Heartbroken...for anyone who doesn't know Jesus as Savior

For those that don't know me, I am a huge proponent of the country of Israel and I stand with Israel every chance I get! However, I don't celebrate Judaism. I love the Jewish people and want nothing more than for them to come to a saving knowledge of who Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMashiach) is. 
So today when my friend asked if there was anyone celebrating Hanukkah in Finland and that maybe he could join, I said "Just come to the US and join me for Hanukkah and Christmas." Now before my Messianic friends cringe from my insensitive comment, my friend is a former Christian who converted to Messianic Judaism. This confuses me and causes a lot of strife for me, but I always meet it with grace and mercy. I don't know his reasons for converting; because 1) it's not necessary and 2) most of the people I know who "Convert" do so and become very close-minded towards their christian brethren. 

I love John 14:1  “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." I also love John 5:46 "For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me." but before all of that, Jesus tells a group "you search the scriptures, because you think in them you have eternal life and it is they that bear witness about me." Now here the word scriptures is the Old Testament. We call it the Old Testament, or Old Covenant, because we believe that the Jewish Messiah has come—namely, Jesus—and by his death and resurrection has inaugurated a New Testament, that is, a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:13; 12:24; 13:20). So the writings that Jesus authorized through his apostles are included in our Bibles because they summarize the completion of what was promised in the Old Covenant, namely, the New Covenant. The most decisive thing about this New Covenant is that Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, died for sinners so that both Jews and Gentiles who trust him would become the heirs of the Old Testament promises. Jesus taught this when he said, “I tell you, many will come from east and west [meaning Gentiles] and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:11–12). In other words, Gentiles who believe in Jesus the Messiah are included in the blessing of Abraham. And Jews who don’t believe in Jesus are excluded from the blessings of Abraham.

Now maybe this sounds really close-minded; and if you know me, Rachel, this sounds a lot UNLIKE the person who loves the Jews; right? Wrong. You see I love the Jewish people which is why I want desperately for them to come to faith in Messiah. 

In other words, any Jew or any Gentile will be an heir of Abraham’s blessing if he believes in Jesus, the Messiah. So Paul says, “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. . . . If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:7, 29).

This means that the way the Old Testament gets people ready to know Jesus is not merely by specific prophecies that have specific fulfillments in Jesus (like being born in Bethlehem), but far more profoundly, the point is: If you meet God, and know God, and admire God, and trust God, and are shaped by God as he truly reveals himself and his ways in the whole of the Old Testament, then when Jesus comes, you will know him. You will have already known him. He will have so shaped your mind and heart that when he comes in the flesh, there will be no discord, no dissonance, no contradiction between the God you know from the Old Testament and the appearance of God in Jesus. John 12:37–41 is an amazing window onto how Jesus viewed the Jewish Scriptures.

Then from chapter 13 to the end of the book, John pours it on to show that almost every detail of Jesus’ redeeming work was planned by God and witnessed in Scripture.

• “He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me’” (John 13:18=Psalm 41:9).
• “They hated me without a cause” (John 15:25=Psalm 35:19).
• “Not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:12=Psalm 109:8).
• “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots” (John 19:24=Psalm 22:18).
• “Jesus said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst’” (John 19:28=Psalm 69:21).
• “Not one of his bones will be broken” (John 19:36=Psalm 34:20).
• “Another Scripture says, ‘They will look on him whom they have pierced’” (John 19:37=Zechariah 12:10).
• “As yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead” (John 20:9=Psalm 16:10).

And besides all these explicit quotes from Scripture, John’s Gospel is strewn with indirect allusions to Scripture. So we have indirect allusions, direct quotes to show specific fulfillments, and we have statements, like in chapter 12, that show the whole Old Testament revelation of God is a revelation of Jesus. If we know God as he really is in the Old Testament, we know Jesus.

But honestly, knowing God isn't enough to be saved, merely knowing about Jesus doesn't save you. My friend's Jewish friend attacks me constantly when I mention being a Christian. My friend isn't bold in telling people he's a Believer in Messiah, he'd rather "gain trust" and possibly lose a friend, whereas I would rather just boldly proclaim Jesus; show the OT prophecies that point to Messiah and let that person know that I am praying for them. 

It has become a hard road to become a minister, and no longer just saying "yeah, you can believe whatever you want and God will eventually find you. No friends the time is now. I can only encourage you to not delay in coming to Messiah. 

What's so Amazing about Grace?

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound!

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found;

Was blind but now I see.

Wherever the words are sung, or the tune played to this old hymn, everyone sings because everyone knows this song. It is the most sung Christian hymn in the world. We sing the words and hear the tune, but do we ever stop to think about the meaning? 

What is the idea behind this amazing grace that we sing about?

