Missing some of my little's!

We are with you!

Good afternoon Prayer Partners,

I just wanted to let you know how much we love you and are praying for you, as well as our brothers and sisters in need in Haiti. For God did not call us only to minister His love and provision in Haiti, but also to our local brothers in the Lord and even to the ends of the earth.

This is a very hard and challenging time that we are facing right now and we are all facing it in some way or another. Here in the Northwest, across the United States, and over most of the world. Some are minimally effected and many severely effected by this virus and the many ramifications of it. Health, jobs, family, finances, isolation, are just some of the many challenges we are facing because of this. Sometimes the biggest challenges are what comes out of us during hard and challenging times. Things like fear, anxiety, stress and greed. 
   
This is not a time to shut off our emotions. These are hard times and this is real. But God knew that we would face these hard times and He wants us to be honest with Him and bring them to Him. "When we draw near to Him, He will indeed draw near to us." I was struck with the revelation of His peace this morning as I was praying for all of you. (Yes, I pray for all of you, your relationships, your families, and your businesses, that you would be blessed because you have been such a rich blessing to us and the people of Haiti.) 

^{Philippians 4:4-7 encourages us to "}Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all, for the Lord is near to us.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

In John 14: 27 Jesus tells us personally;  ^"Peace I leave with you; my own peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. So do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Jesus wants us to have His peace! His peace is His presence. He says "not as the world gives." In the world, peace is the absence of something. The absence of fear, anxiety, or doubt. That's all fine. But in the Kingdom of God, peace is the presence of something. Peace is the presence of Jesus, "The Prince of Peace." If we are a child in our room and are scared of the unknown, we can convince ourselves to have peace because its not likely that something would really happen. But how much more peace comes from our Father coming into the room with us, to reassure us of His provision and protection in our time of need. In Revelations 3, Jesus says; "Here I am, I stand at your room door and knock, if you will hear me and open the door, I will come in to your room and bring my peace to you." (Paraphrased by Mike)

It is in these hard and challenging times that bring us closer to God and proves to us that Jesus really is who He says He is! We are then able to be a light to the world. Because we, in Jesus, cannot be shaken. Though the things of this world can, and indeed will be shaken. We, in Jesus, will not be shaken.........Amen

Please let us know how we might be more specific in our prayers for you. If you would like to join with me, I will be fasting and praying for the condition of the world, all day Monday. Please feel free to respond, call or text me, to let me know................. Bless you, in Jesus, this next week. We love you and are with you in this.........Mike

Please, if you have a prayer request during this time, feel encouraged to share it with us. We would consider it a privilege to lift you up in prayer. 

Many Blessings, Chris and Mike
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Missing some of my big ones too!

Children from our Poteau School

Good afternoon good friends; This is a very important time to be, and have, good friends. Good friends are our life-line connection to love and encouragement. Good friends keep us balanced and encouraged in "Crisis Times" like this. 
It is in times like this, that it is so important that "we remain in Him, and His word remains in us", and He says that "whatever we ask, it will be done for us." God loves us, and He loves it when our crisis times draw us close to Him. He empowers us, as His beloved children to minister hope and peace and help to one-another, in their time of need. And it is, in our compassionate ministering and encouraging others, that God meets all our needs, in Jesus. "For All of God's promises for us, are YES, and Amen", in Jesus.

As the up-dates on the Corona Virus come to us daily, and sometimes hourly, we can easily get discouraged and become fearful, and with good reason, this is real! But, God did not give us a Spirit of fear. For crisis times like this, God gave us a spirit of power, and of love, and a sound mind." This promise brings me great encouragement to put my concerns in His loving, powerful, hands, and put my attention to encouraging others. God gave His children the keys to His Kingdom. God gave us power in our prayers for one another. God gave us love for one another. And God gave us a sound mind, anchored "in Jesus" to stabilize us from the panic of the world we live in. 

I have been staying in close contact with Pastor Nathan and the ministry in Haiti. They are, like us, under strict government recommendations to stay in their homes until this passes. "And this too shall pass." It is very hard for the Haitian people to understand what are good healthy recommendations, or just more corrupt government mandates being forced upon them. There are currently only 2 reported cases of the virus in Haiti. Neither are Haitians. Pray that this is it..... All of our church congregations are being asked to stay home and pray. Pray for their neighbors and their nation. They are also praying for us and our nation. They are praying for you! The orphanage is doing well, so far, and everyone is healthy. They have put into place good health practices. "Praise God, from whom all blessings flow."


We are very thankful to have so many good friends in this ministry like you. We are encouraged, and we know, that even in these times of crisis, as we remain in Him, we will be able to continue to support the vulnerable people of Haiti through their times of crisis. Please keep them in your prayers as they have been keeping you in theirs. 
Please prayerfully consider how you can extend your love to them, as God extends His love to you...……

We are still hopeful that we will have our New Generation Ministries, Annual Fundraiser Dinner and Auction, on May 1st. But if, like so many other gathering events, it is cancelled, and we are not able to meet together in person, we are already working on plans to offer an on-line alternative event for you. This is our only main fundraising event of the year. We depend heavily on this event to keep this ministry doing what God has called it to do. We are not fearful. We are loved. And we are encouraged that God knows what we, and you need. And God will meet all of our needs in Jesus. 

If any of you have specific prayer needs, or something that I could help you with, please let me know. It is my pleasure to serve you, as you have served me...…….Bless you in the place of His presence...……..Mike

Pastor Nathan and Madame Nathan

We are so excited to share with you that Pastor Nathan and his wife will be coming to visit this spring!

Mike will be going to Haiti again around the 10th of April. Pastor Nathan and his wife will be traveling back to the Pacific Northwest with Mike April 29th. They will be here for our annual spring fundraiser on Friday, May 1st. So save the date and come and meet Pastor Nathan and his wife. 

We are looking forward to seeing you there. Blessings, Mike and Chris