Too Much Credit or Not Enough?

This is Grace.  God’s word brought to life.

At our home group last week we studied Colossians 3.  As we read verses 5 and 6, this is what I saw.

Colossians 3:5-6

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:

“So worldly. So welcome.”  Remember that slogan from Mastercard?

sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

Charge it!  But it is not usually what you expected.  It is unfulfilling.  But the package has been opened and it cannot be returned.  Looking for “something,” you buy more of it.

Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

You’ve bought on credit and you are swallowed in debt.  There is no way you can pay the debt on your own.  Harassing calls, reduced or bad credit, these are just the beginning.  Soon everything is taken away…

You need someone to wipe it clean.  To do so, you must proclaim that you cannot do it on your own; You must lay everything out in the open so the truth can be known and the debt relieved.

My Thankyouthankyouthankyou Page

To the folks that have offered to help me prayerfully and/or financially for my trip to Zambia.  
In no particular order.  (I just hope I don't forget anyone!!!)

• Michael Mulligan
• Sharon Vail
• Gus & Joan Mulligan
• Cindy McMahan
• Cindy Incorvaia
• Michele Goane
• Rhonda Hall
• Lisa Rogers
• Ray & Arore Reeder
• Drew Aldridge
• Paula Langly
• Phyllis Hollywood
• Jill Shankles
• Heather Olson
• Linda Ferro
• Denise Rodriquez
• Amber Sliffe
• Justine McQuade
• Lauren Sweeney
• Mark & Michelle Nunn
• Elisha Vasquez
• Mary Watson
• Buddy Kelsey
• Marty & Ariel Smith
• Bill & Joleene Bromley
• Matt & Kathleen Mulligan
• Becky Ralls
• J. Paul Pogue
• Tom Lindborg
• Bonnie Watkins

Say “Yes” to a Date Night with Jesus

Life is a Journey.

This is kind of a “girly” moment.  I am not much in to chick flix so this is a stretch for me, but here goes…

Think of those sitcoms or movies when the guy asks the girl out for a date.  She finally says, “Yes.”  So, throughout the show, the guy is working with friends and family to make the date very special for the girl.   They do stuff together.  They spend time talking with other people.  They have a wonderful time.  The evening was amazing.

I had an evening very similar to that recently.  All I had to do was say “Yes” when he asked me.  Here’s my version of that sitcom.

Grace Chapel of the Coast sometimes hosts events for ladies who are part of the Family Recovery Center  (FRC)in Oceanside.  These ladies are part of a program to help them get their lives back on track.  In January we had a day of pampering for them which was a lot of work.  After that, we were to have a Valentine’s Day dinner.  Two big events in as many months.  Manpower becomes an issue.  Volunteers are great, but you can wear out your welcome pretty quickly if you as for too much too quickly. 

“Okay, Lord, you still want to do this?”

“Christine, I still want to do this ‘date night.’  Will you do this for me?”

“Yes.”

I could have gone about it with a heavy heart, but I was actually pretty content.  Whether I had a lot of people or just a couple, this dinner was going to happen.  Then things started to fall into place.

“We can put an announcement for volunteers in the church bulletin.”

“Sure.  I will send you some verbiage for the announcement.” 

A few weeks passed and then I got a call from my friend, Margaret.  She is phenomenal when it comes to planning, decorating, etc.  She offered to decorate the room and tables.  And then she said that she has a friend, Melissa, who has done catering and another friend, Suzanne, who is also a decorator, would like to help out.  They all have kids who can serve the dinners.  Melissa shared the opportunity with her church; the congregation decided to donate the money for the pot roast. 

Another friend sent regrets that she and her husband would not be able to be there to help but then donated money to purchase the roses that were given to each of the ladies at FRC.  Two couples who host a Saturday Bible study group decided they would come to help, too.  The church’s assistant pastor, Jose, got several men to hand out roses and seat the ladies at their tables.  One of the workers at FRC made special arrangements to come in on the day of the event to help the ladies get dressed (so as to be dressed appropriately for the event and for those helping with the event). 

I showed up just before the first dinner was served. 

We spent time talking with each other as we ate dinner. Everyone seemed so happy.  I know Jesus was there.

We had a wonderful time. 

The evening was amazing.

All it took was to say, “Yes,” when He asked me for a date night.

Going to Zambia: Funding

July 11, 2013 update:  All the initial funds have been raised.  Thank you to all of you who contributed financially.  Please continue to pray for this trip as the team is under great pressures.  I am continuing to collect money for this trip as it will go towards additional expenses and to the kids. -- Christine

I have outlined the funds required to send me on this mission trip.  It will be updated almost weekly as we count down to zero in the "still needed" column.  (But, of course, if we raise more, it will go to the Breath of Heaven Children's Village and any other expenses incurred for this trip.)

