HopeNotes #57 – 2.25.09 – Letter From Lisa

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Hi, Friends,

It’s hard to believe another week has passed already. Some weeks seem to drag by and some seem to go quickly, don’t they? I’ve been getting used to my “new kind of normal.” That means my feet have been swollen and I sprain my ankle a few times a day. I’ve been sore all week as a storm has been “wanting to arrive” but hasn’t. I’ve used emotional energy fighting over bills that I don’t think are correct. And yet, being able to do ministry stuff has been keeping all of these other things in their correct place right now — as just parts of life, like the rest of yours.

The podcasts twice a week have been an encouragement to me, as I’ve had the chance to get to know our guests even better. I’ve also been working on HopeKeepers Magazine and reading through so amazing testimonies and stories of people who are still turning to God, even during their most trying times.

Joshn 3:16 says, “”I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” I’ve heard this verse many times, but the other day I heard it in a new way. God says, “I have overcome the world…” Not, “I will overcome the world.” God already knows what the stock market will do next week What medications that may not be approved by our insurance; what infection we may fight; what our families may have to cope with. But he has already overcome it.

So although it is a trial and a trouble we have in this world, we have to cling to the fact that God has already overcome it. By giving his Son to save us and the ability for the Holy Spirit to touch our lives each day, we can feel the assurance that it’s all been taken care of.

As much as I believe this, a part of me fears that I am talking the talk and God will want to “create more character” by making me “walk the walk.” I hope when I am tested I can withstand the test.

God bless you and thank you for your daily encouragement!

Lisa Copen
Rest Ministries Director and Founder

Yes! I can make a donation to help Rest Ministries continue their outreach!

My Story – Missionaries in Kenya

Richard and his wife Selpher are Pastors and Missionaries in Kenya. They are on our mailing list and have offered great prayer support for Rest Ministries despite their own challenges. Richard recently wrote to me (Lisa) when he received the first new issue of hopenotes… I encourage you to visit their web site and read more about their ministry. There are also some wonderful photos of their ministry. I asked him to share more about what is going on in their lives so that we could pray for them as well. His response is below.

Dear Lisa,

So sorry for the sickness [you have experienced]. We have been remembering you in our prayers– as our prayer team is always in prayer for all saints and the prayer requests sent to us every Saturday.

We had wondered as to what happened to hopenotes as they have always encouraged us. I have been busy all through due to the refugees in our church that came ranning for help when we had trible clashes here soon after the presidential elections were announced last year on the 30th December 2007. God has been good to us as we have in this time of trauma had to believe God for victory.

God bless you and look forward for your kind reply to us.

Pastor Richard and Selpher,
http://www.thekingsrings.com/kings_pages/richminsterchristian/

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Dear Lisa and friends,

Greetings from Kenya again! It may have taken some time to reach to you again but I just wanted to let you know and celebrate with us the victory and miracle the Lord has done to our family during our time of silence. You may understand that Kenya has been facing some great difficulties and civil wars have been the talk of Kenyans and the whole nation had been immersed in the fire of conflict due to the disputed presidential election results that were announced on 30th Dec. 2007.

The story of Kenya falling apart was that top story to almost every country’s newspapers, radios and church pulpits in the whole world. During this time, the house we were staying in was set on flame the day we were at the church holding the Sunday services and we lost all things in that fire. Praise God that our family was protected by God. A few of our friends were told of this story but we withheld it from others. Soon after things had began settling down, we had to get to the bank and the bank gave us a soft loan and we bought a small farm in Bungoma city. We had to construct a house and now we have moved in there.

After the conflict we learned a lesson of staying amidst your own people, the people of your own language, as Africa is full of ethnic wars. This is a true story in Africa for due to many tribes and the colonial government divided the lands in tribal basis, when they went back the governments that took over after them again favored their own people–chasing people in a place and forcing people of their tribes there– so this is a continuous problem in the African lands.

One lady called Indira Patro, a friend whom we have known for sometime, sent us some funds to begin constructing at home. The Lord told us not to build at home and we kept the few materials. When we got the land, we had to get the materials to be used in this construction.

As I write, I have a prayer request to bring across for your prayer. I have two children born to me Blessed Richard and Gifted Richard. Schools have opened and now other children have gone to school and cleared their fees but mine are still. Since I relocated to the new home, problems have also increased due to the loan one of it is paying fees for over five orphans and now my little children.

Soon after relocating, we have been shopping for a good school and lastly we found one and they need Ksh 34,800, we have paid Ksh8,000 and now we are stranded on how to get the Ksh 26,800 to clear the fees now that we have been give a grace period of two weeks. Please remember us in prayer in this area. We believe prayer moves any mountain. Pray for us believers.

