Faithfulness of God

So many great things are happening with Y.O.U. God is opening many opportunities for ongoing ministry. I praise Him for answering a Big prayer request yesterday!! I have had many appointments. This coming week I already have 4 scheduled. It is keeping me busy but God is at work in the International Village. Soon we will have the apartment ministry open and running in multiple complexes. Praise God for His timing and His Faithfulness!

Meeting at Cracker Barrel

I been having some great meeting the last week trying to line up our ministry opportunities in the international village. It was great to meet some new people like Carol and see some old friends like Betty as well as calling on different apartments to see how the corporate part of our meeting at their facility is coming along. Yesterday, I had the chance to meet with Tim Cummins and his daughter Ashley long time friends and fellow missionaries. We worked together with North American Mission Board. Tim helped me get started with NAMB and was my supervisor. God is at work in Atlanta and I look forward to seeing what God is going to accomplish!!

Riding With The Police

Yesterday I had to great opportunity to ride with the Police. They took me around to different apartment communities and introduced me to managers. I was able to share with the managers Youth Outreach United's vision for Atlanta and my vision specifically for the International Village-

Chamblee/Doraville. What a great day it was. There are many opportunity's to minister here. I have a great idea where we will start. I am just waiting now for the Managers to get permission from the apartment owners. I am very grateful for the confidence the Police is putting into us and for their friendship and support of this project. It was an exciting day! We stopped and had a great lunch together at Mad Italian. I am very proud of the random people who came by the table to tell the officers Thanks You for Serving!I also want to say Thank You to all the men and women who serve us and protect us in our community!!

Raising Support

So I must admit that I have been a little concerned about having to raise support again. That concern, I suppose, just comes from experience. I have always been able to raise the support that I needed for a short-term mission trip. God has blessed us greatly and I have always used that as a confirmation that I was suppose to go on the trip. But for some reason it seems that where we have been abundantly blessed in raising short-term funds, we have never been able to raise much support for our daily mission work here in Atlanta in the refugee and immigrant community. I believe that there are several factors. One being that short-term support is just that a one time gift and people are not prepared to make a long term commitment for monthly support. Secondly, I have found that there are people who believe that refugees and immigrants should not be in the US so therefore they will not support our work with them. Whatever your stance is on this issue, I do submit that these people still need Jesus and to know His love and forgiveness! They are part of our Jerusalem! "You shall witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in all Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8

We can change our world and our nation for Christ but we have tp be willing to share the gospel with all people!!

Heart for the City

HEART for the CITY - Reaching our City one Person at a Time

New Newsletter

After multiple computer problems I finally got out my 1st offical newletter this week for Youth Outreach United. I am a little out of practice writing letters but I know it will all come back to me in the next few months. I have been very busy with my new work for Y.O.U. but also for our upcoming trip to Belarus. I am grateful to the Lord for restoring my health so that I can serve Him doing what I love to do!!

"Lead You To The Cross" (Official Music Video)

My Passion and My Purpose is to lead others to the cross just like Dr. Martha who gave her life so that others could know Christ!

Catching Up

I have a tremendous amount of catching up to do on this blog. I took a sabbatical from blogging lately.In fact for quite awhile. When I created my blog I fully intended it to be a space to share the ministry work I was doing. Due to high pressure in my job, family,situations, and health issues I took some time off. I haven't been totally out of the loop. In June 2014 Mark and I led a team from First Baptist Atlanta to LaCampa, Honduras. It was my 3rd trip there. We love working with the Lenca Indians and this trip was no exception. We had a great time of children's ministry, women's ministry, and construction. (That was Mark not me!) When we returned from the trip I had major surgery on my cervical neck. Really it was 2 surgeries. The Surgeon performed an anterior discectomy and cervical fusion and then I was flipped over and he performed a posterior cervical fusion C3- C7.I was in ICU 6 days. Needless to say my neck was in serious trouble. I have had quite a recovery with complications of pneumonia, swallowing, and speaking problems and of course pain, lots of pain. I think that's to be expected when they put 7 metal plates and 14 screws in your neck! God is good and He has and is continuing to heal me!! During this time I have prayed, searched and interviewed for s new ministry position. I was offered several ministry position's but they just didn't feel right. God has His timing and He knew that I badly needed the surgery last summer. So He prompted my spirit to wait - BE STILL! This past fall I seriously began seeking Gods will and He has led me to a new position. Last week I was officially welcomed as the Director of the International Village in Atlanta for Youth Outreach United. I am so blessed!!

Late Summer and Ministry

While I was in Belarus I got sick. I have asked the Lord why but I do know that God allowed this trial in my life. After several months of illness I am on the mend. I had hoped to return to full-time ministry when I got home from the trip. I was offered a place to serve in Clarkston with refugees. I only had a few days notice to prepare before the new mission at the apartment opened. I was so excited but I was so sick! I couldn't imagine why God wasn't letting me get well so I could do this! I struggled the entire week with my illness and no peace that I would be physically able to take this program on the next Monday. There was another couple who was interested in this apartment complex. That doesn't happen very often! I called Mark and told him that I was not in peace about the next week. I reminded him of (and of course he knew)the struggles I was having physically since being in Belarus. We prayed and Mark made the call to let the other couple take the complex. I think that was one of the hardest things I have ever done! So I am anxiously waiting on God for my new full-time missions opportunity. Waiting is difficult especially when my whole heart's desire is to serve Him! In the meantime I continue to visit with some of the families at The Falls to give them encouragement and to share God's love.

