The Official Magazine of The Point

Mission 50 Trip: Go Southwest
by Hanna Dugan

It is Thursday, July 8th and we are nearing home after eleven days on the road. We have driven over 6,000 miles and our van is smeared top to bottom with the bugs that have accompanied us on our mission; some joined us early in game, and others were picked up somewhere in California. We have eaten more than thirty meals on-the-go. We have had the pleasure of staying in gorgeous hotels and the thrill of the “not so wonderful” hotel. We have camped. We have almost run out of gas … twice. We have seen America in a whole new light. This is definitely the adventure of a lifetime.

And as I sit in the car just a few miles from home, my mind struggles to recall all we have done, all we have seen, and everyone we met. Much of it seems a blur as we accomplished so much in such a small span of time.
One thing has become infinitely clear and keeps running through my mind: this is what we are called for, to stand as the people of God, before the leaders of this land and proclaim blessings to them. To pray with them unashamedly and to bring the kingdom of God right into the offices where they make their decisions. To offer uncompromised support and overflowing wisdom. We have been called to a position of great authority, even in the company of rulers.

Mission 50 is a reminder of what you, as a child of God, are called to. As a team we were able to meet with men and women of high standing all throughout the Southwest. We had appointments with the Governor’s chief advisor in Salt Lake City and the Lieutenant Governor of Idaho. On a previous trip the team was able to meet with the Governor of West Virginia. Even when the only available staff was the head secretary or assistant, we were certain that we met and blessed the right person. He set up meetings with the perfect people because he wanted to touch their lives. Mission 50 is a call to live outside of the ordinary, outside of your routine, and completely within your calling.

There is always talk of taking the nations; talk of taking this and that nation across the globe. It is easy to forget that one’s own nation is at our feet and in our backyard. Mission 50 is an incredible way to take hold of the kingdom of God and bring it to the men and women who oversee the United States.

Your journey starts with prayer and ends with action. Pray about where God is sending you and GO!

Update on Haiti
by Vickie Kay Welton

Six weeks after the earthquake, Stephanie, a young Hatian mother, limped into the Double Harvest Mission clinic. With her fractured back, it was a miracle she could walk and without immediate surgery would become a paraplegic. The clinic I was working in was not equipped to handle her case and our lead doctor immediately made arrangements for a helicopter pick up.

When the earthquake tore through Haiti at the end of January 2010, I began praying for Lord’s direction about using my nursing skills to help. Less than two weeks later with much prayer and support from my husband and trusted friends, I left for Haiti on team from Grand Rapids that was assigned to Double Harvest Mission, which is about 1 hour outside Port-Au-Prince and left unaffected by the quake.

The mission’s two operating rooms, a birthing room, and a small PACU (Post Anesthetic Care Unit) are not enough and the patients and their families were grateful for a bed and a roof over their heads despite the make-shift patient wards made from converted garage bays, tarps, and plywood. The walk-in style clinic consisted of an orthopedic surgeons, a family medicine doctor, and a general surgeon. In our 16+ hour days, hundreds of patients received care, over 60 surgical procedures were performed, and 6 babies were delivered.

Years of malnutrition and unsanitary living conditions prevented patients from healing well; they were often taken back to surgery to have wounds cleaned and bones reset. In spite of challenges like these, help continued to flow in. A team from Spain arrived and measured patients for prosthetic limbs, two truck loads of previous patients were helped in addition to those at the hospital.

One patient who had lost a limb and almost everyone in his family said he was full of hope. When asked why, he replied that the world has come to Haiti and the corruption in our government is now exposed for everyone to see. He said now he has hope that things will have to change and that he will be able to get a decent job. One of our interpreter’s wife and son were killed in the quake but he took only one day off to mourn for them and was back to help us. It was individuals like these who inspired the whole team.

When I was passing out evening medications, I would sing and dance in the patients wards. They in turn would sing their worship songs and dance sitting in their beds. They didn’t understand me and I didn’t know the words to their songs but we were worshipping the same God.

The Lord gave me strength to see and hear about many horrific situations. Prayers truly sustained me. We were told that a witch doctor up in the mountains had put a curse on the clinic. I honestly thought “big deal.” Nothing can stop us from serving with the Lord at our side!

So much work is still needed. Please don’t stop praying for these people even when the media cameras are gone. I know the Lord is watching over Haiti and many good things will come out of this.. It was a privilege to serve.

The rocks in Haiti cried out; the earth roared and the world came running. Seeing nations from around the globe everywhere I turned was awesome, but more important Christians brought the Prince of Peace to minister to the Haitians.

Fresh & New

By Loren Nofsinger

I like new things. I like fresh things. I like the smell of new cars and I like the feel of brand new socks. I like the fragility and potential of new babies. They are completely helpless, yet have the world of possibilities in front of them. I enjoy the challenge and excitement of new ideas. Nothing tastes or smells better than fresh baked bread. My toast only has 10 seconds before butter can be spread or the moment has been lost and I settle for mediocre toast. The first warm breeze in the spring after a long winter brings the hope and excitement of change. I like fresh and new things.

My list, as well as yours, could go on. Even those of us who are resistant to change enjoy some new and fresh things. Who doesn’t like new socks or babies? We all can get trapped in, fall in love with, or be forced to endure the same old ways of our lives, but I believe there is a part of us all that yearns for change and freshness.

Since we are made in the image of our Father, it is no surprise that we find ourselves appearing to be contradictory at times about change. Our Father is a God who does not change. He is from eternity past to eternity future the same. We can plant our lives and our faith on His unchanging nature. Yet, His mercies are new every morning. He shows Himself to us in an ever changing manner. He has progressively revealed Himself throughout the Bible. Each new revelation only adds to our understanding of Him, but He never changes. When we see God do something we may never have seen before, we are seeing a new facet or side of Him, not a new ‘god.’ Even as we spend eternity with Him, we will not discover everything about Him; it will be an ongoing unfolding of His character and goodness that will surprise us and delight us forever.