Pastor Richard and Selpher

Letter from Editor

Dear Friends,

It’s Spring!

I feel like we’ve been out of touch for so long. Like many of you I’ve been in survival mode since mid-December with multiple infections, colds, time off medications, and way too much prednisone. But we’re back… and we’re moving our newsletter services back to ‘Get Response’ and ‘Aweber’ (depending on how you signed up) so that those of you who have email plans like yahoo, hotmail and aol can actually get the ezine.

I have plans for this ezine to get to you each week, and have it be a brief source of encouragement and updates about what is going on at Rest Ministries. I look forward to your feedback and help too! If you see something that you think others would enjoy knowing about, just forward it on to me (by next week we should have a form for this!)

May you feel His comfort,

Lisa Copen
Rest Ministries Director and Founder

Little Do We Know What God Has Planned

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” (Jeremiah 29:11) 

One of my favorite movie lines is from a John Wayne movie. Naturally, being a guy, it would be.) In “The Alamo” Wayne quotes a parson when he says “Little do we mortals know.”  When we suffer from chronic illness and pain, we often feel as if our lives no longer have any value.  In that fear and pain distorted “wisdom,” we think we can see our future so clearly.

And, for me, that is the way it was in January of 2007.  My days were spent lying on the floor of my bedroom, in my parent’s house.  I had lost my job, my life, and now had to deal with the results of several surgeries for a severe back injury. I asked myself, “How can God use me in the shape I am in?” But, God was moving in my life in ways that, even now, are hard to comprehend.

My mother was diagnosed with lymphoma in late February of 2007.  Not only was I laid up, but my mother was ill as well.  One day in late March, she could no longer hold food on her stomach. We had to rush her to the hospital.  But, what could I do?  I had been flat on my back for months. Every time I tried to get up, I was in agony.  All the way, driving to the hospital that night, I kept praying, “God, give me strength to do this.”  All during this period, I had been exercising to strengthen my back.  But, most of time, I had little success in controlling the pain.

But, as March moved into April and my mother was still hospitalized, my back became stronger.  I could stand for longer periods without pain.  I still could not walk long distances.  But, all I had to do was make it up to my mother’s hospital room.  I stayed up with her from 7PM to 7AM, every night.  My dad took the day shift.

After numerous stays in the hospital, my mother came home about mid-June.  But, she still could not eat. She had to be fed intravenously, and needed care around the clock.  So, there I was, all last summer, doing a twelve-hour shift taking care of my mother at night.  Just three months earlier, I could barely get up off the floor.  In between taking care of her, I was able to do laundry and dishes. My father worked on the hospital bills, and watched her by day.

We lost my mother on October 7th.  Through all of the stress, all the pain of watching her in pain, and countless hours on my feet, God worked a miracle in three lives.  He took this battered and broken body, and raised me off the floor to live again.  In the process, he blessed my parents by giving them support that they desperately needed in one of their darkest hours.

God also used my mother’s incredible strength of faith to strengthen my faith.  In all of those terrible months that she was ill, she was never cross, never complained, and was always gracious to the nurses and doctors!  Watching the way this woman of God bore up under that terrible, devastating disease made me ashamed of the way I had dealt with my own illness.

These days, I take care of my father and the house in general.  I still have some pain.  But, God has given me a strength, a peace, and a purpose for living that I have not had in 44 years!  Recently, my dad broke his shoulder tripping over some chairs.  I “picked” him up off of the floor, and put him in one of the chairs.  At the hospital, they put him in a sling and sent him home with me.  How little did I know.

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Bill Shamblin suffers from degenerative disc disease, and severe neuropathy from three back surgeries. He lives with his parents in East Tennessee and has been out of work for three years. Sometimes, the greatest test of faith is waiting on God’s timing, not our own.

HopeKeepers Magazine is Back!

HopeKeepers Magazine has shipped!

It has shipped! Over 4000 issues went out to subscribers, doctors, counselors and 6,000 arrived in Lisa’s garage yesterday afternoon. We are excited to be ‘back in business!’ To our subscribers… your overwhelming patience and encouragement while we waited until we could afford to go to print is appreciated more than you will ever know! Wondering if an issue is heading your way? You can click here to see. If you want one and aren’t on the list, you can get one by ordering anything in our store (even a $.50 item) and we’ll stick on in you envelope.

To find out more see http://www.hopekeepersmagazine.com

HopeNotes is Back… and Weekly!

You are receiving our ezine!
In our book –this is actual news. We’ve moved back over to ‘Get Response’ so people with aol, yahoo, hotmail, etc can actually get our ezines. It was frustrating to not be able to reach nearly half of you last fall. And we’re going to do our best to make this a weekly issue. Which also means you won’t be overwhelmed with tons of information each time! We hope you enjoy it.