Whats Up

Some of you may wonder what I have been up to recently. My husband and I led a group of 10 from our church to Belarus in July. It was a great and successful mission trip with over 200 salvations! We went to the southern Belarus city of Luninets where we worked with Pastor Nicholi and his new church plant. Then we went to another city Mikashevichy and worked with Pastor Dmitriy and his church. Our main purpose was children's ministry but we also participated in home visitations in the afternoon and evening where we could share our faith with families in the cities. It was amazing. One of my special things was meeting Alena in her home one night and then being invited back the next night. She cooked me an entire meal. I was able to share my faith with her. She was so excited when we visited her the 1st night. She found out that I had ministered in Ukraine and she was Ukrainian. I sang a few Ukrainian hymns to her. The last night she joined in singing with me. Isn't God good!! The Lord brought to my mind all the Ukrainian that I needed just for Alena.

Belarus Trip And Blog

Well I certainly haven't kept up this blog but you can check out all the happenings on my blog for our short-term trip to Belarus. My husband Mark and I are leading a team of 10 from First Baptist Atlanta to Belarus July 5-15th. You can check it out at: belarusmissionfba.blogspot.com. It is our 1st trip to Belarus. We will be participating in children's ministry and evangelism. Please pray for us!

Feliz Cumpleanos

Even though I am seeking a new missions assignment I am keeping quite busy with families that I serve and preparation for our Belarus trip in July. This weekend I attended the birthday party of my sweet friend, a young Mother, who I have known for about 4 years. It was a wonderful evening of fellowship with my Spanish speaking friends.

Hustle and Bustle

Life is never dull. Lately with all the preparation for our upcoming Belarus trip I have found myself so busy with all of the hustle and bustle that it takes to take a group of people to a new country. Check out our blog for Belarus at the link below. God is working. One of our precious Mom's from the Falls gave birth to a precious baby girl. She was born with a congenital heart defect. Praise the Lord, she underwent a successful surgery at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and is now home with her family!! Mark and I have been praying for God's direction in regards to mission work here in Atlanta. We have interviewed with a few mission agencies and I can definitely say that God has led both of us to cross one of them off of our list. There are so many ministry/mission opportunities which we could become involved in but I believe that God has the perfect spot for us where we can serve.

NAMB Prayer and Praise

Yesterday Mark and I had the opportunity to be included in the SEND North America Celebration and Call to Prayer. We had a great time hearing from Pastors and New Church Planters as they shared the need for evangelism in North America and specifically in Atlanta. Atlanta, Georgia, my hometown and the city of my birth, is an UNREACHED city. 70% of the population in suburban Atlanta are unchurched and 92% of the population inside of I-285 are unchurched. Staggering statistics in the "Bible Belt." Atlanta is now one of the cities in our country with the greatest amount of lost people- people who do not profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! Please pray for Our City of Atlanta, Ga and for church planters, pastors, and missionaries as we work in this city to tell others about Jesus.

Mark Richt

On Saturday, Harmony Trio sang at the Men's Sports Expo at First Baptist Atlanta. They did an awesome job performing. They also enjoyed the opportunity to meet Mark Richt, the Head Football Coach at the University of Georgia, and his family.

Training for Belarus

The last few weeks Mark and I have been very busy as we begin prepping our team for Belarus. I spent endless hours putting together a resource book for all of our team members. It consists of pages on packing to pages of prayer walking and evangelism. Getting excited for this opportunity in July to Be His Heart, His Hands, and His Voice!

God's Provision

A few weeks ago I came to a difficult decision to leave my nursing job. I took the job 1 1/2 yrs ago to supplement our income. I loved my job but the only problem was it was night shift. After a long spell of not sleeping well in the day or at night(on the nights I didn't work) and after using several different prescription sleeping pills I decided that maybe it was time to leave. My Rheumatologist even said in early January that I should not be working any more night shifts. My husband also agreed and I turned in my resignation. The 1st 2 weeks all I did was sleep. I could hardly get out of bed as my body tried to catch up. I commented to several people about how I didn't know how we were going to eat but that I knew that God knew. I also felt a huge calling to return full-time to a missions job which of course is support based. The 1st week after I left my job I was talking with a friend in the hall at church about steps of faith and about God's calling on my life. I left that person and started walking down the hall. Another friend who works in an Optometrist office stopped me in the hall and said Cathy try these on. She pulled out a pair of brand new glasses frames. They fit perfectly. She told me if I went and got an eye exam than she would see about getting my precription lenses put into the frames. Wow, What a blessing. I have needed new glasses for a few years and have to squint to read. Then on Tuesday of this week I went to help a Pastor's family. I was there most of the day. I really didn't do that much helped- watch the baby, helped the children with their homework. Not only did they feed me while I was there but the Pastor's wife gave me beef, chicken, fish, onions, beets, yams, potatoes, garlic, and ricotta cheese. Today as I cook a Russian cheesecake, yams, fish I am so grateful for God's faithfulness to me and His provision!

Atlanta Vision Tour

Today I went on a vision tour of Atlanta with North American Mission Board and the SEND coordinator. There was about 12 of us who were on the tour which started at 9:30 and ended at 5:00pm. We barely touched the surface of all that is happening in Atlanta. God is still at work here!!

Baby Shower

I love going to parties especially with the special ladies who are my friends from The Falls. Saturday we had a surprise baby shower for one of the sweet Mom's. She is expecting her 2nd child and 2nd daughter. All of these Chicas really know how to throw a party and this was no exception. I have a few pictures of some of the games. Yes, I did participate in a game where 3 of us raced to see who could eat a container of jello the fastest. I didn't win. I was grateful I didn't have to drink the milk out of the baby bottles. I also made some wonderful new friends!!