God never changes yet He is always fresh and new. His mercies are new every morning, and He puts a new song in our hearts. Everything He touches is transformed and renewed. Where His river flows in Ezekiel 47, it turns salt water into fresh water. The Psalmist encourages those in their old age to remain fresh and green, always bearing good fruit (Psalm 92:4). In Revelation we see God create a new heaven and a new earth. The tree of Life is there bearing fresh fruit every month. He never changes, yet His character always produces freshness and new things.

So how are we to live if we are to reflect Him in this world? I believe there are core values and truths that we live by and on which we never compromise or change. These beliefs and values are never to be boring or stagnant, but in themselves they must produce life and fruit. If they do not produce fruit, but produce death and stagnation, they do not originate in Him and must be dropped. Outside of these core values everything else is subject to change. We all have our preferences in food, music, art, clothes, and, of course, sports teams, but these are really just preferences. Wars are not normally fought over which genre of music is the best or which hamburger is the tastiest. Our preferences will lead us into many energetic discussions, but should not develop into heated battles. We bring our preferences into our life in the Kingdom of God: styles of worship, types and length of sermons, dress codes, décor of the building, level of the sound, correct temperature, pastoral attire and grooming, parking lot etiquette, and activities and freedom of the Holy Spirit in a meeting. I am sure the list could go on. Preferences are not evil or bad, they are a part of what makes us who we are. The danger comes in allowing our preferences to tell God what we will or will not allow. Wisdom is found in knowing what is in our lives that cannot change, and what can and must change to always stay fresh with God and man.

The God who we love and serve never changes on the core themes of His manner and character. Yet, He daily presents Himself and His Kingdom in new and fresh ways. One of the joys of being in God’s Kingdom is to know and depend on His steadfastness, yet wake up every morning to see what He is doing new and how He will reveal Himself differently today. Let’s live in the certainty of His unchanging nature and the expectancy of His creativity and freshness. What’s new today, Lord? We’re in.

Sixty Thanks
By Angela Hughes

A few months ago I could feel myself starting to get overwhelmed with everything that I had to do. I was becoming concerned that I would forget important things and have some things slip through my fingers. My husband suggested that I go back to the habit I had of making lists. My reason for letting that slip was because the lists were getting so overwhelming that I didn’t want to look at them! He told me to just face the truth, make the list and go from there! Ok, then.

I sat down with a pen and paper and decided that I would make a list of only the absolute crucial important things that simply could not slip into next month. Just important things. Not things I would like to do or should prepare or would be a good idea, just the pressing things. So I did. SIXTY. Sixty items on that list. Sixty, ‘must be done immediately,’ things. That’s why I stopped making lists! Oh, my word!

Psalm 50:23 says, ”He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”

Two things jumped at me: thank and salvation. The salvation bit was appealing. That’s what I needed. How on earth was I going to do all I have to do and sleep? When I would wake up in the morning, the day would rush at me like a naughty toddler jumping up and down on my head! Before I even opened my eyes I would recount that list. And I would feel…blah!

I started to operate this scripture and instead of letting the day take me down before I even got up, I changed my mind. I made my mind think about the good things of God and what I could be thankful for. The first thing I realized was, I was in a warm bed. I had a roof over my head. A family. I was well. I was safe. I was going to have breakfast. And coffee! One by one, the simple pure wonderful things that we all experience every day filled my thinking. Oh thank you God! You have me in your hand, always have and always will. I found that as I practiced this more and more the entire perspective of my daily life changed.

Have you ever been to someone’s house and they have a picture on the wall that is crooked? It’s just slightly off. Tilting down to the right a little? Your eye is drawn to it, over and over again. You are desperate to get up and move it. You can hardly hear what the other person is saying. Ohhh, that picture!

When we feel overwhelmed, pressured, stressed, whatever, it’s as if our thoughts go to a crooked picture on the wall of our minds. We keep going there over and over again. Drawn to the sixty items on that list!

But thanksgiving stands up, walks forward, grabs the picture and says, “Lets put this straight.” Thanksgiving corrects worrisome thinking. It takes on anxiety and wins. Thanksgiving paints the inside of your thinking with bright colors. Thanksgiving declares to winter, “Spring is here!” It puts a bounce in your step. It puts joy in your face and light in your soul.

Thanksgiving, though, doesn’t save you. Not literally. It just prepares a way. Only God can save. If, by giving thanks, we ‘prepare a way,’ then that means that God has to turn up and ‘do something.’ In His special-super-duper-only-God-can-do-it kind of way.

Weird things start to happen. Out of the ordinary things. Things you thought you were responsible for are suddenly erased. People turn up and help. You get ideas for quicker ways to do things. Perspective comes! Things that seemed incredibly time consuming you now realize are not that big of a deal. Guess what? God is helping. He is stepping in. Peace starts to reign. You start to operate out of a place of rest and trust.

Colossians 3 :15 talks about letting the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. It’s out of our hearts that we can struggle with anxiety. But this verse says, “You are called to peace.” God has called us to live life well; to enjoy it and laugh and have fun. The last line of that verse says, “And be thankful.” We are actually changing our lives when we come to God with thank offerings. He is poised to respond.

I pray as you read this, you will recount the things that God has blessed you with in your life. First and foremost, the fact that you know Him, are loved by Him and kept by Him, that you have promise over your life and a bright future.

Psalm 30:11 and 12 says, “You turned my wailing into dancing. You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy. That my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.”

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