"I thank my God each time I remember you." Philippians 1:3
When I was younger, I didn't think I would like the apostle Paul very much if we were in the same room. He seemed (to me) almost obnoxious, and at times arrogant.
The older I get, and the more I learn about Paul, who he was, and the culture(s) that surrounded him, I am amazed. I'm partly amazed at how dumb I was. But then again, these days I'm smart enough to know how dumb I still am. I'm more amazed at how much Paul was able to accomplish, and how much he gave to do it. And how God used everything he did, every sacrifice he made.
"You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me." 2 Timothy 3:10-11
Here Paul reminds Timothy, who had literally grown up watching Paul, that his ministry was so much more than the words he said, or going to church. It was every step he took, every breath, every stumble, and the attitude that he had throughout. I mean, go back and read about the examples he gives. In Lystra, for example, he was beaten, stoned and left for dead outside the city. But when his disciples helped him up, instead of calling it a day and fleeing to safety in the next town, he got up and went back into the city filled with the people who had just tried to kill him!
Seriously? Who does that?!
Although there are many things we can learn from Paul, there are a few I want to share today:
1. Give God Everything. All of it. Even if it hurts. And God is faithful and just, and will use all of it to further His kingdom.
2. Because, It's Not About You. It's all about honoring God, giving Him the glory, and inviting others to join us as we worship him with our lives. Contrary to what I believed before I took the time to really read and learn about Paul, he wasn't arrogant, or proud. He very clearly understood that he was only a small part of what God was doing in his ministry. Paul is constantly putting others first and thanking and remembering the people who help him along the way.
3. It's All About Jesus. Everything Paul did was both about and for Jesus. He understood that whatever happens in this life, good or bad, it's all to bring honor and glory to Jesus. Make no mistake–Paul had the means and the education to live in splendor, but he knew that life is about more than what we have. It's about who we serve.
So, we want to thank you. We've always known that we are only a very small part of the work that God is doing here, and that each of you who have supported us in prayer, financially, and by serving here with us are just as much a part of it as we are. We truly do thank our God each time we remember you!
|
|
|
Do you have questions about what we do, or about coming to serve with us? Click the button below - we'd love to hear from you!
|
|
|
IT'S GIVING TUESDAY!
Yes, it's a completely made-up holiday, but we really need your help anyway.
|
|
As we told you before, we now have (thanks to help from some people just like you) a physical space for the BigHouse, our community center in the heart of Sofia. Now, we need to furnish it. We've already gotten help with some things, but we have a long way to go to get the space up, running and fully functional. Things we need to purchase include:
CLOTHES CLOSET
This is a space to fill with donated clothes that we use to help people who don't have the means to buy new clothes for themselves and their families.
- Shelves
- Racks
- Storage Containers
- Bags for distributing clothing
KITCHEN
This is a small space, important to have in a community center!
- Refrigerator to hold food for homeless/street ministry
- Microwave
- Coffee machine
- Cleaning supplies
LIBRARY
This space will be a comfortable place for studying, tutoring, conversations and small group discussions/meetings, and even to gather to watch a movie/show and discuss it. . We want it to be warm and inviting.
- Library chairs (comfortable for reading/studying)
- Couch
- Bookcases (several)
- Books! We want to fill this space with books in both Bulgarian and English
- Tables
- Chairs
- Lamps
- Television
- Apple TV (we will not have regular TV, so this will allow us to control what is seen and to use for training, presentations, etc.)
CLASSROOMS
- Chairs
- Printer
- Whiteboard
- Paper/pens
We anticipate that we still need to raise about $3500-$4500 to purchase everything we need.
If you would like to help us fund these things, you can click the button below to make a donation. Every penny helps to get us there!
If you need your donation to be tax-deductible, you can use the link in the red section below (but please let us know so that we can designate your gift for the BigHouse and not for our personal support).
|
|
|
|
One of the ways God is allowing us to both share our stories and raise support is through our photography. Please visit www.theBigHouse.photos to purchase prints. If you have questions or need a custom size, please let us know!
|
|
|
Prayer needs.
Please continue to pray that the Bulgarian parliament would drop the proposed changes to the Denominations Act that would severely limit religious freedom in Bulgaria. Despite being against the Bulgarian constitution and the European Conventions for Human Rights, the proposed changes have somehow made it pretty far through the system.
Pray for us as a family this holiday season. It is tough to be far away from home, family and friends all the time, but especially during this season.
We are talking with some key ministries and organizations to partner with as we expand our ministry. Please pray that God would point us to the right people and that all of the details can be worked out! If you'd like to partner with us, let's talk.
|
|
Financial needs.
If you are already supporting us financially, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! We truly appreciate you, and don't take even one penny for granted. If you are not currently supporting us financially, would you pray about it? If you have any questions about what we do, please reply to this email and we'll answer ASAP. Also, please share about our ministry with everyone you can by forwarding this email, sharing on Facebook, etc.
You can make your donation online at www.beautifulfeet.us. To donate, click on the " Donate" link on the main menu, then choose us (0334 - The Key Family) from the " Individual Support" dropdown.
To mail a check, the address is:
Beautiful Feet
3720 S. Hiwassee Rd.
Choctaw, OK 73020
All donations are tax deductible, and 100% goes directly to us in the field.
If you have any questions about this, please let us know!
|
|
|
We would love to hear from you! Please reply to this email and let us know how you are doing, how we can be praying for you or if you have any questions about our ministry.
|
|
|
|
For more information about what we're doing and how you can help us, visit:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
