Friday night was a very emotional evening. We had three new people join the group.  It’s exciting to see the room fill with many challenges among the crowd.  If you desire an evening with changing circumstances you would enjoy HOPE.  Not every one is capable of handling the many challenges we face at the addiction program. Many of these students have very serious problems and represent touch and go situations.  One was at the center Friday night.

A young girl about the age of 18-19 came to the center.  She was polite and quiet.  When we got to the prayer request time she opened up to us in tears about her problems.  She is a victim of child abuse, as well as many other challenges; some were very serious.  I believe this was one of the most difficult sessions I have had at HOPE since we started in January.  It left us totally and mentally exhausted. Not since my college days at Lima Mental Hospital, working in the criminally insane department, have I been this challenged. Believe me I had to really think and remember the correct procedures in dealing with her. STOP there! See the HOLY SCRIPTURES win every time.  WE pointed to JESUS!  He is truly OUR Lord and Savior.

Please continue to pray for our Enabled Ministry…HOPE!

Director Mike Williams-Hope International Addiction Program
Enabled Ministry

OVERALL UPDATE:  The pantry has now seen over 300 people receive food once, or multiple times!  This means that over 300 people have heard the gospel!  If we think about their families, Grace Baptist Church has touched over 1,000 people in Middletown over the past 8 months.  GOD IS SO GOOD!

Brian,
The pantry is getting very sparse. If you get slammed like we did Thursday, you may not have sufficient  for Tuesday. We were so busy Thursday I just used the client list with the names. We always try to double check addresses and ask if they are same household. I will look at the other list next week and see if that helps more.

We need to pray for Seldon Tutt Sr., his mother ( also a client) passed away last month from a fall. He was pretty broken up about it when he came in Thursday. Talked to him and told him we would be praying for him. His mom’s file is on top of the file cabinet.Seldon will need to fill out an app. (as he was on his moms) and his ID needs to be redone.

I also forgot to put  the stickers for salvation on the 4 that accepted Christ. You can leave their files for me to do next week, if you don’t get a chance. sorry

Val

This summer the Joyful Women hosted three Bible studies at the Enabled Ministries facility.  Here is a brief synopsis from this Bible study.  Praise the Lord, and thank you, ladies!

• June- 3 visitors, all dealt with regarding salvation, all saved
• July- 4 visitors, 1 new, all dealt with regarding salvation, all saved
• August- 1 visitor, she had attended all 3 and brought something for the breakfast

All in all the Bible Study went very well. The Joyful Women & other ladies from the church
did a wonderful job with food, conversation and participation in the Word.

-  Barb Harville

Many have come up to me in church or public places and (not surprisingly) asked, “What do you do at the Hope Ministry?”  I would like to explain the No’s and Yes’s of the ministry and how to deal with addicts and the homeless in Middletown.

Enablement defined is, “any approach that provides means or opportunity.”  A leading question among workers dealing with the addicted people is, “How do I know the difference between enabling them and showing them love?”

Some believe that it is just a lack of character that keeps the addicted bound and they just need to repent and exercise will power to stop their addiction.  (TRUE) However, in some cases they will feel sorry for them and will continue to enable them-giving them enablement-a help that hurts!  The best method is replace their addiction with the Word of God and change their behavior and habits.

Replacing compassion with Godly and spiritual needs.  You see, you cannot help someone UNTIL they, come to the end of themselves.  The need to LOVE and COUNSEL them with Godly Principles.  Being sincere is important and not just spitting out hot air.  They know when you are blowing smoke at them.  It comes down to the fact we must be willing to help them not enable their habits.

We strive to follow certain principles:   (1)  If a student asks for money; one who would enable them would give them money–quickly. (2) One who would love them could meet them at the store or take them to the store and purchase the item of need. Plus, spending valuable time with them and developing them in spiritual ways.

Other things in the same order: If they ask for gas money or transportation money, don’t ever give them money!  It gives them a way to buy their sinful habits. If you love them take them to the store and purchase the gas for them. And again you are spending valuable time with them to develop spiritual values.

We at HOPE try to change their circumstances of how they are living.  We have one student now boarding at THE HOPE HOUSE, two who are staying with friends, and one enrolled with The Good Will Industries learning a job skill and placement. One student is enrolled in school to get his GED diploma.  Two have jobs and are becoming self-dependent. These are major accomplishments if you knew where they came from and where they are today.

