2019 Green Bean Project Report
As we came into this year marking 10 years since FTN was born, it was tempting to focus on the past and what has (or hasn’t) been accomplished in those ten years. But the Lord made it very plain that He was going to do something new and that was to be our focus. Wow! What amazing things HE has done. Here are a few highlights:
Friday Bible Study
Ten women attended our Friday Bible study this year. Eight attended consistently for extended periods of time unless work, school, or court schedules kept them away. Two of the women have now moved out of Billings, but one in particular keeps reaching out to us and is hoping to continue the Bible study via FaceTime. Another lady, calls in while on her lunch break at work so that she can still participate!
Backpacks for Kids
For the first time, we had a team of amazing volunteers for this year’s Backpacks for Kids. A local Christian-owned coffee shop also partnered with us, offering specialty drinks for the project, setting up an art gallery in one of their locations, and providing a place where we could hold a barbecue.
Everyone worked so hard. There were bumps and hurdles—including near 100* temperatures on the day of the barbecue. At times, it seemed like we were pushing a train up a hill. But GOD…oh those two powerful words…God stepped in and did amazing things, including an anonymous gift from someone in the coffee shop, wrapped in a paper napkin and handed to me as we were packing things up after the barbecue.
God supplied everything needed to fill 51 backpacks with the entire school list of supplies. This doubles what we had originally hoped to do and blessed children in two counties. God is so good!
Redeeming Love in Action
In the fall, I traveled to St. Louis to participate in a missions conference and to begin teaching Redeeming Love in Action: A Practical Guide to Ministry in a Broken World. Over the past year, we have been developing this material, which dives into the why and how of ministry to the fatherless, the poor, the needy, widows, and the hurting in the community around us. We are currently halfway through the course and have ALL been blessed and grown through the material and the conversations surrounding it.
If you’re interested in learning more about this course for your church or group, please let us know! We are still in the developmental stages and would like to work with a couple more churches, groups and individuals to work out the kinks and provide the best material possible. During this time of development, the materials will be free and the majority of the classes will be conducted online.
New Office Space
Early in the year, we began praying that the Lord would open the door to move into a new space since we were quickly outgrowing our closet-sized office space. A few weeks later, we heard rumors of an air quality issue in the building. People were beginning to move out. We started looking at other spaces, but what we found was just as small with no conference room and triple the expenses due to parking costs. We kept praying.
In the fall, the landlord fixed the air quality issues and a space in the basement opened up! We now have nearly double the space for $20/month less! We still have access to the conference room as well as a break room. The new space is an enormous blessing especially with a new volunteer joining us on Friday afternoons. We never could have crammed three simultaneous projects into the tiny space upstairs. God is good and His timing is perfect!
Christmas Season
Another highlight of the year was our annual Christmas Open House. We changed things up this year and brought games, coloring projects for the kids, and of course food (there’s always food). It was a blast! We even had adults “participating” in our impromptu Christmas stocking coloring contest! Thank you to all who joined us!
Our Bible study Christmas party was also a huge blessing. We ate curried chicken, Christmas cookies, candy and tea while decorating a gingerbread house and sharing what God had taught us during the year. It was an incredible blessing to hear how God is working in each life.
Green Bean Project
Which brings us to the end of the year and the Green Bean Project!!! Our theme was “In Blessing I will Bless Thee.” God has certainly blessed. The Lord brought in $4,697.67!! Approximately $1175 for each ministry. This is the most we have ever been able to send (by $425 per ministry)!!! What a BLESSING!!! Thank you to all who have given, prayed, shared posts, and told others about the project. We can’t wait to send out the checks later this week!
God truly has done a new thing in 2019, and we can’t wait to see what He will do in 2020!
One of our recent Bible studies. 
Backpacks assembled and awaiting delivery. 
Our Backpacks for Kids BBQ Volunteers. 
BBQ fun! 
Our new office! 
More than just a ginger bread house. This masterpiece was a great, impromptu opportunity to share what God has been teaching us. 
And what a blessing it has been!
On a Personal Note
On a personal note, I want to thank the Lord for His care, strengthening, and provision in 2019. In the midst of all the amazing things listed above many other things were going on in the background. Almost exactly a year ago, we found out that my mom had stage two colon cancer. God did so many things on her behalf over the next few months. I’m happy to say that her surgery went well, and she has had nothing but good reports since!
During these months of caring for Mom, fulfilling (and even growing) my responsibilities at FTN, working a part-time job, launching a new book, and being involved in multiple aspects of ministry at church—my physical, emotional, and mental limitations were all sorely tested. But God’s grace, His strength, never failed. He taught me so much about how He strengthens us. Thank you for praying. I often felt the power of those prayers, and I know they were a great part of the reason I “survived” 2019! How faithful our Lord is!
Praying the Lord will bless you abundantly in 2020,
Rachel Miller
