Wow!
I honestly cannot believe how time flies. It amazes me that I have been so bad at blogging since my last post. Hopefully with this new year, new habits will be form which will result in new blog posts.
What is Matthew 25:40 Ministries been up to since the last post? Below are just a few highlights that will give you a brief idea.
2009 - The rest of 2009 was a bit slow where ministry was concerned. My family and I took some much needed time of relaxation and down time. We despirately needed it. I did make contacts with a church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee called "World Outreach Church" where Pink Cross was concerned. The ministry coordinator and I spoke on possibilities of getting other women involved with PCFactory by means of crocheting and knitting items for outreaches.
2010 - In the spring of 2010, I found a box of things I had started to make for
Pink Cross before my break. I spent most of the spring and part of the summer finishing up those projects.
For example, there were 20+ make up bags that needed zippers and liners installed, partially finished scarves and hats. I was able to get those done and set them aside for the 2010 Christmas Box Outreach. I was also able to make key fob key chains and other smaller items for outreach use, too!
In June of 2010 my husband and I received the news that our family of 4 would be expanding! We are currently 7.5 weeks away from welcoming our third son into this world. As a result, the summer of 2010 was very slow moving as I was experiencing the lovely symptoms of the first trimester of pregnancy. I was able to finish up some of the projects mentioned before but nothing new was started.
Fall and Winter of 2010 I began to branch out and make contacts with local women's groups in order to share the mission and focus of The Pink Cross Foundation and PCFactory (the part of Matthew 25:40 Ministries which helps Pink Cross). My goal was to educate the women on the distruction and abuse the men and women of the industry experience DAILY and call them to action for the their sake. I have had the joy of speaking to Celebrate Recovery groups and women's sunday school groups at First Baptist Church of Manchester, Tennessee. The response from this church has been refreshing. I have been able to take full boxes into their church, have women gather around the boxes and pray blessings and annointing over the lives which the items inside would be delivered to. We have prayed for those who struggle with sex addiction as well. One women's group sponsered the Christmas Outreach by paying for the shipping to get all supplies out to California to be handed out. Still others have signed up for crochet clinics to learn patters for items we are currently producing such as amigurumi teddy bears, PCFactory hats, scarves and art journals. On the 27th of this month, we will have one more "sit and do" gathering where people will bring their incomplete PCFactory products to finish up so we can add to the inventory we currently have which will be shipped out at a moment's notice.
There have been other local business women who have helped out the Pink Cross and PCFactory as well this winter.
Thirty-One Gifts: At an open house on the 2nd of January, I met with a consultant who helped organize a special shipment out to California. The January special for Thirty-One Gifts were the small and medium thermal totes for $8.00 each and embroidery for just $1.50 on those items. That's $9.50 for each item which would have normally been around $17 each! Praise God! We sat and discussed fabric patterns, embroidery style and color and encouraging words/sayings that would convey the love of Christ, PCFactory and The Pink Cross to anyone who received one.
Creative Memories: At this same open house, a CM consultant helped me to pick out amazing printed papers, stickers, etc to be used to create handmade Valentine's Day cards for the girls. She also offered the use of any of her person tools and supplies to help with the completion of this project. Isn't that amazing?? She also offered to purchase the items at cost so that our ministry funds would be stretched that much further. The generousity just amazes me.
I've even had a teen here helping to make handmade gift bags for Christmas items such as hot cocoa, apple cider, body wash, lotions, etc.
What do I expect for 2011? That's a good question. 2010 was a good year but this year I am going to change things up a bit. I plan to let God lead the way this year. I believe that when we step in and do things on our own initiative, we hinder what God might have in store for us and our ministries. Though amazing things happened for us, though many stepped up to help, I regret that I probably jumped the gun on some projects and as a result, they probably weren't as amazing as they could have been.
Most importantly, I am going to begin keeping an inventory of items for Pink Cross to use in their outreaches. Instead of relying on my own plans, deadlines and abilities to get a certain projects done, I plan to create items and keep a rolling total of items available to send. I believe this will eleminate my prideful tendancies to overwork myself and others in order to get unrealistic goals accomplished. So many times I have felt defeated because I have fallen short on my own goals of what I have wanted to reach as far as numbers of items sent. II am allowing God to guide my time, project ideas, etc...I believe that the production will line up better with the need of Pink Cross automatically. When we "let go and let God," so many times I wonder why I hadn't done it sooner. That's my biggest goal for 2011. To let go and let God in more areas than just my ministry. After all, he is Elohim...our Creator. We were created FOR Him and HIS glory. We were not created for our own glory and our own prideful ego stroking.
Below are ways you can help me this year:
1. PLEASE please please pray that I am able to stick with my new way of running my ministry. Please pray that I let go and let God so that my efforts, supplies and help are maximized to the full potential. Pray favor over our funds. Pray that when we go to purchase supplies things are on sale. Pray that we are never in need of supplies or helping hands. Most of all, pray God is glorified by the works we perform and the lives changed by our efforts.
2. If you are interested in helping with crocheted or knitted items, please contact me to find out more information as to how you can help. All supplies are provided (yarn, etc)...all you need are the hooks/needles and time.
3. If you'd like to help with beauty products which will be placed inside handbags, make up bags and other gift bags, I'd be very much appreciative.
4. If you feel lead to sponser part or all of a shipment of supplies out to California please contact me! If you have information as to how we can ship at a lower rate, that would be great too! We spent $88 to get the 2010 Christmas Outreach supplies to California this year. It is NOT cheap!
5. If you'd like to donate directly to Pink Cross and help with their expenses, which are more than anyone really realizes I am sure, you may do so by donating on their website:
www.thepinkcross.org Every outreach, convention, website, literature track, printed bible etc costs money and they need your help to make that possible.
Thank you for everything up to this point. I know you will be blessed if you decide to be involved.
God bless you and your families,
Andrea
