The Needs are Great

Here the needs are great: the physical needs may astound you and leave you a gasp, but the spiritual needs are far weightier and much uglier.  There is a bright glimmer of hope penetrating this depravity and hurt.  Jesus sets people free–brings hope and peace and an amazing joy.  The church is equipped to bring this message.  We are here to plant healthy reproducing churches.

Getting out into the community, asking and listening to individuals is almost as important as actually meeting their felt needs.  It gets us close to people and allows us to speak life to them.  Pulling ourselves away from the tyranny of the urgent and the rut of the routine has proven to take us into some of the richest ministry times we have ever had.  So, the last week of December we closed the doors, no services, no worship time or preaching, and no children’s classes. Instead, our church – family by family – gathered at our neighborhood park to serve and reach out to the community.  God smiled down upon us.

We helped provide families some needed child care.  We were able to talk to the parents about their concerns.  Addressing problems such as how to be healed from the guilt and move through the grieving process when after being separated for years from parents and other family members by borders a loved one dies.  Other questions on parenting and family issues frequently come up.  The health of a family is the most basic and critical element of a healthy community and society.  We care for the family – that is our duty. 

For a couple days we provided fun family oriented activities and shared the gospel.  We also handed out hot meals, tons of clothes, hygiene packets and more to families, the homeless, addicts, gang members and others that make up our community.  We are here for a reason.  It would be a shame to let those purposes slip away being inactive or being busy doing something else. 

We are working with families that are wobbling on the razor’s edge between life and death.  Success and victory is still mixed with some defeat and disappointment.  Little victories like one of our youth recently saying, “I am giving faith a chance,” show us the slow upward progression being made here in the city.  Giving up is easy and is the path many choose in life.  Youth are constantly being bombarded with ungodly, faithless messages and unfortunately the gospel sounds more like a fairy tale than the video games they play.  We offer hope in Jesus. 

This month we are excited about taking our junior high and high school students to a retreat.  Last year this was probably the single most significant breakthrough time for our youth – several giving their lives to Jesus.  Please pray that this year would be even more powerful producing fruit that will remain in the lives of these young teenagers long into their adult life. 

Thank you for praying new blessings over our family and ministry this year!

 

Chad & Fabiola