Time of Transition

Today (Saturday) the last team arrives to stay the week for Wade Summer Missions. I know that may not create the same sense of mixed emotions for you as it does for me, but it is almost not real that it is actually coming to an end.  It took about 7 months to plan and gear up for our teams and the end date (August 4) seemed so far away. Not anymore.

I have been so blessed by our teams and watching them serve God through sharing the Word, leading sports camps, and local construction projects that have helped members of our community.  Through this, we have seen people helped and lives changed for the sake of the Gospel. What a powerful thing to witness.

Wrapping up summer missions means wrapping up my time at Wade as Director of Missions and Outreach. Instead of spending my time between 2 offices (HSM and Wade), I will be able to fully be at Heaven Sent Ministries. This transition has been in my prayers since February and we have already seen od working. As many of you know, our salary depends upon outside support from friends, family and fellow believers that want to join in the cause to spread the Gospel locally and around the World.  As a steady check ends from one place, we fully believe that God will continue to provide financially for us in our transition. Someone once told me (it may have been my grandmother...):

"if Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice, His life, and cared for you that much...why would He not want to provide for you and take care of you in the little things? And don't you think that everything else is pretty small compared to Him laying his life down for the sins of the entire World?"

Thank you for joining with us in prayer for the needs of those here and around the World. Our God is greater, He is stronger...He is faithful even when we prove to be faithless. We are so blessed to be a part of the H.S.M. team, and if you would like to join us in ministry, please e-mail us at vicars4missions@gmail.com

Prayer Needs:

1. Possible trip to Ghana this fall to complete the construction on the Training Center

2.Medical Missions trip to Peru in January...pray for the team, and pray about joining the team!

3. The famine and Drought taking place in Ethiopia/Somalia/Kenya. We would like to get involved sending food packages and relief and possibly take a trip there as well.

So that all may know Him,

kathryn

Expectation

Do you ever have something heavy on your heart? Not necessarily a burden, but maybe a longing, or a waiting in great expectation for something. Maybe God has placed something on your heart and you are in a period of waiting and listening.

For many years, I (Kathryn) had this similar feeling, almost indescribable, and it had to do with my baptism.  This great sense of excitement and wonder about my baptism started as I began my second or third semester of classes at ODU in norfolk, VA. I was about 20/21 years old and I was growing and being stretched in my faith. At this point in my life, I was getting settled in college and I was being delivered from a fear that I had been living with for over a couple of years. I was really sensing and feeling the goodness of God and love being poured out over me.  This made me reflect heavily on my Christian life and walk with God.

I was baptized when I was about 11 years old or so...I can't remember the exact age. We had changed churches and the Pastor took some time to visit us in our home and discuss Baptism with me and my sisters.  Soon after, we were all baptized. I remember this being a special day: my family was present, my sisters and I being baptized together, starting our life in a new youth group, a new church. Life was good.

But in college, as I was reflecting back, I just don't remember being completely sold out and aware of the real meaning. Being delivered from this fear that I had been living with, I was ready to go before God and present myself wholly unto Him and be a witness for His namesake.  I was eager to be baptized, cleansed: forgetting the old and being made new. I began to pray, spend time in the Word and journal about my desire to be baptized.

Last September, the Lord blessed me with the opportunity to share His Gospel in the jungle of Ecuador with a team from North Carolina.  To be a part of a mission trip like this has been my desire for many years.  To make a long story short, we arrived in the Jungle to live among the Ashuar tribe for a short period of time.  While we were there, 2 Ashuar Indians had inquired about being baptized. They wanted to learn more about baptism and them physically be baptized themselves. I shared with Dan Clowers my desire to be baptized one day, and the question arose...why not now?  

I wish I could describe to you the feeling.  It honestly felt like the best birthday present anyone could ever receive. There I was, in his perfect timing, in the perfect place...in an Amazon River tributary...I was being baptized with two Ashuar Indians on the foreign mission field surrounded by my brothers and sisters in Christ.

God has made us for a purpose. First and foremost, we are to to be constantly growing and molded into the image of Jesus Christ. Secondly, we weren't made by happenstance. We were made because He has a plan for each of us; to give us hope, a future, peace, and an expected end. During our journey on this Earth, He wants to use us. His Word says in Habakkuk 1:5, "Look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed, for I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe...even if you were told."

Don't sit back and miss out on the life, blessings, victory and power that He has for you. Seek Him, know His voice. Live a life of expectation and prayer. Watch God move. I did and I still am. We aren't perfect, but He is and always will be.

Check out this video of my summer in peru and Ecuador...at 5:30 you can see my baptism.

Peru/Ecuador-Baptism Video

Be a part of a move of God. Join in the ministry at HSM with us, there are so many ways to get involved. You can always e-mail us and let us pray for you (vicars4missions@gmail.com). We look forward to hearing from you and thanks for all your continual prayer and financial support!

So that all may know Him,

Kathryn

Sponsor a Pastor!!!

Hello All!

