There is something on my heart that I wanted to share with you today. For the past month, God has been laying a heavy hand on my heart. He is leading Desert Flower Ministries onto a new journey. We have been blessed beyond measure this year so far and many more opportunities are already scheduled for the fall! So, since we are now bringing in more money, selling more books, speaking at more places...God spoke so clearly to me about the vision and mission of Desert Flower Ministries.
What He said (so lovingly) is that "this is not about You." Now, I knew that God was in control completely of this ministry...but up until now that "ministry" meant speaking and writing for women's groups. So, I stayed up late into the night allowing God to speak over me. The next morning after I spent my time in His Word, He gave me the words to put with the burden on my heart.
I won't post everything that He said...that will be up on http://www.desertflowerministries.com/ very soon as our vision statement for our ministry. But, the drive behind this ministry will be to encourage and exhort women to thrive in this life by the power of God's Word in their daily lives. This will be worked out through many exciting ways from online classes, short Bible studies, our new Biblical curriculum: Foundation Bible Series, mission trips for women to women (I am counting the minutes until God makes this one happen!), yearly retreats to teach and encourage women to be in God's Word daily, and investing financially in ministries passionate about taking God's Word to those places outlined in Acts 1:8.
So, why am I telling you all this? Well, our very first opportunity to serve is coming very soon! We have been invited to share Satisfy Our Souls: A Cry from the Desert with the ladies at the Atlanta Union Mission. We are also going to be able to donate over 200 New Testaments and evangelical cds to the over 260 residents that live there.
My Sister's House is a transitional housing for women and children who are dealing with deserts some of us will never comprehend. We have the privilege of sharing with these ladies through God's Word and Bible study and mentorship. Do you feel led to be a part of the amazing opportunity?
Well, here are a few ways that you can become involved:
1. Pray, pray, pray for those whom God is calling to come and lead, for the ladies there, for their children, and for God to send workers into this awesome field.
2. If God is leading you to come and help facilitate a group during the 7 weeks that we will go through Satisfy Our Souls please contact me at frances@desertflowerministries.com or comment below. There is a volunteer orientation that EVERYONE who comes to My Sister's House MUST attend May 20th from 6-8pm. If you would like to come I am going and can take any others who are interested in volunteering.
3. We will be donating the books for the ladies to go through this bible study. I was just going to donate these books myself, but again God told me this is not about me. If you would like to donate a book to a lady that will go through this study please contact me. I would like for you to perhaps write a note of encouragement and prayer to the woman God will give that book to. The books cost $10 (I am covering shipping and handling). We will be donating 40 books total.
4. We are also donating over 200 Bibles and the same number of evangelical cds called "The Invitation" by Rick Warren. These cost $1.00 each. If you would like to specify a number of Bibles or cds that you would like to donate contact me at the same email and I will get you the information.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE:
Desert Flower Ministries is in the process of becoming incorporated which is the first step in Non-profit status. But, we are NOT there yet. Our prayer is that we will be there by the end of the year, but we are NOT at this time! So, the donations that you make go directly to the supplies which have already been purchased (I am covering sales tax and shipping). Your money will simply go to the products themselves being donated to these women. But, it will NOT be a tax-deductible gift, as we are not non-profit yet. If you have questions about this please contact me personally and I will try to answer them.
Thank you for being a part of this ministry in whatever way God leads. Our only desire in letting you know all of this is so that we can partner with others who are called to invest in the lives of those who are truly in deserts.
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