Ministry
It always feels like it’s been forever, but it’s only been a month! It’s been another great month of hard work, learning, and growing! Everyone came back from vacation or days off on the 2nd, it was great to see the staff, students, and volunteers again!
Serve Day
CMTS gets a lot of donated clothing, so we needed to figure out a way to sort it and get it to other ministries that can give it to those in need. Danielle and I came up with the idea of having a serve day where people would come for the day and sort clothing together. So we picked January 13th and started advertising. A lot of my time that week was spent planning and figuring out a way to organize the clothes in a way that wasn’t confusing. In 3 days we went from 10 to 35 volunteers which was almost 50 people here sorting clothes, cooking, and serving in other ways. It was a little overwhelming, but everything went so well! And that is only because of the Lord and His work in the hearts of all the people here that day! We pulled 400 bags out of the clothing trailer and got all of them sorted. By the end of the day, there were over 300 bags of clothing sorted and lots of bedding! We are in the process of planning another serve day where we will be sorting clothes again. It will be late March, during spring break!
We are getting more and more volunteers every month! I love seeing how God works in the way He moves people to serve. Here at the ministry, we have lunch together Monday through Friday, but someone needs to cook that lunch right!? For a while it was me and other staff members filling in on days we didn’t have a volunteer. Now every day in the kitchen is covered with at least one person cooking for the staff and other volunteers. This is such a huge blessing, and we are so thankful for each one of them!
We got our first January snow this month, how exciting! Joel mentioned in the morning meeting “Maybe we should do some frolicking in the snow later”. So after lunch we tied inner tubes to four-wheelers and were driven up and down hills and in circles, it was awesome!
Personal
My passport finally came in the mail! For those of you who don’t know I am going to Mexico in April on a missions trip which was why I got my passport! There is a group from CMTS going. I am so excited! This will be my first mission trip out of the country.
Me and Wyatt’s apartment is coming along so well! When I look around at all God has blessed us with I can’t help but be so thankful, and it all just reassures me that this is exactly where God wants us. As of now all the framing, electrical work, and windows are done! Wyatt’s family has given up so much time to help us renovate and strategize the best way to do things, which is another huge blessing! January 3rd we finally found nice used kitchen cabinets for a reasonable price! Along with the cabinets came a sink, faucet, and microwave that we’ll be able to use.
Not that this is a big deal, but it excites me because it’s just another testimony of God’s love for His children. There was one night I was browsing on FB marketplace for a bread maker. I was interested in having one because homemade bread is amazing! That night I didn’t message anyone, I just knew $30 wouldn’t break the bank for a cheap breadmaker. Then I kid you not the very next day my friend Lisa came walking through the office and said, “Hey Sandra do you want a breadmaker”? I definitly squealed a little bit in excitement, but Jesus gave me a breadmaker! She had found it in the warehouse and was looking for someone who could use it. This is one thing I love about our life as Christians. We can see good things like this and then point right to Jesus and His goodness. We can know that every good thing we receive isn’t accidental but on purpose because we serve a God who is purposeful in everything He does! And without this perspective, good things just happen to us by chance for no particular reason except luck? This is okay, but not great. I think I’d much rather live the other way!
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
James 1:17
Lisa is one of our real regular volunteers up the warehouse and office. She and her husband Mike will be moving on campus this summer and will be a part of the staff which is super exciting! God has been teaching me so much. I’ve been meditating on this verse
So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them His brothers and sisters.
Hebrews 2:11
The perfect, almighty King of Kings is not ashamed to call you His brother or sister, how crazy is that! I hope this verse encourages you as much as it did me, especially to not look down on another brother or sister in Christ.
Praises
- Wyatt and I get to take a marriage class that Pastor Bob and Vicky are doing at PGCC! This is super exciting and we are so thankful for the opportunity to be in this class.
- I’ll say again how thankful Wyatt and I are for the way everything is working out with renovations. I know it might not seem like a big deal, but it again shows that God takes care of His kids!
- The serve day was awesome, and so much fun! So thankful for all the volunteers who came out and their hearts for serving! Keep checking our website under “Mission Opportunities” for the next serve day and other serving opportunities!
- I am so thankful to be a part of the youth staff at PGCC. Jr. high students are learning to share their testimonies, and they are sharing them in their houses and in front of our whole youth group! Sr. high students are learning about confession and living in the light!
Prayer Requests
- Pray that God would continue to prepare me and Wyatt for marriage.
- Pray for the Mexico trip! Pray for funds (each of us needs to raise $1,400 on top of support), for all the people we’ll talk to, for safe travels (we are leaving 4/2 and coming back 4/10), and for the people going (Nolan and Jenny Lapp, the four Equip students, Justin Darnell, and Ace Smith).
- Pray that God would bring more people to the ministry that we can disciple and minister to!
Thank you so much for your support, and thank you so much for praying for me! It means a lot! 🙂
Would you join Sandra as a monthly supporter so she can continue the work God has started? She would be honored to be able to share the experience with you and make you part of the team. As she shares how God is working and the impact she is having on His Kingdom, please pray and ask God if you should partner with her as a monthly donor/supporter.
