Dear Fellow Servant(s) of
Christ:
At a time when everything is getting
crazy all around us, it is critical for our walk that we continue to believe
the verse in I John 4:4 that says “You, dear children, are from God and have
overcome them (false prophets, the spirit of antichrist, and the spirit of
falsehood, etc.), because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is
in the world.” To have His presence in
our lives and to live out the above verse successfully, we must practice the
following excellent advice received from a Godly source. 1) Give God’s Word first place in your
life. 2) Live your life in a manner that
pleases God. 3) Keep unforgiveness and
strife out of your life. 4) Walk in
love. 5) Line up your words with God’s
Word. 6) Maintain an attitude of
gratitude for all that God has done for you. 7) Honor God continually by giving back to Him. Are we willing to put in the time and effort
for our Lord Jesus Christ? Help us Jesus! He is worthy of it.
We have an “attitude of
gratitude” for all that God is doing through you, His precious children, here locally. SITG continues to be His vessel for bringing
people to a place of realizing that He is their source and provider – both for
their basic earthly needs (Phil. 4:19) but more importantly for their spiritual
needs. God has been calling us to the
Pressley Street apartments on the Northside on a weekly basis. There is a sweet presence of Jesus Christ as
we minister through laughter, tears, prayer, the gospel, and the sharing of the
love of our Savior in practical ways. There is something special about a group of 200+ people who are getting
to know you. Trust and lasting relationships
are being formed by going there on a regular basis.
Just recently, two vans full
of supplies for our friends above were headed to the apartments. One of the vans was following me as we
went. I was praying to the Lord and
asking Him, “Is SITG bearing fruit? If not, we don’t want to be doing this. We want to be doing only what you want.” I felt in my spirit Him say to me, “The two
people in the van following you filled with supplies are some of the
fruit.” His ways are different than
ours! I was thinking about the people at
the apartments but God was showing me that we are teaching others how to live
this life through our actions. God is
also working in the lives of those who donate items to us. They are from every walk of life and are very
interested in what we are doing. It
allows us to give glory and honor to our King in this arena as well.
What has been happening since
our last note to you? Groceries have
been purchased for several single moms and others who are just in a “difficult”
place. You helped a single mom who had
no insurance get a mono test for her teenager; we continue to support our
little girl, Jyoti, in India; Wal-Mart gift cards were shared with an elderly
couple that we met on the street who are trying to make a new life here in
America from Sri Lanka and a single woman with three teenagers and struggling
with rheumatoid arthritis. A young
couple needed some help learning how to parent – you sent them to a few
classes. We are working with a woman who
wants to raise money to help families alleviate some of the costs of adopting a
child. She has a dream to have adopted
children paint pictures of their adopted families on canvas, auction the
paintings off and use the money to rescue children. You encouraged her by buying a few canvases
to get the project started. For several
of our ladies that we have been keeping in touch with, you gave them a small
gift from McDonald’s for Christmas. For
many of them, this was the only card and gift they received. You provided underclothing for a prisoner who
needed encouragement in this way. We
went to two elderly homes and bought balloons for many of the residents. Their
faces were filled with joy when we tied the balloons to their wheelchairs,
etc.! A local teacher lost her husband
suddenly so you sent flowers to her a few months later. You provided a much-needed monetary gift to a
Christian couple.
We have helped several people
from Family Links, Bethlehem Haven, the
United Way, and Western Psych. You helped to buy them the items we don’t always have – coffeemakers,
toasters and other misc. small items. Maureen felt led to minister through meals to a woman who had
cancer. We weren’t sure if she knew Jesus
so we made sure she received materials to lead her to Him. Since that time, she has passed away. We hope to see her in heaven. One of the men we have been helping got
himself a job at the Pittsburgh Tribune but didn’t have the cash flow to buy
bus tickets to get to work. You bought the
tickets for him until he could get his first paycheck. One of our ladies was volunteering to help
children in the
Pittsburgh school system learn to read. She needed bus tickets to get her
started. You did it! A young boy with special needs is building
shelves for a shelter in the Hill District. He needed some help with the supplies. You did it again! You helped
orphans in
El
Salvador
by buying them washcloths and providing a monetary gift. A gas card was purchased for a woman
looking for a job, homeless, and trying to get to interviews.
A 30-year old man was
referred to us who was depressed, had no money and needed new shoes. We decided to get him new shoes. The new shoes helped to get him out of bed. He helped us move furniture one day, and
mentioned how much he enjoyed helping us. He was motivated to get out and get a job! Where will this all take him? We hope to the King of Kings and Lord of
Lords! Praising Him and living for Him.
The list goes on. Acts of kindness are powerful as we encourage
others to repent and become children of the Most High God. Thank you for being His hands and feet.
Because
He cares, gives and lives,
Standing In The Gap is a
non-profit corporation that has been determined to be exempt from Federal
income tax under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue code. Contributions, bequests, devises, transfers
and gifts are tax deductible.