Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ~Phil 3:13-14
A Word From Terri
This morning, while sipping coffee and reading on my patio, I was distracted by all the different birds coming and going in my flower garden. They were contentedly enjoying the variety of seeds provided for them in the bird feeders.
Ironically, as I pulled my attention away from the birds and back to my Bible, the passage on my lap read, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matthew 6:26) God had my attention.
Just moments before, I had been complaining to God about all the concerns in this ministry over the lack of time, energy, and resources to do all the things He was asking me to do. My thoughts were flitting around from one thing to the next trying to figure it all out. In that passage, I heard the quiet, gentle voice of the Holy Spirit whispering, "I see your needs. I know exactly what it will take, and I'll make the provision." God was telling me to look again at the birds and follow their example. They weren't worried or even concerned about their needs. They were just enjoying the provision.
And truly, God has been faithful to meet every need. His seed of provision is even spilling over into areas of my life beyond what I thought possible. Much like the seeds in the bird feeders, His sustenance has come in a variety of ways, each a taste and a texture unique to its own privation. This newsletter is a testimony to God's faithfulness to me and to Terri Clark Ministries, Inc. Read, and be encouraged as you trust God for your own seed of provision.
Uganda
God is so faithful! Construction of the second floor of the Uganda Ray of Hope Medical Center is about two-thirds complete. As we raise the funds the building is being raised as well. The second floor will provide a much needed in-patient and maternity ward as well as a surgical theater. This small medical facility is a mini-hospital providing physical and spiritual care for thousands in this impoverished area. My prayer is to complete construction by the end of the year.
Ray of Hope Medical Center Second Floor Construction
Artist's Rendition of Completed Medical Center
Ministry of the Word
Vietnam Women's Conference
In March, I traveled to Vietnam as part of Jim and Nancy Pennington's Firefall International team. Nancy, Jasmine Jacob, (a young woman from Spain), and I brought God's Word to the Women's Conference while Jim Pennington and Jason Daniel, brought the Word to a Youth Pastor Conference in a different location. All of the attendees were Christian leaders in the persecuted church. Feeling as if I should be sitting at their feet, I was very humbled and honored to bring the Word of God to my Asian sisters.
When Jim's meeting for the Youth Pastors was shut down by the authorities, these precious people were undaunted. They just loaded everyone up and moved to another location. At one point we thought our women's conference would be shut down as well. Our meeting organizer, was devastated. The tears spilling from her eyes revealed just how much these meetings meant to her, even more than the joy she expressed when she saw we could continue on.
Our team smuggled gift-wrapped packages of Bibles into Vietnam
How deeply these Christians value and cherish their relationship with the Lord, His Word, worship, and gathering in His name. I had a glimpse of their passion when we visited a pastor's home. Boxes of biblical resources and Bibles were stacked up against a wall. At any given moment he was prepared to remove the "contraband" to another location or face arrest. A small room in the back of his house served as the "sanctuary" for their underground church. Smiling, he told us he was watched all the time.
I came away from Vietnam with a renewed appreciation for our freedom of religion here in America and challenged in my own ministry to be more passionate about the important things that matter to God in light of eternity.
Worship was sweet. (Notice the Communist Flag and the statue of Ho Chi Minh)
Blended Families
Book #2 is in the works! While my first book, Tying the Family Knot, addressed all the emotional issues related to blending a family such as stepparent/stepchild power struggles and visitation, my second book will focus on the blended family marriage. With remarriage divorce statistics over 71%, this book is long overdue.
God continues to open doors for our blended family ministry. Living with Teenagers Magazine just offered me another year's contract for my "Right Blend" column. This will be my third year with them. If you're looking for help with your blended family, check out some of these articles on my website.
Prayer Needs
Ministry of the Word: Please pray for God's anointing as I prepare for upcoming women's events. Pray that the Holy Spirit will accomplish His purposes in every woman-including me!
Blended Families: Please ask God to direct me as I put together materials for the Care Pregnancy Center for single parents. I will be presenting a workshop for these parents to prepare them for a future blended family. Also pray that God will guide me in my writing.
Uganda: Pray for the needed funds, (approximately $70,000) to complete not only the second floor clinic construction, but the third and final floor as well. We have nearly 400 children on the waiting list in our Child Sponsorship Program. Please pray for God to raise up sponsors. (Choose a child on my website)
