Pray & Praise – Uplook Ministries – May 8, 2013
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A Mississippi Update…
Dear prayer investors
As the school year winds down, activities both at the university and in the public schools we visit are coming to a close. In fact, there is talk that some of the troubled schools I have been visiting may be closed and the children transported to the next county for schooling. Not what I would consider a good move–another blow to these sad little communities.
But we are reminded of the words spoken by the Lord to the church at Philadelphia: “These things says He who is holy, He who is true, ‘He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens'” (Rev. 3:7).
There seems to be no end to the opportunities given to show His love and share His truth. On Saturday, I drove across the state for the funeral of a friend’s father-in-law. I confess it seemed so strange to be the only cream-colored person in a coffee-colored roomful of people. I wondered how it was possible for a man to live his whole life without one white friend who would attend his funeral. But such is life in this part of the world. I’ll tell a remarkable story at the end of this update that relates to this burden of mine to see a color-blind church here.
Monday I was asked to travel north to spend time in prayer with the administration of one of these schools threatened with closing if the tests this week don’t make the grade. We walked the halls praying and then greeted the students, reminding them to call on the Lord for help. As had been said, as long as there are school tests, they will never be able to ban prayer in school! By the way, I have also been asked to have a part in the graduation ceremony at this high school.
The next morning I was back to provide a thank-you breakfast for the staff and was able to pass out our new gospel CD, “The Greatest Thing in the World.” All who were offered it received it gladly. Then in the afternoon I drove to Birmingham, AL to visit the unsaved father of one of our faithful college students who breaks bread with us. The father was back from the Far East for surgery, and was willing to hear the gospel and have us pray with him, although he has been resistant in the past. We pray for germination of the seed.
Now a remarkable story that came to me this morning. I was given a phone number to call a woman named Sharon who said she wanted to meet with me. I can’t tell the whole story, as our breakfast meeting took almost 3 hours. An African-American believer with a simple but sincere faith, she had been given my name as someone who loved both blacks and whites for the Lord Jesus. She said she wanted to be available to help me in building bridges for the love of God. Here is her story as she told it:
She recounted how a little white boy who used to play with her was discovered by his mother and told not to return. He came back once more to tell her he could no longer play with _________ (using the pejorative for people of her color). It stung her to the heart, and later when a burning cross was placed on their lawn, her distrust continued to grow. Eventually she said she became prejudiced against all whites. But God had a surprise for her.
One day three white men arrived at their door. Her mother wasn’t home, so she asked them what bill they had come to collect. They smiled and said they would return when her mother was home. Later, when they appeared, her mother hugged the three men. Sharon rebuked her mother for hugging these white men, who laughed merrily at the young girl. The men were her grandfather and two uncles! “And,” she told me, “they were whiter than you!” That’s saying something.
It turns out her great-grandmother was a slave on a nearby plantation. The plantation owner fell in love with her, moved her into a home off the plantation and had a family by her, giving the children his name. What a shocker! It was through this that the Lord broke through the wall she had built around her heart. Now here she was, telling me she wanted to help in reaching out to bring God’s love to Mississippi.
“Blessed are the peacemakers.” May their tribe increase. Please pray on for the kinds of miracles only God can perform.
Happy in His service
Jabe (for the family here)
Reworking the soil…
Thomas Wheeler (LA) plans to join with Gerald St. Laurent (NB) in mid-May to retrace their earlier footsteps in an outreach in Lafayette, Louisiana. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina of 2005, the brothers waged an evangelical outreach in the nearby towns of Henderson, Erath and Delcambre with a hub at Southside Bible Chapel. The ten day outreach will consist of door-to-door visitations by day and Bible studies in homes in the evenings. It is their prayer that they shall duplicate the permanent results of weekly Bible studies in Henderson that followed their earlier labors.
A note from Becky Kew in Manitoba…
Greetings all! It is late at night, but thought I should get this out so you can pray. I’ve included some pics that hopefully will be an encouragement to you and lead you to pray all the more!
I have a Bible school student with me named Shelby Luxmore. She is doing very well and hopes to stay with me for up to two months. She is willing to serve her Lord and reach out to the youth. Pray for our time together that we will be a spiritual help to one another.
I have been seeing a big increase of teens coming to my house for YPG (young people gathering) on Friday nights. I am thankful to the Lord for this increase! The last couple of weeks have seen up to 13 teens. Please pray that we will continue sow the Good Seed during these evenings in a way that will be most effective. This Friday, Lord willing, there will be another one and then I am going to Saskatchewan for a quick visit to see my family.
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I’ve included a picture of Georgia. She was saved a couple of months ago at Ebb n Flow School and seeks to take the literature/CD’s from me to give to her mom so that she can follow the Lord Jesus too. It was really good to see her last week. Lord willing, this week I will be at Ebb N Flow twice, since Sandy Bay is having professional development for three days and won’t be having classes.
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The 7th Annual Biblelicious Camp poster is also attached, which hopefully will give people incentive to pray for this outreach. We are trusting the Lord to meet the needs in a variety of ways with regard to hands on help, expenses, the need for a new swimming pool, safety as well as an influx of campers eager to hear the Good News from Sandy Bay, Ebb N Flow, Langruth and Amaranth. Pray that kids will hand in their registration form in time.
I will keep this short and sweet. May God bless as you seek to serve Him where He has called you. THANK YOU for your prayers and interest in God’s Work here.
Please note Becky’s new email address… Beckykew@outlook.com
New contact info for CWF…
The purpose of Christian Workers’ Fellowship Fund, Inc. is to “receive gifts and donations of money from the Lord’s people and distribute the same to workers sound in doctrine and associated with assemblies of believers and who are devoting their time to the Lord’s work.” Founded in 1957, it is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, so contributions made to it by U.S. residents are tax-deductable. All funds received are distributed every month. Only funds designated for expenses are used for this purpose. The directors serve without remuneration.
After many years of faithful service and excellent work with Christian Workers Fellowship, Russ Farwell has retired. Ron Spragg is the new treasurer, handling the daily activities of CWF. The new mailing address is:
CWF, P.O. Box 12347, Kansas City, KS 66112
Office phone: 816-330-3512 Mobile: 816-694-1294
