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Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ!
Another summer is upon us at His Thousand Hills Christian Camp and
Retreat Center. My daughter, Rebekah, and I are plunged into our service
for the Lord during our busiest time of the year. If this is your first letter
from us, briefly Rebekah and I are faith-based missionaries serving the Lord at
HTH, a non-profit organization wholly supported by donations. In 2002, I
lost my husband by a major heart attack, and during the last ten years my
family has learned a lot about trusting the Lord for our provision. When
our survivor’s benefits dwindled, I applied for many jobs in my area, but the
Lord closed the doors on all but the opportunity at HTH. So we raise
support as missionaries do.
We have just completed our busy month of June in which we hosted
our own two weeks of HTH summer camp. Our theme verse was Galatians 2:20,
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. It was
presented in such a way as to demonstrate to teens and juniors the importance
of a new life in Christ - and what fruit we had! Several children
received Christ or renewed their relationship with Him, deciding to make
changes in their lives. We are now looking forward to hosting several
outside groups who will be having week-long camps and retreats through July and
August. So the fun and blessings have only just begun. Rebekah and
I are always blessed to be a part of these events.
Notes from Jane - There is no end to office work
when a camp is in session. I take care of registration paperwork, and am
the hub of communication for campers, outside calls, getting messages to camp
staff or campers, and occasionally helping a home-sick camper to call
home. Balancing all that with my regular daily accounting and paperwork
is always a challenge, but a joy. I’ve said it before – office work is my
niche, and if I can do it for the Lord, how much better!
Notes from Rebekah - Summer is our busiest time at HTH. There is
usually a new group every week looking to enjoy the beautiful hills and
services that we provide them. It can be very hot (especially in the
kitchen), tiring and at times downright exhausting! But the one thing
that keeps me going is the knowledge that every year God works in the lives of
those who come to camp. A few years ago, I heard a story of a girl where
the church people had been trying to get her to come to church and accept
Christ. She kept refusing. However, she didn’t mind coming to
camp. During one of the evening services she couldn’t contain herself any
longer. She began to cry and came up to the altar, accepted Christ and
committed her life to Him. Hearing the stories of children and adults getting
saved or committing their lives to Christ is such an encouragement and makes
all the hot and exhausting days so worth it!
Michael - Since last October,
my son Michael has been stationed in Ramstein Germany for his duty station in
the U.S. Air Force. Recently he sent me a message that he has been
deployed to Kosovo for a peace-keeping assignment by NATO. He will not be
able to come home on leave this year, and we miss him, but we are able to keep
regular communications with him online or using Skype.
I
want to express sincere thanks to all of you who have faithfully supported us
with prayers and finances. I can honestly say that I don’t know how my
family would have made it without them! Since last year’s letter, our car
became disabled beyond repair, and because of some generous givers, we now have
two cars – one for Rebekah and I to commute to camp and back, and the other for
my son Daniel’s commute to his job. Following are some dire needs that I
would like you to pray about for us:
·
I have a major black mold/mildew problem in my basement –
I had an estimate by a specialist in this area, and was told it was very
serious, and is dangerous to the health of my family members. His discounted offer to gut the basement and
repair the situation was $5,040.00. If
anyone can help me remedy this situation, please contact me – but please pray
that God would provide for the need!
·
I have back
property taxes - $656.00 due by September 28 – yes, I’m still trying to get
that caught up.
·
I need new glasses
- $100-$200 for frames and lenses (although my eye exam is covered by
insurance).
·
A large filling
fell out of one of my back molars – I have no dental insurance.
·
I owe a chimney
repairman $600 because he took care of a major creosote leakage in my woodstove
chimney - ready for next winter.
May
God specially bless you all!
Sincerely
in Christ,
Jane
Gresens
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God is always faithful to provide and has been blessing us and meeting our needs. We so appreciate your prayers as we serve the Lord in our ministry!
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