	Due by	Amount	Still needed
Down  payment - non-refundable	End of January	$      100	$       -
1st payment for air ticket, lodging, etc.	End of March	$   1,500	$       -
2nd payment for air ticket, lodging, etc.	End of July	$   1,400	$       -
Spending money; gifts for kids	End of July	$      500	$        41
		$   3,500	$    1,341
			As of Mar 20

Going to Zambia: How

This is grace.  God's word brought to life.

Our team will be utilizing a Christian travel agency and will get good rates for all our travel needs.  We have several people on a “sending” team that support the mission teams and interact with missionaries that the church supports.  But I need YOU to be part of MY sender team.

Prayers

My friend, Cindy McMahan, immediately volunteered to the leader of my intercessory prayer team.  Cindy is also the logistics person for team going on the mission trip to Zambia this year.  Will you commit to pray for me?

Encouragement

I look forward to hearing from you!  In a way, you will be coming with me on this trip.  It is a long way to get there.  Please help me stay the course.

Fundraisers

Stay tuned for upcoming fundraisers for the team, for the Breath of Heaven Children’s Village, and for me.

Giving

For tax purposes you can submit funds to Grace Chapel of the Coast, 102 N. Freeman Street, Oceanside, CA 92054.  You can also donate through the church website at www.gracechapelofthecoast.com by clicking the "donate" button at the bottom, left-hand corner.  Please send me a message if you donate either way so I can ensure your donation is allocated properly.    See the Going to Zambia: Funding blog for more details.

You can contact me through this blog, my email: cmulligan914@yahoo.com, or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/christine.v.mulligan

Going to Zambia: When and Where

Grace Chapel of the Coast is sending a ministry team to Zambia August 6 – 22, 2013 to work with the children of the Breath of Heaven Children’s Village.  I hope to be part of that ministry team!

The following is from Grace Chapel’s Missions page of their website:

 

Zambia AIDS Orphans

Breath of Heaven Children’s Village is a ministry dedicated to help meeting the needs of a growing orphan population in Lusaka, Zambia. Serving orphans is part of our Biblical commission, as stated in James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans…in their distress.”

Their desire is to provide a stable, secure, family like environment that will allow the children to interact with the neighboring community. Breath of Heaven Children’s Village has an immediate mission to develop a children’s village consisting of a community school, clinic, and twelve homes individually set up as family units of a housemother and twelve children.  The first children’s homes opened in 2010.

 

Going to Zambia: Why

Several years ago my husband, Mike, went on a mission trip to Uganda, located on the northern shore of Lake Victoria in Africa.  It was funny that he went to Africa because it was never really Mike’s desire to do that before.  Many, many years before his mission trip to Africa, Mike fully surrendered to God and said, ‘okay, even Africa.’  Because of him allowing God to rule his life, Mike actually got to do something as a ministry that he really enjoyed.  That was playing bass in a Christian rock band.

Fast forward many years, a ministry team was being raised at Grace Chapel of the Coast (my home church) to go to Uganda to build brick buildings in what would be a village for Jajas (elderly people).  Mike went on that trip and wanted to go back ever since.  The stories he told and the pictures I saw brought me close to people I never met.  (A desire started to kindle slowly.) 

I worked a lot of hours as a mid-level manager at a large company.  At the same time I was finishing my college degree.  Still, there was something else that I wanted to do.  I wanted to get involved in different ministries; go on a mission trip to Africa; commit more time to the church… once I was done with school and things settled down at work, of course. 

July 2009, I was let go from my job.  I was determined to find a new job right away and help others do the same in the process.  At church we created a networking group where we could discuss what type of work we do, encourage each other in the job hunting process, and share resources.  During the second meeting we met with a counselor who reminded us that this is a big change in our lives and we will be likely to experience depression and other emotions.  (I had my fair share of it all!)

During that meeting with the counselor he noticed that there were several people from the “recovery community” (Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous) who specialized in working with people who were going through recovery.  What a ministry opportunity!  The Restoration Ministry started at Grace Chapel.  Although it has never been launched as a large outreach of its own, many of the people who were at that meeting with the counselor are called upon for outreach events of all kinds.

The desire to go to Africa continued to grow.  Along with the different types of ministries in which I get involved with from time to time, I realize more and more that God does not always send the equipped, but he does equip the sent.  Every opportunity has helped me to grow spiritually and emotionally.

Grace Chapel has sent a few ministry teams to Zambia over a number of years.  Why Zambia?  We support an orphanage ministry in Zambia through the organization Breath of Heaven.  A pastor from Temecula, CA (less than an hour away from my home church) made Breath of Heaven his full time ministry.  The orphanage continues to grow in buildings, number of children, schooling facilities, sustenance and sustainability projects, and most importantly, believers. 

The children at the village need constant encouragement in order to grow in all aspects of their lives and to break the cycle that keeps them from realizing their potential.  Not only do they need to daily interaction with the village “mothers,” but from the outside as well. 

Matt 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

It All Begins with Grace...

“If seeds in the black earth can turn into such beautiful roses, what might not the heart of man become in its long journey toward the stars?” --G.K. Chesterton