Discover New Hope Fellowship

The beginning of May found us still recovering from Alan’s surgery and taking advantage of basement living! That next week we greeted some new friends, Fred Hash and his sister, Geneva Worley, from Springdale. They were such a genuine blessing to our lives.  Only the LORD knew what was ahead for us, and Fred and Geneva were here to help in a time of true need. Fred & Geneva stayed about 3 weeks and worked very hard on anything we needed—and there were several projects we had not been able to get done. They are now part of our family and we hope to see them back next summer!

There is much for which to pray… thank you for joining us in the spiritual battle for souls in this dark valley of western Montana:

Souls to be saved in this valley
Mission Teams coming to help this summer from Springdale, AR, and Tulsa, OK
Teenagers and their parents in St. Regis and throughout the valley (a possible Teen Center)
Continued use of the St. Regis Community Center (this was approved through August!)

Many of you already know that Alan had total hip replacement surgery on April 14th. A simple 3 day hospital stay turned into a 6 day stint with several complications. But God is faithful and is seeing us through day by day. Keep praying specifically for Alan’s healing and recovery.

A Food Pantry Ministry (New Day Resource Center) is in the planning & beginning stages. We are so excited about this and believe this will open doors to share the Gospel in a great way. As we have mentioned before, Mineral County is the poorest in Montana and the west end of the valley—where we live—is the poorest part of that county! There are families in need without question, and we want to be Jesus’ hands and feet to them. We have decided to just begin where we can.  A few donations have already come in and a couple in our church are leading out in this by handing out loaves of bread to households in Haugan and DeBorgia—letting them know our plans in the near future. This news has received many positive responses.

Easter morning was a special day of celebration. We hosted an egg hunt for children and a continental breakfast for all ages. We had five children (encompassing 3 different families) who attended for the first time! Two others had planned to come, but got the flu, so one of our sweet ladies delivered their Easter baskets to them. The family was so surprised and appreciative. Another couple from Saltese attended services for the first time and stayed for our fellowship time afterward. It was truly a day to rejoice!

What little snow we had is now melted except in the higher elevations. Although two days ago as we drove over Lookout Pass it was snowing pretty heavily with near white-out conditions.  Who knew? But Spring is roaring in like a lion here in Haugan! The work in Haugan continues to be a blessing and a challenge! One of our favorite things is Pot-Luck on the first Sunday of each month. We had six visitors for lunch this last month and we all enjoyed the bounty and the fellowship.
Although the attendance has not been all that we would like, the Movie Nights have been well received and those who have come have truly enjoyed themselves. The community overflowed with positive responses and that is a major victory. Why do we say that? Because we have learned that about 18 months before we arrived on the scene, this small church experienced a devastating blow and the community rejected this church’s ministry and its leadership—to the degree that all the windows were broken out of the building! That is one reason we are so thankful for the smallest of victories! We are praying over every single step we take, praying over every soul in this valley—and the enemy is not going to give up “his” domain easily! The spiritual work to which we have been called is basically pulling up weeds, digging up rocks, and clearing the soil so it can be plowed and prepared to receive the seed (of HIS Word). We can hardly wait until the seed can be planted all through this valley, not that we haven’t shared with some already… but we are believing God for a great harvest of souls…in His time.

The work in Haugan continues to prioritize prayer and building relationships.  A couple of weeks ago we went to eat pizza in one of the local establishments. The Snow Mobile Club was meeting there, so we were able to meet several local couples. They were very gracious and friendly. One of the couples brought their son over to meet us. The father had helped us with the water system when we hooked up the trailer at the church. As the father introduced Alan to his son, he said, “This is our Pastor.” (This was such a surprise… he didn’t say “the” Pastor, but “our” Pastor!) We still pray and hope to see them in services soon. Join us in praying for this family.

Preparing for Popcorn Outreach! In the next two weeks our small band of believers in Haugan will deliver a liter of cola and a single pack of microwave popcorn with an invitation to FREE MOVIE nights at the church every Saturday in March to 100+ homes. Please pray that hearts will be softened toward the church and interest stirred, in order that many folks may enter the building for the first time.

The work of ministry here is just as unique as the region itself! Do you remember the two young boys and grandmother that were saved and baptized this summer?  Well, the two sisters came with the boys for the holidays to stay with their grandmother who is a faithful member of our church. We had such a great visit with them and with Alana here, they all hit it off really well.  The 14 year old girl who raised her hand to receive Christ at the Christmas party is part of this family.  Before they left to return to California to finish the school year, she asked to be baptized. Then her older sister shared that she had been saved in Youth for Christ, but never baptized and would like to follow through on that. We baptized both girls before their return to California. That was an exciting and joyful day!

In the last two weeks, we have been invited into two different homes in the area for dinner… this is major! And one gentleman who does a lot of handy work in the community, has only come to church one time since we arrived, randomly came to our trailer 2 times in two weeks just to visit. This was an astounding blessing!

God is good and we are trusting Him for every detail every day!

A New Day for Ministering

New Day Fellowship was able to provide and deliver complete Christmas meals for 4 needy families and gifts for all the children. This was such a huge blessing for us. We had our first annual New Day Fellowship Family Christmas—the fellowship hall was full with 28 attending! After the devotional, Alan offered a simple invitation, a 60 year old man and a 14 year old girl raised their hands to receive Christ. On Christmas Day we served turkey and dressing in the lobby of the hotel across the highway from the church for any travelers and workers in the area. This was a great day for our New Day family!

A New Day for Rejoicing

The Lord gave a surprise blessing on the last Sunday morning in December as Alan presented the simple Gospel and gave the invitation. Two ladies raised their hands indicating they had prayed to receive Christ! In the last two weeks we have witnessed 4 new souls enter the Kingdom. What a blessed gift! Now 2010 has arrived and we are excited to see how the Lord will lead and bless in this new year. Please continue to pray for us.