I began my journey of Christian faith five years ago in the month of April. I, like so many, saw Jesus pass my way, and felt compelled to follow Him. I felt I had been given a second chance at life, and that I would never be the same. It was true; each year has been drastically different than the year before. As I look back, I see that the Lord has been calling me further and further down His path, deeper into relationship with Him, and into an understanding of what that looks like for me.

I always dreamed of the life of a missionary, even before I was a Christian. I envisioned myself being the hand that fed the poor and was filled with joy at the prospect of bringing hope to those who had little or nothing at all. When I received the word of Christ, I knew His intention for me included the sharing of His hope, the only hope for the world. So, I went to Africa in hopes that His path for me was leading in that direction. I was there for three weeks, testing the ground, praying, and waiting for confirmation that this was where the Lord was leading. But, when I returned home,

 

 

"Bon Voyage"..."Farewell" they are words that create a mental picture for me.  The same way that "Your Excellency" creates a picture of someone bowed low to receive a king.

With “Farewell” or “Bon Voyage” I picture an early 20th century scene.  A large passenger ship pulling away from a pier filled with people looking back at the familiar audience left standing on the dock.  The family members wave back and forth wishing "Bon Voyage" or "Farewell."  The atmosphere is filled with love, longing, and good.

\fer-ˈwel\= a wish of well-being at parting

Recently "Farewell" has taken on a new meaning...it is used in a way that means exactly the opposite of its literal meaning.

In one short message (Pastor Piper's Tweet) that circled the world...”Farewell" had it's meaning flipped.  In <140 characters the world received a message that was bigger than the message itself

In a world of hyper fast communication using the most universal mediums with the fewest characters possible we have to be aware of the complex messages we create and communicate in 140 letters or less.  Today the message is much more than the message if you know what I mean.

On Feb. 26th Pastor John Piper sent a tweet that has spread like wildfire. "Farewell Rob Bell. http://dsr.gd/fZqmd8"
This was his response to the new Pastor Rob Bell book "Love Wins," which wouldn't be released for another two weeks.

It seemed clear that Mr. Piper had drawn some conclusions....

Compasion Connect has a Prayer Coordinator (Karen Masulis).  (Every couple weeks) prayer update emails please join the team by emailing:

prayer@compassionconnect.com

 

May Update  We know prayer is a foundational process of submission, joy, and guidance and we invite everyone who is a part of Compassion Connect to partake.

 

Health - Compassion Clinics

Praise: The first ever Compassion Clinic in Arizona was a huge success: Compassion Queen Creek - 350 volunteers, 7 churches, God’s kingdom at work, safe travels for Gary and Milan

 

Requests: There are 3 Compassion Clinics in May. Each clinic has a multitude of needs and details to attend to. God knows the unique situation for each clinic. Please pray for:

· God to provide just what is needed for each clinic site

· Clinic leaders to have God’s peace as they plan and prepare

· Clinic leaders to be able to know what “their part” is and what “God’s part” is and be diligent in doing their part and trust God to do His part

· Peace and unity for all involved

· God to use the clinics to build relationships among the various churches involved

· God’s love to flow through His people and touch the guests

· Someone at each clinic to catch the vision for follow-up and take ownership for it

· Creative ways to continue relationships begun at the clinics

· Continuing communication between guests and volunteers after the clinics are over

 

May 7 – Compassion Yakima –

...CONTINUED

A couple weeks ago we had our first large scale volunteer appreciation event.  It was a big step for Compassion Connect in communicating to hundreds of volunteers that they are valued and appreciated.  It was also important to celebrate the work of God in the midst of the Portland metro area.

We were honored to have so many people from different volunteering avenues come out to join together and celebrate.

It seems as though in our current "service-centric" Christianity...

Meals: We need people to step forward and serve the meals for these
slots. Ideally we would like to have two meals a month:
April 30th
May 7th, 14th (taken), 28th
June 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th
July 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th
August 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th
September 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th

Team news: Lane is moving into the barberry village hopefully this
month. Peter is hoping to move into the apartments around the same
time. Josh G. & Tyler M.: These two guys have been faithfully serving
at barberry, and are now moving out. Josh is getting married and
moving to troutdale. Tyler might be moving back with his family.

Compassion Rockwood: coming to Rockwood on the 21st.

Coming Up: clear creek vbs in August, and possibly a couple more events.

Prayer:
1) Lane & Peter are having trouble moving into their two apartments.
Please pray that the rest of the process would run smoother.
2) Davis Elementary had some budget cuts and now the bus won't be
picking up the kids on 188th. We are going to try and get some more
info on this one.
3) Peter has to go to court for an accident he was in a few years ago.