To capture a deeper understanding of this amazing grace we sing about, we have to go to what has been called the magna carta of God’s grace, Ephesians 2:1-10. In this passage of Scripture, the Apostle Paul reminds the Ephesians of the great work God has done in their lives. Listen to what Paul has to say to the church at Ephesus. 

Ephesians 2:1-10 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Paul’s words tell us that grace is the centerpiece of God’s salvation. There are five words that are key to understanding the Christian gospel. They are grace, truth, faith, love, and hope. Paul says that grace is the key ingredient. God’s salvation for us begins in grace. Everything else in the gospel flows from and builds upon our understanding of grace.

So what is grace? Webster defines grace with such words as “unmerited divine assistance, approval, favor, mercy, pardon, and privilege.” Those are all nice words, but it doesn’t quite ring the same when we say “we are saved by God’s divine assistance,” and it leaves something left unsaid, because if we are saved simply by God’s assistance, that communicates that we help God in the saving act, but that is exactly what Paul says isn’t the case. He says that God is the actor—it is all God. Grace as Paul shares the concept means the completely undeserved, loving commitment of God to us. For some unknown reason that is rooted in the nature of who God is, God gives himself to us, attaches himself to us, and acts to rescue us. Because of His mercy and love, God saves us, and that saving is a result of God’s grace. Paul is clear—wrath should have come, but grace comes instead.

            Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker both had churches in London in the 19th century. On one occasion, Parker commented on the poor condition of children admitted to Spurgeon’s orphanage. It was reported to Spurgeon however, that Parker had criticized the orphanage itself. Spurgeon blasted Parker the next week from the pulpit. The attack was printed in the newspapers and became the talk of the town. People flocked to Parker’s church the next Sunday to hear his rebuttal. "I understand Dr. Spurgeon is not in his pulpit today, and this is the Sunday they use to take an offering for the orphanage. I suggest we take a love offering here instead." The crowd was delighted. The ushers had to empty the collection plates 3 times. Later that week there was a knock at Parker’s study. It was Charles Spurgeon. “You know Parker, you have practiced grace on me. You have given me not what I deserved, you have given me what I needed.” Grace is so amazing, and sounds so sweet because with God’s grace we don’t get what we deserve. We get what we need—God’s salvation.

Not only is grace undeserved; but it is also amazing and sweet is because of –its cost. Grace is a gift from God that we can’t pay for. The Greek word for this kind of gift is “doron”; it’s the kind of gift that was offered as an expression of honor, and in Scripture this word is used when someone offers a gift or sacrifice to God and was also used the gifts people put into the temple treasury. Paul says that God’s grace is God’s “doron”, his gift to us. God is honoring us with his grace. Even when we are disobedient, when we fall short of loving as we should; God still bestows His grace upon us anyway!

If we look at verse 9, Paul is telling us expressly that grace is a gift; We haven’t earned it. As a matter of fact we can’t earn it. When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day’s pay for his time that is a wage. When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance that is a prize. When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements that is an award. But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award--yet receives such a gift anyway--that is a good picture of God’s special favor. This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God.

            

We often take gifts for granted; and we do this with God’s grace also. How we treat a gift is dependent, largely on two variables: 1) the value of the gift received, and 2) our relationship to the giver. If the gift is very valuable, we tend to cherish it more, to put it up on the mantle, or in a safe place because we don’t want the gift to get broken or lost. Parents know that when your children have created artistic masterpieces in Sunday school, or for some school project, and they present them to you on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, that those gifts may have little value in terms of the actual gift itself, after all, it is just a colored paper, or some rocks glued to a piece of glass. But that gift has a depth of meaning because of the time and love involved in making it, and the relationship we have to the little one who created it. So the gift goes in a special place. One of my favorite necklaces that I own was made for me by a student. It’s made of glass beads and fishing line. But it serves to remind me of my time as an educator and the difference I made in that child’s life. 

            

But what do we do with God’s gift of grace? Do we cherish it? Or do we take it for granted that it will be there and never offer our thanks to God? Or do we see God’s grace as cheap grace; and therefore have a do-nothing religion? Like the church in Rome, “They liked to sin, God liked to forgiving them and everyone was happy, right? Paul told the roman Christians, “may it never be!”  Paul would tell the Corinthian Christians that it was grace that put him to work (1 Cor. 15:10). When our hearts are touched by grace, we move out in service in gratitude for the wonderful gift. Service is the way we cherish the gift of God in Jesus Christ.

           

That brings me to the third reason that grace is so amazing and sounds so sweet—grace works in our lives to transform us from what we are to what Christ calls us to be.

