Abide in me and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me

I am the vine; you are the branches.

Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

By this my Father is glorified.

Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

As the Father hasloved me, so have I loved you.

Abide in my love

That my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 15

He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

Psalm 1

"The branch of the vine does not worry, and toil, and rush here to seek for sunshine, and there to find rain. No; it rests in union and communion with the vine; and at the right time, and in the right way, is the right fruit found on it. Let us so abide in the Lord Jesus." Hudson Taylor

Thursday's.

In September I started driving up to the Camp at Old Mill every Thursday afternoon. The Camp at Old mill is a camp located about five minutes outside the city of Coatesville. Every Thursday the camp has a ministry that busses the kids over to the camp for a Bible Study.

This beautiful camp is used every summer to teach these kids about God's word. I've been going there in the summers for years, but just recently I have started to realize just how bad these kids lives are. Violence to them is every day life. A day without seeing a fight at school would be strange.

Since I have started going up on Thursdays, I have learned more and more about these kids and their everyday lives. They go to School in fear that they could be killed, yes killed. They go home to houses that are barely functioning and families that are broken. In this city, your lucky if you have one parent. It's so startling to me that this is the place where I am from, yet my life is so different. 40 miles separates my life from theirs, that is all. Some of the kids come through the program and either end of dead or in jail by the time they are 18, so we need to take every chance we can to get the gospel to them.

The people that run this ministry are such role models to me. They have been so faithful to these kids, they have fully given their lives to this ministry.

When I first started driving up I felt totally incapable of helping the teenage girls I was hanging out with. I felt like I was so unaware of there troubles that I couldn't even relate. But I was reminded that God knows their troubles and He knows exactly what they need! As a missionary in a "foreign" land, I have such need of the help of the Spirit. I need to be desperate for the Lord to work through me. Without His help, I could not help them.

Habakkuk 2:1 says "I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch and see what He will say to me"

This is the attitude we need as ministers! We need to be watching, because it is God who will show us what the people need. He knows their needs, and even when we don't feel like we can help, with Him we can. He can build bridges over oceans to help us relate to people, we just need to trust Him.

I'm so blessed to know that My God is the one who helps these kids, not me. When I feel like I'm failing them, I know that He is not. He is Faithful.

The Divine Lorraine: Building Faith

The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. Isaiah 58:11-12

A few weeks ago, me and some friends went down to Calvary Chapel North Philadelphia to help clean up a YMCA center. On the way home, we took a strange turn and stumbled upon this beautiful building. It's called the Divine Lorraine Hotel. It was built in the late 1800's, and used as a Hotel, food kitchen, and a place where Father Divine preached his sermons. The building is on horrible shape and currently not being used. Our Vision is to buy it, and fix it up. We want to see it restored to what it once was... We would love to use this building to open up a woman's shelter, a food Kitchen, and a school of ministry. It would also be a place for missionaries to stay to do work in Philadelphia. The building currently costs about 4.1 million dollars. It's current owner bought it with the purpose to turn it into condo's, but with the economic problems, this never happened. We know that this is no challenge for our Lord, so please do pray that our faith would not fail in spite of a big challenge.

Right now we are praying about contacting the owner, so please pray that the Lord would open His heart, and that he would be willing to talk to us. Also pray for us as we are beginning the process, please pray that we would know the will of the Lord, and that this would only come about if it's His desire.

Philadelphia Love.

I really do Love Philadelphia, and I am so glad that the Lord is working here. I know I am leaving soon, but I have been so blessed here.

This past weekend we held a flea market at Calvary Philly and had some woman from a shelter in the city come and get new clothes that had been donated. It was amazing to see how blessed they were. It amazed me that God set up this whole thing for them. At least 50 woman gave up their weekend to set up the flea market for them. That is the beauty of the body of Christ.

The theme verse was Luke 12:27-28: "Consider the Lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He cloth you?"

Now, to be honest I have never lacked in the clothing department. Really, I have never really been in need. So I was challenged to think, if all of a sudden I had nothing, do I believe that God would provide? Of coarse I say yes, but do i really believe it? I've seen God give me money for College, and I seen Him continually providing. I think we walk through life not realizing what God has provided for us. We thank our parents, but we forget to thank God. George Mueller said "If God doesn't provide for me, it will be the first time." I've been reminded of all that God has given me, and further more convinced that I have deserved none of it.

The Senior High Prayer retreat was this weekend also. I went very well! I was personally so blessed as I know the kids were as well. The Lord was good!