Just a quick update to ask for urgent prayer as we have a situation that is rooted in spiritual opposition:
- I have sensed for several months that some of the neighbors in our mountain valley have not been entirely supportive about our intent to utilize the ranch and Lodge facility for ministry. I have tried on occasion to dispel these concerns as they made their way back to me, but I found out last night that it is a much greater issue than I thought. I can’t give many details here about what is taking place, but I can summarize the situation by stating that our neighbors have made it very clear that they do not want my family here or our ministry and are actively seeking ways to oppose us. These are people that until more recently have always appeared to be friendly and welcoming to us. People that we have shared our faith with, have invited into our home for meals and friendly gatherings and in general have been very open with. This has taken a toll on my wife and I. **My prayer request is this: that Jesus would reveal himself to our neighbors and that his kindness would lead them to repentance. Pray that Jesus would protect my family by giving us grace and discernment and that though it is the opposite of what we feel right now, that God would enable us to “live such good lives among the pagans that, thought they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us” (1 Peter 2:12).
Other prayer requests:
- Pray for Gary – a gentleman who has been working here the past couple of weeks. Chris, a volunteer with Reclaim, and I have been able to share the gospel with him, but he is not open to it yet. Please pray that God would open his eyes to his need for a Savior!
- Please pray for strength, wisdom and workers as if I’m being honest I get incredibly overwhelmed at times with the amount of work and ministry that needs to be done here on the ranch before winter.
- I’ve been working with a local food bank called Lifebridge that also has a firewood ministry. They’ve identified quite a few families in dire need of food and wood to heat their homes with. We’ve scheduled 2 wood cutting days this month (July 18th and 25th) to benefit these families and share Jesus in a tangible way. There are a number of men involved with Lifebridge who will be here and I’ve encouraged them to grab a neighbor, teen, friend or someone who doesn’t know Jesus as I will share the gospel and the vision of reclaiming hearts at these wood cutting days.
- I’m working with a youth pastor at a South Korean church in Denver, he has a student who is pursuing his Eagle Scout certification. I met with the student (Noah) yesterday about building a wood corral and staging area for our firewood ministry. Pray that Noah’s scoutmaster will approve the project we discussed and that his scout troop (who will assist him here with the project) could hear the truth of the gospel while they are here!
I cannot thank you all enough for your prayers, I have literally felt the effects of them over the past couple of days. The Lord bless you ALL!
Todd
