Living in Portland has been some what of a challenge for us (as you might have noticed from other posts, e-mails, and conversations), but has also had its rewards. We had a hard time finding a church and began to feel like counting down the days until we moved to Texas was the way to get by. Then the Lord led us to our current "home," Red Sea Church. The community is great, the teaching is Biblical (which you may think is common in all churches, but it's not), and there are many chances to get involved. We, however, didn't want to get involved, it makes leaving hard. But one thing I've learned is that you have to get involved, you have to use your gifts, or you shrivel. One of our first weeks at church there was an announcement about an English class starting up for the local Hispanic community. Adam and I knew that this was how we were going to get involved. We started meeting with the group that was volunteering their time and talents to teach complete strangers English. They are awesome. There are only a few of us with education backgrounds, but the team that has been built in just a short month is really great. So, we planned, advertised, and waited for people to come. They didn't. Not one person showed up to the informational meeting. The best part about it was that none of us felt bad. We prayed hung up more flyers and met again last Monday night. We stood in a circle praying for God's will and His timing. Adam no more got the word "amen" out of his mouth and two men came walking in the door! We sat and talked with them for about an hour and they were very encouraged and can't wait to learn. And, they're bringing friends next time. The coolest part was the excitement that the whole team felt about having two students (there are 10 of us). We knew God had brought these two men specifically, we'd prayed for exactly that. I can't wait to see how God uses them in the community that surrounds the church. It will be a true testimony of the grace and goodness of God. Our hope is that by learning English, our students will have a sense of dignity and that their opportunities will increase greatly. This ministry has the potential to have a huge impact because of where it is located, so pray for us and pray for Antonio and Abraham.
Apr 8, 2008
There were two!!!
Living in Portland has been some what of a challenge for us (as you might have noticed from other posts, e-mails, and conversations), but has also had its rewards. We had a hard time finding a church and began to feel like counting down the days until we moved to Texas was the way to get by. Then the Lord led us to our current "home," Red Sea Church. The community is great, the teaching is Biblical (which you may think is common in all churches, but it's not), and there are many chances to get involved. We, however, didn't want to get involved, it makes leaving hard. But one thing I've learned is that you have to get involved, you have to use your gifts, or you shrivel. One of our first weeks at church there was an announcement about an English class starting up for the local Hispanic community. Adam and I knew that this was how we were going to get involved. We started meeting with the group that was volunteering their time and talents to teach complete strangers English. They are awesome. There are only a few of us with education backgrounds, but the team that has been built in just a short month is really great. So, we planned, advertised, and waited for people to come. They didn't. Not one person showed up to the informational meeting. The best part about it was that none of us felt bad. We prayed hung up more flyers and met again last Monday night. We stood in a circle praying for God's will and His timing. Adam no more got the word "amen" out of his mouth and two men came walking in the door! We sat and talked with them for about an hour and they were very encouraged and can't wait to learn. And, they're bringing friends next time. The coolest part was the excitement that the whole team felt about having two students (there are 10 of us). We knew God had brought these two men specifically, we'd prayed for exactly that. I can't wait to see how God uses them in the community that surrounds the church. It will be a true testimony of the grace and goodness of God. Our hope is that by learning English, our students will have a sense of dignity and that their opportunities will increase greatly. This ministry has the potential to have a huge impact because of where it is located, so pray for us and pray for Antonio and Abraham.
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