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Winter is my favorite time of year but Autumn is a very close second... the summer heat is finally behind us, giving way to cooler days and chilly evenings. I'm always on the lookout for migrating birds flying overhead or feeding in a field. Fall colors are bursting through in all their glory, making Sunday drives even more enjoyable.

The cooler weather also means I can start wearing my turtlenecks and sweaters again!  If I feel chilled, I can just give the thermostat a click to turn on the furnace to warm up the house, or put a few logs on the hearth to light a cheery, crackling fire and warm up that way.  But not everyone is as fortunate this time of year. Some people have a daily struggle to stay warm, and that's where the Wood Ministry can help.

This will be my third season helping with the Wood Ministry.  Although I like being out in the fresh air, cutting and stacking logs, I have discovered that my favorite part of the Wood Ministry is being a Sponsor.  As we are outside among the glory of the fall colors, I can take some time to talk about the glory of God.

The first person I spoke with as a Sponsor was a woman who was "down on her luck," as she put it, and who needed a little help to get through the winter.  I was very nervous as to what I would say to her and I tried to collect my thoughts on the drive to her home.  When we arrived, I took a moment before I got out of the car and I closed my eyes and asked God to help me say the right words, to be a comfort to her, and I even asked Him for some sort of ice breaker - and boy, did He send me an ice breaker!

When I opened my eyes, who did I find staring at me, waiting to greet me, but a big, fluffy dog with his tail wagging enthusiastically!  What a sense of relief I felt as God had presented me with the perfect conversation starter because I am such an animal lover, and who doesn't like to talk about their pets?!  The dog stayed right by my side as I went to introduce myself to the homeowner.  While sharing a cup of hot chocolate that she had prepared, with her dog leaning up against me, I truly felt filled with the Spirit as I shared my involvement with our church, the wonderful fellowship I receive from its members, and the love and comfort I feel from God as I continue learning how to fully open my heart to Him.  It was a great experience and I felt very humbled and blessed as I got to know this woman and learn a little more about her and the situation she had found herself in.

Not every experience has been quite the same as that first one, but that is part of what makes Wood Ministry Sponsorship so special... every person is different, so every situation is different.  If Sponsorship sounds like something that you might be interested in contact Paul Brouse for more information.  

There is a bit of chill in the air these days. I will know it is truly fall when I begin to smell pinon smoke from neighboring fireplaces. However, for many it is not just about the smell of the burning pinon but the heat that it produces. For some, this heat is a matter of life or death on the frigid nights in the East Mountains. Unfortunately, many in our community struggle with keeping the firewood bin filled during the long winter.

MCC has a long history of helping locals meet their firewood needs. What a unique opportunity for us to be able to show God’s love through the warmth of a fire on a cold night. But to really show God’s love, we need to be more than a supplier of firewood.  Such calls for help are often a sign of a much deeper problem--broken relationships with friends and family and most importantly with God. The request for firewood to the church is a symptom of a lack of anywhere else to turn.

We apply a “When Helping Hurts” model to not just deal with the symptom but also work to deal with the root cause. This process begins by developing relationships. Nurturing and maintaining a relationship gives the opportunity to really understand the need while also providing the chance for the one in need to contribute to others as well as help themselves.  Helping people help themselves creates a newfound sense of ability, self-worth and dignity. In the same way, this gives us the opportunity to help them see that worth and dignity were always there in the eyes of the Lord.

This process depends on relationship building with the client sponsor being the lynchpin. The sponsor is the one who establishes a relationship with the client and walks them through the process of getting wood.  In this process they help the client reclaim dignity, restore relationships with others and points them to God. Specifically, the sponsor will assist them in building a full team of workers to cut, spit and deliver wood. The team would normally include the client and his friends, family and neighbors. It is the client’s job to build the team; it is the sponsor’s job to help and encourage them in their relationship building.

The clients who have agreed to this process are ready for a change. What an opportunity as a sponsor to enable the client to take constructive steps toward a better way of life. More importantly to walk along side our Lord and Savior as He works to bring real transformation. And in the process, make a new friend.

We are in need of sponsors. Please consider investing in our community in this valuable way. Come learn more about becoming a sponsor at the Wood Ministry Sponsorship Training on Saturday, October 20th from 9:00am-11:30pm at MCC. Contact Don and Ann Moore to RSVP for the training or to learn more.

Meet Demeke!  He is another one of our Hawassa graduates, and one who will be co-teaching with us this week.  Over my visits in the last four years, he has become a friend.
Since I was arriving later than the rest of our TLI training team, Demeke was dispatched to the airport to come and receive me. His was the first friendly face that I had seen in many long, harrowing, and weary hours of traveling.
After a rich welcome, we began the bumpy crawl of a drive back towards Shashemene.  In the front seat of the van, as we sat nearly on top of one another, I learned a new part of his story.

