I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.-Ps. 40:1
Greetings from Kent, Ohio! I am encouraged as I sit down to write you, because when I do, I am strengthened as I recall your partnership in the gospel. I am learning so much through the fruit and the trials of support raising and I am consistently thankful for those of you who are already supporting in prayer and in resources. It is a great source of courage for me to call to mind those of you who have been with me from the beginning.
First, I must share with you the most recent news, which is that I have officially moved to 218 Crain Ave. Unit A, Kent, Oh 44240. It was a surprise to have moved this early, but unfortunately our old apartment had some flooding issues. Thus we had to abandon ship prematurely, and thankfully, our new place was just about ready. So, in light of this change, please refer to the above address as my current and primary address for any uses you may have for it.
In other, and perhaps more interesting news, our church is in the middle of studying the book of Acts and becoming increasingly inspired by it! A number of our students are being given great opportunities to apply what they are learning through outreach opportunities with internationals, co-workers, and some of them are even getting opportunities to meet incoming freshman that will arrive for good in the Fall! Our staff team is in the midst planning for our annual LEAD retreat for our student leaders in the middle of August and for our staff retreat at the beginning of August. Please be praying for these two events!
I have been learning a lot in the past month since I have written you last. You may have gathered from the Psalm that I have learning about patience. For a support raiser, patience seems appropriate, right? The natural assumption would be that I am learning to be patient with not being fully supported, but it is not all that I mean when I refer to patience.
I think patience is the language of trust, and perhaps this is why our culture hardly considers this a virtue any longer. God is teaching me a patience, a trust, and an endurance that is refining my character deeply. I am finding that I need only to take my hands off my life to allow him to work.
Also, I am realizing that support raising calls me to a particular hiddenness that wars against my attempts to manufacture an identity built around the affirmation that comes from others when visible in ministry. God is teaching me a faithfulness and a deep trust that is sustained by Him alone through the crucible of support raising. It reminds me of what Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount about fasting (Matt. 5:15-18). God is using support raising more ways than I ever thought possible.
I still have a little over $2800 a month to raise and I am continually overwhelmed with how difficult this road will be, but I trust that somehow God is making his appeal through me in this process. Please again consider partnering with me in prayer, increased monthly support, or most importantly connecting me with other like-minded people! Thank you for all you do, and for being with me in this process!
Thank you so much for bearing with me in this process. I appreciate you and am thankful for your trust in God on my behalf. I hope that this letter serves as a source of encouragement to you as well! Take a look at my prayer card to know ways to be praying!
Your brother, Anthony
Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that God would connect me to more people over the next few months who are receptive to what He is doing in and through our church (Ecclesiastes 11:5&6)
- Please pray for my phone calls that I make five nights a week-that God would grant me opportunity to meet with people through those phone calls.
- Pray for our my emotional and spiritual health in this support raising process-that God would sustain me and that I would be fixated on him for comfort and peace.
- Please pray for our church and that God would mature our people, and inspire them in ministry for the fall.
Poiema 