 Dear Family & Friends, Look up! Lift your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh! (Luke 21:28) There are a lot of speculations for this upcoming solar eclipse on April 8th. We are sure you have heard or even felt the buzzing going around. Whether you believe it is biblical or whether you believe it is coincidental, you cannot deny the One who created the sun and the moon. Whatever the reason, there is a purpose for it. We believe if you have Jesus in your heart, you are already looking up, lifting your head, and understanding your redemption draweth nigh because it could happen at any minute of your life – like it has already for many of our loved ones who have gone before us. Brent and I have recently moved our RV to the Bastrop RV Park where we have been blessed with a shade tree, carport, storage shed and lean-to porch. One of the best parts about our location is we are .9 miles from our church with lots of potential to reach many in this RV park for Christ. This park is full of long-term residents that need a dose of Shepherd Ministries’ love. One beautiful neighbor we met is Somer Ann. Somer Ann is a missionary who has asked us for help with transporting her small RV to Dickinson, Texas. She has been called to team up with another missionary there to help with those who have missing loved ones. Please keep us in your prayers as we will transport her on Wednesday, March 27th. She has already taken us around this RV park and has introduced us to many friendly people. Passing the baton is what we call it. She has an amazing love for Christ and is a strong witness for Him. As a gift for her friendship and love to us, Brent surprised Somer Ann by power washing her RV preparing it for new beginnings. Please pray for her safety, strength, and endurance in this new chapter in her life. On Wednesday, we received a text from one of the residents we met in this RV park, her name was Alison. She asked for prayer for another couple in the RV park we had not met named Kathy & Joe. Joe is in hospice care and Kathy was not in a good way, she hasn’t been sleeping and she hadn’t been eating. Brent and I decided to pick up soup and a sandwich and immediately made our way to her RV. We introduced ourselves and listened to her share openly about her husband’s situation. We prayed with her and told her we were here if she found herself not wanting to be alone and she could call us anytime of the day. She was so grateful for our visit and has been in touch since we saw her last. Please pray for Kathy & Joe. Last Saturday, March 16, Brent was ordained a Chaplain for Heirs of Grace church. He was the first Chaplain ordained by Heirs of Grace and it was a wonderful sight to see friends come out to support Brent and be a part of this honorable event. We would like to thank the Soldiers of Christ Ministries Chaplains for their long drive in from Georgetown and San Antonio, Texas, to witness Brent’s ordination. All those who attended made it incredibly special for us both. Recently a beautiful sister in Christ named Nancy, a professional Spanish teacher, asked if she could teach me Spanish at no cost. I am so honored to have this opportunity and could not want anything more right now, especially with the border issues. What a blessing from God! I began taking lessons about a month ago and believe me when I say it is hard trying to get back into school mode after all these years. Please pray that my mind will grasp it, retain it, and rejoice in it. Thanks for your love and support, we are looking forward to our growth in this RV park and watching the Lord move. Please keep us in prayer that we will be able to touch many lives for Christ - and sooner than later, for their redemption draweth nigh! In Faith, Hope & Love, Chaplain Brent & Laura Jones “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.” Deuteronomy 28:6-10 P.S. – See pictures attached.    Hello Family & Friends, As 2023 ends, we want to tell you how much we appreciate all the prayers and support that we received from each and every one of you. Maybe you’re thinking, well, I didn’t really pray a whole lot for them, or I could have prayed more, we collectively are a body and when you don’t, there’s another that is. We totally believe that in the Spirit we are all one, and when we have need, the Lord prompts His children to begin praying for that one person, or a whole nation. When we look back at 2023, we remember lots of faces and hearts of people that were helped, not just the ones in our newsletters, but even those that came against us after trying to help and serve them. It is heartbreaking when we are here for the least of these, but they are bound by evil and desire not the goodness of God, but only what they can get from the kindhearted. We pray the Lord’s protection over all of you. We hope you enjoy the pictures below – we love being able to help people and share the gospel with who we can and where we can. These few pictures include some of those we have served and those we partner with to serve others. Our presence may be the only Jesus anyone sees that day, so if we remember that – it makes it easier to trust that God can and will use us for His purpose that day. We pray that as you look back over this past year of your life, that you will be able to see the goodness of God and how He uses you and protects you each day. We are thankful to Him for you! We want to take the time to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year! We ask for prayer for Shepherd Ministries as we embrace the challenges that await us in 2024. Thank y’all so much! In Faith, Hope & Love, Chaplains Brent & Laura Jones  Hello Family!
