The Potter and the Clay - A Camp Testimony

By Krislyn Erickson, Summer Team 2014

Have you ever watched a potter sit down on the potter’s wheel and mold the clay into a piece of art? Have you looked closely at pottery? Each piece of art is made a little bit different…. from the strokes of the hand to the different artists making them.

Today, helping teach the middle school camp, called Masterpieces, the girls learned how to make origami hearts. We had each of the five girls pick out different colored pieces of construction paper and follow along to the bible study teacher for directions on how to make the origami.

Watching the girls fold their construction paper to make these hearts was interesting to see. Each were trying to make it a perfect heart shape. While the girls were folding their papers, I noticed that one girl gave up completely after messing up on folding the paper the wrong way. The girl sitting next to her was struggling to keep up with the teacher’s verbal instructions. After expressing her frustration to the counselors, she was shown visually step-by-step directions to finish her heart. Once the hearts were completed, we had the girls write bible verses on them.

The purpose of the heart origami was to lead into our discussion of God. We asked, “Who decided to make each fold and crease?” “Do all of your hearts look the same?” Even though the girls were following the same instructions, their hearts were folded differently, made from different colored papers, and were different sizes.

The point was to have each origami different; all hearts were unique.

The same goes with us.

God created and molded us to be what He wanted us to be. He made each of us different, not one of us are perfectly alike.

God made us exactly how He wanted us to be made. Every freckle, mole, even every hair on our head, God created because He wanted it there.

Sometimes we compare ourselves with others. wanting to be more like them, or look more like them. We have to keep in mind that we are all unique and that God molded us to be the perfect person He created us to be.

To have the middle school girls remember this powerful message, we asked them to memorize the following verse:

Isaiah 64:8. “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter, we are all the work of your hand.”

Reprinted from a recent post from our friends at The Bridge of Storm Lake, 'Front Porch, Inspired.'

Meet Marie Fitts

Please meet Marie Fitts.

Marie was recently approved to be a CFCI Missionary to Anchorage, AK. She has been ministering in Wyoming for the last number of years but then began to sense that God was leading her northward - Really northward! She was here at our office last week going through some training and strategic planning. We developed a new brochure and PowerPoint for her so she can be presenting the ministry as she heads north. She is planning to drive from Wyoming to the Seattle area, catch a ferryboat to Haines, and then drive the remaining 800 miles into Anchorage. Please keep her in your prayers as she makes this trek. Marie hopes to arrive in mid-August and then get settled so she can begin to pursue the ministry God has led her there to do. At this time, she is still in the research phase of community development. What is happening? Who is doing what? What are some of the apparent needs of the various communities in the state? Would you like to be kept apprised of her activities? Drop us a line and we'll put you on her mailing list.

News: Urban Plunge welcomes Heather Miller into a new position

Urban Plunge is growing! And to help that growth along, we have invited Heather Miller to be a part of the executive team. Heather has been one of the Urban Plunge family members for a long time now, working as a facilitator in the Omaha area for more than four years.

Her task will be to create buzz about Urban Plunge by contacting media outlets closely affiliated with churches or groups that have gone on the Plunge, and informing them about the amazing experiences that people have had on the Plunge. She also will be doing some coordinating and facilitating in the meantime.

“I love the ministry,” Heather said.”I get to see what God does. I can see them (the Urban Plunge participants) experience life change. For many, it’s really eye opening, getting to work with the homeless for the first time. “

For her, it’s all about seeing people transformed, even in the few hours in which they do a Plunge.

Heather is a recent college grad, earning her degree in Missions from West Coast Bible College. She also recently completed an intense discipleship program called Masters Commision at her church.

And yes, we as Christ For the City are thrilled to have her on board.

Written by: John Michael Den Hartog

God's Healing and Provision

Our most recent guest post has been written by Angie Busch, our missions coach at the CFCI headquarters. (We were just so encouraged by it that we couldn't help but put share it with all of you.)

 Proverbs 3:8 
Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.

The last few years have been anything but easy for the Busch family. We have had a variety of struggles, particularly with our health and various family difficulties, but through it all, God has remained faithful. I wanted to give you a glimpse of the things God has been doing in our lives.

 Psalm 36:5 
Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

God has provided for our family, even in little things like milk. While milk doesn’t sound like much, it is huge. A while ago, after we prayed and decided that we were supposed to take our nieces under our wings, our sweet neighbors started to supply us with two gallons of milk every week! That was six years ago, and we still get those two gallons every single week. Their simple faithfulness has been a huge blessing to us.

God has provided for our family by paying bills for us, providing meals for us, giving us an amazing group of Bible study friends, and showing us new ministry opportunities. And the list goes on! We are overwhelmed by all of the God’s blessings in our lives.

So, in October of 2012 I had neck surgery. Since then, I have had terrible neck pain and occasional migraines. The last few months, my migraines were almost daily, and my neck pain was severe.

 The amazing thing about working at CFCI is that they were always willing to pray for me. I was not healed instantly, but each time that I was prayed for, my head and neck felt better. I did also get put on medication. Friends at work and church continued to pray, and my migraines continued to lessen.

 Then I got an antibiotic-resistant staph infection (MRSA) on my arm. Then shingles. I thought things were getting better, and then suddenly, I was bedridden and in a lot more pain.

Yes, I was a discouraged! But through this whole situation, God was protecting me. Because I got MRSA, the doctors found the shingles right away; I was sick only for a little more than a week. I just required a lot of much-needed rest. Anyway, after all that, I didn’t have as many headaches.

Then today I woke up with a terrible migraine. I went into work, and Dick asked Sheila and Sandra to come and pray for me. After they prayed, my headache and neck ache instantly went away. God is the great Physician and I am forever grateful for the amazing things that he is doing in our lives!

This post originally appeared on jeffandangielivingbyfaith.blogspot.com.