Sharing Hope In the Midst of Despair

       Praise the Lord for ministries in our city who have common goals - enlarging Christ's kingdom!  This month, we learned that a young woman who accepted Christ when His love and plan of salvation was shared with her at the center proclaimed it publicly and was baptized at Church at the Barrel, the church started in West Montgomery by the McFarlands and UrbanTREC Ministry.  God is so good!
       161 families served, for a total of 376 family members.  That's a whole lot of people coming through the doors at the little blue house.  A lot of food distributed - nearly 2 tons.  But most of all - a lot of opportunities to share the love and hope that comes only from a relationship with Jesus Christ. 
       August was one of the busiest months this year.  As families prepared to send their children back to school, they were inundated with expenses - school supplies, uniforms, high utility bills from an oppressively hot summer - and more need for food, since local schools started later in August than usual, meaning those free or reduced healthy lunches available at school were NOT available, meaning that the family food budget was taxed even more.  Thanks to all of the churches and friends who donated food, school supplies, finances for assistance, clothes, and so much more!  At a time when our food supply has been as low as ever, many stepped up to the plate and helped with an extra gift.  We enter the fall months with people returning to
their work and school routines, and pray with confidence, knowing that God will continue to provide through His people!
       "Callie" called the center in distress recently.  As we spoke on the phone, she expressed her despair and asked if she could just come in to the center to talk.  When she came in, she proceeded to describe what was going on in her life - events that, each one desperate in its own right, but accumulated, would drive many people to the brink of desperation and perhaps even suicide.  Gratefully, we were able to refer her to a licensed counselor.  In addition, she was assisted with food, eventually was helped with utility assistance, and encouraged to put together a resume to give to a prospective employer.  Likewise, "Lem" was in a desperate situation, had been unemployed for nearly a year.  Timely assistance, encouraging words, prayerful support, and Lem saw things in a whole new light.  Today, he is employed, catching up, and praising God for bringing him through the storm.
       Each one of these, and so many more, are examples of how sharing Christ's hope and love help people in crisis to reframe their experience.  Hopelessness becomes hope, helplessness becomes strength, because "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".  Please pray for the guests who visit Forest Park Ministry Center, that in the midst of life's storms, they will experience, above all, the presence of Almighty God at work in their lives.  Pray for the new moms who are beginning the New Moms' class this month on Thursday afternoons, and pray for the moms who graduated from the previous class as they and other mentoring women study the Bible together during M&M's Bible Cafe each Tuesday. Pray too, for the Mixtec families in our neighborhood and throughout our city, as we continue to reach out to them in the midst of a time of uncertainty and fear for many of them.  As always, we thank you for your faithful support and pray God's blessings on your journey with Him.

Looking Ahead: M&M's Bible Cafe

     Wow - even though we were closed for construction and maintenance for nearly half of July, we still saw almost as many guests at the center as we do in normal months.  It just shows you how much need there is, and especially during the summer when children (who are often fed their only healthy meals through the free or reduced cost breakfasts and lunches at school) are home all the time.  In addition to the food assistance, our summer missionaries, Allison and Victoria, did a great job planning, recruiting volunteers, and implementing all kinds of activities from Bible studies and corresponding movie times for children, assisting with reading programs, sports and devotionals at targeted at-risk apartment complexes, and forging friendships with moms and their children.
     One of the most exciting things to happen this summer is the extension of the original Layette Ministry.  A booklet has been written and is being used during the Layette visit that encourages the moms to think deeply about life goals and life style choices.  As a result, the first Moms class met beginning in May, and concluded at the end of July.  The next class begins in September.
     Those moms who have completed the initial class are wanting more - thus the inaugural session of M&M's Bible Study Cafe.  Each Tuesday, beginning in September, these moms will meet at Forest Park Ministry Center with Christian women who have a desire to be an example and a friend - a mentor - to them.  We will begin with "Life After Birth", a Bible study written expressly for teen moms and those who are mentoring them.  In this study, Biblical truth is taught in a way that is relevant and lovingly forthright for the new moms.  We ask for your prayers for both the mentors and for the moms as they seek to know Christ in a more intimate way, and in doing so, become the young women, mothers, and role models that God intends them to be.

