Are you able to pray?

The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need. (Psalm 23:1)

Good morning and Happy New Year! Thank you for praying for me, my family and our ministry to teens and families! Well, we have reached 2014 and are entering into the new year fully expecting God to work! How we will respond is the topic of my prayer request. As you have been informed it was a very challenging few months to end the year. Faced with financial challenges to the ministry, we were forced to work outside the ministry as my wife and I both worked two part-time jobs while maintaining our meetings with the teens and families we serve on weekends. While we are very grateful to those who assisted us in obtaining those jobs, it was indeed a physical and mental toll upon the family as a whole. Yet God saw fit to keep us in our home and met our needs! He remains faithful! As you may also know, since our jobs revolve around school and church, there has been no work (or pay) since the CHRISTmas break began on December 20. We are thankful for the time with family and friends, but . . .

We are asking for prayer that God will grant us favor with the mortgage company, utilities, and other creditors. We realize that God goes through these valleys with us and we trust Him, but at times it still takes a toll on us! We cherish your prayers and encouragement. During our yearly week sabbatical (Jan 12-19) we will once again be re-thinking, strategizing, and praying about how to restructure the ministry to better serve God and the teenagers. Please seek the Lord with us during this week.

Securing financial support for missions work is such a struggle these days as many are financially challenged. To be honest, many nights I stay awake and ask God why He even called us and what do we have to do to serve Him more efficiently and how do we get it across to others the need for partnership. I feel like I am letting God and my family down much of the time. Many of you realize this and have been sacrificially supporting The Sparrows’ Nest Ministries for a long time. We are so grateful. Please continue to pray for God’s favor and that He will raise up more to catch the vision of TSN Ministries and our heart to serve and not to ever quit! We meet weekly with eleven teenagers ages 13-18 for up to six hours. They have questions, desires, and decisions that they discuss with us. They truly want to please God and not be like the rest of their peers! Are you willing to ask God how you can partner with TSN Ministries to meet their needs?

$200.00 a month will provide for our ministry needs concerning telecommunications, internet, and the like. $100.00 a month will meet the transportation needs of our program. Just $50.00 a month will provide snacks, meals, drinks for our time together. In fact, whatever pledge you can make will go directly toward program costs and also be tax-deductible! Contact us at our web site: www.tsnministries.org or e-mail me at jcforkids@tsnministries.org.

God bless you!

The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need. He lets me lie down in fields of green grass. He leads me beside quiet waters. He gives me new strength. He guides me in the right paths for the honor of his name. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid. You are with me. Your shepherd’s rod and staff comfort me. You prepare a feast for me right in front of my enemies. You pour oil on my head. My cup runs over. I am sure that your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. And I will live in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23: 1- 6)