December - We Will Go Ministries

WE WILL GO NEWS
December 2014
Volume 3, Issue 12
faithfulness proves true. We cannot
go back. We cannot stop. We
by Amy Lancaster
cannot lay down and
quit. Our perseverance is not
One of my favorite things about Jesus is HIS
because of our strength or wisdom or ideas or
amazing faithfulness. No matter how weary we
faith. Never. We just cling to HIS amazing
are, confused, dazed, unsure — JESUS is so
faithfulness. As I look back and think of 2014,
faithful. HE is so steadfast. Many days there is so
this is all I can think: What a FAITHFUL SAVIOR.
much need, so many hurts, so many people with
If you don’t know JESUS and HIS amazing
so many problems; we cry out to JESUS for HIS
faithfulness, we pray you run to HIM today! HE
help! Every single time, without fail, JESUS shows
will never, ever fail! HE is faithful!
up! HE speaks to the wind
In 2014, we saw God’s
and the waves and the
faithfulness on display
“THE STEADFAST LOVE OF
storms, and HIS amazing
through the person of
peace floods our hearts
THE LORD NEVER CEASES;
Jesus Christ. Whether
and minds. I never grow
HIS MERCIES NEVER COME TO on the basketball court
tired of standing in
in the Fountain or in
AN END; THEY ARE
complete awe of HIM.
sanctuaries all across
Some days people NEW EVERY MORNING; GREAT the city — and even in
ask us, "How many times
houses and street
IS YOUR FAITHFULNESS.”
have you shared this? Don't
corners in between —
LAMENTATIONS 3:22-23
you get tired of this? Don't
God poured out His
you want to go do
Spirit this year. In the
something easier?" I do understand their
expectation of the newness of life that comes by
questions and where these thoughts come from —
trusting Jesus, we say a very Merry Christmas
of course. But every single time, JESUS'
from our family to your family.
Jesus, Our Faithful King and Savior
We Will Go Ministries | 799 North Congress Street | Jackson, MS 39202 | [email protected] | 601-398-2410
The Christian Laboratory —
Our aim is loving God and loving people. We practice it
every single day in many ways. The last few months
we’ve been highlighting a few ways that every follower
of Christ can reach his own street….
# 1 Looking for strategic
ways to follow Jesus’
discipleship command
Jesus said, “Go and make
disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the
name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy
Spirit. Teach these new
disciples to obey all the
commands I have given
you. And be sure of this: I
am with you always, even
to the end of the
age” (Matt. 28:19-20).
more simple & practical ways
we love our neighborhood:
# 2 Inviting people into our
homes to study God’s word
a passage from Psalm 130
# 3 continuing our yearly tradition
of sharing Thanksgiving lunch
with the neighborhood. See scenes
from November 28th below —>
We Will Go Ministries | 799 North Congress Street | Jackson, MS 39202 | [email protected] | 601-398-2410
Wanna pitch in? We are
inviting you to to join us as
we share the love and
power of jesus in
downtown Jackson. Please
contact us through email:
[email protected] or
phone: 601-398-2410
We Will Go Ministries | 799 North Congress Street | Jackson, MS 39202 | [email protected] | 601-398-2410
Meridith: In 2011 God
spoke clearly that He was
restoring my dreams of
marriage, that He was
Lee Curtis and Meridith
sending a Boaz, a
Kinsman Redeemer, that it
won't be like any other time or any other relationship. He
gave me the promise in Hebrews 11:11: “It was by faith
that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she
was barren and was too old. She believed that God
would keep his promise.” He began showing me 11:11
everywhere… clocks, my cell phone, the game clock at
football games. In April of 2012 a friend
sent me a photo of a bull named Boaz
and my first thought was “are you telling
me Jesus is sending me a cowboy?
Jesus, You do realize that I’m a city girl,
right?” Then in January of 2013 I was
visiting the Iris Base in Abilene, TX and
as I took a photo of the herd of cattle
with the big bull as the focal point, I
heard the Lord say “I am sending you
lots of choices, but there will be one that
stands out above the rest.” My reply was
“why are you speaking to me through
bulls and cows?” God definitely has a sense of humor!
Lee Curtis and I met on July 11, 2013, a little over
two months before I left America. In one of our first
conversations he told me that he use to be a professional
bull rider. I began to ask Jesus questions, and He replied
with a LOT of prophetic words and visions about the man
He created Lee Curtis to be and His plans for our future
together. One of the visions included a neon flashing
arrow pointing at Lee and the audible sound of Jesus
laughing and saying “Do you trust Me?” I replied, “Yes
Lord, I trust You.”
God spoke powerfully to us both
at that time, but sent us in different
directions for a season. I moved to the
Middle East and two days later Lee flew
to Mozambique for the Harvest School.
He returned to Mississippi in December
and joined the We Will Go team in early
2014. The Holy Spirit led us into a
season without communication.
asked me to fast and to start
praying for her. I knew I had
been disobedient and making
May tell their story excuses to stay here.
