As 2018, grows smaller in the rearview mirror and 2019 rushes on, we rejoice at God’s amazing works! We never really know where a year might take us, but God does!
A Year of Growing
Last year, was a year of growing in ways we weren’t expecting. We started the year with many unexpected, time-consuming projects, including a complete, necessary overhaul of the FTN website and blog. It looks amazing and is much easier to use! We learned through the process and enjoyed the many reminders of what the Lord has done over the past 10 years!
Clothing Exchange
In the Spring, we re-opened and scheduled monthly public days for the Clothing Exchange. Thank you to all of you who have given your time and clothing to help in this area! We’ve had single moms and custodial grandparents at the exchange every month! Through this, we reconnected with a single mom we had met through jail and prison ministry. As a result, she came to several Bible studies, and I was able to have a good one-on-one conversation with her about salvation. Around that time, I reconnected with another single mom who has faithfully come to Bible study ever since!
Bible Study
In late summer, a mom who we’ve been working with for nearly two years and who we’ve been inviting to church and Bible study all along began facing medical issues due to an accident. These issues made it impossible for her to work. You can imagine the strain this puts on a young mother caring for five children. But through this time of difficulty, the Lord allowed us to come alongside her in several ways. She soon began coming to Bible study. She and her children attended my church’s Christmas party and her son came to our Winter Youth Rally. He left with an enormous grin on his face! Last Friday, we had to cancel Bible study due to poor road conditions. This mom texted me later to find out the assignment for this week and said, “I miss you guys! Can’t wait to see you on Friday.” This is such a blessing!
We’ve also had another surprise addition to our weekly Bible studies. A young woman, originally from Ethiopia, who works in our building discovered we were having Bible studies and has started attending! She brings so much life and enthusiasm to the group!
Your Investment Paying Off
Some other highlights of the year were possible only because of your willingness to invest in this ministry. Thank you for letting God work through you to:
- Provide Mother’s Day gifts for 3 special single moms, including a foster mom, and two of the ladies from Bible study.
- Backpacks for Kids – We were able to provide backpacks and the entire school supply list for 16 children from Billings and Miles City. (The overall cost of this project was nearly 3 times what we had available, but God provided through the generosity of His people!)
- Meet special needs such as tires, car insurance, and food items for some of the women we are working with and small Christmas presents for the single moms in our Bible study.
The Green Bean Project
The Green Bean Project is always one of our biggest highlights of the year. This year it was extra special with the help of our first ever Green Bean Project Team. Several ladies from churches here in the Billings and Laurel area joined us to help brainstorm new ideas and share the project with others. These ladies were the inspiration behind the “Fill a Sock” idea and many other parts of the GBP. (You’d probably recognize their feet if you saw them!)
Everyone’s giving and hard work was not in vain! We finished off this year’s GBP
A Year of God’s Provision
This year was not without its trials. I’ve already mentioned the unexpected start of 2018, but perhaps our biggest area of strain was the area of finances. We started the year with just enough in our accounts to cover my personal support (which comes after the other expenses) through about May. We weren’t sure what the next step would be once the reserves were gone. But God had a plan. He extended those funds into the fall. Not a moment too soon and not a moment too late, He provided a bookkeeping job at another ministry. I’m not going to sugar coat things. It was a difficult year in this regard, but it has been awesome to see God provide at every turn.
I would appreciate your prayer as I seek to balance this new work with the ministry of FTN and my church and family responsibilities. We have several areas of new outreach already coming together for 2019, and I am committed to seeing them through, but I will not deny there is a lot to juggle.
People often ask what they can do to help. We have three vital needs at this time: prayer, volunteers, and financial growth. If you would like to partner with us, please visit the Partner Page of our website. If you would like to schedule a time to present this ministry to your church or to learn how you can get involved, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 406-208-7332.
Thank you for the vital part you have played in the growth of this ministry. We’re excited to see what God has in store for 2019 and can’t wait to share it with you!
