Piotr Gasiorowski reports to Wheatland about his work in Poland. Piotr has been a mission partner with Wheatland for 10 years and is now working in Krakow, Poland in both the local church and in leadership development.
A Letter From Mike [Hesed House Team]
Friends,
I am so proud of the Wheatland congregation. All of the donations, volunteers, and love provided to the men, women, and children arriving at Hesed during our October service were amazing. As we all know, there is no one-time fix to the hunger and hopelessness felt as the result of being homeless, and as such, our monthly opportunity to serve, November 4th and 5th, is fast approaching.
The sign-up sheets were posted both in Naperville and Oswego today. We made a core change to the dinner menu for November. We are going to serve soft shell tacos, hot dogs, fruit salad, rice, and desert. This change requires the main pre-cooking to be seasoned ground beef. We will assess how the meal went following the service day. Breakfast and lunch will stay essentially the same.
Please take the time to prayerfully consider donating your time and food donations for this month’s service by signing up at the two campus. Also, if you could mention to your friends and small groups of the upcoming needs, that would be helpful, as we would like to fill all of the needs well before November 4th, so there is limited last minute scrambling for resources.
As a final note, I cannot get over the fact that we are the last line of defense from starvation for approximately 200 of our Hesed brothers and sisters. It is an daunting responsibility we share every month, but it is exactly the responsibility we have been commissioned to do. Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan outlines the choices we have as a missional community towards our brothers and sisters at Hesed. We can blindly ignore the need, choosing a path of ignorant bliss, or we can heed Jesus’ call to action in caring for those who are suffering within our presence. At Wheatland, we face this choice every month, and I am proud to be part of a community whose choice is to consistently and humbly provide.
I look forward to working with all of you in service to our brothers and sisters at Hesed over the upcoming months.
-Mike
Hesed House
What is a Faith Promise?
Faith promises are commitments to give a certain amount if the Lord provides it. Through a Faith Promise, each family makes a commitment to give if the funds become available. It is understood that if God doesn't provide the funds there is no obligation to give. Committing to a faith promise is scriptural and acceptable to the Lord.
Faith Promise in the past
Over the past 10 years, Wheatland Salem Church members have partnered with God to power missions with over $2,197,528 dollars.
Promised for 2013: $269,000
Received in 2013: $165,136
An Update from the Middle East [goats]
There have been 340 goats distributed to 68 beneficiary families. The families all have been trained in herdsman-ship. We ended up going with 5 goats per family instead of 4 for the sake of sustainability. We hope to distribute the last batch of goats before the end of the year. The only significant issue with our distribution is safety. Friends of ours were kidnapped near the area we serve because of their connection to Christ. Please pray for their release.
Our missionaries are serving cultures that are intolerant of Christianity, so, any reference to the Faith can be extremely dangerous. The following story is just one of families Wheatland has helped through our generosity.
Mahyoob Obaid is a destitute 57 year-old man who belongs to the marginalized class of people in this country who have darker skin due to their African heritage. Mahyoob has no real support and cannot seem to get a job or find work (something that is very common in the marginalized class due to the racial prejudice that exists in the job market and in society as a whole). He has a wife, four daughters and two sons to provide for. Mahyoob applied for and received a mini goat heard of five adult females from our project over a year ago, and now he considers these goats a part of the family. He says even though these goats cannot yet provide for all of his family's needs, they are a huge help and his life situation is much better now because of it. When his goats give birth to a female, he raises it to maturity and then gives it back to the NGO so that is can be combined with other repayments and then passed on to another family so the cycle can continue. Whenever Mahyoob's goat herd gives birth to a male, he raises it so that he can turn around and sell it in order to buy flour, oil, and sugar for his family. Mahyoob is full of appreciation and hope as he shares about this project and compares his state before and after: 'This is truly a dream come true. My life and my family's situation is so much better than it used to be!'"
Costa Rica Trip 2013
Wheatland Salem Church partners with many different missionary organizations around the world. This past summer, we walked hand in hand with Strong Missions in Costa Rica to change the world in Jesus' name. Next summer, we plan on doing it again. If you would like to know more about our trip, please check out our 2013 blog of our trip at:
Poland - The Work of the Church begins with Common Language
Each year teams of people travel to Poland to make a difference. The lives of those who travel and those whom live there are always deeply affected. Please join us in continuing to praying for all who were touched through this great mission. If you would like to read the details of the trip, please click on the blog below:
Our 2013 Team
Teens working to help those in West Virginia
Our student ministry is working to make a difference in the lives of those living in west virginia. Through a partnership with Experience Mission a group of 40+ will be headed to West Virginia and work with people in their homes, with children in the community and generally helping where there is need. Will you please join us in pray for the families, students and leaders as the take this journey together.
Changing lives with Soccer Balls
This year we have a great opportunity to partner locally with families and teams to provide used equipment and gear for the families in Haiti. We have been partnering with the local soccer clubs to make this difference. Thank you for your support! Please join us in praying for the families both locally and in Haiti who will receive blessing because of this joint effort. Check out our blog from our most recent trip:
http://impactforjesus.blogspot.com/