There is hardship as well, as we have seen several drop out of the program and back on the streets.  We still offer them a way to be set free but it is their blindness to sin that leads.  Pray for them and HOPE INTERNATIONAL.

Director of Hope International addiction program- Mike Williams
Enabled Ministries

Hope International Addiction Program

We are all familiar with the “PRODIGAL SON”, and the sadness of the sons’ departure and how the father never took his eye off the horizon waiting for his sons’ return.

We at HOPE see familiar stories just like this one.  Friday night we took our banner outside so those who drive by could see we were open for our meeting.

Then we met Mark.  Mark is a 42 year-old homeless man who had just lost his job and soon after, he lost his apartment.  Mark was a special person as he also boarded (free) to several homeless young adults with no place to live or no food. He was a Christian man and lived with Christian morals and principals.  Mark had a compassion for others who are in dire need.  I actually met Mark during our open house for the Enabled dinner during Revival week.

Now Mark and the others who were living with him were homeless.  The landlord allowed them to stay just two more weeks but now time was up.  He now lives on the streets.  He has no job, no place to live and is running out of money to buy food.

Now we have Brenda.  Brenda is 18 years old and has been homeless since May 2010 when she graduated and turned 18. She has lived with several others who were in similar situations as her own.  Doing odd and end jobs and struggling to meet expenses.  Mark had allowed her to have her own room that she shared with another girl.

Brenda was now homeless as well.  She sat there on a town center bench and wept.  She had no place to stay because the Hope House was filled.  Hope House has 50 beds and 20 beds for hard-core addicts trying to get free. (Several have been coming to our meetings).

I asked why she didn’t go home and she said, “Her mother told her she was old enough to take care of herself.”  That seems to be the thing with so many of these young adults.  Then they turn to prostitution or drugs.  Brenda is trying to stay clean and was scared to be left alone on the streets.

In both cases they are sleeping in the hallways of the court house.  That seems to be the safest place to stay.  They said the police make them move around all night to keep from being arrested.

They come to HOPE INTERNATIONAL for a touch of God.  We hold no prejudice feelings nor look down on them.  We offer hope and encourage them that God loves them.  We go to the streets and rescue them.  Pray for our ministry. Our ministry is important to those in need to be set free.

Hope International Director Mike Williams
Grace Baptist Enabled Ministries

This past Tuesday, 15 individuals came through the Enabled ministry.  One trusted the Lord as Savior.  In addition, two more trusted Christ as Savior on Thursday.  Praise the Lord!

We need some workers.  Please see Brian Messer this Sunday to volunteer or see Bro. Mike Williams or Jim Battig to volunteer for the Addictions ministry.

Hope International Addiction Program

Leadership is only as good as your team.  We are so blessed with the workers at the Hope Ministry.  You can certainly see this in the development of the Ministry Program.

Friday was just a typical day for Joyce and I as we got things ready for the Friday night Addictions program.  We needed to make sure we had enough coffee for Roland, water for Jesse, Brian clean clothes to change into, and James plenty of shaved ham for sandwiches.  Get the computer packed, have the right disc for music and Bible Truth memorization program.  My sermon is ready and I had all the materials needed to pass out in the meeting.  READY, SET, GO!  ”That’s our motto”.

How fast things can change!  I told Joyce everything seemed to be in a glass jar.  When looking at things they became at a far distance.  I have had these same experiences before and I knew I had better sit down.  I managed to get to my reclining sofa and the next thing I knew, time had passed by 35 minutes.  I had a blackout.  I called for Joyce and she quickly noticed that my speech was slurred and my face was drawn.  I was having a stroke.  She called my doctor and was instructed to get to the hospital.

How quick things can change.  We made several calls and talked with Brother Max.  Still “on with the program; my workers were going to be in charge…not missing a beat.”

