Fairmount on Mission
Last month, Paige (Director of Outreach) and 4 other Fairmount Missionaries went on a Spring Break Mission Trip to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico. There were 45 total young adults and adults in our group that were able to participate in this annual trip. The trip is sponsored by Trinity Lutheran Church in Garden City, Kansas, working with a mission agency called Amor Ministries.
This is our 4th return to Puerto Peñasco, and this year each one of our Fairmount Missionaries returned for their 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th trip!
Each year, our group is tasked with building homes for local families in need. Because our group was so large this year, we were able to build two homes for two families!
The modest dwelling they receive through God's provision and our hard work is more than a house, but it is home and a legacy for them to pass on to their children. Ponder this: From a recent Amor newsletter, we read that “it would take a family 10 years to save up enough money to buy materials for a house, and another 5-7 years to save up enough to build it.”
One of our missionaries, Christian Eickoff, a Jr. in Manufacturing Engineering, shares his experience below:
 "The Mexico trip is an incredible experience, and I encourage everyone to go on some sort of mission trip, if able. I have been on this trip twice, once in 2017, and also this year in 2019. Trips like this are a nice refresher and break from day-to-day life. These trips help nurture faith through fellowship and service to others. There is a sense of good coming from building a home for people who need one. I am thankful for the opportunity to help the people we helped while in Mexico. The gratefulness of the families, with the smiles on their faces, when they receive the keys to their new home is incredible. Even though there was a language barrier, it was easy to tell how much their new home meant to them.
 I see God most through music. Every night when we were there, there was time after supper for songs and devotion. I think that He is most near when all of our voices come together in song. When we could, we would all gather around the campfire for this activity. However, it rained a lot this year, causing a couple of nights around a propane heater in a tent instead. We still sang and enjoyed each other's company despite the chilly and wet conditions. I also think God is visible through the people who work on the homes. We all come together, regardless of our age and skill level, to build a home in days for people who need it. Days! And as mentioned, it rained a lot. A couple of the days, some of us were soaked through from head to toe, but we all continued to work through the rain in spite of this. It is amazing to see how God is able to use everyone to accomplish the goal of building a home.
After being on these trips, I have become not so fond of the desert. Sand will get in everything, and nothing ever seems cleanable. Things always seem to get dirty the moment it gets clean. But after the trip in 2017, I had the realization that being in the desert doesn't matter. It's what we are able to do for the people in Puerto Penasco is what matters. That's why I continue to go. Sometimes you just have to think 'Here I am Lord, send me!' God will take care of the rest. " |
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Women's Gathering
Join us for Saturday Sips, our bi-monthly women's gathering, which is held 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month. We have a great time joining together over a devotion and enjoying coffee, coloring, and fellowship. It's a great way to start a weekend!
Theology on Tap
Each month, we come together to discuss hot topics with local Pastors and lay leaders. Our next Theology on Tap is this Sunday, April 28 at 7pm at PourHouse ICT (711 E Douglas Ave, Wichita, Kansas 67202). The topic of discussion is Gender and Identity: how to love our transgender neighbor! Our discussion leader will be Pastor Scott Goltl, from Ascension Lutheran Church in Wichita. We hope you can join us!
Small Groups
Here is the small group info. These groups are meeting in the Living Room at Fairmount and they are both open to new people joining!
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Big Announcement for June 2019!!
Mark your calendars, friends! We will be holding our 2nd Annual Vacation Bible School! We don't have all the details ironed out quite yet, but please save the date for the evenings of June 17- 20. Children, ages completed K-5th, will travel on a Miraculous Mission and learn how Jesus saves the world!
We rely on our awesome volunteers to help plan and host an event like this. If you are interested in serving as a member of the VBS volunteer team, drop us an email!
Last year, 10 neighborhood and community children attended our first VBS and we anticipate even more this year! We count on your faithful gifts to be able to offer this awesome week to the children in our community. Would you consider purchasing a children's Bible? We would like to offer Bibles to children when they visit for VBS and in general. Currently, our bookshelves have a lot of great material and Bibles for adults, but nothing for our littlest of guests. Drop one by in person, or you can purchase one from our Amazon Charity Wishlist.
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Become a Monthly Sustaining Partner
Finals Survival Kits
Finals are almost here again! We would love to bless our WSU Student Community with a build-your-own survival kit!
We are looking for donations for students to put in their own survival kit! Items may include (but are not limited to):
- Sweet Snacks (such as chocolate, candy, caramels, etc.)
- Salty snacks (such as pretzels, chips, nuts, trail mix, etc.)
- Study tools (pens, pencils, highlighters, post-it notes, etc.)
- Encouraging words or notes (bible verses, devotionals, etc.)
- Your favorite go-to study item!
Items may be dropped off at Fairmount now through Wednesday, May 1!
Want to help but don't have time to go shopping? Check out our Amazon Charity Wish List and have survival kit items shipped directly.
 Matching Donations Update
We are blown away by the success of this matching campaign!! In February, three generous families offered to challenge our community to a $10,000 match! In just over 2 months, you have blessed us with over $9,000! We are one ripple (or $700) away from our goal of $10,000!
What a blessing these funds are to our ministry!
Click here to read the original announcement about the match.
If you aren't on the mailing list for our printed newsletter, you will definitely want to take a minute to read this pretty powerful story about the potential ripple effect of one prayer at Fairmount Coffee Company.
2018 Thrivent Choice Dollars
The numbers are in for the 2018 Thrivent Choice Dollars. In 2018 we were blessed through your Thrivent Choice Dollars with $2,209.52. Just in the first 4 months of 2019, we have received $3,363.00! This is a HUGE blessing to our ministry and we can't say thank you enough for thinking of us when you designated your funds!
You can designate Fairmount as easy as using this link. We're not under the name Fairmount Ministries, but don't worry...You'll easily find us by under the name UNIVERSITY LUTHERAN MINISTRY ASSOCIATION (that's our 501c3 name).
If you run into a snag, reach out to us or your local Thrivent Representative! We're grateful for Thrivent's and your support through Thrivent Choice Dollars!!
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