            

As you all know I am going through the Candidacy process in the UMC and one of the meetings I had to have was with our District Superintendent, during our meeting, I was asked “Rachel, of all the things that you learned in church growing up and even at Liberty University, what makes our beliefs about grace different?” My answer to that question was “Grace isn’t a onetime event or a onetime offering on God’s part. We speak about being saved, or we make the statements “I got saved on…” or “When I was saved…,” but salvation didn’t start, nor did it end when we said “yes” to God’s saving grace. We must think of grace as a journey that continues throughout our lives.” Or as a teacher I worked with used to say “Grace isn’t a prayer before a meal, it is a way of life.”

            

I suspect that John Newton knew the sweet sound of amazing grace in a mighty way, else how could he have penned such enduring words? They are autobiographical words, you see John Newton, felt like a wretch, he was born into a respectable family with an early Christian upbringing, but by the time he was 11 he was sailing the high seas with his father and by 17 he had laid aside every religious principle and abandoned himself to the service of the devil. He became a deserter, and was arrested as a common felon and at various times in his life he contemplated suicide. He began service among the slave traders of Sierra Leone, and the shame of his actions drove him to “hide myself in the woods from the site of strangers,” and he believed that “my conduct, principles and heart were still darker than my outward condition.”

            

Then on March 10, 1748, during a violent storm on a slaver to England, a storm as violent as the night’s, broke across his soul. That date became Newton’s spiritual birthday. Newton would write, “I cried to the Lord with a cry like that of the ravens which yet the Lord does not disdain to hear. And I remembered Jesus whom I had so often derided.”

            

Sixteen years later, Newton was ordained a priest in the Church of England at Olney, England. It was there, in collaboration with the great hymn writer William Cowper, that they published a hymnal they called Olney Hymns. Number forty-one, of Book I, contained these words:

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound!

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found;

Was blind but now I see.

            

Newton, writing his own epitaph before his death on December 21, 1807, at the age of eighty-two, reveals how far God’s amazing grace had brought him:

JOHN NEWTON, Clerk

Once an infidel and libertine; A servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the Gospel which he had long labored to destroy. He ministered, near sixteen years in Olney, and twenty-eight years in this Church.

           

Grace never stops working; for the grace of God finds us (we call that prevenient grace), and that same grace reconciles us (we call that justifying grace), and that same grace transforms us (we call that sanctifying grace), and in the words of John Newton, it is that “grace will lead me home”.

Answered Prayer

It is starting to feel more and more real; this calling that God has on my life to minister. I wish I could say that I am not a crazy girl of nerves, but I am. Tonight, I was assigned my mentor. This entire time I have been really nervous about declaring "Licensed Local Pastor" as my chosen route to ministry. I have found myself met with people who don't understand what it means to serve such an amazing God. I kept thinking "God, I know I am going to be assigned a male mentor and he's not going to see the uniqueness of my call, and definitely isn't going to understand the challenges that are being thrown at me...Evidently God heard my hearts cry because I was assigned a female minister as my mentor! Prayer answered in a mighty way!

The Apostle's Creed

This morning I woke up to several people having an argument about whether or not Christians should recite the apostle's creed. Several times I read people stating "I don't recite it because it's not Biblical." Well let me just say this, if you don't believe the tenants of the Apostle's Creed, then you can't rightly call yourself a Christian. For one woman, I finally had to go declaration by declaration and give her scriptures to show her that while the creed itself isn't in the Bible, the beliefs that it declares is scripture based. 
I like what Dr. Ray Rooney stated about the Creed "The Apostles’ Creed doesn’t solve all the world problems, nor does it solve all the problems in the church,” Rooney said. “But it is a great table for Christians to gather round and have room for discussion. You don’t have to believe everything I do. But we have in the Creed a 2,000-year-old answer to ‘What do Christians believe?’ We can rejoice and fellowship together around these truths while still holding tightly to the other convictions we also hold dear.”


If you have never read the Apostle's Creed, I will post it here: 

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,
 
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic* Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.
Amen.


