the study asking for prayer for his “vacation”. He doesn’t have the needed documentation to have his ‘begging without a permit’ charges dropped, spending 3-4 days in jail. The missionary smiled and hugged him telling, his new day could begin today. He will be alcohol free for 3-4 days. Please keep this lamb in your prayers.

There are many more prayer requests:

A lamb who had been working fulltime and staying at an Oxford House disappeared for a couple of days. Friends helped keep him from losing his job, but he needs a place to stay. Inexpensive housing is also needed for two women and three other men who are trying to get back on their feet.

Please pray for a lamb who was hospitalized for stomach and heart issues. He has been released but needs to watch his cholesterol and blood pressure, which means cutting back on cigarettes.
Another lamb needs prayer after being taken to the hospital for an abscess.

We also need prayer for lambs who face police harassment, especially as they try to turn their lives around. It is so discouraging to live under the expectation that you are going to break the law or cause problems.

Upcoming events:

The next medical mission for Church in the Woods will be Thursday the 25th.

On Feb. 10th, missionaries will be taking camping items – tents, propane stoves, propane, tarps, flashlights and lanterns – into the camps. For more information, contact Stephanie Narron at 274-8120 or snarron@worshipfacilities.com.

On Feb. 12th, there will be a training workshop on support circles as part of the Wake County 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. The workshop will be from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Triangle Family Services, 401 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC. For more information contact Roberta at roberta.macauley@raldioc.org. Please respond by Friday, February 9, 2007.

Friday, January 12, 2007

January 12, 2007

We are thanking the Lord for your generous hearts, your serving hands, and your faithful prayers.

The Lord started the week with a miraculous bang. A missionary from another ministry came by Sunday morning with over 20 pounds of bananas for the lambs’ bag lunches, and the news of mighty donations. She was approached by an area company who is considering donating items, such as water, crackers, paper products and possibly mini vans! Praise God! She has asked for prayer for a storage unit and was told by her sister in Christ the Lord is providing one through an area church. She is asking for prayer for these donations and two mini vans, one for each ministry. Praise God!!!!

A Hispanic lamb wasn’t there when his young missionary “compadre” was led into the woods on Sunday to see him. The lamb’s brother told him and he was very apologetic, saying he will be sure to stay at his camp for a visit this week.

A foreign missionary family has joined the CitW Sunday mission team with the use of their van, collecting area groceries and walking into camps bringing the love of Jesus to His lambs. Praise God for touching the hearts of so many who long to serve. This family told missionaries this week that their daughter’s boyfriend, who doesn’t attend church, wants to join the Sunday mission team. God is so good because the teams bring lambs to church each week, including the team he has now joined!

The year 2007 began with 10 days of prayer and fasting. Some missionaries involved ended the 10 day prayer and fast attending a meeting with their church to discuss a Holy Spirit worship service. The Thursday night mission continued to read and discuss Acts and how they “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication to being filled with the Holy Spirit.”

The Thursday evening mission began with prayer, praising God for all things, including the acupuncture treatments received. The Lord’s lambs who have been receiving the treatments have had the strength to be substance free longer and longer each week. One lamb has now been substance free for 17 days. Praise you God! Another lamb who has been wheelchair bound is now walking. He is praising God for the prayer he has been receiving and the acupuncture treatments that have helped him remain relaxed. We serve such a miraculous God! An area drug dealer came for acupuncture, prayer, and the Word of God. One of the many blessing of the acupuncture is the lamb must wait 45 minutes. During this time each lamb receives pray and the Word of God. Praise you Jesus!

Another lamb took his first shower in TWO YEARS, for others it has been over a month. Thank You Jesus for the area church picking up lambs Saturday afternoons so they can receive showers, meals, prayer and the love of Jesus. Another lamb was visited Sunday and used a missionaries phone to call his wife. She told the missionary she has been “messing up, don’t give up on me, keep praying.” The missionary asked her to come to the mission Thursday. She did with the joy of the Lord in her heart. She told the mission how much she missed “girl talk” and the relationships with her sisters in Christ. She sang hymns from her childhood and was accompanied by other lambs at the mission. To hear the Lord’s lambs singing and praising Him, what a gift to receive!!!

