Tuesday, August 3, 2010

August Update! :)

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

I hope this letter finds all of you doing well! First of all I want to say a huge thank you for your generosity and your willingness to partner with me through Christ in this ministry I am about to begin! God is so incredibly faithful in His provision for us and I am continually amazed by Him. I cannot express my gratitude enough and I am so incredibly excited for us to see God work in the lives of these girls through On Eagle’s Wings. I am looking forward to sharing this journey with you, with all of its moments of joy and excitement as well as its moments of struggle and trial… as I’m sure it will be filled with plenty of both! I am hoping to send out updates once a month, around the first Monday of each month. Even though I will be there directly working with these girls, you are all just as much a part of God’s work there as I am by enabling me to be there and I want you to be able to share in the awesome work that I know He is going to do through us. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you are expecting an update for the month and it hasn’t arrived… I would really appreciate the accountability! 
As for now, I have been able to spend a couple weeks at home resting, spending time with my family, and processing/preparing for this transition. It has been wonderful! I believe that sometimes we get going so fast in this life that our body doesn’t really have time to catch up and recuperate and I think that is where I have been for a while! Physically, I was in desperate need of rest and I am so thankful for the time I have had to do that. It has also been wonderful to catch up with my family and friends in North Carolina. I have so missed them! Being away from Doulos has been challenging, to say the least. The deep relationships I formed there these past few years are hard to come by and I have definitely missed those. Please pray for me that I will be able to be dedicated and set aside time to continue those relationships from a distance and also continue to lift that ministry up in your prayers as they continue the incredible work they are doing for the Lord!
The most vital and needed blessing I have received these past few weeks has been more time to spend with the Lord. It amazes me how clearly His voice can be heard when we minimize all of the other voices around us. I have been spending a lot of time in Hosea recently and I am realizing all over again that it is one of those portions of scripture that you can only take in a little at a time. It is so convicting to realize the depth of our sin and how we look to so many things to satisfy us other than the only One who can. In the time of Hosea, it was false gods (Baals), today it is still false gods… power, money, family, friends, significant others, being married, having children… and the list is endless. But praise God for His faithfulness and constant pursuing of us, despite our unfaithfulness! Praise God that He loves us and that love is not dependent on anything we can offer to Him but only on His character!

“I will make you lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.” Hosea 2:18-20

I would just like to leave you all with a quote by Michael Yaconelli from his book, “Dangerous Wonder.” It has resonated with me this week and I want to make it my prayer and hope that all of you will consider doing the same!

“I want a lifetime of holy moments. Every day I want to be in dangerous proximity to Jesus. I long for a life that explodes with meaning and is filled with adventure, wonder, risk, and danger. I long for a faith that is gloriously treacherous. I want to be with Jesus, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.”


Under His Mercy,
Shannon

Monthly Supporters: Don’t forget to send in your support for the month of August! 
Check to: On Eagles Wings PO Box 9737 Asheville, NC 28815 (“Shannon support” in Memo Line)
OR
Online: @ hopehousenc.com (“Shannon support” in box for extra information after you submit your donation)

Prayer Requests: On Eagles Wings/Hope House – new staff members coming (lots of transition)
My transition – Move in Sunday Aug. 8th, officially start Monday Aug. 9th
Continued dedication to “keeping in touch”
Doulos Ministries – lots of transition in Aug/Sep
For continued support to come in – still in need of approx. $150/month
Continued realization of the depth of my own sin and the constant need for Christ’s amazing grace in my life.

Contact: Facebook – www.facebook.com/shannonfromwelcome
Group – Shannon’s Ministry Partners
Blog - http://saoshano@blogspot.com
Email - saoshano@gmail.com