October 1, 2007

Hi Faithful Prayer Partners!
I'm sending much love to you. You mean so much to me. Knowing that you are praying for me is a treasure that you cannot fully understand. I thank my God for you and your prayers.

Wow! It's October. Next week I will be here 5 months. Times goes by quickly, but God has done so much that it seems longer in some ways. He is the Creator and controller of time. (Funny how we think it's our to possess, huh?)

We are having more new visitors here at the Space. Pray that they will return and that we can plant and cultivate the seeds of relationship to share Jesus with them.

We had some awesome workers here last week doing some renovations on the Theatre and Studio. It's amazing how much God allowed them to get done. Especially, in the constraints of New York space issues, renting the Studio half of each day, lack of availability of volunteers, the gruesome procedure of getting supplies here, etc. They were an amazing bunch and we were so blessed by their love and company as much as their skills. I'm thankful for the way that God brings us together to help and encourage each other as we do His work.

A few weeks ago we had a baptism service and Lord's Supper at Brighton Beach in Brooklyn. It was an awesome morning. The subway took about an hour and then we were walking in the sand along the water's edge. How moving to be in the midst of God's creation to worship Him and honor Him with commitments by new believers. It was really personal.

We had our first Worship gathering in the renovated Theatre yesterday. It was nice. We feel very blessed to have this space. I love our Worship gatherings. They are very informal, honest, heartfelt and personal. We've started having prayer gatherings every Tuesday night. I really love them. Sometimes we stay here and sometimes we go out and prayer walk a specific area. Whoever is available that night comes. It's really special.

Some of the construction people slept here at the space last week, so Scott and I each took half of the guys to our homes to shower a couple of times. This gave them a chance to see how we live here in the city. (It also gave them a much needed shower! HA) Anyway, God blessed me by allowing the guys to meet Tiffany (who I haven't seen in months) and Josh next door, and also some of the kids (who I haven't seen since school started) were around. This may not sound like a big deal, but it was a God thing for them to all be available at the same time as the guys being here.

It's been alternating between cool and hot here, so you never know what clothes to have handy. Since I don't really have a closet or much room for clothes, I've been trying to be versatile in my selections. God blessed me with an all-weather jacket that was just exactly what I was hoping to find. He even blessed me with a love offering to purchase it and a good sale price plus a 20% off coupon that someone handed me at the last minute in the store. Isn't He good?

God has been good to me in big ways, but sometimes it's the little things He does that warms my heart the most. It's kind of like a hug just for me.

Well, I worked hard on coming up with the missions schedule for 2008. We have many opportunities for people to come to NYC and serve beside us. No matter what your skill or interest, we have a spot for you on the411nyc team. Just pray about how God can use you here. Of course, your prayers of support are a vital part of our ministry, too.

On a personal note, I'm doing well. Life here is very demanding physically and spiritually. The enemy is everywhere. But God is bigger and He is my strength. I ask that you pray for me to use good wisdom in determining when to stop and rest. Also, I pray for more structure and healthy habits. Dinner sometimes comes at 8, 9 or 10pm or not at all, and days off don't always happen every week. But for the most part, I try to be home and have dinner by 7pm and be off at least 1 day a week. I love walking and am taking advantage of the moderate weather to walk to and from work whenever possible. (I'll miss that when the snows come!) In winter, I'll need to make time to visit the free workout room at my apartment building. (that is a big blessing from God!)

Spiritually, I'm blessed with a loving church family here. We are small in number compared to most, but we are seriously dedicated to growing our relationships with God and with each other, and reaching out to others to share the Truth. And most of all, I feel God's presence very strongly in my life here. I am so thankful for that.

Keep the411nyc in your prayers as we continue to search for a full time Worship leader and Children's director and Space manager. Pray for our Highriser Groups (small groups) as we begin new studies soon. Pray for the visitors to the Artist's Lounge and praise God for the blessing of getting to touch those lives. Pray for our current partner churches, that we are faithful in clearly sharing how God is using them here at the411nyc. Pray for future partner churches, that they will be obedient to God's call to partner with us to reach these people in NYC. Pray for the health and safety of our staff, that we will be obedient and diligent in serving as God leads. Pray for our financial support, both individually and as a church. Most of all, pray that we are faithful to the call God has put upon the411nyc and that He is continually glorified in everything He allows us to do and experience.

I'll be visiting Rogers AR from Oct 25-Nov 1. I hope to get the chance to see and talk with many of you while I'm there. (if your Sunday School class is planning to get together I'd love to crash it!) I'm cramming in some doctor and dentist visits while there, so I'm sure the time will fly by. I'll bring some pictures to share (if I figure out how to get them off my camera!)

See you in AR soon and I'll pray for you often.