STATE MISSIONS: What are You Thankful For?

      As we prepared to celebrate Thanksgiving, I began to realize that the truly wonderful gift of being a born-again child of God is that there is a future when all the sadness, disappointment, loneliness and rejection, along with those things that break our hearts and suck our joy, will be gone forever. No children will be mistreated or homeless, no spouses will be belittled and kicked to the curb, and no parents will be forsaken in their old age.

      No wonder He said old things have passed away, and all things have become new. I could not help but remember a skit I once saw where families were making their way to church and how raised voices, shouting and anger filled the vehicles. Some argued about relationships, while others fretted over how the bills would be paid and how they would buy groceries. But as each one parked, they began to put on plastic masks with smiles.

      When Job said, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1), he hit the nail on the head. It is not the material things of Heaven that I long to see. It is Jesus who died for me and helps me experience the peace that passes understanding. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Rev. 21:4). If you feel you have come to the end of your rope, tie a knot in the end and hang on, because the best is yet to come.

From Our Missionaries

 Thank God for this ministry that ensures a bike for every child in Central Arkansas. After picking up the bikes, we visited Oscar Lopez’s house. The kids greatly enjoyed the visit since Bro. Oscar raises sheep, goats, chickens and turkeys, and also has dogs and cats. It was a very fun and different day.

      On Wednesday, two young women had intense conversations about their relationship with God. Cindy accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior, while Karina recommitted herself to the Lord. After being estranged from the Lord, she sought a church due to issues with a coworker. She discovered us on Google and attended the meeting.

      On Sunday, we celebrated Thanksgiving with a special service and a delicious lunch. Each family had the opportunity to express their gratitude to the Lord and enjoy good fellowship. We thank God for all He has done in this work and what He will continue to do.

      (12/1) “On Wednesday, we had a Friendsgiving dinner with the youth from the church. The sisters from the ladies' discipleship cooked for the young men. Each young man shared what he was thankful for, and we learned about being thankful for friends, especially our friend Jesus Christ. It was a beautiful time of fellowship among the boys. All the adults served them, showing love and consideration. They felt how special they are to the Lord and His church. Please pray for the church's families, as several have gone through a crisis. We do not want the crisis to destroy them but to help them grow and become stronger. Let us pray for the men to have healthy leadership that reflects the love of Christ and encourages them to serve their families. Let us pray for wise women to build their homes so that both desire to submit to God and set aside their personal interests.

      “This week, I had terrible health. I got the flu and ended up with a cough. I am still sick, and I feel exhausted. Please pray for this servant of yours.”

      “We had people in and out of town, and our attendance was lower than normal, since many were traveling.

      On the family side, we had our children at home all week. It was a blessing to host them and hear their college stories. We spent Thursday at home and invited the Rico family to join us. For them, it was their first Thanksgiving. Normally, in our Latin American countries, this holiday is not celebrated.

      “I thank God for each of you who pray for and support us to be in ministry. To God be the glory!”

      “We focused on being thankful, with a message on I Thess. 5:18, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

      “For those of you that don’t know, after three weeks in the hospital, we moved Mom to Hospice House on Tuesday, and she went to be with the Lord on Wednesday morning. She was ready. Praise God again!  I posted this on Facebook on Thursday: ‘I am thankful for my mother. I am thankful that my mother made me go to church when I was young and taught me the way that I should go. I am thankful she prayed for me when I was going in the wrong direction. I am thankful that she lived with us for the last year and a half and we got to help her. And I am so thankful that I know where she is today, that she has no more pain and can breathe, walk and see all the beauty of Heaven, that she is absent from her aged body, but present with the Lord. I am thankful that the promises of God have been fulfilled for her.’

      “Sunday, Dec. 8, will be our first Sunday in the new building. Praise God again! We expect many visitors, and it will be a joyous day! We have been waiting for so long for this day! Praise God again! I know Bro. Paul and some of the Advisory Committee and some of the Master's Builders will try and come, and you are all invited. I hope we overflow on that first Sunday. If we do, well, praise God again! We will do our best to accommodate everyone! We are at 104 Faith Chapel Lane, south of Flippin, just off Hwy. 178 S. You can see us from the bypass.

      “I want to thank you all again for your prayers and support. You have helped make this possible through your faithfulness, and we are thankful for you!”

 She found a family of people eager to invest in her and her family by showing her Christ’s love and pouring into her life. We are praying that we continue to have these opportunities sent our way so that we can be used to help people come to know Christ and have their lives changed by Him.

      “This week, we continued our study of Acts. We broke into small groups and SOAP’d the Scripture of Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. We studied the Scripture, made Observations, made Application and Prayed about what we learned. We can see how God used Ananias to reach Saul even when Ananias did not understand the big picture of God’s plan for Saul’s life.

      “We have to be willing to go when we are called, no matter how difficult the task ahead may seem. Have a blessed week, and thank you for your prayers and continued support of Faith Journey.”

      “There were days of a lot of planning and hard work, decoration and rehearsals, and we are grateful for the team of volunteers who served with excellence and love.

      “Pastor Dana Williams and his wife were invited to our anniversary service. Bro. Williams preached a sermon on our duties as believers. In my words of thanks for our second anniversary, the text I used was I Cor. 15:57, "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." At the end of my words, I ended with a question: ‘What is next now?’ In 2025, continue the work of filling our entire area with the gospel.”

We discussed our thankfulness for the gospel. The Garfield Group had regular members out, but it was beautiful as the host family, Rodney and Melinda Chadwell, were able to pour into a niece and nephew on each side of their family.

      “This model allows families to study the Bible together. We also saw the direct answer to prayer this week and testimonies of how God is transforming individuals and families.

      “Please join us in prayer for our coach households. Please pray for them by name. Their last names are Chadwell, King, Leatherwood, McCandless, Petrocelli, Sailors and Simon. Pray for the prospective coach households of Stewart and Wright. Also, if you are in the BMA of the Ozarks area, we are looking for help in the nursery. Contact me if interested to learn more at jakebmc51@gmail.com.”