"It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed." - Exodus 31:17

I love that the Lord had to command His people to rest. It doesn't come naturally to most of us to just “be” as most of us are humans, doing, instead of humans, being! Rest and worship are pretty synonymous in my mind with the word, “sabbath” and that is just what we had in mind as we set out on August 3rd for a two month sabbatical just days before our 42nd anniversary. Our 22 ft. travel trailer became our home on wheels and with very little distractions and an oversimplified agenda, we embarked on a journey of a lifetime. Our experience is rather difficult to put into words. How can you possibly describe 2 months of actually waking each morning (after a full night of sleep) with nothing else on the agenda but enjoying time with the Lord, each other, and the the amazing adventures that transpired daily? Carving out this time was the first miracle. My husband had this plan on his heart two years before we seriously considered moving towards making this a reality. With a very capable team in place to keep ministry activities going in our absence, we rolled all of our cares on the Lord for this season and gratefully and humbly accepted the gift of grace that He was holding out to us. Thank you to all that contributed in great and small ways to make this time refreshing and life giving. For those of you who know how hard it was for us to leave 12 amazing grandchildren, along with our beautiful daughters and their hubbies, you will be moved to laugh, as we were, to see this sign waiting for us on our arrival home:

“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” - II Timothy 2:2

There was much time for prayer and seeking the Lord on this sabbatical. It was also a great time to evaluate our ministry activities and the opportunities we have to invest in others through one on one discipleship, counseling, and various conferences and events. The greatest confirmation we received during the sabbatical time was to keep building up the body and investing in those that are willing to invest in others. Shortly before we left, the Lord connected us with a young woman wanting to minister in ways that are very similar to the heartbeat of our ministry. We had also been networking with a man starting a homeless outreach in Tempe for women and children. Again, the vision was similar to the mission of JCM and we were eager to encourage these individuals to yoke with the Lord in the fields that He was pointing them towards. It turns out that these were divine appointments and we would like to share these missions with you. It is a large part of what we are doing now... helping others, help others; entrusting to faithful men and women that will teach others.

I pray your hearts are ignited as you read about these two courageous followers who are seeking an enduring kingdom that is not of this world.

“I have been doing homeless outreach for some time now, and it had become painfully apparent that there were not enough beds to house women and their children. It has been a struggle trying to get women off the streets and into a safe facility. Most places have a four to six month waiting list. God put it on my heart that I could do something about it. So I assessed what I needed to do, and although financially it would take every penny I made and all of my time, I was faithful to do what God was requiring of me. I recently opened a shelter called Hope in Christ. We have been open about 3 months now and we house women and children that are homeless or in crisis (such as domestic violence). It is a Christ-based program with Bible study, church attendance, and job training along with opportunities for physical, emotional and spiritual healing. We are building relationships with these women and children just as we build our relationship with Jesus. We have had 18 women and children stay here and God has already worked miracles in some of their lives!

I would just like to say if God puts something on your heart to do, even if it's far beyond what you think you are able to do, He will be faithful and walk beside you every step of the way. If you had told me one year ago that I would have opened this shelter I would have said, "You're crazy! I don't have the resources for this kind of undertaking." With God all things are possible. If he brings you to it, he will bring you through it!”

“My Story + Dream: Romania currently has some of the highest statistics of minors being exploited through forced prostitution and sex-trafficking in the world. The average ages of these girls are 12-16, each year getting younger and increasing in numbers. My heart goes out to bring hope and healing to those who have been abused, neglected, and stripped of dignity. 9 out of 10 who have been rescued are returning to trafficking due to lack of help for them. My dream is to launch recourses, programs, and eventually a safe home where girls can find hope and healing and begin a new life of beauty and dignity. Over the years I have been preparing myself to more effectively reach and help those who cannot help themselves. Recently I graduated from college with a degree in teen counseling, along with getting certified as an advocate of sexually assaulted and human trafficking survivors. Currently I am furthering my studies in becoming a holistic nutritionist and wellness consultant, while also furthering my growth and experience living in the Netherlands. Returning recently from a trip to Romania has left me with many confirmations that this is where I am called while also leaving me with a deeper awareness of how I cannot do this alone. Teen girls are dying, in desperate need of a home where they can find hope and healing, along with someone to be there for them through the process. I have given my life to reach these girls with the hope of Jesus, in one of the most prevalent places in the world today; Eastern Europe, Romania.”

