Better Together... After 40
Years! We
actually housed our first family in 1979, but our first official
ministry endeavor with a long term situation was in 1981. My
firstborn was just short of 2 years old and we had brought our second
born home from the hospital four months earlier. Annie graced us with
her presence, a timid 13 year old fresh out of severe abuse and
trauma. It was eye opening and a pretty wild ride for our little
family but an answer to prayer. We wanted to reach the least of these
and had cried out for the Lord to use us in any way that He designed
for us. We knew that hospitality was a gift He had given us but we
wanted so much to have His wisdom as we stepped out in faith to
welcome others into our home. It was the first of many wild rides
over the years.
Time
brought many new learning experiences and opportunities for us. Tom
always had a burning desire to network with the larger body. It is
obvious that coming together as a team can accomplish so much more
than laboring independently. I was always moved by a beautiful Twila
Paris song that was released in 1990, “How Beautiful is the Body of
Christ.” It never gets old to hear the words of that song. Though
it may seem that the broken body of Christ is sometimes more visible
to the world than the resurrected body, there are many things the
Lord is doing globally to show off His bride and use her to invite
others to come!
At
Jesus Cares, we want to do a little showing off. As we have worked
hard to develop long lasting partnerships with others, it has proven
to be such a great benefit to all. I don't mean to be pretentious but
the Lord has allowed us to walk alongside of some beautiful people
and organizations. They are beautiful because our Savior is beautiful
and we are made in His image. It is good to remind ourselves of such
privileges and honor that he has bestowed upon His bride. It is good
to give honor where honor is due. Join us as we introduce some of our
partners:
E.Q.U.I.P.
Conference 2021/Suzanne - Administrator Extraordinaire Bridgeway
Church in Awhatukee has been a tremendous support to our ministry in
varied ways. They have provided some very faithful and committed
volunteers. Suzanne is one such volunteer. It has been a vision of
Jesus Cares to provide a venue for local churches to receive tools
and skills for helping to undergird pastors and ministry leaders.
This vision was interrupted for a season and seemed to die only to
have it resurrect in an even greater capacity. What started out as a
training venue for women to help women became an opportunity for
training couples as well as individual team members. Tom gets the
vision, I try to flesh it out in my abstract and discombobulated
ways, and Suzanne ties it all together in a neat package. Others will
be joining us in the future to help with this endeavor. Here is what
one couple remarked about the first conference:
 “Thank
you for a wonderful day of learning!! We were truly blessed!!”
Thank
you to Suzanne for making this so much more efficient and effective.
Thank you to all that made this conference possible. We look forward
to future E.Q.U.I.P. Events.
Midwest
Food Bank One
of the partners that made this conference possible was Midwest
Food Bank. We
became a recipient of their blessings in 2020. As one of their
partnering agencies we are entitled to the privilege of using their
community room. What an amazing gift of hospitality it provided for
our participants. Their generosity provided table coverings, drinks,
coffee, sound equipment, fully stocked kitchen, utensils for serving
and much more. We are beyond grateful. Not only do they give us the
opportunity to provide an abundance of food for needy families, they
provide this gracious venue for us to hold our community events. I
asked them if there was anything, we as a community, could do for
them. Here was their response:
“As
you know, we are here to serve and we do that by providing food
without cost to 320+ partner agencies. As a result of the pandemic,
there continues to be a need for specific food items that we are not
able to procure through our normal channels (i.e. manufacturers). We
would be thankful for your support in a food drive to help with these
food items: peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti sauce (no glass jars,
please), canned items, and cereal.”
If
you have any questions on how you can help this organization, please
contact: Merilee Baptiste, Executive Director, 480-892-0134. Let them
know you appreciate their work in the community! Fortified Marriages Ministry “Building
the foundation, defining a Christian Marriage and providing the tools
and resources to fortify marriages”  About
10 years ago I was scrambling for resources due to losing our social
worker to the mission field. I made contact with a couple that I
found and to this day, I cannot tell you how I found them! We
actually met with Chris and Carmen Garner and quickly forged a close
friendship as we could see their like-mindedness, gospel focus, and
humble desire to see God provide for and move within their ministry
for His glory. We call them the “monkeys” because we don't just
labor together but sometimes we just need a break from ministry and
enjoy brief out of town “monkey shenanigans” together. Chris and
Carmen have become such an asset to our mission and we treasure their
partnership. We are privileged to serve on their board and look
forward to continuing this vision to network so we can be better
together. To contact Chris and Carmen: 480-699-2515
and info@fortifiedmarriages.com New Turning Point for Women 1
in 4 women experience intimate partner violence! We cannot have
enough missions to help this devastating reality. Many leaders and
church staff do not feel equipped to handle this difficult and
complex issue. It can sometimes be like an onion that has multiple
layers. You begin the process of peeling and due to a struggle to
resolve Biblical passages of God's design for marriage with what is
actually happening in families, it can be tempting to look the other
way and choose not to approach the difficulties at all! For some,
it's like grieving, “I don't know what to say or do!”  Gloria
has been an amazing resource for the women we have sent her way. We
are seeing cycles broken as women explore the depths of their own
heart issues, grave disappointments, and dashed expectations. They
have the marvelous opportunity to heal from deep wounds and scars as
they live out life in a safe, believing community. Gloria loves to
teach these women God's design for restoration and their identity in
Messiah! We are so grateful to partner with this special lady. She is
a great friend, ministry partner, and an excellent example of God's
grace and goodness! Within the last year, Gloria asked her wounded
ladies to look beyond their own pain and take up Elpis as a
mission project. (Isabella's mission under Jesus Cares Ministries.)