*catholic here means universal

• I Believe in God. Isaiah 44:6, “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”; Isaiah 45:5, “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:”
• I Believe In The Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth. Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” ; John 1:3, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” ; Acts 14:15, “And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:”
• I Believe in Jesus Christ. Luke 2:11, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” ; John 20:28, “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”
• I Believe that Jesus is His only Son. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” ; Proverbs 30:4, “Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?”
• I Believe Jesus is Our Lord. John 20:28, “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”
• I Believe in Jesus Who was Conceived by the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:35, “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
• I Believe Jesus Who Was Born of the Virgin Mary. Luke 1:27, “To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.”
• I Believe Jesus Suffered Under Pontius Pilate. Luke 23:24, “And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.”
• I Believe Jesus Was Crucified. John 19:20, “This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.” ; Acts 4:10, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.”
• I Believe Jesus Was Dead. 1st Corinthians 15:3, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;”
• I Believe Jesus Was Buried. 1st Corinthians 15:4, “And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
• I Believe that Jesus on The third day He arose from the dead. 1st Corinthians 15:4, “And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
• I Believe Jesus Ascended into Heaven. Mark 16:19, “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.” ; Luke 24:51, “And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.” ; Acts 1:11, “Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
• I Believe Jesus Is Seated at the Right Hand of God, the Father Almighty. Mark 16:19, “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.”; Hebrews 1:3, “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”
• I Believe Jesus From Thence He Shall Come to Judge the Quick and the Dead. 2nd Timothy 4:1, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;” ; John 5:22, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:”
• I Believe in The Holy Spirit., John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:” ; John 16:7-8, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:” ; John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
• I Believe in The Church Universal. Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
• I Believe in the Communion of Saints. Hebrews 10:25, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” ; Acts 2:44, “And all that believed were together, and had all things in common.”
• I Believe in The Forgiveness of Sins. Luke 7:48, “And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.”
• I Believe in The Resurrection of the Body. 1st Thessalonians 4:16, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” ; Romans 8:23, “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” ; 1st Corinthians 15:52-54, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
• I Believe in Life Everlasting. John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” ; John 17:2, “As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.”

Book Review Kregel Publishers

Having the understanding that God’s sense of justice often invades my humanity and my sense of justice; I looked forward to reading this book. Going beyond the 70x7 mentality, this book was an amazing exploration of Justice and its relationship with Forgiveness within a Christian worldview.

Maier does a great job of keeping up with currently psychological research concerning the benefits and dangers of forgiveness from a biblical worldview. Second, Maier does well to include ample discussion around the imprecatory Psalms and provides clear examples of how such can function as hope for the hurting in the midst of the healing process—ultimately pointing to the justice of God as the means of sanctuary. Third, Maier is extremely clear and accessible. Forgiveness and Justice was a captivating read, and it’s far outside my normal area of interest. That said it was also extremely informative and practical. I could easily see this work being formative for those in the field of counseling or pastoral ministry. It was very helpful and I identify as neither.

One of the short comings of the book in my opinion is the usage of “counselor jargon” vs. “Pastoral Care” language. This doesn’t mean that the book can’t be read by pastors, but it is definitely a book that is more counselor friendly than Pastor friendly.

The thing I enjoyed most about the book is the questions it posed about forgiveness and learning to understand people.

I will definitely be using this in my ministry in the years to come and do recommend it to counselors who want more biblical resources in their offices to teach with.

Disclaimer: The book was received for free from Kregel Ministry books in exchange for an unbiased opinion.

Thank you

As many of you know, I have been working tirelessly towards becoming a licensed local pastor. It is a calling that I have felt for a long time, but didn't decide to answer until recently. Tonight's blog is going to be rather short; not because I don't have much to say, but because my heart is truly touched and full right now. I want to say a special thank you to everyone who has supported me financially in this endeavor. I also want to thank you for your prayers!

This is not a road that I tread lightly. So I ask that you continue to keep me in your prayers as I continue to seek where God wants me and where He will be using me!

Fundraising Letter

9/29/2017

Dear Friends and Family:

            Recently I made the decision to answer God’s call to ministry. I am excited about this opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ, as a local licensed pastor and eventually possibly an Elder in Full Connection in the United Methodist Church and I am writing you to let you know how you can be involved.
            “Why Ministry?” you may be asking.  “Don’t we have enough Pastor’s already?” Did you know that there are over 10 million in the state of NC and of those 10 million people, 48% (or 4.5 million) of those people state that they practice some religion; and of that only 12% (540,000) state that they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That means only 5.4% of North Carolinians adhere to Christianity or profess to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. People are hungry for truth, for love and for hope. “How than can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News!” (Romans 10:14-15)

            OK, here are some details for you. I will be attending a discernment weekend in Gastonia on the weekend of November 3-4^th. During this weekend retreat I will be meeting my ministry mentor for the first time as well as participating in small group discussions with my mentor for the first two of six mandatory meetings as well as a two part psychological evaluation. For this retreat and this entire discernment period I am going to need lots of prayer. Prayer is really the key to successful ministry and this is no exception. Each one of the exploring candidates needs prayer to be united and to always be focusing on God no matter what happens. I will also need prayer for me personally to stay looking to God and that God will be directing each one to the path to which He has called us. However, I am also seeking financial support. I will also need financial support. The Retreat complete with Psychological exam will cost $425 and I am trusting God to supply for His work. This will cover my transportation, psychological evaluation and retreat materials. I know you may not be able to help financially but prayer is just as important. If you are able to give financial support or are willing to pray for my ministry, please complete the enclosed form and return before September 30^th.

            In closing, I would like to say thank you for reading this letter and for considering my needs for prayer and financial support. Please contact me if you have any questions. I am extremely excited about this ministry and hope you can share in my excitement. 

www.gofundme.com/raisfaithjourney
www.paypal.me/RachelAnders