Joyce took me to the hospital and while they were filling out paper work and admitting me she went to the center and met Jim and Donna Henry (Counselors).  She unlocked the door and gave them means to purchase the pizzas.  Roland showed up and had chips, water and soft drinks.  Then Joyce rushed back to the hospital as they were taking me in for tests. Nothing lost all taken care of: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” PHILLIPIANS 4:6-7

There were two new students that evening and if we had been closed we would have missed this new blessing.  ”Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

We have even more proof that HOPE is working and more will walk the streets of Middletown someday set free!  Most important, this is why we need your help!  No one tries to do this program alone, WE ARE A TEAM!!!  God Bless.

Mike Williams Director HOPE INTERNATIONAL ADDICTION PROGRAM
Enabled Ministries-Grace Baptist Church

A visitor came into our Friday night program.  We had just prayed, as a group, that we wished we could reach someone new into the program.  Just then we noticed an elderly man walking slowly back and forth in front of the Enabled building.  He kept looking in as he walked to and from the window in front of the building.  One of our students went to the door and talked with the visitor.  Soon he entered in and asked if he could join this group’s meeting.

He introduced himself as Fred Arney, a passer buyer, on his way to Georgia to visit family.  He was on foot, no place to go and nowhere to find shelter for the night.  He was hungry and really distraught with his current circumstances.  He was polite and very quiet mannered, as he spoke very quietly just above a whisper.  He said, he saw this was some type of ministry and knew it would be safe to come in and really needed to be in God’s presence.

We welcomed him in and gave him a Bible and told him about our program.  He smiled as we led him to a seat and introduced ourselves to him.  He joined right in our sharing of testimonies and asking for prayer requests.

James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Freds’ testimony was that as he left Toledo, Ohio.  He was telling testimony of how God was working in his life.  He wanted to share his love for Jesus.  Enclosed is a poem he wrote and was sharing in his journey to Georgia.  (I did not change his spelling, so it reads as he wrote it).

Sin shall not have deminsion over you
Far you are not under the LAW but under GRACE
Vingnes is mine sayes the Lord
Amaizing Grace how sweet it sounds
that saved a wretch like me
I wonth was lost But now I am found
Was los blind but now I see
If the Son shall set you free you shall be free indeed.

IS MY NAME WRITTEN THERE?
World I care not for riches…neither silver nor Gold
I would make sure of heaven
I would enter the fold, in the clouds of thy Kingdom
with His pages so clear and fair,
Tell me Jesus my Savior is my name written there?

Lord my sins they are many like the sands of the sea
But the BLOOD of my Savior is suffience far me
Far the promise is written in bright letters that glow
tho your sins be as scarlet, I will make them like snow
Is my Name Written There?

O that beautiful city with its mansion of light
with it’s glorified beings in pure garment of white.
where no evil thing cometh to do-spoil
what is fair where the Angels are watching
Yes my Name’s written there…Yes my name is written there
you can find it in His book yes on the page of life
In the book of the Kingdom
Yes my names written there

Fred Arney

We closed around 9:30 P M  and Joyce and I cleaned the pantry and started turning the lights off and Fred left.  We watched him as he slowly walked away on his venture to Georgia.

Director HOPE International
Grace Baptist Church Enabled Ministries

Dear Church Family,

We need your help.  This coming week (August 1st), the Enabled Food Pantry is opening back up.  This means that more people will be coming through the food pantry and more souls will be saved.

In preparation, I would like to ask you to make a personal commitment to bring a minimum of 2 non-perishable items with you either Wednesday or Sunday and $1.00 per individual.  The funds will go to help further stock the pantry.  If each person that comes this Sunday would bring 2 non-perishable items then this will go a very long way in sustaining the stock.  Items such as the following are acceptable (there are many more to choose from):

• Canned Veggies
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Spaghetti
• Peanut Butter…etc (see more online at http://enabled.gbcblogs.com/?p=335)
  

Consider searching in your own pantry at home.  Search for that can of food that you will probably never use.  We can probably use that.  If you have children, send them to church with some to give as well.

God has honored your faithfulness in the past, and He will continue to do so.  There are several who have joined the H.O.P.E. International Addictions program as a result of receiving food through the pantry.  Please do whatever it takes to keep yourself reminded of this need.  Possibly, print off an email or a picture from the blog.  Tie a string on your finger…etc  If you have any questions, please email Brian Messer at Bmesser86@gmail.com.  May God bless you.

In Christ,
Bro. Fernandez