3.01.2011

Update

Hey guys,
I have a prayer request update--a beautiful answer to prayer. I had asked for prayer for provision for the Centre, and I have been praying for something to happen here like what happened so often in George Mueller's life.

Backstory: last month (February), we were eighteen days behind in our rent payment, and the building manager came and issued an ultimatum: we had to give him the full rent by 5 PM the next day, or we would need to find a new place come March 1. Our director prayed with the building manager for the money, then stayed up all night praying with his family and crying out to God for provision. He gathered people the next day to pray. They had only $1000--a third of the rent. At 4 PM, a check arrived for $2000, and they were able to pay the building manager the full $3000 and give him a testimony of what God had done.

Fast-forward: we had our fundraiser on Saturday, and it was a little disheartening, from a human perspective. We had been planning it for some time, hoping for a hundred or more people, and we had begun to get the place ready on Friday, and on Saturday morning it began to snow. I looked at the snow and begged God to send people anyway. We spent the whole day preparing the Centre and making food, and 6 PM came around, and people began to trickle in. Over the course of the next two hours they came singly, in pairs, or in families, until we had about 60 people. They weren't the number we had hoped for, but they were the people God wanted to come. None of them were wealthy; all of them were involved in some kind of ministry. They heard the story, and they gave.

I arrived at the Centre this morning just as the building manager was coming down to collect the rent. I didn't know at all what the results of the fundraiser had been, had been anxiously hoping God would provide. The building manager walked to the director, and the director calmly handed him a check for the full rent, exactly on time, and invited him to sit down and talk. He told him the story of how God had provided last month's rent, and then he said, "We have rent for this month, and we also have rent for next month." I got stuck somewhere between crying and laughing--O me of little faith!

This morning I read in Luke 18:1-8, "Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: 'There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, "Get justice for me from my adversary." And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, "Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me."'"

"Then the Lord said, 'Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?'"

We're seeing that in motion.

Praises
  • Praise God for His beautiful, timely provision. Praise Him for protecting His reputation in front of the people who are seeing us step out in faith. Praise Him for His faithfulness.
  • God has given me favor with my Canadian church group. I am being offered opportunities to participate in their ministry. Praise God for this wonderful open door here.
Prayer Requests
  • Please pray for divine appointments at the Centre. God is in this place; pray that He would help us to make Him known here.
  • Please continue to pray for provision of money, volunteers, ideas, and the filling of the Holy Spirit. Pray that the gospel would not be only in word or deed, but in power and the Holy Spirit here.
Thank you again, so much, for your prayers!
-Jennifer

3 comments:

Cary Beth said...

Mrs. Pankhurst,

What an inspiring story! PTL, and not the stupid TBN show. I am so proud of you and what you're doing. Praying for you!! :)

Jennifer said...

Thank you, Cary Beth!

Brenna Kate Simonds, Living Unveiled said...

Excited to find your blog and hear about what you're doing. Read my blog if you get a chance :)