Hello Family, In our last newsletter, we wrote about Jack who was needing help moving, was ill, and was baptized with the help of Brent. Jack became a friend and a brother in Christ in the last month of his life and on Thursday, May 26th, Jack left this earth to be with his Father in Heaven. He never waivered in his belief that he was going to heaven and the messages on Brent’s cell phone proved he was ready and his love for Jesus and for Brent were real. One desire that Jack had was for Brent to connect with his 36 yr. old son Zack. The night before Jack’s passing, Brent and Zack finally met in person for dinner. They have become fast friends. We have been ministering to Zack since his dad’s passing and have helped him with some burden’s left behind. We will continue to shepherd Zack through this season and will remain friends for life. Michael is a disabled man on a walker who barely made it out of his house alive as an electrical short set his house on fire and burned it to the ground. We have been aiding in the emotional and spiritual support that Michael has needed over these last few weeks. We asked him to go to ADRN (Austin Disaster Relief Network), and as volunteers of ADRN, we have agreed to be the Disaster Relief Shepherd for Michael through this traumatic season. We will provide the connections to clear his property of the debris that was once his home, and we have faith that the Lord will provide for the house replacement to fill Michael’s need. This incident with Jack and with Michael, has Brent and I looking for ways to help those in need in times such as these. We desire to learn more about hospice, more about indigent care that’s available for indigent individuals, and ways to tap into resources for those in need that are available in this city/county for these types of circumstances. We have connected with a Pastor friend of ours to talk about end-of-life ministry. The Lord has laid it on both our hearts to minister one-on-one with love, to these individuals He will put in our path. Please pray for Zack’s healing and Michael’s recovery and pray that the Lord continues to give us discernment and revelation regarding the care we are to provide as shepherds for those hurting or in need. And finally, on May 22nd, the Bastrop Christian Ministerial Alliance worked with teachers and students of the graduating class at Bastrop High School and Cedar Creek High School to put together a baccalaureate that was student lead. As members of the BCMA, I volunteered to decorate the fellowship hall and create a party atmosphere with refreshments and door prizes for those students who participated. We had many churches and businesses around Bastrop and Cedar Creek participate with donating prizes for this event. My help came from Brent, Leslie, Priscilla, Marianne, and the Lord. I couldn’t have done it without them. A total of 28 students participated, along with their families. God is so good; all the students went home with a door prize! So, from “end of life” we see the opportunity to help with “new beginnings” which is why we’re so grateful to the Lord for our donors that make our presence in these situations possible! Thank you for your love and support. “May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 (NLT) We love you family! Brent and Laura Jones
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AuthorShepherd Ministries of Central Texas Archives
August 2024
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