Summer Missions, Summer Fun, Summer's Busy!

For those who are in community ministries, you know that summer is not a time for being laid back!  It is a time to plant lots of spiritual seed, to reach into neighborhoods through Backyard Bible Studies, to find new and creative ways to foster healthy entertainment and fun for children when out of school, and to reach their families with Christ's hope.  This summer, our two summer missionaries, Allison Poole and Victoria Bye, have done just that.  In addition to assisting on food and clothing distribution days (which during June saw 120 families, distributed over 3,200 pounds of food, and even saw a family finally able to be cooled by an air conditioner graciously donated by an MBA church member),  these young women have planned and implemented both Bible studies for children and supplemental Bible activies for the Reading on Wheels sessions at the center and have recruited coaches and formed Flag Football teams at a West Montgomery apartment complex, during which a motivational and inspirational time is held while taking their water break (last week, Philippians 4:13 was the theme, and appropriate it was, as many of these 9 - 13 year old boys had just faced a big hurdle when one of their "older friends" had been shot and killed just the day before.)  I felt it appropriate that each one of our summer missionaries speak to you specifically about how God has moved in them and through their work at Forest Park Ministry Center.

Allison's thoughts:
            "Every Thursday morning Victoria and I teach Mixtec children a Bible lesson and we do a craft with them. Jessica also helps us with the children. We have ten children that come, and their ages range from two to ten years old. At first, I was a little nervous about teaching these children, because I was not sure how well they understood English. However, the older kids can actually speak English really well. Our lessons started with the Creation story in Genesis and we went through some Old Testament stories. The day we learned about Jonah, they made fish and we went fishing. The kids really enjoyed doing that. Last week we learned about Jesus, that He came to earth to be our Savior.
            At the beginning of the summer I was asked what was one thing I wanted to see happen this summer. I said I wanted the children to remember the Bible lessons we are teaching them. I want them to know they can always rely on God and that Jesus is our Savior. When I leave Montgomery I’m not sure if I will ever see these children again, but I hope we are planting seeds that will continue to grow in their lives.
            I encourage everyone to pray for these Mixtec children and families. The children have to grow up really fast. Once they learn English, they become translators for their parents. Many of the parents only speak the    Mixtec language. Sometimes it is hard to work with people who don’t speak our same language, but I have learned that we are called to be kind to everyone and God will take care of the rest."

Victoria's thoughts: (In addition to Montgomery community ministries, Victoria just returned from a week's mission trip with her church to Nicaragua.)
            "Hopelessness. Although they are thousands of miles apart, their eyes tell the same story. They live everyday wondering what they will eat, where they will sleep, and why no one seems to care. The sweet little children in La Chureca (the city dump in Managua, Nicaragua) and those in the projects of west Montgomery live the life of “the least of these.” Whether it’s the seven year old girl in the dump whose mother will prostitute her to a truck driver tonight in order to receive the best trash off of his garbage truck or the nine year old boy in the projects who is forced to care for his younger siblings because his mom is an alcoholic and his dad has abandoned the family, they need to feel the love of Jesus. They need to know that there is a better life than the cycle of desolation that they are stuck in. They need to know that there is a God who is bigger than all of their pain and suffering. Will you show them? Will you step outside of your home and venture to the other side of town? Will you give up a week of work to go overseas? Will you set aside your pride and step out of your comfort zone? Will you take love to the ends of the earth? Will you go?"
And the King will say, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” Matthew 25:40

How gracious is our Heavenly Father to move these two faithful young women to reach those in need in the city of Montgomery this summer through Forest Park Ministry Center.  Other volunteer missionaries including Mission Serve and several church youth ministries have also plugged into the missions opportunities at the center. To God be the glory!