Isabella will be moving to Reghin Romania Feb. 6, 2018 to begin partnering with an organization (phoneo.org) to work with teen girls in the Roma areas. Hereafter getting some training she is pursuing launching extensive ways to reach the teen girls, because each ONE matters and deserves to be given the opportunity to live a beautiful life.

It is so exciting to see the Lord moving on the hearts of His faithful servants who dare to dedicate their lives to His service. They are risking everything to gain the eternal. As I have said many times to those who struggle with the fear of stepping out, the safest place is in the center of His will. No matter if that place is the streets of Phoenix, reaching out to prostitutes and the vulnerable as Logan finds himself doing time and time again, or in Romania, rescuing those who are sex trafficked as precious Isabella has chosen for her future, we are safe in His capable Hands!

As many of you know we had the marvelous opportunity to partner with Fortified Marriages Ministries during our sabbatical. At the end of September we were invited to attend the American Association of Christian Counselors world conference, Break Every Chain. We are grateful that Chris and Carmen Garner provided the tickets into the conference and the opportunity for us to connect with what seemed like a plethora of unlimited resources. We attended plenary sessions and workshops that were led by beautiful Christian professionals and pastors with insights and wisdom for reaching out to the broken. We would like to make an opportunity for those of you who are interested to certify in one of the AACC's latest series: Grief and Loss. We will provide the curriculum but if interested in certifying you must contact Doreen for pricing and details. It is not mandatory to certify. You are welcome to attend the class regardless. There will be limited spaces. Contact Doreen @ 480 831 1737 for more information.

Anyone interested in providing ministry to those unable to attend church services? Tom is chaplain at a beautiful rehabilitation facility in Gilbert. Many of the residents are recovering from surgeries and strokes and are in need of some TLC. We would love to have more individuals and families serving in this outreach. We recently came across another open door for ministry at a retirement community in Mesa. If interested in conducting services or doing room to room visitations please contact: Doreen @ 480 831 1737.

I love to say that... FREE STORE. Doesn't it just remind you of what our precious Lord has provided for us? An endless supply of resources and an inheritance that is unfading, all at His expense. The ministry delights in offering freely to others what has been freely given. We will be opening our annual FREE STORE on December 4th. There will be an opportunity for those in need to obtain clothing, toiletries and housewares (mostly women's items but we will have a small supply of men and childrens). Do you have someone you would like to bring to the FREE STORE? Appointments are needed so contact Doreen @ 480 831 1737 to set up a time to visit the JCM FREE STORE.

The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the Lord which He had done for Israel. Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten... so, all [the people of] that generation were gathered to their fathers [in death]; and another generation arose after them who did not know (recognize, understand) the Lord, nor even the work which He had done for Israel.” - Judges 2:7-10

As we close this newsletter with thanksgiving to all the wonderful servants who make this outreach possible, I would like to share a burden that has been continually upon my heart. When was the last time you shared with your friends, children, grandchildren, and neighbors the wonderful works that the Lord has accomplished in your life? As in the book of Judges, we seem to be losing a generation. The current generation is getting lost in technology, attaching constantly with humanity and detaching from the God of the Universe. This God is constantly sending out invitations to join Him in intimate fellowship! Yes, we can tell about Him on facebook. What a wonderful opportunity we have to share with massive amounts of people at one time, but this God chose to come to us and walk with us and die for us and send His Spirit to commune with us and He did this in person! The rabbinical way was to eat, sleep and drink discipleship. The disciples could actually follow someone who was, in reality, touching lives, doing miracles one at at time, feeding multitudes and taking time to hold the children on his lap. I don't know about you, but I am not easily impressed with anyone unless I can actually walk with them and see the real deal. Fancy sermons and elaborate power points don't move me. I want my grandchildren to know about the things that my Rabbi, Yeshua did for me. I want them to know how He sent a case of artichokes to a pregnant teen who was having a craving, or a jar of honey to a girl that had been abandoned by her “honey” or how He supplied our daily bread with a food truck that drove right up to our door and sustained anywhere from 10-14 hungry souls at our table every evening for many years. I want them to know how their Papa found a set of Grammy's lost keys in the dark on a mountain in South Phoenix, like a needle in a haystack, when we were going through a very challenging time in our personal lives and needed to know He was there. We must tell of His wonderful works to this generation! We need to make ourselves available so people can follow more than a tweet or a twitter or whatever else you call it. For the sake of our next generation, see where the Lord would have you to invest and take the time to make a disciple for His Kingdom. Tell someone close to you about something wonderful He did for you and watch as these stories grow like a seed that produces mountain moving faith that lives on until Jesus comes.