Ministry Update April 28, 2008

Ministry Update April 28, 2008

John 6:27
“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you…”

Well, Jesus sure gave me a ton of work to do this past week. How I praise Him for giving me the energy and passion to get through the week. I will do my best to sum up highlights of this past week.

Full JoyShop in Manheim for a local Farm Women’s group:
There were about 13 in attendance and we met Friday night and Saturday. It was a delightful group of ladies and I totally enjoyed my time with them, not to mention the good food we had! I was grateful for the opportunity to share my heart and passion.

“Serving with Excellence” conference in Dallas, Texas, April 20-24
To be honest, I could probably write several pages on what all happened in Dallas! From the time that Deb Risser, Judy Harnish, and my self boarded the plane in Philadelphia until we returned home, we felt God’s presence and leading. We made so many great connections as well as having many divine appointments. Some of the speakers we had the privilege to hear were Chuck Swindoll, Tony Evans, Ken Blanchard, Patsy Clairmont, Chip Ingram, Jill Briscoe, and Steve Douglas, President of Campus Crusade for Christ. We were challenged not only by their teaching but also by the leaders of the many workshops we attended throughout the week. It was exciting to be able to get my book into the hands of many people from all over the country! We definitely did some networking handing out many ministry brochures to help give JoyShop Ministries some exposure.

At the hotel where the conference was held, “Christian Leadership Alliance” had a table set up where any one could display their ministry brochures, etc. I noticed that someone from the Pocket Testament League had laid out about 30 pocket testaments with various covers. So this prompted me to lay one of JoyShop’s pt’s with the pile. A few minutes later as I was coming out of the ladies room, I noticed a tall man looking over the pocket testaments. As he shuffled through them he ended up picking out JoyShop’s pt! It was such an affirmation that I went up and gave him a copy of my book and told him all about the ministry! (poor man!) Turns out the woman that was traveling with him got a hold of my book and she later told me it was a divine appointment to receive my book!

One other highlight from our time in Texas: There was an exhibit hall for vendors to show off their offerings to help churches and Parachurch ministries such as ours. As we were strolling down the aisle, a man kind of jumped out in front of me with his arms wide opened and said “Anita!” Honestly, I had no idea who it was, so I looked at his name tag and couldn’t believe it. For the first time I was meeting face to face with Chuck Jones from North Carolina who I had met on Facebook! He is on staff at a large church in Charlotte, N.C. and had grown up in the same small town in Tennessee as I had. It was such a pleasant and unexpected surprise!
Ran into the President of Lancaster Bible College as well as Water Street Rescue Mission!

The only down side of the conference is that I am sure I came home a few pounds heavier. I won’t speak for Deb or Judy!

Manor Men’s Retreat at Kenbrook Bible Camp:
What a JOY to serve 10 men from Manor with the message of JoyShop! I have to admit I was a little intimidated by this, but from the moment I pulled in they greeted me so warmly and made me feel very comfortable. I felt the Lord’ presence with us and I just couldn’t help praising the Lord for this amazing opportunity. I could possibly be the only woman in America who can say she has taught at a men’s retreat!!!! After my last session one of the younger men came up to me and said he couldn’t believe he had never attended a JoyShop before in that I have probably done at least five at Manor! He said he loved it and was so glad he had come…even thanked me! I felt so blessed to have been an encouragement to him.

At Kenbrook there were other retreats going on and everyone ate at the same time in the cafeteria. Saturday morning before I went to breakfast, I prayed for a divine appointment with either a group of teens or women who I assumed would be at breakfast just so I could encourage them to seek God FIRST! Of course, I kind of forgot about it as I was eyeing up all the food choices for breakfast. Once I had my food on the tray I looked around for a table to sit with and saw one with two women sitting there. So I made my way over to them and asked if I could join them. As we exchanged info as to why we were at Kenbrook for the weekend, I soon knew that God had arranged our meeting. In fact one of the women used the very words, “divine appointment” to describe our meeting. Bottom line, one of the ladies shared with me that she was tired of the Christian life she was living. She wanted the abundant life that Jesus promises in John 10:10. She even mentioned that the Lord had been impressing upon her the verse in Matthew 6:33, “…but seek first the kingdom of God…” My heart sang with JOY as I shared with her about JoyShop Ministries and its mission. I invited them to sit in the back and be apart of the “classroom” setting and learn what they could from the two sessions I had yet to give to the men. It worked out perfect for them because they had the morning free. I love how the Lord answers our prayers and gives us the desires of our heart!

Trinity ECC mother and daughter banquet Saturday night:
Close to 100+ women attended this event. Deb Risser and her daughter, Alexis, traveled with me. Several women shared privately with me after the event that the message they heard had impacted them. One used the word “life-changing”!

How I thank God for creating this ministry to meet the needs of the many hungry and starved people of our day. It truly is a JOY to travel from place to place sharing our message. I sincerely thank you all for your support through your prayers, finances, and time.


Praise:
--Received a call from the person who is going to redesign the home page of Pocket Testament League asking for our content of the 21 Day Challenge so that they can add this to their web site to encourage their members to take the 21DC.
--Many new opportunities have opened up to minister to teens! One locally at Beyerland Mennonite Church, and I am working on finding a date to speak to students involved with the FCA at Warwick High School. We also received an invitation to speak at a youth retreat of about 300-600 students in attendance. Todd Agnew, a contemporary musician will be giving a concert at this event. This event is slated for the last weekend in August and I am looking forward to confirming the details in the next couple of days.
--The door has been opened for me to return to Penn Manor on May 7 to finish up the JoyShop, thank the Lord!
--A couple of men that attended the men’s retreat are going to try to find a way to have me speak at Columbia High School next year.

Prayer Request:

--Continue to pray the Lord will perfect and refine the message of JoyShop Ministries. I depend on Him to teach and instruct my heart or I would never have the nerve to step out and speak.

--Pray for all the people that received my book at the conference and on the plane! Pray that God will market the book for us and that it will get in the hands of those who need the message.

I close with a recent testimony we received through our website:
“I attended your JoyShop in Lancaster with Dove Christian Fellowship. I can't thank you enough for sharing. I have successfully completed the 21 day challenge and am still seeking him every morning in my chair with my hot tea! I love it!!!!!!!!! I can't believe how much it has totally transformed my relationship with Jesus.....ya know what I mean!? I also started journaling and I start my writings with Jesus, Good morning.... He really does like to listen to us and I can't even start to tell you how much I have noticed my God sightings now, it's amazingJ! Thank you ...”

This is what it’s all about, empowering and equipping brothers and sisters in Christ to find a deeper relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to the praise of His glory! Just think of how many lives will be impacted just by this one person! Amen!

Seeking Him with my whole heart---Anita