Shepherd Ministries of Central Texas (SMCT), has been "an answer to prayer!" for quite a few people in multiple ways this past year. We shamelessly write this because Brent and I are called to bring the love of Christ into each situation and point people to Jesus - as He is the answer to their needs and the reason for our involvement. We witness firsthand how He touches people's lives daily with His kindness, goodness, and love and we get to share with them about His saving grace. We often get calls like this: "Brent and Laura, can you help us find help for this elderly disabled woman? Brent, can you come talk to my cousin, he just got out of prison... Hey Brent and Laura, there's this homeless guy that needs help.... Laura, can you talk to this person and see if y'all can help them?" Over and over we answer the calls, but God gets the glory! This last year SMCT helped many people with everyday living expenses (utilities, rent, food), medical bills, dental visits, eyeglass replacements, etc. We visit the lonely and aging, and pray with those who have no one else...We have also been a blessing to local ministries like Bastrop Pregnancy Resource Center, Hope House of Bastrop, Help For All Nations, Hands and Feet Ministry, and many others. We have made ourselves available to the Lord to be His hands and feet, but we can't do it alone! That is where you come in. Would you help us continue to be available to answer the calls that come to us daily? We expect them to only increase. Whether it's a one-time end of year gift or a monthly commitment, no matter the size, we need help to be available to help others. We are not looking for recognition for what we do, we are just grateful for the opportunity to serve as missionaries on American soil. This is our deepest desire and with you as a partner, it will be accomplished. To donate online - click on www.centraltx.org and then click on the donate button. Or you can write a check out to Shepherd Ministries and mail it to P.O. Box 364 Bastrop, TX 78602. If you prefer to use ACH, please text or call us at 512-784-5585 or 512-321-0669 and we can send you that information. Thank you for considering and remembering us. We cannot overestimate how much it means to us to know you are behind us as we minister to the least of these everyday. Thank you for your love, prayers, and support. We are truly grateful for each of you. We wish you and your family a blessed and merry Christmas season! Much Love to you all ~ Your Friends, Brent & Laura Jones Chaplains Hello Family & Friends,
In James chapter 4, James gets all the way through an explanation of our dependence on God then says on the last line (vs. 17) “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” Between that, and Jesus Himself saying, “love each other as I have loved you,” - that sets an excellent standard for how we should go about our lives in this chaotic world. In our experiences we see walls and barriers come down on a personal level when we stick to those two principles of doing good, and love’em like Jesus. The miracles we see in this Bastrop community are a daily fascination to us, and we so love to share the remarkable things God does with the lives of those around us! (Acts 2:46-47). Since our last newsletter in August, there has been a whirlwind of activity within the ministry, as well as in the world. What we realize is that our willingness to help others just looks different lately. In fact, it has opened our eyes to see the wide diversity and unique needs that were used to magnify and glorify the Lord by just answering the call and allowing Him to do the work through the ministry. There seems to be no limits to God’s grace. Our stories here reflect on some of these instances. Edie has been someone that Brent and I have been walking with for the past year. We have seen how her spiritual life has been drawing closer to the Lord and witnessed her baptism in a private pool this past summer. So, it was no surprise when she asked us for help with her sick dog Duchess. Duchess was her 13 yr. old Rhodesian Ridgeback dog that could no longer use her hind legs to get around and her weight was too much for Edie to carry in and out of the house. Edie hated what she knew she needed to do, and that was to release Duchess from her suffering. The problem she had was there was no way to get her to the vet. One morning Brent decided it was time to help Edie with Duchess and he called her and told her to get ready, we are taking Duchess to the vet. Brent was able to load up Duchess in his backseat and proceeded to spend the rest of the afternoon taking all the steps with Edie as the vet released her Duchess from pain. Edie was not prepared for the instant grief that would follow, but it meant much to have Brent there to comfort her. Brent took Edie and Duchess back home and dug a grave for Duchess in the backyard. When Brent returned home, he said it was a very taxing, emotional experience for both Edie and him as well. Brent allowed me to debrief him and then I prayed peace over him. I love how Brent loves like Christ. Another request came from Wayne, a childhood friend of Brent’s who lives in the Corpus Christi area. Wayne had a coworker, we will call him Tom, who was injured in a motorcycle accident, had not returned to work, and was spiraling downhill into depression. Wayne could tell that Tom needed help like counseling or something, and so he reached out to Brent, thinking Brent could talk to him. Brent was prompted to contact an ex-employer, Frank – a strong man of God, who retired from construction work and became a life coach with Serenity Counseling and Life Coaching Services. Frank told Brent that if Tom were ready to attend counseling, he would set him up an appointment to have him come in for consultation. Brent reached out to Tom, and he agreed to counseling but had no income to pay for his visits. Shepherd Ministries agreed to pay for six counseling sessions for Tom with Serenity Counseling and Life Coaching Services. The sessions proved to be successful, Tom received his dignity back, is now back at work and getting his life back in order. Tom was very thankful for the counseling sessions, and Wayne witnessed firsthand the touch of our faithful God. Shepherd Ministries received a phone call from a nurse at Humana Hospital looking for help for a patient. Seems Darla, a disabled elderly woman, who lives in Georgetown, an hour drive away from Bastrop, had her friend Kelly, a nurse, calling around to help her find someone, anyone to help put together a leather recliner that was delivered in three separate boxes and needed assembly. We still are not sure how Kelly received our number but an act of God, no doubt - Brent knew it was something he could do. We asked people we knew who lived in the Georgetown area, but we could not find help, so Brent drove to Georgetown and pieced together the recliner for Darla. While he was there Darla, and her younger caregiver were given hope through Brent sharing Jesus Christ is the only answer to it all. No doubt it was a divine appointment and he loved how Jesus used him to speak truth into their lives. Brent and I continue to maintain discipleship through men’s and women’s groups including state jail ministry, and chaplaincy meetings weekly. We are fascinated and honored to be called on to bring the love and the messages of Jesus Christ to those around us daily. You see, Shepherd Ministries of Central Texas is who we are and loving and caring for people is what we do. We appreciate your love, prayers, and support which we know is God’s gift to us. Do you have any concerns or need a listening ear? Please call, text, or email us - we would love to hear from you. You are on our hearts too, let us pray with you. God bless you family! In Faith, Hope, and Love, Brent & Laura Jones |
AuthorShepherd Ministries of Central Texas Archives
August 2024
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
