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Broadening Horizons
A Newsletter for Dorinda Bogran
February 7, 2012
It Seems Impossible!!!
It seems impossible that the Lord would send volunteers to do Katrina Relief work 6 1/2 years after the storm, but He is. So far, we have 17 weeks of teams scheduled to serve in this area from now until the end of summer. Plus the EFCA Challenge youth conference is scheduled in New Orleans for the first week of July. Close to 5,000 youths will be in the city praising and serving the Lord!
It seems impossible that some homeowners are still not back in their home yet, but it’s true. Ours teams will continue to hang drywall at Mrs. Cammie & Mrs. Valerie’s home these next few weeks.
It seems impossible that 5-10 churches will be planted in the areas where teams have served since the storm, but week before last, the Southeast District of the EFCA held a church planting boot camp in New Orleans. There are currently 3 active church planters on the ground in the area with the real possibility of 2 more starting soon.
It seems impossible that the ministry will survive through the people transitions happening over the next several months, but I know that our God is faithful, both to the ministry and to the families that will be transitioning out of ministry.
It seems impossible, in my eyes, that I will be fully supported by June, 2012, but I know a God who meets all of my needs.
All of the above seems impossible in our own eyes, but the word of God says, “For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37). Jesus said in Luke 18:27 that “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” The theme of my devotions lately has been to remember to keep my eyes on Jesus and not on the things that seem impossible in my eyes or the things that seem impossible to the world. If I keep my eyes on Jesus, on His promises, and seek to be in His will, and continue to praise Him through all things, then what seems impossible in my eyes will fade away, and my eyes will only see all that Jesus is and all that He promises!
PRAISE & PRAYER
*Praise that the support of all of the missionaries on our team with TouchGlobal increased over the last several months
*Pray for full support for me and our staff
*Pray for Eric & Christine—EFCA church planters in N.O. as they face mighty challenges that only a mighty God can conquer!
*Praise for positive steps taken by my nephew
*Praise that the details of hosting teams the week after Christmas all came together
*Pray with us—Luke 10:2 & Matthew 9:38 For the Lord of the harvest to send more workers into his field
Would you like to be a part of TouchGlobal, the crisis response ministry of the EFCA? Here are some ways:
Prayer -I believe in the power of prayer, and knowing that you are praying for
the ministry is a continued source of encouragement.
Send - Get a team together to come help serve the people of New Orleans, Peru, Haiti, Japan and Alabama or become an intern with the ministry for 3-6 months.
Give - Become a part of this ministry by partnering with me as a Missionary with the EFCA (Evangelical Free Church of America). Send tax deductible donations to my IMA (individual missionary account) #1566.
Checks should be made payable to EFCA .
Please write “#1566” in the memo line on your check. (#1566 is my Individual Account number).
Please send to: EFCA
901 E. 78th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55420
OR: call 1.800.745.2202 to talk to donor services
This is the team from Appleton Community Church in front of Mrs. Cammie’s home!
We exist to develop, empower and release the Body of Christ to show His love in times of crisis to multiply healthy churches among all peoples
UPDATES! UPDATES!
TG meetings—This week we are having our semi annual TG meetings. I’m looking forward to being with our whole team again. We plan on reviewing our plans we made at our annual meetings and participating in some healthy team dynamic learning.
Challenge Conference & bus to Haiti—At Challenge our team will help to set up a learning environment so that the kids attending can prepare care kits for children in Haiti. These kits will be packaged and put on a school bus that will then be shipped to Haiti. Our staff will also be leading job sites for the afternoon service projects.
The Mission Field—I have been asking you all to pray Luke 10:2 and Matthew 9:38 for the Lord of the harvest to send more workers into his field. The mission field is described in Matthew 9:35 & 36...as Jesus went through the towns “...he saw compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” This is the mission field that we serve.
So….this is the reason for my “I want you!” picture in this update! I don’t just want you to consider joining us, the mission field needs you, the people of New Orleans, Alabama, Haiti, Peru and Japan need you, and the volunteers that come to serve need you. As we speak into the lives of our homeowners, lives are changed and by God’s grace, neighborhoods begin to change which is the beginning of change in whole towns and cities. As we speak into the lives of our volunteers, their lives change and they take it home and their neighborhoods start to change—one life at a time. Would you consider serving in the mission field that follows a crisis? Hurting people need you!
