For six years of my life, I wanted nothing to do with God. I quit going to church, and, like many teenagers today, my life was filled with resentment and darkness. I looked for shelter in alcohol. I began to identify with the “emo” crowd, started to do drugs, and even more. I can say without doubt that I was completely lost!

Today, I can declare the love and grace of God because he loved me and gave me a second chance.  If it wasn’t for God’s grace I would not have this story to share with you, and I probably wouldn’t even be alive.

When I was 16, I was invited to a camp organized by Message Ministries with Ps. Brian Weller. I didn’t want to go, but I ended up going. The first day, I felt bored and just wanted to go home.  I didn’t want my life to change. But God had a purpose for me, and on the second night, He touched my life. He released me, restored me, opened my eyes, and made me see how wrong I had been. Still, he reminded me how much He loves me and at that moment I understood that He was the only one who could fill the gaping hole that I had in my life.  I opened my heart to him again so that he could work on me. The change God made in me that night was so amazing (inside and out) that when I finished praying, I looked at myself in the mirror and I saw a different person. I was not ‘the old Cynthia’… now I was a new creature! (2 Cor 5:17).

From that day on, I decided to start on a new road in my life. I decided to serve God. Today I am part of the “Hearts on Fire” Missions Group. We have just one purpose: to win more lives to Christ, by teaching them the word of God, encouraging them through our previous experiences and reminding them that God is the only one that can solve their problems.

We do missionary trips to domestic places. We recently returned from a missionary trip to the jungle. That trip taught me a lot. I am thanking God for allowing me to be part of his work here on Earth! There is nothing more gratifying than seeing people being restored by God. Seeing how God works in people really inspires me to go forward and not to fall; to keep fighting the good battle until the day in which Jesus comes back for his church.

Please pray for the Cross Street Peru Mission Team as we prepare to go minister in Peru. Once a year we take the Cross Street team to Peru to help the Peruvians reach their country with the gospel.  The team has been meeting, praying, preparing and practicing since January in order to be effective and fruitful on this trip.  This is our first American mission team to Peru since last summer’s Cross Street Team.  The other mission teams we’ve sent out this year have been made up of Peruvians, including the “Corazones en Fuego” youth team.

It is exciting to see the Peruvians doing the hard work as we slip more and more into a “backup role”.  Even though we continue to support the 10 feeding centers and other local ministries, the Peruvians are taking more and more responsibility as we at Message Ministries begin to focus more on the 10/40 window. We praise God for Marco Aroni and the other Peruvian leaders, for their hard work in directing the ministry in Peru.

This year’s Cross Street team is made up of 20 youth and leaders who come from 9 different churches.  The whole team will be together in Peru from June 20 – 30, and one half of the team will stay until July 7th. While there, the team will be doing street & public school outreaches, building prefab homes, hosting eyeglass clinic outreaches, doing VBS ministry, and ministering at the 9th annual Cross Street Youth Camp.

PERU YOUTH CAMP – JUNE 26-30

 

 

Hello from Thailand,

The coup that took place a month ago has not affected me at all except for the earlier curfew from 10 PM to 6:00 AM.  It is now midnight to 4:00 AM.  Things in Chiang Mai seem normal except for the occasional soldier walking around with an M-16.  Thailand has not had major problems like Myanmar and Cambodia.  It is thought that when the king, age 86, dies, that there will be a major problem.  The son is a playboy and the youngest daughter is affiliated with China where she lives.  The oldest daughter doesn’t want any part of it and she is single and too old to have an heir.  Please keep praying for the stage to be set for revival among the ethnic Thai people.

Since Sandy Cohen hurt her back at the gym, she won’t come until August.   At that time, we will go to China and other surrounding countries to try to find projects she can become involved with both personally and with finances.  I have some new opportunities for her in Myanmar and here in Thailand.

Since last year, I have been working with two Business As Missions people in Cambodia who have been struggling with their business as missions project in Phnom Penh.  Last week, I put them in contact with a Japanese businessman here in Thailand who may be able to help develop a new product line.  Sandy may be able to help them if they can adapt their project to fit her parameters.  Please pray for Darin and James to get their business going and help the kids in the garbage dump in Phnom Penh.

I am now working with some new people here in Thailand.  One is a very unusual young Thai man who has a prison ministry.  I will go with him next week to do some ministry in a local prison.  I will also help him develop an Aquaponics system of raising fish and growing veggies to sell.  It will help create jobs for released prisoners.  I have also met a Malaysian/Singaporean lady who has a business that is doing fairly well.  We may be able to expand it into Cambodia.  However, I am helping her develop a business plan for a large orphanage north of here.  She would teach English and develop some business programs to help them become self-supporting.  We will meet again next week to put together a proposal.

I enjoy being here in Thailand and especially helping missionaries succeed.  I have meetings every week helping missionaries develop their ministries.  There seems to be a trend toward starting businesses throughout this region to support local ministries.  This is especially true in creating jobs for young Thai people who become Christians and need time to be mentored before being sent out to reach others.

Thank you for praying for me and helping me financially to stay on the mission field.  I actually love it here though I would like to get back occasionally to see family and friends.  People ask me about retiring.  I tell them that I can’t find that word or idea in the Bible.  As my old friend Wayne Myers used to say, “I’m not going to RETIRE, I’m going to RE-FIRE and keep going.”  I hope to die with my boots on.  That is, out doing the Lord’s work when my time comes.  Come join me.

Prayer Requests:
1.    Closer walk with the Lord.  I would like to have a personal revival with more power in my life.
2.    God’s blessings on my kids and grandkids.
3.    Open doors for greater ministry and projects mentioned above.
4.    Continued good health.
5.    All the finances I need to travel.  In August, I will be gone most of the month to China, Myanmar and Cambodia doing Business As Missions.

God bless you, Jim