December 14, 2007

Thank you Jesus for all Your blessings we are allowed to witness each week. Thank you also for Your faithfulness. Prayer and Praise!

Cary and Apex

• The Lord is answering your prayers. The lamb with the abnormal PAP has her biopsy on Monday. She has been seeking Christian women fellowship through a Christian book club and mentoring groups. THANK YOU JESUS!
• The Lord is also answering prayers for the lamb whose apartment burned down. He still has a job and a temporary place to stay. PRAISE GOD! Those in his support circle have suggested that he allow someone to manage his money. His sponsor suggested it again this week and he has consented. THANK YOU JESUS!
• A White Flag shelter is being offered at Hope Community again this winter. Thank You Jesus! If anyone would like to volunteer at the shelter or supply meals please contact Stephanie Narron at 274-8120. They need two men to spend the night each night the temperature dips to 32 or below.
• Praise God for the 10 donated pairs of glasses and eye exams. When others heard that glasses were donated and the ophthalmologist was donating her time, a church donated “goodies bags” containing items like sleeping bags and an area grocery store donated breakfast. One of the lambs left, she told everyone how she felt like a princess. Another lamb needs glasses prior to getting his driver’s license. THANK YOU JESUS for blessing these lambs. An area church is considering donating 5 pairs of glasses a quarter. Praise the Lord!!!
• Praise God for the cases of canned goods donated by an area church. Missionaries were blessed with a luncheon and a viewing of over 300 crèches from all over the world. What an awe-filled experience to see the birth of Christ from so many cultures’ eyes!
• The Backyard Bible Club in Apex is hosting a Christmas party Sunday the 16th. They are collecting gifts for the children. Please contact Stacy Boxell at stacy@net-by-design.com for more information.
• Someone has donated a car to an area church after learning some missionaries had given one away. . Please pray the Lord will find the perfect match for this transportation!
  An Apex lamb is asking for prayer. Her aunt and uncle were in a car accident. Her aunt is hospitalized with a ruptured bladder. The uncle is in need of prayer as well. He relies on his wife, as she is the anchor of the home.
• Another Apex lamb’s car isn’t working. She asked to have missionaries pray over it yesterday.
• A food drive is being conducted for one of the Apex missions December 16th. Pray that 85 bags of groceries are provided, one for each home.
• A lamb’s mother was told she had one year to live. She is the caretaker of the couples’ children. Please pray the Lord blesses them with their children during this time period so the children don’t become part of the system. Pray for intervention.
• Shirley’s ministry is a non-profit for the animals in the woods. She is in need of financial contributions as well as pet food.Shirley Companion Ministry, PO Box 1468, Fuquay, NC 27526, 210-3096
• Please keep in prayer all the Apex and Cary missions. If you feel called to serve the socially and economically challenged in the Cary/Apex are please contact Cindy at cboyce@nc.rr.com .
  
  Garner and Raleigh
• A lamb with lung cancer has had another CT scan this week to recheck metastasizing possibilities, although the initial scans and results were normal other than the left lung. He is scheduled to an out-patient procedure to biopsy the bones in the chest cavity on Friday the 14th.
• The lamb who left for Idaho asked for prayers that he would be substance free when he arrived at his brothers. Several days after he left, missionaries received a called from Fort Collins Hospital, one of the stops on the bus route to Idaho. Hearts broke, with all other hospital calls, lambs were on life support ad needed permission to turn the life support off. This call was an answer to prayer. He was suffering from withdrawals and hospitalized. They needed to contact someone for a baseline of “normalcy”. Praise God. He had stopped using substances when he left Raleigh. A week later he arrived at his brother’s SUBSTANCE FREE! We serve an AWESOME God!
• A lamb attended a middle school missionary’s school concerts. What a blessing to hear the young woman sing and an even greater blessing to see the two hug after the concert! It is amazing to see what a little love can do!
• The Lord touched someone’s heart to donate gift bags containing deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, lip balm, and candy for the Sunday AM mission, packaged in Christmas bags.
• What a special treat to remind God’s lambs that they are remembered and loved!
• Please keep in pray the lamb who received her first paycheck. She didn’t use the money to glorify the Lord.
• A Hispanic lamb was transferred to a FL prison this week. He is to serve ~ a week there and then released. Pray for the Lord’s provision after he is released. His address is Jaime Hernandez Sanchez Manatee County Jail Palmetto, FL 34221His public defender is Peter Coen. If any one wants to write to him on Jaime’s behalf, the address is Public Defender OfficeAttn. Peter Coen Case # 1994CF2938 920 Manatee Ave WBardenton, FL 34205
• Please pray that lambs’ hearts are opened to seeing God’s hand in everything and feeling the love of Jesus poured into each one. Pray they know they are adopted children of Christ.

Missionary Testimony

Have you ever wondered whether the Lord really equips people these days? Wondered about God’s sense of humor? Missionaries attended a seminar about :”Growing God’s Kingdom” The speaker has been growing God’s Kingdom in the Middle East with the Muslim community. He made incredible points concerning bridging differences. He also discussed the Muslim concept of Christians. Were you aware that most Christians are not highly regarded in other cultures due to what is seen on TV? Other cultures consider Western Christians to be materialistic, fornicators, idolaters… It was a very uncomplimentary list. He suggested that when asked tell people that you are a follower of Jesus because they know Jesus from the Koran. He reminded the group of cultural differences, food restrictions… In all it was an informative meeting that this missionary wasn’t sure she needed because where she was serving was a Hispanic neighborhood, probably not many Muslims, if any right? The next day as she was serving in the Hispanic neighborhood, taking bagged lunches, (thank you Brown Bag ministry) and offering prayer, she was greeted by a non-Hispanic, perhaps a Middle Eastern. Wide eyed, she asked if they would like free lunches and prayer. He asked “why?” Her response was because “God loves you.” “Oh so you are one of those Christians” Oh my goodness, the meeting from the evening before, the words spoken, His MIGHTY equipping and what a sense of humor the Lord has. It was such a reminder that nothing spoken to grow His mighty Kingdom is ever wasted. Thank You Jesus!

God’s Provision – Donations of Time & Finances

· Thank the Lord for the showers each week from the Garner Methodist church Thank You Jesus for serving hearts! Thank You Lord for the laundermat that continues to hold the homeless laundry account. · Thank you Jesus for all the food donated by area Food Lion stores, Macedonia Baptist church, the Apex Stake, individuals, the Dorcus shop of Cary, and Catering-by-Design! Thank you Lord for all the donations of clothing, storage places (Hope Chapel), towels and sweat clothes from the Dorcas shop, and sheets, jackets, & toiletries items from individuals, 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!

Community Awareness – Meetings and missions
There will be a Christmas Outreach, Christmas Eve at the Wilmington St Shelter from 7-9 PM. Volunteers are needed to pray with people and hand out Christmas gifts. Christmas gifts have been donated by area churches.
The Guild Ministry is collecting gloves, hats, scarves, sleeping bags, warm socks, toiletries, and blankets for the service on the 16th at 10 AM. The Guild ministry is located at 911 N West St in Raleigh.