Good News/Bad News
By Doug Lucas
I remember, growing up, my mom and dad would watch this silly show on TV with a comedy sketch in which a barber would tell his client the “good news/bad news” of the day. Sometimes here at Team Expansion’s International Services Center, Emerald Hills, in Louisville, we experience something similar.
The bad news is, Penny Lucas, our long-time “Missionary Kid” (“MK”) Care Coordinator recently took early retirement, after several decades of faithful service (Thank you Penny!). How were we to replace her?
The good news was, within a week, a young lady with a stellar resume called, hoping to apply. Her passion? She was hoping to work with MK’s and she had 10 years’ experience in a counseling center plus a Bible college degree and a grad degree in – what else? – Marriage and family therapy. But the bad news was, she needed to raise support – and – we’re still praying for good news on that front. (Please pray that Jenny will find a way to get here soon. We needed her yesterday!)
More bad news though – the banking industry has added a ton of regulations and, with a bunch of other challenges, we could sure utilize a person with a specialty in operations and finance.
But the good news is – God raised up a man of faith from a church in Pike County, Kentucky with a long track record in management and a specialty in finance and operations to apply as our new Operations guy, and he already has raised 56% (Yay God!). The bad news is – he has to raise the final $44% – and we could use him last year! But we’re praying for more good news on that front too.
But there’s more bad news. Just a couple of months back, our Mobilization (recruitment) director resigned to take a job with a local church. But the good newsis, that same week, a long-time associate of Team Expansion from Wisconsin (with incredible gifts in recruiting volunteers, by the way) asked if there was anything she could do. She ended up applying for the Mobilization director job and within 30 days, she had 80% of the funds raised for Team Expansion that would pay her salary! (Yay God!) But the bad news is, she still has to raise the other 20%.
But at the end of the day, there’s a lot more GOOD NEWS. The REALLY great good news is that Jesus died for our sins, rose the third day, and through his blood, saves those who accept him as Lord. Would you pray for good news for all these “bad news” scenarios – so we can, together, spread the Good News to unreached peoples worldwide?
If God prompts you to give toward one of these causes, please let us know. We’d love to pass along YOUR good news to one or more of these workers. Thanks again for your partnership in the Gospel!
Emerald Hills Financial Report: November |
