Until The Nets Are Full: So Many Things to be Thankful for...

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"We're at the neeeeewww house!"

Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers for us and our ministry here in East Tennessee. I apologize for our absence from the blog. The result of that absence is that this post is going to be longer than normal as I try to bring you up to speed on what the Lord has been up to in the past month, and it's a lot.

My class at the Baptist association wrapped up well. The students did well on their final and they gave me good marks in their teacher evaluations. I got to build some unique relationships that I pray will open doors for future teaching opportunities. Pastor Willie Lunsford, who directs Seminary Extension, has already invited me to teach another class, possibly this Spring and certainly next Fall, which is exciting.

Last month through our house building process I met a local bi-vocational pastor named David Wheeler. He's a dirt work guy and I hired him to do some grading for us. As the Lord would have it, his church is not far from our Storehouse. The Lord connected us early enough last month that we were able to help him bless some needy families in his congregation with turkey dinners for Thanksgiving. He's a unique, godly man who loves the Lord and his people, but has no formal training. I'm praying that he'll be the local contact that we need to launch our first BTCP class. Please pray with me as I cultivate this new relationship.

Meanwhile, our benevolence ministry is helping some people with serious challenges. One of the young men we helped this month is a senior in high school. His dad had a stroke a while back and wasn't able to work or even communicate for a while. Through that process the family got behind on the rent, got kicked out of their home and lost everything they couldn't carry with them. He came to us with virtually nothing, and trying to take care of his family. We were able to provide some furniture as well as clothing and household items to help his family start to recover, and we continue to be available to help them as they have needs arise.

On Tuesday morning of last week a lady came into the Storehouse wearing a T-Shirt, and it was about 35 degrees outside. Charlie told her she looked cold and offered her a sweater, which she immediately took advantage of. Apparently, the farm she'd been renting a house on got sold, and the new owner put her out just before Thanksgiving. She's been living in her van until she can find a new place, and she could only keep what she could fit in her van. We were at least able to provide her with some warm clothing until she can find a warm place to sleep. Over the past month we've had more interactions with the homeless community here than ever before, and we're exploring ways that we can increase how we touch and serve this group.

The week of Thanksgiving we had the privilege of providing full Thanksgiving meals to needy families through our partnership with Second Harvest. We were able to bless 60 households and over 200 individuals. One of those families we've ministered to some before through First Baptist. The church called her and let her know Mountain Vision would be giving out turkeys on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. She called me to confirm and updated me on her family's situation. From our previous interactions I know they made some poor financial choices in the past, and they've been slowly digging their way out ever since. They're working poor, trying to stay afloat. They now have her dad living with them also, which, though they love and enjoy, adds to their costs. They weren't going to have a Thanksgiving dinner this year, because they simply couldn't afford it. The Lord enabled us to provide the whole meal with all the trimmings, and they were incredibly thankful.

Each year a number of the families we provide Thanksgiving meals for live in a local area of subsidized housing, where an assistant director helps us identify families with real and significant need. We passed out some turkeys at the Storehouse Tuesday morning, then we delivered the rest to this housing area. While we were there passing out turkeys, one of the ladies we were supposed to deliver a meal to had already come and gotten one at the Storehouse earlier that morning, unaware we were coming to her house later. She asked if we could give the meal to one of her neighbors instead who, as the Lord would have it, was not on our list and was running out of food. The neighbor had small children in the house and almost nothing left to feed them until we arrived on their doorstep with a turkey, rolls, all the fixins, and even a pumpkin pie! Meeting a very thankful mother, seeing her little ones and knowing that they were going to have enough to get them through the end of the month is a tremendous feeling. We always make it very clear that it is the Lord Jesus who is faithful to provide, and we're simply privileged to be a part of that provision. Thank you for enabling us to be here and touch the lives of real individuals with very real needs.

It's important to say, the Lord is not just using us to meet others needs, but faithful to meet ours as well. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, the clutch in our big truck slipped itself into oblivion, and the truck stopped on the side of the road. Charlie and Chuck spent some time Sunday trying to see what we need to fix it, and ultimately the answer was a quality diesel mechanic who's able to work on a 1987 UD box truck. After talking to Charlie about our options, I prayed and then googled. The very first place I called, after I explained who we are and what we use the truck for, offered to tow the truck to his shop at his expense and then to donate the majority of the labor as a donation to the ministry. Basically, all we'll need to pay for is parts and a small portion of the labor. Our truck is a key part of our day to day operations, and having someone to work on it for basically free is a huge blessing and the Lord showing himself faithful to keep us rolling!

Meanwhile, on the homefront, Meredith, Lily, and I moved into our new home the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It's still a work in progress, but we're thankful to be in! We've moved 6 times in 5 years of marriage, and we are praying the Lord will plant us here and let us stay for a very, very long time! Thanks to the beauty of bonus space in the basement, our new home has a guest area set up downstairs where we hope to host many, many of you in the years to come. Our prayer is that our home will be a place of ministry, and you're certainly welcome to come and be a part of it!

In fact, our first guests arrive this Thursday. This week is a week of local missions at First Baptist Greeneville, and we've got opportunities for the congregation and community to be involved every day. In particular, on Tuesday we're doing a furniture drive which will largely benefit Mountain Vision, so please pray people will be generous and the Lord will use this to provide some much needed furniture. On Thursday, a group will arrive from Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Garner. They'll be serving alongside Mountain Vision on Friday and participating in the Christmas Store outreach that we do at First Baptist on Saturday. I'll fill you in next week on how their trip went, but this week, please pray for traveling mercies as they come and pray for the Lord to make his name famous in our community as a result of this weekend's outreach.

Things you can be praying for this week.

1. Please pray for the team from Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Garner, NC as they travel here on Thursday, minister alongside us for the weekend, and then return home on Sunday.
2. Please pray for speedy repair and return of our box truck, and that the cost of parts would not be exorbitant.
3. Please pray for Meredith, Lily, and I as we continue to transition into our new home. We're thankful to be here, but we've still got quite a few projects left to finish!