What an exciting summer this is going to be.  As many of you know, as I am in my transition at HSM, I am still currently the Director of Missions and Outreach for another non-profit (The Wade Center, www.wadecenter.com) in Bluefield, WV. I absolutely love the opportunities God has placed before to serve Him in outreach locally and around the world.

As Director of M&O at Wade, I have been coordinating teams since november to come to Bluefield and minister to our At-Risk Children and Youth, do construction projects in the area, evangelism, VBS and run our Sports Camp.  It will be 7 weeks of non-stop fun...and maybe a little stress, but worth every minute.  I will be working there in the afternoon and evenings while still continuing to be at HSM during the day. My last day at Wade will be Aug. 5, so please keep me in your prayers as we dive into Summer!

PASTOR DISCIPLESHIP AND TRAINING CENTER

This is a very exciting time for HSM. We have been building a Discipleship Training Center for the past 7 years (debt free!!!) and it is near completion. We just need to smack some paint on the walls and finish decorating.  This center is desperately needed for the Pastors and leaders that are all over Ghana.  It would take several blogs to tell you all about this center, but you can visit our website (www.hsminc.org) to read all about it!

3 times a year, for ten weeks, we will be hosting 36 pastors from villages and cities all over Ghana to come and be discipled in the Word of God. Due to the lack of finances, pastors are unable to be a part of a school like this and be truly discipled in the Word.  In order for them to come, they need to Be sponsored.  It will cost $350 for ten weeks per pastor.  This covers their food, housing, materials, utilities, etc!  To break that down for you, it is just $5 a day for you to make an impact, not just in 1 person, but in the lives of possibly an entire village in Ghana!  These pastors will return to their villages fully equipped to grow their church, spread the Word and disciple new believers!

I am working on putting together Pastor Bio's and uploading them in the near future on our website.  Please contact me if you are interested in getting your church, small group, family, or youth together to sponsor a pastor. You can find 35 people to donate $10, you can sponsor 1 pastor! How amazing is that?!  Consider the difference you can make with just donating $10....

Contact us vicars4missions@gmail.com for more info or to join our prayer/support team

So that all may know Him,
Kathryn

Memorial Day Weekend + Missions Update

This year's Memorial Day weekend was really special for us.  We were able to go to my parent's Lake House and spend some time with them doing the activities we love the most! 

We have not been able to go very often for many years because most of our summers are spent traveling on foreign missions, which has been wonderful. Being away always reminds you to cherish the moments you have with your family when you get to see them. And that's exactly what we did!

First, we were able to spend some much needed time with my sister, Honey Bear! She has been in my life for 11 years and I have missed her a bunch. She is getting older, but still precious nonetheless. 

And of course, Jason was able to get some much needed fishing time in! My dad and Jason went kayak fishing down a river near by with my Uncle Steve. Unfortunately, Jason caught about 15-20 more bass/fish than they did.  This did not make for a good evening to spend time with my dad.... But I was proud of Jase!

The next picture says it all! I was so happy to be back on the water in the kayak. My mom and i had a great time kayaking in the beautiful weather around our cove at the Lake. We were so blessed to spend this time down there with my parents.

Missions Update

Currently, we are in the planning process of organizing 3 trips to Ghana at HSM: July, August, November.  We have a team locked and loaded to go in July and we are currently seeking spots to be filled for the August and November trip.  I, Kathryn, will be going on the August trip if it works out and we get a team ready.  I would possibly return in November to go as well.  These will be 10 day trips and we will be doing construction work, painting and laying tile in the HSM Pastor Training Center. To see pictures of this center, please visit hsminc.org.

Many may not know, but I am currently still working as Missions Director at the Wade Center. This will be a difficult task to balance Wade Summer Missions while moving forward and working at HSM. My role at Wade will be done around the 1st week of August. Please pray for several things surrounding this:

1. I will be working 7 days a week for 8 weeks. please pray for strength.

2. Financial support. As Wade comes to a close, we believe God will continue to provide the support/financial gifts needed as we raise our own salary to work at HSM.

3. The hearts of the mission teams and Wade children as they learn more about the Love of Christ this summer.

Thank you so much for your continued support. If you have any questions, would like to learn more about HSM and what we do, or support us through prayer or financial means, contact us at: vicars4missions@gmail.com

so that all may know Him,

Kathryn

June has arrived!

     I know a lot of people don't like to think about this, but I just have to say it... Can you believe we are already halfway through 2011? That means we are halfway to Christmas, just a few months shy of halloween and Thanksgiving. Wow, time flies.


Do you ever stop and think to yourself, "What day is it?" or "Where has the time gone?" I believe at some point in our lives, we all reflect back on time, our lives, friendships and family, and the list goes on and on.


    The other week I had the opportunity to teach at church to our Wednesday night crowd, and the following day for the Drug Court/Day Report program at HSM.  I shared out of a popular passage in the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11-14.  In such a small passage of scripture you can find many promises from God. There is so much packed into these verses that I would like to share, but it would take many blogs and lots of your time! So here is just a small tidbit...


