Rough week, I needed our community!

This has been a heck of a month so far. Satan has done some great things to get Michelle and I in discouragement. First, I spent New Year's Eve, Day and the day after sick. I usually quarantine myself to the basement when sick and enjoyed (not) three days down stairs by myself. Michelle had to run the house while I was out of commission. After the weird stomach bug I had, I came down with a chest cold. On Thursday, as I was healing up, Michelle had a kidney stone attack. We went to the ER and they sent us home thinking she would pass the stone. Friday afternoon arrived and she ended back up in the ER. This time they sent her overnight to a hospital about 20 minutes away from the house, where she spent the night and had surgery the next day to take out the stone. Michelle's parents drove all night and some students helped me watch the kids. She came home Saturday after surgery, while we got Joshua to his first basketball game ever (thanks to Cliff Glenn) and Haleigh played in three basketball games. At the end of the night we celebrated Caleb's 8th birthday. He was a champ about waiting all day to celebrate. Well, Michelle is finally beginning to feel better and our house is beginning to be packed. I told her that I am not a good mom and that our house does not run well without her.

Through all these tests, I realized how important community is. I see how God set us up to serve each other and bear with each other through hard times (Romans 12). I would not have made it without students and parents stepping up to help with our home and children. God's design for the church has two purposes. #1 to take His message to a lost world in order to invite to be His. #2 to create a community of people who do life with each other and support each other so that the world would see the love of Christ through this community. I don't know how people live without other people helping them through life. I am realizing that there are a lot of people out there who have no one to turn to and they suffer needlessly when trials come because they are alone. I wonder how many people are alone right now in Kapolei, where God is taking us? I wonder how many mothers or wives have no one to turn to and need someone just to listen so they can get through their day? I wonder how many men are fighting their sin alone or are struggling to get out of bondage alone? In Genesis 2, God creates Eve for the purpose of creating the Human race and for the purpose of community. How many people we pass by everyday that might not have the community we do? I pray that God creates a church where community is important and it is driven to bring people into the community of God! 

God is at work and doing some great things!

Here are some quick updates on the church start:

Monthly Funding is almost in place. We believe we just need $2,000 a month pledged and we are done with our monthly funding needed.

Our seed money has grown to $7,100. We need $35,000 total. In the past two weeks, we have seen all of this come in.

We believe we have found a house to rent. I call the realtor this week to negotiate a price with them.

We are hoping to rent our house if it does not sell.

We will be selling our 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan next month. Know anyone needing a van?

Shawn

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