A lamb came to the mission to ask for prayer and work clothing, suit, dress shirt tie, shoes… Not a request received often, so not something collected. After the Bible study a missionary and lamb went to the storage area and found a suit, two dress shirts, shoes, and a belt in his size. Only God! We praise you Lord.

The lambs are so excited to hear that brothers and sisters in Christ are bringing them, this world’s “lepers”, car batteries on Saturday. They wanted to know who would do this for them. The reply is God. Only God could orchestrate the gift of 50 new car batteries for $300 being delivered to each camp free of charge! They were reminded how much the Lord loves them. They were asked to attend a church on Sunday, any church, the one that picks up for the showers, the one that brings them food Sundays, or the Hispanic church that meets in the area Sunday morning. Several of the Hispanics have attended the Hispanic church and told missionaries it didn’t meet Sunday. Please pray this Hispanic church hasn’t left the area. It was meeting such a need in the Hispanic community. If it has left the area, pray the church members will come back to take these hungry lambs to the church they feel is their home church.

We are thanking the Lord for your prayers concerning the lamb who needs volunteer work. He attended the mission last night and was approached by the host ministry asking when he could volunteer again. They really needed him. He can start today. Praise God!

Please pray for the Saturday mission of delivering the batteries. Pray that each battery will remind each lamb how much Jesus loves them and how He died for each of us. An N&O reporter will also be attending the mission Saturday. Pray that the reporter is well received and sensitive to those receiving gifts from God. Please pray that the lambs don’t feel that their privacy and integrity have been invaded.

A lamb was reminded of the Lord’s provisions several times this week. He hasn’t received a paycheck due to the lack of work. Missionaries received a call asking for day labor over the weekend. A lambed thanked God for the opportunity to work. The Lord provided him with money for the week. Little did the lamb know he would go to the emergency room this week and need antibiotics that he had to purchase, but God knew! The lamb asked to be taken after work to purchase toothpaste. The missionaries received a call from a prayer warrior. She had bought the wrong toothpaste, several boxes and the Lord told her to call to see if the missionaries could find a home for it with other toiletries and snack food items. The lamb called during the day another day asking if on the way home he could buy bandages for the abscess that opened. A prayer warrior came that afternoon with a gallon Ziploc bag with bandages and bags of clothing. He was in the area! Praise the Lord for those who are obedient. The toothpaste prayer warrior was reminded of the scripture, He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, And He will pay back what he has given. Proverbs 19:17

This lamb went to visit his girlfriend in the hospital recovering from a brain aneurism. His girlfriend had asked him to bring her more books to read. A prayer warrior was contacted and donated Christian fictions for her. Praise the Lord for His mighty provisions once again! While at the hospital his girlfriend was telling him, the doctors won’t release her until she promises she will no longer use substances. She asked, “What will I do all day?”
His response was, “Be like normal people; get a job, go to church, live in a house.” The missionary in the room just smiled and thanked Jesus for the changes the Lord has made in this lamb and how he now wants those changes for his loved ones.

A missionary called asking about a lamb the Lord had placed on her heart during the night. She described the dream and asked that they pray. Later in the day another missionary called with the news this lamb had been in a fight, traded his money for substances and needed her to keep his ATM card, so he isn’t so tempted. We praise you Jesus for open hearts to pray for these lambs when the Lord places them on hearts. We praise you for the lamb knowing where to turn, to You Lord. Please keep so many lambs in prayer as they are asking to have the Lord take away their addictions.

