Well it has been just over 4 months since I returned from the World Race. If you have been following me over the past year you will know that my blogs have been few and far between. However I am going to remedy that by starting to write more regularly and this post will be an update to catch you up and to let you know what is ahead.
I have been crazy busy since arriving back in the States. I was fortunate to have had 2 weeks off to spend at home and catch up with some old friends, followed by a trip traveling south. I got stranded in Raleigh when my car broke down, but God blessed my time there with new and old friends. I continued on to Gainesville, Georgia spending a few last days with my World Race community. It was a great time of fellowship, worship and introspection. After that I stopped in Anderson, South Carolina for a few days visiting with my best friend and his friends and family. This was much needed and a great time of catching up and recharging my batteries for the summer ahead.
When I returned home from this trip I knew that my Race was finally over, I had closure and it was time to move directly into the next season of life. Since I returned I have been working diligently at 2 jobs. My second job helped pay the bills working as a shop manager for Postler and Jaeckle a mechanical contractor who I have been connected with since 2008. It was a great job and kept me busy and funded while I was home working my main job, leading and growing CODE Ministries, an organization started by some friends, family, and myself. It has been hard work balancing both jobs and preparing for the season to come. The Board of Directors and I have been meeting almost weekly for the past 3 months making a lot of headway. We have seen God do amazing things and provide in ways that only He can. We are growing faster than I think any of us had expected and really feel God’s presence and hand in moving us into the future. We have a lot of exciting things happening in CODE and I would like to tell you about them.
First we are starting to do a lot of local ministry throughout the Northern and Southern Tier Region. Our mission is to combat social injustice and poverty through global outreach. We know that these issues take place outside of America, but they also take place in our own backyards. So it is our hope to partner with organizations like Habitat for Humanity and local churches in the area to help meet the needs right here in our own community.
Secondly, and one of the most exciting things going on in CODE Ministries, is that we have just sent out one of our Board Members, Aaron Hall, to Kansas City, Missouri. He is currently interning at the International House of Prayer, and working with them to minister to people in the intercity. This is a very exciting opportunity for Aaron and will hopefully lead to a relationship with IHoP that will help grow both of our ministries. Aaron is also hoping to get involved in some musical ministries while he is out there and has great potential to reach many lost souls in the Kansas City region while he continues to live and do ministry in that area.
Lastly, there is Thailand. As many of you probably know, God has called me to do ministry in Chiang Mai, Thailand over the next few years. This however is where it gets interesting. I told many of you that I would be coming here to work alongside the Free Burma Rangers. Due to a few sleepless nights and wrestling with the Spirit, I have come to the conclusion that I will be focusing a majority of my time working with Emmi at Lighthouse in Action. This includes ministering to men and women in the Red Light District of Chiang Mai, as well as working to guide and mentor missions teams that come through our ministry. This has been a sudden change and has thrown me a little off guard, but through prayer and the guidance of my accountability team, I know that this is the right choice and the place I will be most effective here in Thailand. I will have more info on Lighthouse in Action soon and where you can partner with us to see growth in this ministry!
So you can see God has really blessed us and our ministry to get us to this point. He has provided us with the resources, the manpower, and the contacts we have needed to keep moving forward. He is meeting all of our needs and has continued to grow us and the organization even as I am writing this.
Now, after reading all of this you may be asking yourself, what is my role in all of this, or what can I do? And that answer is simple.
Pray
Serve
Give
We at CODE believe that “…The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16. So we rely on all of you to band together in prayer for the growth and needs of CODE and all those involved in the forward progress of its mission.
We also like to give people the opportunities to get involved in the Kingdom Work God has called us to. So in the near future we will be posting on the site and through email updates opportunities for you to get involved both locally, nationally and internationally.
Lastly, and unfortunately almost everything we do has a monetary cost and being a non-profit, we rely on the faithful giving of our supporters to help raise funds to support our missionaries and to continue to grow our organization. Our current needs are $1,500 to help support Aaron for the next three months while he is in Kansas City. I need to raise $15,000 to help support myself and my ministry while in Thailand till the end of 2014. And we will need funds on a project by project basis for our local projects. So if you are feeling led to give you can send checks payable to CODE Ministries to 18 Lyons Drive, Horseheads NY 14845 or click on either the monthly donation or 1 time donation button on the left side of the screen. Make sure to specify where the donations should go in the memo section of your check or in the note section online.