In the following days, God
reminded me of the time He
spoke to me during Harvest School about going to across
the world to serve Him. When God asked me, “Would
you go?” I said, “Yes, but I’m scared. I don’t want to leave
my kids.” That same day a girl handed me a prophetic
note. It read: “Papa God says, “Thanks for saying, ‘Yes.’”
He wants you to know that He’s gonna take care of your
family back home.” I hadn’t told anyone
about what God asked me.
After Jesus helped me sort through
all that again, I started to simply pray for
Meridith. It was months of prayer. I would
pray for her and start crying. I prayed that
He would let me love her like He loved the
church. I asked Him to teach me how to
love like Jesus. He also told me to pray for
Greece, Syria, and our Middle Eastern
country. I still go to our prayer room in the
Fountain and put my fingers on the map,
touching all those countries.
Next he brought on the fasting. I fasted from Diet
Coke first. He just prepared my heart and mind during
that fast. Right after, I did a 7-day fast where I only drank
liquids and ate soups. During this fast I continued my
prayers for Meridith. The Lord also gave me confirmation
that I do hear clearly from Him regarding going to the
Middle East. There was a day coming from church when
the Holy Spirit fell so heavy in my truck. I’d been noticing
that the Lord had been doing something in my heart. Just
can’t put words to it. He’s been doing something. I told
the Lord, “You know I’m hard-headed, but I need more
confirmation about the Middle East.”
Suddenly the song that was playing on the
radio stopped and “Oceans” started
playing. “Oceans” is the song Meridith
played on her last Sunday at WWG before
moving to the Middle East. I began crying
and said, “I’ll go. I’ll go.” God said right
after, “It’s time to pursue Meridith.”
So the next thing I knew I needed
to do was set up a meeting with Amy and
David. So I did. They knew about the fast,
and so I told them what God had showed
me about it being time to start pursuing
Meridith in the right way. So, on August 1st
I contacted Meridith… and the pursuit began!
After months of talking and rebuilding our
relationship, me and David Lancaster paid her a visit in
October. While we were there I got the rest of my
confirmation that I would marry Meridith May and move
to the Middle East to begin our journey with Jesus,
learning the language and loving the people the way
Jesus would.
…the rest of the story continued on next page
Romance in the ‘Hood
Lee: During our season without
communication the Lord was teaching
me how to teach, preach, love, and do
life as a missionary. Me and Meridith
had no communication what-so-ever for the first six
months of my internship. I was fully focused on Jesus
and being a missionary. One night in May another
missionary named Jamie had us pray for all the overseas
missionaries that are part of We Will Go. She printed out
copies of an email Meridith had sent to her as well as an
email from the MacLellan Family in Swaziland. While I
was praying for Meridith, the Holy Spirit started
convicting me. He reminded me of all that He said. He
We Will Go Ministries | 799 North Congress Street | Jackson, MS 39202 | [email protected] | 601-398-2410
Meridith: So, long story short, after several
weeks of prayer the Holy Spirit has opened the door for
me to visit the US for Christmas and has given us both
clear words about getting married before returning to the
Middle East together as a married couple!
On December 2nd Lee met me at the airport in
Memphis holding a sign saying “I love Jesus, I
love you. Meridith May, will you marry me?”
He got down on one knee in the middle of a
big crowd at the airport, asked me to marry
him and gave me the ring Jesus had provided
which fit perfectly! Now I am home with my
love, my family, and my WWG family, enjoying
the holidays, planning the wedding, and
packing Lee up to take back with me! He is
the best Christmas present Jesus has ever
given me!
We will have a casual wedding and
sending out celebration during the We Will Go
worship service on January 11th at 3:00 pm!
Just as Jesus extends an invitation to intimate
relationship with Him to all people, all are
invited to join us as we celebrate not just our
marriage, but more importantly that we have a
Bridegroom coming back for His spotless
bride!!
Thank you to each of you who have prayed and
stood firm with me for the fulfillment of this promise! This
is only the beginning of seeing even bigger promises
and visions fulfilled!! Lee is an amazing man of God, full
of the fire of the Holy Spirit, and he loves people so well.
I am very blessed God has chosen him for me!
The Gym @ the Fountain —
At the Fountain -- our Jesus community center on Farish
St. in downtown Jackson — we live to build Christcentered relationships. So our heartbeat is simple.
With every thud thud of the basketballs and every
stomp stomp of our kids’ feet — we see an amazing
testimonies in the making. Mighty men and women of
God will come from our neighborhood, reach our city,
and change our nation!!!
We encourage everyone that the Fountain is a
place to worship Jesus. It’s a holy place. Given as an
amazing gift that we all describe as a miracle, the
Jesus and
basketball go
together like
rims and nets
property is wholly the Lord’s. We are simply honored
He entrusted us with the task of using it as a place to
give Him praise.
Since February 2014 we’ve been particularly
blessed to meet so many amazing men from the
surrounding neighborhoods. These adult men in their
20s and 30s love to play basketball. Many of these
brand new relationships would not have been possible
without the relational space called the gym. Please
pray with us in this upcoming year. We are asking for
heaven’s strategy to reach these men with the gospel.
