Dear friend, …………..
I apologize for not sending my GOOD NEWS DAILY to you in the past few days.
This past Saturday, my ex-husband whom I dearly loved for many years and who was one of the most significant people in my entire life passed away.
The other two most significant people in my life outside family members, my beloved long-time pastor and father in Christ, died tragically several years ago. My closest female friend who was like a sister to me was found several years ago dead with a shotgun wound to her chest. These are just several of numerous losses, trials, tragedies, and tribulations through the years.
One day after the loss of my ex-husband, I had a dog veterinary emergency which cost a fortune. By God’s grace, thus far, Gracie is doing well. Nevertheless, it was exhausting to deal with this when I was already worn from the emotions of such a big loss.
I have been under virtually relentless spiritual attack for quite some time now, have been dealing with a personal trial I am not led to describe at this time, and am exhausted from my ministry work and being on the road for the past 2.5 years for Jesus.
Additionally, despite numerous announcements to thousands of people including just a week ago that I am in extreme need of more financial sponsors and donors for this ministry, only an extremely small number of people have donated for the past few years. In fact, on my birthday, after sending out a message to thousands of people asking for help, I received one donation from someone who I do not believe yet believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe one other person who believes in the Lord may make a donation in response to that request.
You can only imagine how worn I am, how challenging each and every day is for me, and how I feel being in New York City with friends and family far away and facing winter knowing that I sometimes have goose bumps at about 72 degrees. I am in one of the most expensive, noisy, dirty, wild, crazy, and ungodly cities in the United States with 4 handicapped streets ministry doggies, an overload of work, not enough sponsors and donors, and a grieving, burdened, overloaded heart.
So now you know what’s coming, right? That I am going to tell you it’s time for me to throw in the towel and give up my ministry work, find a little comfortable house in the south near the beach, get a little part-time easy job, find some new wonderful friends, and cozy up with my new safe and secure and lovely little life. Right? Isn’t that what I will now tell you?
By no means! I AM 100% SOLD OUT TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND TO TELLING THE WORLD ABOUT HIM, AND IN HIS STRENGTH, IN HIS LOVE, BY HIS GRACE, IN HIS MERCY, FOR HIS GLORY, NO MATTER THE COST, I WILL PRESS ON.
Please pray for me. Please pray for this ministry. Please pray for the dogs. Please pray for my ex-husband’s family. Please pray for all those who the Lord reaches through this ministry. Please pray for those on the front lines of serving Jesus worldwide. Please turn from your sins and surrender your life utterly to Jesus. Please tell the world about Him.
p.s. What’s in my heart right now? Sadness? Yes! But more than anything else, LOVE, HOPE, PEACE, and JOY – ALL because of the Lord Jesus Christ, hallelujah, AMEN!
“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 3:7-14
“and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” 2 Corinthians 5:15
“He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39
In Christ’s love,
Lara