What a fantastic first half of the year it has been! Here are some exciting updates:
Rejoice With Me
If I may, I would like to take a moment to rejoice in what God’s been doing through this ministry:
- We’ve walked through the characters of God – Jesus, God the Father, and starting into the Holy Spirit in order to better understand Him and the Good News He offers us.
- The Warrior in Training workbook edits, the video scripts, and edits, and recording of the six videos were all completed! Now, the videos are in the editing phase and will be prepared for the study’s release to you on September 1!
- Our team leading the discipleship-focused, Warrior Weekends, have begun planning. Our location is booked, our team is confirmed, our schedule’s been drafted, and the link for you to register is available. We are so excited about this for you!
- Redemption Bible Chapel in St. Thomas blessed me with the opportunity to share with their women’s group on May 13, and with their youth on June 6.
- Faith Church in St. Thomas also blessed me with the gift of “doing battle” with their women’s prayer group on May 26, as we lifted our requests to Jesus, and gave Him due praise!
- Lisa and I hosted our very first Infertility Prayer Night last night. We were so encouraged by all who came, shared, and prayed together. We’ve seen the Lord already begin to answer prayers. Our hearts are full of praise!
- It’s been an exciting year for the Inspire Hope Podcast. It’s crazy to think we’re about to reach the end of season one already! Sammy and I have truly enjoyed sharing your stories and the lessons we’ve been learning with you, and are excited for all that season two will hold! We’ve also been greatly blessed by the edition of our new editor, Scott, who has his own internet-based radio station. Details about this to come soon! He is doing an excellent job and we are thankful to have him on our team!
- Jennifer Hare has also produced great financial posts with very helpful and practical tips for those of you interested in learning how to take control of your finances, get out of debt, save, and follow the Lord’s leading in this way.
- Thank you to all of you who have given of your time and shown interest in meeting with me, so I can share about the Bible study, the Warrior Weekends, and the vision God’s given me for this ministry. He’s done so much and has great things in store!
- Thank you to each of you who have been praying for me and this ministry as well, and given your encouragement and support. It’s been hard at times, but the Lord has been so faithful, and your prayers and encouragement a refreshing gift to help me continue.
500th Post!
As I am writing this, I am also rejoicing and excited to say that this blog post is Hope Through Hard Times’ 500th post! I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate this moment than sharing some amazing things that God’s been doing. In the list above, it talks about a lot of events and things we’re doing. But, there are deep layers to each of those items. There are teams of people I have worked with, and prayed with, to make each of these a possibility. All of these also describe connections, prayers, conversations, and praises of God working through this ministry to strengthen lives for Him.
Our Main Mission
This ministry is grounded on the mission of discipling others into a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus. It is a privilege, and a great honour, to begin to see and hear how the Lord is using this to touch others’ lives, and maybe even your own.
Next Steps
You may have noticed that I unplugged a bit this week on the blog and social media. With ALL the exciting things I’ve shared above, has come a constant pouring out. It has been amazing, and I have loved every moment of it, but it does take a whole lot of energy and time. While in communication with the Lord this week, He shared that it is time for me to unplug, rest, and reconnect with Him and my family. The words that keep coming to mind for this are, “Intentional preparation.” So, I am going to take at least the next five weeks break in order to prepare myself for a busy fall ahead, with the launch of the Warrior in Training Bible study, the Warrior Weekend, our next Infertility Night, and season two of the Inspire Hope Podcast.
In sharing this, I am excited for this time! I’m most excited to have a dedicated chunk of time each day to sit with Jesus. It will be wonderful to have extra time for Michael, as he often sacrifices for me and this ministry, and to reconnect with family and friends. It’ll also be nice to have time to get my house more organized!
In the Meantime
My emails will still be checked until the end of June, and the game we’re playing on there will continue, so don’t you worry! The prize is still in sight! We have a few podcast episodes for you this month (one coming out today, a Father’s Day special, and our season one finale), and then we’ll take a break for July. There won’t be any regular posts on social media, though I may still add some things here and there of what I’m doing with this time, if you’re interested. As well, Our “tools”/products will still be available for purchase until the end of June. And hey! There are 500 blog posts, and 24 podcast episodes to keep you going until I return.
If there’s a devotional, story, and/or testimony you’d like to share with our community by way of our blog posts or podcast, we’d love to hear from you! Please write us at in**@ho******************.org . We need writers and guest speakers who are willing to share God’s work in your life with others, in order to encourage people to go deeper with Jesus. May I ask you to courageously share your story, please?
We appreciate every time you share our blog posts, podcast episodes, and social media posts with others. This greatly helps our ministry reach more people, so they too can grow into a deeper relationship with Jesus. When I return, I’ll share with you the bigger picture of where the Lord is taking this ministry. Until then, enjoy your own time with Jesus, and remember –
There’s always hope,
Rachel
