August 28, 2007

There are so many things to thank Jesus for this week!

Prayer and Praise!
Apex
-- The families and children were surprised to see the “church” come in spite of the rain. The Backyard Bible Club continued this week with a Bible story and craft. Thank You Jesus!
-- The Lord heard the prayer request for a donut cushion. A donor called with a list of donations. She asked if someone needed queen size sheets. The Lord had answered a prayer because a missionary just moved into a furnished apartment Tuesday with a queen bed and no sheets. She then asked was there anything else needed. The missionary asked for a donut cushion. The response was “We have one!” The family in need of the donut cushion thanked Jesus for answering prayers.
-- A list of needed wheelchair ramp supplies has been given. A date is to be set in September. Several of the neighbors have also offered to help. Thank you Jesus for the building of Your Body!
-- The Lord provisions baited the hooks for fish to jump in His line this week. He used clothing, linens, and a medical screening to draw more people to the prayer circle. The Lord is providing a Rabies vaccination day for His bait in a couple of weeks.
-- As the Lord opens the doors with His bait, more and more lambs are asking for prayers and are open to discussion about our Savoir.
-- Two missionaries from the Brown Bag Ministry joined the mission team Sunday. One loved being a part of the Books of Acts going door to door with the Love of Jesus. She would also like to assist with the Cary mission and the Wednesday Apex mission. The Lord is the provider of the Harvesters.

Cary
-- Please keep the Monday Cary Missionary’s father-in-law in prayer. Here is his prayer request:
I was hoping you could all pray for my father in law. He went into get some tests last week on his spine because he was walking funny. What they found was cervical spine arthritis that was so bad it is running the risk of severing his spinal cord so they scheduled him for emergency surgery this Wednesday. I believe it IS God’s will for him to have a full recovery, so if you can agree with me for that I would greatly appreciate all of your prayers.
-- A missionary’s mother has started radiation treatment for thyroid cancer. Her sister has had breast cancer and is having a CT scan suspecting bone cancer. Please keep these families in your prayers.
-- One of the missionaries has been searching for a job. She has moved into an apartment complex and opened their doors to the children in the area. A sister in Christ was telling someone the Lord has His hand in her “work” with the neighbors and she probably won’t get a job until school starts back. Saturday she received her first interview. As talking with the store owner, she was informed that he works with a fellow CitW missionary.
-- Thank You Jesus for your transformations. One of the now Cary lambs has been off the streets for two years and working full-time with benefits (PRAISE GOD!). She attended the Garner Memorial Thursday evening. People didn’t recognize her, she looks so good!
-- A Western Raleigh/Cary church’s home/small group has purchased a home to be donated to one of their church ministry’s. Their homeless ministry is an option. Please pray for the Lord to make the decision clear to the home/small group which ministry needs it most. There are so many in need.
-- Please continue to pray for the department manager who has gone to bring Jesus to his muslim family in Europe and northern Africa. Please continue to pray Exodus 23:20-22 as he visits friends and family.
-- As the school year ramps up volunteers are needed to pick-up donated food and Wednesdays and Fridays afternoons around 2 from an area caterer. Please contact Cindy at cboyce@nc.rr.com if this is something the Lord has asked you to do.

Garner
-- Students from the Wake tech dental hygienist clinic are attending this week’s Thursday evening Bible study with the schedule book. Thank You Jesus for answering prayers for dental care!
-- A former Garner lamb moved to WV 18 months ago. He has had another heart attack and had surgery yesterday. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.
-- Please keep a homeless family in your prayers as they find jobs and an apartment, so they can enroll their children in school.
-- Thank You Jesus for the medical mission Saturday. Many needed referrals were made to the Horizon Clinic.
-- Another Garner lamb is working and may be able to move into a camper on the property where he works.
-- Please pray for a missionary who is going to see a neurologist for back issues this week.

Over 50 people attended Otto’s memorial
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/sheehan/2007/story/679759.html

The memorial included time for many of Otto’s friends to tell stories about how he had been a good friend and how his light had shined for them. One woman who attends the church where the memorial was held said afterward that she had never attended such a beautiful memorial and that she would never be able to look at the homeless the same after seeing such a compassionate and caring service.

At the end, each person was given a white helium balloon to pray over, then they were all released in front of the church. What an amazing sight as they slowly rose toward the cross atop the church, then accelerated into the heavens, buoyed on winds like the Holy Spirit.

The memorial sparked several comments from people:

· As I was praying for Otto's memorial service this evening, I was again praising God for orchestrating events & timing so that his life will be celebrated on his birthday, which seems the perfect time to be praising God for Otto's new birth into the kingdom of Christ for all eternity. Just as he was born into this world fresh, new, bathed in innocence and health, so he has been reborn into the same new, freshness with his glorified body also bathed in perfect health with all purity and innocence restored in the very presence of his Savior. Since we met that morning of his passing into the hands of Jesus, I have been so often reminded of his conscious and sober choice to make that transition alone, as he had the nurses promise to only call you after he had passed---that choice is so totally reassuring that Otto had total confidence in his relationship with Christ & complete faith in the authenticity of it. As I read Psalm 31:14-15, with Otto's photo beside me, I KNEW these words reflected his strong faith at that time, "But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord, I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in Your hand." So, precious little Thorn, I pray that God has now given you total peace & reassurance that your lamb was, in fact, not alone in the early hours of that morning of August 1st. And what a gift it has been for you to be able to honor him with this service and with the notice in the paper, showing the community that Otto and all his fellow homeless brothers & sisters matter and have dignity in life and in death. I am praying that many are blessed by tonight's service, not the least of them being Otto's friends.

