December 2012

December 2012 Volume 7 Issue 12
December Newsletter
Dear Ryan, Noleen and I send our love to you.  We thank God for you as we think of the ways He cares for us and provides for us.          A teacher was recently talking about my favorite parable,the prodigal son and how scholars have wondered where Jesus is, in this story. He made the point that Jesus is expressed in the father running to the son.  Jesus is the one who has come into our world to bring us back to our Heavenly Father.  May you be strengthened as you reflect upon your own rescue and also be inspired to, with Jesus, be used to rescue others.		"The church is the church only when it exists for others...The church must share in the secular problems of ordinary human life, not dominating, but helping and serving"  -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The Mission of God About a year ago I met Quentin, when he began hanging out next door. We had many talks over the next several months and he soon started coming to our Tuesday night outreach with his girlfriend, Mary Ann. One night as I drove him home I shared with him the gospel and gave him a Bible. He has since been learning to follow Jesus, he now often spends the night at the A2J men's discipleship house on Wednesday nights to join our Thursday morning breakfast discipleship group.  He is growing in his desire to serve Jesus in the community.  Banquet of Honor Last Saturday we had the privilege of throwing a first class banquet for some of our friends.  As the evening ended Carol after thanking us for the evening left us with these parting words, " well that was amazing but now its back to the 'real world' and she walked away into the darkness toward CASS in her formal nightgown to try to make it through another night sleeping on the street, for some reason she wasn't ready to stay with us at the HOPE HOUSE.   To read more about this beautiful expression of the gospel  click here Working with the Homeless...but what about refugees? Some people have asked us, "so do you still work with refugees?  For about three years we prayed and worked hard to try to have our neighborhood become a place where refugees could resettle.  We in fact moved into our hospitality 4-plex twenty refugees, over a three year period from places like Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan.  We saw much fruit from our investment in these lives, but we realized our neighborhood is not the best longterm for refugees.  We still minister to our refugee friends even though they have moved out of our community.  I am praying that someday God allows us to help birth an A2J community in one of the major refugee pockets in Phoenix                We realize that our primary neighbor that God has called us to love is the homeless, broken, and addicted that live among us.  We met Angelina a few months ago after my youngest son, Micah gave her a $5 McDonald's card and a high five.  She is from Sudan, she survived much hardship and atrocities only to now be living here on the streets.            What a clever God we serve to give the best of both worlds, I guess that is why He is the giver and fulfiller of our desires.  Looking to 2013 We are grateful! with His love,  Ryan and Noleen
The Vision A Movement and Way of Life with Jesus: Calling people to enter fully into the redemptive story of God and pursue a distinct life of discipleship and mission that transforms individuals & communities The Mission Starting and supporting intentional discipleship communities networked locally and around the world