Family Ministry Update Letter

"We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us." 1 Thessalonians 2:8

 Dear Lovely Blog Reader,

Aaron and I are headed into a busy season in our lives and I wanted to send out a quick family and ministry update to all those who have supported and encouraged us over the years.  We are thankful that God is continuing to work through and around us in very real ways and excited that we get to be a part of it!  I enclosed a pack of hot chocolate mix and I was wondering if one morning, as you sip that (or your beverage of choice) if you could pray for us!  And to return the favor, I have your name written on a pack of hot chocolate mix at my house so one morning I will spend some time in prayer for you and your family as well!

Aaron and I recently talked about the life we have been called to and it is not an easy one.  We are fully aware that there will be heartache and trouble along the road.  We have known teens that died in car accidents, consoled teens whose friends have committed suicide and helped teens deal with the pain of relationships that have broken their spirits.  We work with young girls who are pregnant and need to know that someone still loves them since their boyfriends, families and friends have turned their backs.  We get 2am phone calls from kids who don’t know where else to turn.  We have even had teens live in our home short term because their parents were more interested in drugs and alcohol then they were in their children.  We see firsthand the pain and torment that a lot of these teens face every day and praise the Lord we are there to offer them the hope we have found in Christ Jesus.  We are thankful that five teens have recently accepted Christ and already this year the ministry has been involved in the baptisms of 70 teens!

Please pray with us that we can continue in this life to which we have been called.

As some of you know, Aaron and I are working toward our goal to raise 100% of our own mission support so that we are not drawing from the general fund of Harvest Youth Ministries.  Currently 98.5% of donations go directly into supporting our programming but as we are able to raise our own support more programs such as retreats, more Bible studies and events will be offered.  Right now we are at 24.8% of our support for the first six months of this year; however some of those are one time gifts that will not be duplicated in upcoming months.  We have been given the deadline of January 1, 2012 to raise at least 50% of our monthly support.  In order to meet this goal we are asking once again for our family and friends to prayerfully consider their support.  If you already donate to the ministry or to our family’s goal we are grateful and appreciate your sacrifice on our behalf.  If you don’t and would like to, we would love to have your support.  We also covet your prayers and encouragement as we continue on this journey.  If you know of anyone who loves teens and ministry that would possibly like to get involved we ask that you please pass our information along!  We cannot meet this goal without help.

It is intimidating to me to have the responsibility to get the word out and ask people for their help, but we feel that we have been called to a life of ministry and as the Bible says “And how can they preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:15).

Again, I look forward to drinking my packs of hot chocolate and praying for you and your family over the coming months.  We will send updates on our progress in all of these areas in the coming months.  You can visit our family’s ministry page at www.harvestyouth.org/aaronandelizabeth.htm and we again we are always thankful if you are able to tell even one friend about our ministry and ask them to pray for us as well.

With Love,

Aaron, Elizabeth, Grace and Baby J

Harvest Youth Ministries is an IRS approved 501 (c) 3 organization and all donations are tax deductible.
To make a donation, you can use the enclosed envelope writing our names somewhere on the envelope or check.  You can also go to our family website (www.harvestyouth.org/aaronandelizabeth.htm)  to set up a monthly donation via paypal. 

Some Updates:
- Baby Girl is due August 18^th and we are looking forward to meeting her and introducing her to you!
- Grace turns two on September 16^th!  We cannot believe how fast the time has gone!
- Aaron is currently working to find a new location for Harvest Thrift Store.  In September our current building will be bulldozed to expand the neighboring McDonalds so we are prayerfully looking for the building that will house this part of the ministry next.
- I am beginning the planning stages of our next Princess Program which will start up again this fall!  It is always a thrill to get a new group of ladies in our small group setting!
- The Attic is doing well. 

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Please visit www.harvestyouth.org/aaronandelizabeth.htm for information on how to donate.

Even if you don't make a donation, if you set some time aside to pray for our family please let me know and I'll set some time aside to specifically pray for yours!

If there is ANYONE you know that has a heart for teens PLEASE pass our information along.  We need to get the word out about what we do and why we do it and we can't do that without your help!!