You see, Demeke has a great sense of humor; but also a fierce seriousness about the things of God.  In part, that’s because he used to think that he was serving the Lord, when really he was working on the other side.

Demeke grew up in a family that was Ethiopian Orthodox, a church that has deep roots here.  To this day, his elderly mother is an Orthodox monk. 

Demeke was zealous in his faith as a young man, and even persecuted evangelical Christians.  He led others to do the same, and they followed.  At one time, he was responsible for the burning of the homes of 35 Christian families, and the dispersal of their belongings.

This man has since been won to Christ, and been in his service for many years.  He now pastors, and mentors missionaries.  In fact, he currently supports our four native MCC missionaries - Epheson, Beyene, Tesfaye, and Henoke.

Demeke continues to grow as a faithful teacher of God’s Word.  He is an integral part of God’s church here in Africa.Please pray for Demeke, and all of the Ethiopian graduates who will be co-teaching next week.  They are learning quickly, and we are also learning a great deal from them.

Pastor Frank Malizzo is currently serving with Training Leaders International in Ethiopia. Join us as he shares about the people, lessons and experiences that God lays before him throughout his short-term mission trip.

Meet Gidaju! He is one of the leaders of the church here, and a key part of our training in Ethiopia this week. He is preparing with us to co-lead in our next theology course.

Early on, Gidaju was nearly taken from this world. But the Lord had other plans, and rescued him for a reason.

You see, Gidaju’s parents had seven children already. When they found out that they were pregnant with Gidaju, they decided that they could not handle any more. So, his mother was given a saline injection to get rid of him.

It did not work.

Then, they went to another doctor, where she was given a medicine to drink that was meant to induce an abortion.

But boils broke out all over her body.

Gidaju’s father then decided that God must not want them to get rid of this baby. So they carried Gidaju to term, and he was born healthy - miraculously! After that, they decided to allow God to lead, and they had two more children.

In time, Gidaju’s older brother would come to trust in Christ, and begin to follow Him. Then Gidaju did the same. Eventually, all of his siblings became followers of Jesus Christ. Last of all, his parents also came to believe.

Clearly, the Lord has a reason for rescuing Gidaju, and He is not done with him yet!

You might find it interesting, though, as you learn about the meaning of his name. It is rather ironic, given his humble demeanor.

With his surprising origin, Gidaju’s parents named him, “forceful one”.

Please pray for Gidaju, and all of the Ethiopian graduates who will be co-teaching with us next week. They are learning quickly, and we are also learning a great deal from them.

She was smiling behind an oxygen mask and extending a cup of coffee to me.  “Here,” she shouted above the grumble of chainsaws, “you look a little cold.”  I was grateful for the warmth on that chilly fall morning, but more grateful that she was here. Her oxygen tank was propped against a stump.

Why would such a woman be out cutting firewood? Well, she wasn’t cutting wood; but she was taking care of a bevy of people who were cutting, splitting, and stacking. And she was joyous!

One of my favorite things about the Wood Ministry is that we have the privilege of reminding people that they are created with purpose and dignity.  As a church, we don’t just give wood, we use the wood God has given us to share the Gospel for His glory.There was the man who loved trains, not physically able to cut or split, but a wonderful host and a fascinating story teller.

One year, there was a family of Wiccans who came. They loved being part of the cutting parties and rubbing shoulders with our quirky church family. The more they came, the more they heard about a God who loved them. A God they didn’t need to clean themselves up for. A God who sent His Son to die in their place. And they humbly saw their need for Him. I think they go to church in Moriarty now.

You see, as a church, we don’t just give wood, we use the wood God has given us to share the Gospel for His glory.

Suddenly, I found that it did make perfect sense: to be in the middle of the Manzanos, with a woman on oxygen handing out warm drinks and water. We took the wood back to her house and she gratefully warmed soup for us. Soup that warmed our souls as much as our bodies. It was a day of God’s grace.

The Wood Ministry is so much more than most people realize! God uses this ministry and His people in mighty ways when allow ourselves to be available and utilized by Him.

The Wood Ministry is hosting a Sponsorship Training on Saturday, October 20^th from 9:00am-11:30pm at MCC. Sponsors are vital in building last relationships with Wood Ministry beneficiaries and are key to helping beneficiares see how they can be important, contributing members of the wood cutting, processing and delivering process.

Contact Don and Ann Moore to get involved today!