We Will Go Ministries | 799 North Congress Street | Jackson, MS 39202 | [email protected] | 601-398-2410
A record of HIS faithfulness
++ in 2014 ++
Gothard moves to WWG; Norway and South Africa
mission trip; Dani Brown starts her WWG internship.
November:
Truth and Life houses completed; Jamie Rasberry
and Bonnie McIntyre Move to Life House; Peru
mission trip; Fasting together for vision and direction.
Cambodia mission trip; Kale and spinach start to
grow in the Hoop house for We Will Go Gardens;
The Bridges family and the ministry of Exodus
House in Peru soar to new heights as an
independent non-profit; John Stoddard baptized @
WWG; Ashley Ruffin starts her internship.
February:
December:
We Will Go Arts production moves from Base 2
under the shed into old YMCA teen center on the
corner of Cohea and Farish St; Lee Curtis Joins the
team; Fountain on Farish opens (Base 3 dedicated).
www.wewillgo.org gets a facelift [check it out!];
additional bathrooms on base 2 bunkhouses near
completion; Susanna Blomqvist from Finland joins
the team!
January:
March:
Trip to Middle East to encourage long-term
missionary Meredith May; Trip to Dominican
Republic; Volunteer teams here for Spring Break.
April:
“I don’t want to see how far I can push the
boundaries. I want to see how Holy I can be
before Him.” - revelation from a WWG
Missionary after our 21 day team fast in January
Lee Curtis and Levi Gill move into Glory House (first
called the Fountain Apartment); 4th year to plant
veggies for the neighborhood in the Garden of Life
on Base 2; members of the team trained as
lifeguards; David and Amy travel to Cape Town.
May:
England/Australia mission trip; We Will Go Arts sells
@ Canton Flea Market; CPR training for team;
Audrey Bennett and Jonathan Lancaster join up for
summer internship (little did Audrey know the Lord
would ask her to stay for a year); Madel Perez went
to missionary school in Mozambique.
Cambodia Team
June:
Swimming Pool @ the Fountain opens for lessons
and fun; Mozambique mission trip begins near the
end of the month; Chris Nazarian & Jhun Orola
follow the Lord back to their homes, Illinois and the
Philippines respectively.
July:
Ashley Mulder and Alicia Kanode travel to India;
Maegan Mitchell finishes her internship strong and
launches into new season in Jackson.
August:
Hanna Kelly joins the team; Jamie Rasberry finishes
strong, begins work on Midtown connections; Faith
and Hope paid in full!
September:
Timothy Sayles and Maegan Mitchell get married;
Angie Anders begins her internship.
October:
Middle East mission trip; Urban ‘Sip opens; Stephen
John’s Baptism
Bunkhouse bathrooms
++ Intern Corner ++
Poem below by Ashley Ruffin
FRACTURED TO CAPTURED
The fragments lie in pieces.
Broken stones, broken bricks, all the brokenness increases.
Walls no longer stand tall and the foundations crack,
empty window panes to remind you of the depilating lack.
Yet even when you stand in the midst of the perversion,
there is a mighty king who caused the most historical
diversion.
You see, like these buildings, we are often times so broken,
yet restoration set in when the words were spoken. “It is Finished!” Rang out as stamp of approval.
Jesus died once and for all, He is the only sin removal.
We all begin as shattered vessels, worthless, and fractured
Then redemption set in and we are ransomed and captured
What the enemy had planned to do ends in vain.
God has built beauty from the ashes of pain.
Don't see the endless ruble and doubt His master plan.
For with mud, dirt, and breath He built the mysteries of man.
Nothing is ever to hopeless for restoration,
His Word rings true when He calls us His New Creation.
And the angel
said,
“…Nothing will
be impossible
with God.”
Luke 1:37
We Will Go is a faith ministry, entirely dependent upon the
generosity and responsiveness of the Lord’s people to the
prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is our joy and honor to share the
love of Jesus with our neighbors, friends, and visitors for the
purpose of making disciples for His glory. Many of our friends
are very generous, both financially and through gifts and
supplies they donate to We Will Go. We trust our Lord and
Savior to speak to hearts to provide. He is faithful!
We had lots of visitors and lots of help in
2014. The groups mentioned below came
month after month. We are so grateful for
exceptional partners in ministry
Crossgates Baptist Church
Cleary Baptist Church
Highland Colony Baptist Church
Hillcrest Baptist Church
Pinelake Church
First Baptist Jackson
IRIS Ministries
FBC Florence
Calvary Presbyterian
Oakdale Baptist Church
Stewpot/Opportunity Center
YMCA
D. Noblin Furniture
Fondren Church
Christ Covenant
Belhaven University
Mississippi College
The Urban ‘Sip is
sporting its
holiday cheer!
Make sure to stop
in for an extra
amazing cup of
warm goodness.
Holiday Hours:
7am - 12pm
Closed December
24, 25, 26th, and
January 1
Give Online: www.wewillgo.org
By mail: WeWillGo
799 N. Congress St.
Jackson, MS 39202
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HERE AM I. LORD, SEND ME. ISAIAH 6:8