· I wanted to let you know that Otto's guitar was lovingly packed up with some other small items (new strings, a few parts, cleaner), and along with a short note was shipped out this past Monday morning with the guitar shop's freight. It should arrive in MI sometime between today and Friday. It was a blessing to Terry who works at the shop to look at Otto's guitar, to see its condition and hear about our hope that it be restored by his son and to hear about Otto's restoration, too - that he was able to finish well and feel ready and welcomed home...

Here is a letter one of the missionaries wrote to his brother, who had worked on the same aircraft carrier as Otto.

Kent,This is to let you know that a friend of ours from the homeless outreach that Ian and I were attached to has died. His name was Otto, and I'm letting you know because he had a tenuous connection to you - he was once an electrician on the Kitty Hawk. I had hoped he would get to meet you some time and talk about it. He was interested to hear that you were on the same ship, though separated by decades. I think he was proud of his time in the Navy, and that's worth remembering.Otto was one of the first people we got to know in the Church in the Woods ministry. He was in his 60's, as far as we could tell. He was skinny and wiry, had few teeth (possibly from a drug addiction years ago, maybe from bad dental care), and had foot sores that ran to the bone that he could never shake. Despite that and the pain it must have caused him, he walked everywhere, usually miles a day, and would walk half a mile from his camp to come to our dinner and bible study. In the beginning, he came drunk, but was so embarrassed at having done so would sometimes skip a meeting if he wasn't sober, out of respect and out of a fear that he had offended us. He also smoked, but wouldn't do it at the meetings because he knew it bothered people. There was a time when he was hooked on crack, along with a few of his close friends. We didn't see him for long periods during that time, but people went to visit him in his camp, and he eventually broke the habit. He was an infrequent member of the group by the time Ian and I had to stop going, and we saw him less and less often.Otto said that he didn't come for the food. He was very clear that he came for the company of other Christians (our people in particular, I think), and being a Christian in a homeless camp was often alienating. He had plenty of food. Even so, he loved fish, and he enjoyed it immensely every time we served it, and Cindy got it for him whenever she could. Otto could play the guitar reasonably well, and sang. We couldn't get him to do either very often. He enjoyed the bible study, and seemed to have a good background in scripture from childhood. During the reading (he could read, unlike some others) he would often get fired up and expound on the text, adding his own wisdom, usually on topic and sometimes not. We had a particular affection for Otto, and he took to Ian. He seldom saw children, and he liked talking to Ian, almost always adding in admonishments never to get involved with drugs or alcohol. Of the bunch, Otto was one of the easiest to talk to. He was sometimes withdrawn, but his nature was friendly and laid back, so he was easily drawn out. He had problems, some serious, didn't take himself too seriously, and he saw the humor in most things. It made spending time with him a real joy. I'm not sure what finally killed him. Life expectancy is short for people who live out in the elements like he did, and he had been out in the woods for a long time. Drugs and alcohol weakened him, too. He had been sick and had missed a doctor's appointment recently. Beyond that, I don't really know anything. His memorial service is tomorrow night, and Ian and I are going. Like I said, the connection is minor, but I wanted you to know about him. I think you would have liked Otto. I wish you could have met him. –
-- A lamb who has been sober for many months has gotten a power-washing job and is hoping to hear from WalMart soon about another job.
-- Another lamb is starting construction work late this week as he tries to get enough money to go home to Arkansas.

Missionary Testimonials

The CitW volunteer appreciation dinner was wonderful. So many people shared testimonies about how working with God’s lambs has transformed their lives and drawn them closer to God even as it showed Christ’s love to others.

One man shared about his own battle with substance abuse and how God redeemed him and led him into an outreach where he can give back to others. He has been so blessed to be able to share the ministry with his two sons.

God continues to multiply the hands, the food and the available resources to meet the needs of those He places in our paths!

Community Awareness – Meetings and missions

-- -- CitW Medical missions will now be hosting two medical missions per month. The CitW medical mission has two new glucometers, Ascensia contour and Ascensia Breeze. Both need testing strips.
If you are able to donate the strips, please contact Anne Willet at 461- 9737 or via email at willskai@bellsouth.net
The third type of glucometer CitW has is a TheraSense "FreeStyle", if you have strips to donate, please contact Susan Heineman at 787-3434 or via email at susaneh@bellsouth.net
If you, your church, pharmacy or doctor’s office would like to donate these items please contact Anne or Susan.

Garner Medical mission will be at the Garner Methodist Church from 3 PM and 4:30PM. If you feel the Lord asking you to serve, Anne Willet is the contact person. Her phone number is 461- 9737.The dates are as following for 2007:
October 6th
November 3rd
December 1st

The Apex Medical Mission will be under the trees at Thriftwood Dr. in Apex from 5 PM and 7 PM. If you feel the Lord asking you to serve, Susan Heineman is the contact person. Her phone number is 787-3434.The dates are as following for 2007:
October 7th
November 4th
December 2nd

God’s Provision – Donations of Time & Finances
-- Thank the Lord for the showers each week from the Garner church Thank You Jesus for serving hearts!
-- Thank you Jesus for all the food donated by area grocery stores, churches, individuals, and caterers! Thank you Lord for all the donations of clothing, storage places, and toiletries donated this week.
-- We thank you, Jesus, for those who have donated time showing the love of Jesus through relationships and support circles, especially as new ones are developing across Cary and Apex. Praise God!
-- Thank you Jesus for the caterer who donated the food for the volunteer appreciation dinner