More and more missionaries are becoming comfortable bringing the Lord’s lambs into their homes. One new CitW missionary family is bringing lambs home for dinner each week to develop a relationship and share the love of Christ with each lamb. Each encounter allows the Lord’s lambs to realize he/she is no longer one of the “untouchables”. They are worthy of love and maybe God really could love them. Praise Jesus!

Two lambs brought over a CD for a young missionary. One attends church regularly and the other doesn’t. The lamb who doesn’t attend was touched to tears as he listened to the Christian CD and witnessed the joy of the Lord through this young missionary praising God through dance and worship!

Please keep a lamb in prayer who has been in a transitional home. He was voted out of the home Sunday evening and has until the weekend to find a place to live. Pray the Lord will provide him His perfect place, a place surrounded by the love of Jesus.

The Lord has been able to provide items for a lamb who received an apartment over the holidays, such as a TV, bus passes, food, bedding... He is still in need of items including a microwave. Please pray that he is able to continue to stay in the apartment and he is able to find a permanent job instead of day labor.

A new missionary contacted many of her friends giving testimonies of the Lord’s power and grace. A friend donated money for tarps. Please keep this donor in your prayers, may she see the love of Jesus through this donation.

Please keep in prayer a transitional home (or two) for so many of the lambs who the Lord is preparing and welcoming back into society. Due to job opportunities in the Cary area one in Cary would be a blessing, as well as one in Raleigh. God is good and faithful!

As always we are thanking the Lord for your prayers. He is faithful and answers them in such mighty way! We Praise You Jesus!.

Friday, January 05, 2007

January 5, 2007

The Lord is amazing! His Word tells us over and over again how He has a heart of the poor and His Mighty provisions demonstrate it day after day. We are thanking the Lord for all the new missionaries. Some want to donate their time, some want to donate their treasures, and some both. One of the newest missionaries is wanting to pick-up donated food from an area restaurant.

The Lord is responding to the 10 days of prayer and fasting in Almighty ways! Cary/Apex churches are going into the woods the second Saturday of each month throughout Wake County. This month the January 13th mission is to bring car batteries to the Lord’s lambs. The batteries are used as mini generator. An area business is offering new car batteries at an extremely reduced price. Another area business is offering to take the batteries to camp areas while missionaries take them into the camps. The media may be covering this story due to the magnitude of the services offered by businesses as well as churches. Metal luggage carts are still needed to assist with carrying the batteries into the woods. Please keep this monthly mission in your prayers. Ask that each lamb realize that Jesus has provided all of this. Each time they use the batteries, they grow to know Jesus more and more. Each time missionaries come into the woods, they see the heart and hands of Jesus reaching out to each one of them. For more information contact Alice Ligon at appraisal@nc.rr.com or Al Boyce at aboyce@nc.rr.com .

A new CitW campaign has been started. The Lord brought the idea from the movie “Our House." CitW is asking for donations of $280 each. These donations will be used to help a lamb ready to work get started in a job. It is challenging to get a job when one has been without an address or work experience for many years. This donation will be given to an employer for the lamb’s first week pay. For more information contact Alice Ligon at appraisal@nc.rr.com . She has the flyer which can be used in your church. The flyer will also be uploaded at the Yahoo site.

A missionary was contacted by a couple in Sydney Australia. She and her husband have been praying for the Lord to bring His lost lambs to their presence. She and her husband went for a drive and were able to see two lambs. They were able to provide this lamb a meal plus a gift card for to more meals. She was so excited how the Lord answered her prayers she went to see a sister in Christ. They are planning more mission trips and having their church make the friendship bags. For more information of the bag see http://www.better.com/articles/ministries/friendship.him . Please keep this new Australia mission in your prayers. Another woman in Asheville, NC, who had been prayer walking and distributing pamphlets about God and Jesus has recently started looking for the homeless as well. She, too, has found several and is looking for partners there to begin a mission like Church in the Woods.