    When you look at this passage in the King James Version (which is not a version I read often!), you will find something you may have not noticed before.  Verse 11 reads in the KJV, "For I know the thoughts I think towards you," saith the Lord...  


   God thinks about us!  Wow!  Many times, since God is all-knowing, we may think that our Father doesn't have daily thoughts about us.  But He does! He loves you so much that He even tells you what he thinks about you... and here it is: "thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end" (kjv). In the NIV... "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (niv).


   God always has and always will think about you...positive things. He never puts us down, his love is unconditional. His love never fails.


   Even though we may get a little lost in our week, month or year, God is always there...thinking about you. He loves you. Trust in Him alone...


If you would like to be a part of our prayer and/or financial support team, please let me know. E-mail us at vicars4missions.gmail.com




So that all may know Him,
Kathryn

Busy, Busy, Busy

Tuesday Morning Thoughts

All I could think about this morning was how busy my tuesday was going to be.  My thoughts raced, my heart was beating a little faster, and I had to take a deep breath in and exhale.  I also received several inbox messages on facebook where people started off by saying "sorry it has been a while, I have been busy".  This morning at work, we had a staff meeting+devotion, and the devotion was on the busyness and stress of life. Hmmm....

Many times, in our busyness and day to day life, we forget to stop, be still and know that He is in control of all things because He is God of all.  He is in all, through all and created all. (Eph. 4:4-6) Whew, what a relief!  

I seriously could not get through my day to day life without putting Him first.  Currently, I am trying manage 2 jobs.  I am remaining at the Wade Center as the Mission and Outreach Director until our monthly support comes in for me to transition to only working at Heaven Sent Ministries.  This has been a difficult task to balance both, but through much prayer and handing things over to God, he has never failed to show up and grant me the patience and strength to get through the day to day tasks in life.  

In our stress and daily routines, we often forget to ask God how he would like to use us that day.  God calls us to die to ourselves daily so that we can be fully open and used by Him for His glory.  So, along with me, take a deep breath in....and then exhale!  Rest in His presence. Be still.  Ask Him to show you what you could do for Him today and for Him to reveal His purpose for your life. Spread some love today, pray for boldness and a heart that is open and willing to be used for the sake of the Gospel. (Philippians 3:7-14). 

HSM UPDATE

Jason and I are working on getting an account set up with HSM where your monthly financial gifts can be made online or automatically withdrawn monthly.  If you would like more information about joining our prayer.financial support team, please contact us at vicars4missions@gmail.com

So that all may know Him,

Kathryn

Destination: Heaven Sent Ministries!

Hey Everyone!

Well, the time has come. We have officially began our work as Global Missions Coordinators at Heaven Sent Ministries.  This has been a little while in the making as we were offered the position back in November, and officially accepted the job in Feb. of this year.  May 1, we began working in the office.

As mentioned before, Jason will remain teaching in the Public School system to provide more stable support at the moment, as well as health insurance.  I will be in the office at HSM full-time.

We are so blessed to be a part of such a great team here and "assisting the church in reaching the world for Christ!".  I am pasting our support letter, and please read if you are interested in becoming a part of our ministry at HSM.

So that all may know Him,

The Vicars

Dear Friends and Family,

We are so blessed to update all of you with such wonderful news and the changes that are taking place in our lives.  The past six months have truly been a time of growth and preparation for us as we have been seeking God’s will for our lives.  In late November, we met with Heaven Sent Ministries, based in Princeton, West Virginia.  As a youth pastor for many years, Jason had worked with HSM several times and had a great relationship with the ministry.

Through prayer and seeking God’s will, we accepted the position with Heaven Sent Ministries as Global Missions Coordinators in February of this year. We officially began working in the office as of May 1st and it has been a wonderful transition. In this position, we will be coordinating teams from all over the United States and sending them overseas to do short-term missions where HSM has a presence in over 28 countries! HSM has both a local and global missions statement to “assist the church in reaching the World for Christ.” 

We are asking for your prayer and financial support.  There will be much traveling as we will be leading these teams all over the world. Also, we are going to be participating in many “vision” trips, visiting existing ministry sites and seeking new opportunities for us to spread the Gospel to all nations.

We will be seeking monthly financial support.  As Global Missions Coordinators, we are considered full-time missionaries based state-side.  Your tax-deductible donation will go towards our ministry with HSM and reach people all around the world for the sake of the gospel, so that all may know Him (Phil. 3:10). It’s not about what we can do alone, but what we can do together to reach a world of hungry and hurting people for His name! 

Please return the bottom piece of this letter if you would like to partner with us through prayer and/or financial support. Thank you in advance for all of your love and support as we move forward in the ministry God has placed in our lives. Feel free to visit the HSM website (www.hsminc.org) or follow our ministry blog.

So that all may know Him,

Jason & Kathryn Vicars

vicars4missions@gmail.com

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