When the Lord talks to you, you should really listen… If God is calling to you or leading you or piercing you heart this season to do more then you really need to listen closely. Earlier this season we had a plan to have several of us in the church plan & do some outreach programs in several parks where we could serve our community. Most of them did not happen. In fact the one that I planned & put together was the only park event that did. Kevin's open house to reach his neighborhood went well and they had 30-40 people from the neighborhood come. But my community picnic in the park was the one that was planned to be last and was to cost the most. It was easy for mosrt to think "Why even bother?" especially when it started to rain just as the picnic was to start. The plans could have easily been thwarted had we not stuck to what we felt God leading us to do. It wasn't until the mid afternoon 1 and a half  hours before we packed up that we saw the largest number of people from the community show. 60-70 people was the total for the day that we served free hamburgers, hot dogs, an assortment of deserts, soda, water, games and Blepo the clown. Since then we have had a few of these people visit quite a few times. That and the fact that the ones that have come have been blessed by the word and we can now reach them for Christ is awesome.  

I have learned that even when we are “busy” working for the Lord we can have our ears shut and insist on “finishing the project that God has put us in charge of”.  Or we could be ready to move on and take the road that “appears” to be what God wants for you. You need to be in constant communication with the Father through prayer & studying the word & you need especially be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

This last spring I received a call from a person that I did not know. The call was from a place I had been only once maybe twice ever, and it was concerning a thing that I had not thought of or even expressed an interest in. the call was from a church in Minnesota and the call was about a youth pastor position in their church.  They had received my name from someone in South Dakota and wanted me to apply.  I thought that is was a joke from one of Rachel’s cousins that goes there. When the search committee called me I really did think that it was a joke so I responded as I would any other person playing a prank on me. Well even after a lengthy conversation with the lead person from the search committee and even setting up an interview date I still believed it to be a hoax. Even after getting there and meeting the people I expected that someone was going to pop out from behind the wall & say “YOU’VE BEEN PUNKED!”

Long story short, the interview was real the desire was real, the need was very real. The love and respect that I received from these wonderful people and the very enticing offer of salary, benefits, and stability was all too overwhelming! I really did wrestle with what God was trying to tell me with this. I literally flopped back and forth between taking the position and not daily. Mon yes I’m taking the job, Tuesday I can’t Wednesday yes we’re moving! Thursday I can’t…

  One Thursday my decision was final. I was taking the position and I just new that that was the answer! I thought surely this is right because I wasn’t searching for it & it had to be a God thing. I mean really out of nowhere there is a church looking at my Xanga site that is really only for my Supporters. But in talking to Clete one of my good friends here in Iowa and telling him that I was definitely taking the position for my family and that I was torn because it meant so many good things for my family but that I really felt uneasy in my spirit. Then he posed a question to me.  He said “Well have you done everything that God called you here for?” I couldn’t answer any other way but “No.” And then came the horrible time of telling those wonderful people at that great church that I could not take the position. (For which I was created for by the way… very sad face here!)

I know that the Lord wants me here and I know that he has a great amount of work for our entire family here as He has proven these last 2 years. I do admit that with the $50,000.00 that we now owe for Aria’s medical bills from falling 15 feet out of a tree the need for insurances and the still urgent need for support makes me think that it would have been nicer to… Never mind. Anyway I think you get my point and if not let me make it clear to you. Be obedient to God no matter what. By the way I know that I have not kept you all up on Aria's health report and I am very sorry that I have been late in informing you. We have been very busy trying to get aide for our bills her health is good & she has recovered fully and there are no further complications.

God may have us to do a different thing for a short while as he works out another part of our lives. I am constantly reminded of this as I work with my kids. As they are working out a project or chore here at the house I may have them “busy” doing a work for me and then because of time or need I will ask them to change what they’re doing because that’s what they need to do right now.  I know the frustration of having to explain to them that they need to be doing something else right now. I also know the frustration of when they resist my directions and insist on continuing the project they are working on. This took me all day to convince them to do, in the first place!  

God will have you do a project to completion but along the way He may have you complete a side project. Please be ready to “Wait” on the Lord. Do not think of it as in not doing anything, but rather as a waiter would do for you in a restaurant. When you think of or hear the scripture “They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings like eagles, they shall walk & not faint, they shall run & not grow weary…” Think of the “wait” as an act of servitude.

Know that when we do for others and when we pray for others and when we forgive others and when we tell others of the “good-news” and we do it even at the cost of insurance & salary we are waiting on the Lord and He will provide for us even when we cannot see it coming. We are serving others for love’s sake and we are showing them & growing them in God’s plan!

Well on another note Bridge of Hope is growing! While it seems we're growing slowly and painfully slow sometimes I must admit, I know that we are in God's hands.We as a church are in need of people to partner in ministry with us. Christians that can help us grow the core team of people so that we can be even more effective.  We need financial partners that will come along side of us and catch the vision of Bridge Of Hope. to see that vision go to the church website www.bridgeofhopechurch.com We as a ministry are in the Ephesians 6:10-19 stage. The part where we understan that our growth is being slowed because of spiritual warefare. We are praying every Thursday night from 6:30 to 8:30 or 9:00 and now we are doing a weekly fast on Mondays. How would you like to join us for anyone of those ministry plans. If you would like to pray for the specific things that we pray for weekly you can visit the website and click on the "Pray for us" link. Or feel free to e-mail  bridgeofhope@mchsi.com and let Lorry know that you want to be in prayer with us & how you found out about it. If you want to join our fasting team then please just fast on Monday withus and send a little note to lorry to let her know that you are on the team. If you want to move here to do ministry with us then you need to talk to God and your spouses about that... and then move, we would be glad to add you to the congregation.And finally if you would like to join the financial support team, again visit the website and click on the "Help Us"link.

And finally the youth ministry at B.O.H. is going slowly as well. we need volunteer bodies and strrong mentors to help me as we retune the youth program. I still am doing mentoring to a few teens and we have a young adults ministry that I am developing with Kevin & some of the young adults from the church. We will kick off the study & outreach of that in January. To see what & how we do youth ministry visit the website. I would like you all to pray for all of the ministry areas that I lead or co-lead in: youth, young adult, outreach evangelism and praiseteam. Thank you so much for your continuing love & support.

God's blessings to you this month & I look forward to giving you theDecember Update in a few days! Until then Keep the Faith & Trust in Him Totally! -------------------------------------------------- Armond  

                                                                             Prayer Requests:

             Please, Please, Please, pray for our support. It is so very important that we get fully funded for

             out of pocket insurances and to cover the cost of transportation gas & repair to our donated

            vehichles that I cannot express it fully.

            Please pray for Bridge Of Hope daily. We are at the "Wrestling against spiritual warefare"

            stage and could use some extra reinforcements!

            Please lift Kevin & the rest of the Van Wyks in prayer. The struggles against spiritual warefare

            takes its toll on us & our families and since Kevin is the lead pastor he faces the brunt of the

           attack