Last week we asked for prayers for the lamb who went out after working for five weeks. The Lord is so faithful to give a glimpse of why some things might happen. His girlfriend is suffering from an aneurism and is the hospital. Her memory has been an issue. While he had returned to the woods, he didn’t call or visit her. When he returned to the missionaries’ home, he called. She remembered when the last time he called and visited. Praise God! We are thanking God for the return of His lamb, the opportunity to receive his job and his commitment. This week he watched a DVD from Manchester, KY -- new way to stop drugs and crime. The lamb added input of how it might be used in Wake County. For more information please read http://nppnblog.blogspot.com/2005/10/city-impact-Manchester-key-pastors-lead.html
This lamb’s heart is softened every day. He was watching a Christian program with missionaries’ youngest special needs son. The child signed to his mother that he watched Jesus with the lamb on TV. He also told her he “lump him.”. The lamb beamed. The two continued to watch children's programming together. He often reads from the child's Bible and has been looking at another book about Mother Teresa.

One of the Lord’s lambs has been staying with missionaries for a month. He was accepted back into the Cary Oxford home this week. He has stricter rules to follow with the house and now has a support circle from an area church. Please keep this lamb in your prayers as he goes through this transition.

Please keep one of the Lord’s lambs in prayer. He is working with the county system to find a job. He has been turned down because of his lack of experience and only allowed to work so few hours per week due to his disability check. He is hearing impaired. He has been blessed to have worked with an area company for 18 months but had to quit it once he received his check because he worked too many hours. He used some of his savings to purchase a new mountain bike this week. He needed transportation.

The Lord placed a lamb in missionaries’ hearts from Moore Square. He was given their phone number and has been calling. He interviewed for a job and is asking for prayer. An area church has paid his first month’s rent be he needs a job for the second months. He also needs furniture. Someone has donated a refrigerator, blankets, and a monthly bus pass. While helping the man get his bus pass, a missionary was able to give away a Bible that had been returned by a lamb who preferred the King James Version! Please contact Cindy Boyce at cboyce@nc.rr.com for more information.

Another lamb is at ACT. Please keep her in your prayers that she will complete the 14 day program and be willing to go to the Healing Place instead of directly into a transitional home. Although she is quite capable of working, the monetary temptation will bring her back to the streets. She is a perfect candidate for Support Circles.

Another lamb who was in a car accident and now a wheel chair has asked for prayers to assist him with anxiety issues. He has become involved with a “Bikers for Christ” group in Clayton. He also asked for acupuncture again this week. It helps keep him calm. Please pray the Lord would spark an interest with the “Bikers for Christ” in becoming a support circle for this lamb. The group is already involved in prayer walking and witnessing in many areas and has expressed an interest in partnering with Church in the Woods to do more.

The Lord continues to move donations where they are needed. Another carload of children's clothing, baby food and other items was transferred this week to a missionary who is running support circles for women and children. She said, "Every time I fill up my van, I send out an email and it's all gone by the end of the day!" Praise God.

This week’s missions are focusing on prayer due to the prayer and fasting. Each lamb was asked to pray, not send a petition to the Lord, but a prayer. Tears filled so many eyes as they thanked and praised Jesus.
The number of lambs attending each Thursday is increasing due to the acupuncture treatments. So many of these lambs want to be released from substance abuse and are feeling changes through treatments and your prayers. Please continue your prayers as so many lambs want to be substance free. Please also pray for more acupuncturists to donate their time. A fund has been started to pay for their needles.
People are beginning to get excited about the opportunity of showers, laundry tickets, and a meal Saturday afternoons. The lambs were teasing another lamb, “You need to take a shower, not just go, eat, and visit.”

The next Mobile Medical mission is January 25th at With Love From Jesus, 421 Chapanoke Road. Alice McGee will open the doors for the medical team at 6. The mission will begin at 6:30. Area high school students in a pre-med program are planning to attend. Dentist and hygienists are needed. A foot physician is also needed. Please pray for this mission. For more information contact Alice McGee at 772-7050.