NOvEmbER UpdATe... 2009
Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. It has been an interesting couple of months...This fall I have been involved with our weekly Bible Study on Wednesday nights, outreach on Friday nights, and helping out with our church that meets on Saturday nights. My days also consist of keeping our community meals organized and coordinating our food donations that we receive. In between we've been preparing for our annual Source Banquet coming up and I've been spending time mentoring and meeting with and mentoring some of the girls living here.
Our Wednesdays usually consist of staff meetings, staff prayer, and our weekly meal and Bible Study. Friday nights we consistently have been doing outreach through our drum and easels at a local shelter, also hosting art openings, open mic nights, and having our clothes closet and free food available to those who need it during our set times of the week.
For our Bible study we've been going through the book Stomping Out the Darkness and having times to share and pray for another. We've had a combined men and women's Bible study just for the fall and have been able to invite several people who we've been building relationships with from a nearby shelter we visit in the city. An outreach night we had earlier in October we met two young men and a young woman that we invited back to our church service and Wednesday night Bible study. We've also been able to provide food and meals for them through our local food donations we receive. Through this provision they have continued to show up at our doors. It's been really neat because one of the guys is the firstborn of a Somali family, sharing a lot of his story how he's grown up with his beliefs and he has been very open to the God that we serve. We also met a young girl who is actually a believer who is attending college and living at a shelter. It was really encouraging to hear her story and her excitement to be following God despite her challenging circumstances. We've also had a traveling young man and woman in our transitional program that have interacted with Source on and off for the past 12 years. They've had no home for most of their lives, living on the streets and traveling from place to place. They have been involved in the program Bible studies, serving in the community, and working through some things, but have gotten to where we cannot give as much as they need and will sadly be moving back up to Canada. It has definitely been a growing experience and is bittersweet to see them go.
'Our banquet has also been keeping us busy (coming up November 21). It's a time where we share a recap of the year and share what God is doing within the ministry with volunteers, partners, and family-and we get to kind of dress up...something we don't always do around here:)
Along with these stories, we've also had some growing pains the past couple of months. Among the good things that are happening, it has also been very stretching for me to be here during this time. The ministry has been beginning to redefine some things and giving birth to a new church within the ministry of Source. I've also been involved in a small group praying for the direction God is leading our church that meets on Monday nights and has been an encouragement to me. The year has also proven to be struggling financially as a non-profit and having to function on a smaller budget. Some positions have had to be released, yet God has still been providing and calling me to stay. It has also been surprisingly more difficult to be in an environment of interns coming and going and being part of the small group that stays. I also believe God has been calling me to some things I didn't realize I would be doing at first, but I have been doing a lot of praying and encouraging with the staff here just as much as the homeless and traveling people that we see coming through our doors. God has also been stretching me in the voice he has given me and learning to speak more with confidence.
Thank you for your patience in reading through all of this and I just continue to ask for your prayers—I appreciate them very much...and I continue to ask and thank you for your financial support—it has allowed me to be here, and I continue to pray for provision to see me through the next year and a half.
Thank you so much!
p.s.-I will be coming through Columbia, SC December 12-19...please e-mail me if you'd like to get together!
Stacey.
SuMmEr-SepTeMbER upDaTe... 2009
wow...thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who have so consistently been praying and financially supporting my work here! With your consistent monthly giving I have made it through the summer (and I trust God will provide through my continued support) without having to worry if I would have enough money to live...so thank you!! The summer has come to an end and i am officially beginning my first experience of fall here in Minneapolis! With helping plan summer events, moving into my new house, saying goodbye to interns, and welcoming in new residents in our new women's house—i've found myself a little distracted from sending an update.
Most of my summer consisted of hoSting youth groups, putting MuraLs together, hosting visitors, and getting our nEw wOmen's house ready to move into! (Where I'm living now). A duplex was purchased at a very low price (previously had a fire) with the intention of having a discipleship/ transitional home for women who want to live in a place where they can grow in their relationship with God within a community. So my main job was to organize getting the house deep-cleaned, painted, and ready to move into...its been fun making it feel like home! We've now moved and we're still making finishing touches on the other ½ of the duplex for the new interns that have now moved in.
We had our annual ARt FeSt, which ran very smoothly! We were able to provide this for free to the community, everything from 3 stages of live music, artist booths, children's games, gallery show, and free food. We also had our Urban Ministry Training and Art Intensive weeks where we held training for urban outreach and encouraged artists in their faith and art. Throughout the summer we also were able to share many of our food donations and serve frEe meaLs to a lot of the homeless traveling crowds that flock to Minneapolis for the mild summer weather. It was fun especially getting to know a couple that came around often just to hang out and came to some of our events. We were able to get to know them, tell them about our faith and provide them with food and clothes that they needed
Through the summer I was continuously stretched through our Bible Study, helping lead volunteer groups & prayer groups, and getting to know everyone who has recently joined the community. My prayer is that this will be a time where I will continue to grow closer to God and that I'll be able to share my encouragement with the other girls living in the house and with those that come through our art center. We also need prayer for our finances because our fiscal year ended and ½ of our financial giving did not come in. We are currently in the process of having navigate some things that will have to change...mainly consisting of our only 2 paid full-time positions of our office manager having to drop down to part-time and having a part-time maintenance/ transitional homes director having to take the place of our previous full-time director. Through these tough times, we are trusting God to take care of our needs and trying to make changes where they are needed.
stacey.
Praise!
-We are now living in our new women's discipleship house & several new people have moved in
-Art Fest ran smoothly!
-Relaxing time visiting my parents TOGETHER in Ft. Myers, FL for my mini-vacation in Aug.
Prayer Requests:
-To balance my time wisely & make sure that I take my time to rest!
-Ministry finances, Office manager position to be filled
-New season with transition from summer to fall
-That i won't freeze when winter comes :/
***Feel free to check out what's happening @ www.sourcemn.org***
**Pictures to come soon on my facebook page!