Isabella left for Iraq with beautiful jewelry, scarves, and monetary
blessings that sent her out with a fullness that she could pour out
to the abused and hurting population she was reaching. I love how
Gloria moves her women from victims to victors through the name of
Jesus! We look forward to our continued partnership as we labor among
the broken and bruised.  Freedom
House/Hope for Addiction When
we visit the Freedom
House
and see the dedication of their staff and volunteers, I feel like I
am stepping back in time to when we had our maternity group home. God
blessed us with such gracious and strong women of God and it was the
lifeblood of our mission! The ladies we
loved were
desperate for mentors. We
see that discipleship happening in many practical and spiritual ways
at Freedom
House.
Their mission, among many things, is to help others connect the
desire to change with the power to change as they choose to move away
from addiction as part of their identity. As with the others with
whom we partner, the gospel is the clear focus and hope for genuine
change. We are able to come alongside the staff, offer our parenting
course, “Children:
Our Heritage,”
and offer individual and comprehensive support for the residents. It
is a delight to be a part of walking with Liz
Beck,
the director and founder of this program. Their group support
meetings, on Thursday evenings are another resource for us. The
leaders gather together to help the participants toward a common
goal. “Our
purpose is to walk alongside, equip and care for those who struggle
with addiction. We support people with substance abuse problems as
they transition into their new life. This is accomplished through
weekly recovery meetings, mentorship, transition support and
practical tools.”
Support
for those experiencing addiction issues has been a huge component of
our outreach. The aftermath on families is devastating. Liz and the
team she leads and trains is a partnership that we appreciate and
love. Thank you for your commitment to love and lead well!
Hope
for addiction can be contacted at
480-782-0403
or
email Liz at connect@hopeforaddiction.com Hope in Christ For
years we were able to refer young women in need to various housing
organizations for placement. The tables turned several years ago and
it became mandatory for them to go into homeless shelters to await
these placements. Since we are not involved as much in street
ministry like we used to, it became difficult to know how to handle
these situations! Into our lives came a man with a heart to place
vulnerable populations into safe places. He brings his streetwise
expertise to the table, connecting with organizations and placement
opportunities that we would never have been able to access with our
limited time and availability. His compassion is beyond belief. His
family and children have a like-minded heart to serve the “least of
these.” Logan has been reaching out to the most vulnerable on the
streets of Phoenix for several years, expending resources for the
Kingdom and meeting people in the darkest places. Hope in
Christ brings hope to despairing hearts in practical and
spiritual ways.  Here
are the latest developments straight from the director: “It
has been so humbling over the past several years to see how God has
used me and continues to use me (and my family now) to help the most
vulnerable in our city. We just had a new baby boy born at the Hope
in Christ shelter for
pregnant women last week. The mom was 6 months pregnant and homeless
when we brought her to the shelter. I also have been working with a
woman who is 5 months pregnant with two young children living in her
car in Alabama. She said she wanted to have an abortion because there
were no shelters with openings in her state and felt hopeless. She
needed a safe place to stay for herself, her unborn baby, and her
kids to get back on her feet. I arranged for her to come and stay at
the Hope in Christ
shelter where she could get the love, nurturing and guidance she so
desperately needed. She has been with us about a month now, and is
keeping the baby, amen! She also wants to stay and complete the
program, God is great!
My
son who is 13, is always engaging with the homeless in the community,
bringing them food and referring them to me to try to get them off
the streets. He had been speaking to a homeless woman for many months
named Dawn, who had been homeless for the past 3 years. He convinced
her to talk to me to see how we could help her. She has been working
full-time while still being homeless, and I assisted her in saving
her money. We found a one bedroom apartment for her in Tempe, and
moved her in and blessed her with all the furnishings for her new
apartment. She is now self-sufficient working full-time and off the
streets, (she also had a homeless cat with her who now has a safe
home as well).
Even
though I have been dealing with something personally difficult the
last couple of months, God has still used myself and my wife to get
many other people off the streets these last 2 months. God has also
put on our hearts to open a shelter for orphans and homeless children
in third world countries. We are praying and seeking God's direction
in this for the future. I pray I can do God's will with helping the
least of these in our community and around the world until my last
breath.”
It
has been a real joy to partner with him over the years and find a way
to share resources, wisdom, and friendship in a way that makes us
better together. Please pray for him and his family as they face
some challenges in this hour. Last
but not least: Our
Board of Directors Many
years ago when starting this mission, we
understood the need for strong accountability and partnerships with
individuals who understood the vision and heart of Jesus Cares. Tom
birthed this vision many, long years ago, but the nuts and bolts of
putting this together would not have happened without an amazing
board of directors that has held up our arms through it all. Deep
gratitude that no words can possibly convey go out to: Jackie and
Jeff, Tim and Sue, Blair and Kriss, and Micah and Chrissy. We covet
your wisdom, insights, support, and love!
I
hope you have enjoyed this testimony of the beautiful body of
Messiah. There are many more organizations that Jesus Cares and our
volunteers partner with but special appreciation goes out to these
ministries that have been a part of a close co laboring relationship.
They have extended their hands continually to those that we love and
care for and have enabled us to bear more fruit together than we ever
could have accomplished alone! “This
service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the
Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks
to God. Because
of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will
praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the
gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and
with everyone else. And
in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of
the surpassing grace God has given you.
Thanks be to God for his
indescribable gift!”Thanks
be to God for each of those that make up the beautiful body of
Messiah. We
truly are “BETTER
TOGETHER”!
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