08/21/2024
ANNOUNCEMENT:
The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
That verse describes what has been going on with us over the last few months. Many plans and many diversions. If we composed an email with all the plans that were diverted beyond our control I imagine it would be too long for you to read! If we did not strongly believe that our faith was being tested and that God can be absolutely trusted, and the mission is worth the sacrifice, I believe we would have quit! However, faithful is He who called you and He also will bring it to pass. (1 Thessalonians 5:2)
It appears it is finally coming to pass! After months of planning, "false starts", and closed doors, things are coming together 🙏🏻
When our home on wheels was detained at the service garage for over 7 weeks, we decided to at least get things started. We flew to SC, met some disciples there and were blessed to fellowship with them as well as serve in their homeless community.
We also connected with a couple who moved from MA to SC and were our first board members! It was such an amazing time and we have plans to connect with them in ministry as well.
While we were in South Carolina, we really began to seek God about what to do about our 501c3. We have been advised by some people that we should not be in bo***ge to the government and under their rules and regulations. We have also been told that having a nonprofit is the best way to receive donations and keep everything above board. There is also the fact that Matt worked hard for this status and has continued to work hard to stay in compliance. Should that be discarded?
Our heart for God and to see people's lives transformed by the message of the Gospel has not changed. We will be faithful to the call of God on our lives. That is not in question. But because we feel that it is foolish to make a decision when we do not know what decision to make, we have decided to commit the next 6-8 weeks to what we are calling "pray and pilot." The definition of pilot is: done as an experiment or test before introducing something more widely
We are not testing God's call, we are testing what we think that looks like. If what we do leads to much fruit, more people, and an organized way of ministering that people demonstrate they want to partner with, we will see it as affirmation that we should keep the nonprofit and reword our name, mission and vision to reflect more than just a local children's ministry.
If we see anything else, we will continue to seek God for wisdom and clarity, and continue to minister as a family while we wait for Him to give the wisdom we ask for.
Our "pilot" involves South Carolina, Texas, Kansas, and Indiana. It also involves preaching and teaching and other ministry to children and families when we return. But if I may refer to my opening line, The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.
The Hope for Kids Mission building is being looked after by Cameron while we are away and he is also checking mail and assisting with administrative duties that cannot wait until we return.
We wanted to keep you updated as you have been faithful financial supporters of Hope for Kids. If you would like to continue giving during this time of mobile ministry, the money will go into the HFK account to be used to help with building expenses (which are very minimal) and then will be used for local ministry when we arrive back in Massachusetts. If you choose not to, we want you to know how very grateful we are for the many years of support that you have shown towards Hope for Kids. We have reached well over 1,000 children in Springfield with the love of God and we know that God is faithful to do HIS part with that seed that was sown in their hearts.
We are working this week on a more consistent and simple way to keep people up to date on our travels. It should be ready to go in the next couple of days!
Thank you again,
Matt and Erika
