Break our hearts: Our April ministry newsletter

The song Hosanna is a favorite in our family. In fact, we considered naming Abigail "Hosanna" because we liked it so much. None the less, there's a line in the song that I (Jessica) often sing with half my heart filled with longing and half of my heart hesitant for the Lord to answer my request.

"Break my heart for what breaks yours..." The worship team belts out this line and I must confess that each time I wonder if I really want the Lord to break my heart for all the things that break His.

After all, can you imagine all the things that must grieve the heart of our Lord? I'm sure I can hardly imagine it. Yet, somehow, I do desire for my heart to be broken for the things that break His heart, even if it's just one at a time. And, in those requests, the Lord has answered. Pain and suffering are all around us. It's not hard to go through an average day and see a homeless person on the corner or hear of a tragedy in the news. But real heart break, things that drive you to action, we believe those heart breaks come from the Lord.

What breaks our heart? Many things actually, but at the top of the list is unreached people. What is an "unreached people"? Good question. According to JoshuaProject.net, an unreached or least-reached people group is a population of people with less than 5% professing Christian. To put that into perspective, according to JoshuaProject, 80% of the people groups in the United States are professing Christians. In Canada, that number is slightly higher at 84%. Joshua Project breaks down countries by people groups. The US has 365 total people groups. Canada has 247.

Remember, that for a people group to be considered unreached, less than 5% of that group will be professing Christians. In Kenya, East Africa there is a reported 117 people groups. 38 of them are totally unreached. Our family will be going to work, live among and share the Gospel with 2 of those 38.

So what about this breaks our hearts? Well, both Luke and I had the opportunity to visit Guinea-Bissau, West Africa in 2011. There, we experienced unreached people first hand. The image at the top of this newsletter shows a man with amulets on his necklace. The sweet little baby pictured above also has amulets around her neck. Amulets are tokens from Witch Doctors meant to ward off evil spirits and, for some, to bring good luck. For many African people groups, amulets are a part of every day life. But Christians know that true peace, joy and healing can only come from one person.

Jesus Christ.

Most of the African peoples practicing witchcraft have never heard the redeeming power of Jesus Christ. They've never had the chance or opportunity to hear about the One who can heal all hurts, not just the physical. That, my friends, is what breaks our hearts. We long for those who have never heard to hear the name of the Lord. We desire, desperately, for them to encounter the One who loves them, cherishes them and desires a personal relationship with them.

We are glad that God has not chosen to burden our hearts with every heartbreak He has. Yet we are honored He would reveal to us this specific heartbreak, one so dear to His heart. And it is because of this heart break that we are compelled to go, share and live among Kenya's unreached people.

Will you go with us? You can! Maybe not physically (though we'd love visitors once we get settled in!), you CAN go with us!

Right now we are raising up both PRAYER and FINANCIAL partners to GO with us to Kenya!

Want to partner with us and take the Good New of Jesus Christ to the unreached? You can, by emailing me at: beaverbunch (at) gmail (dot) com and putting "Missionary Support" in the subject line. I can email you a pledge card that you can complete and return.

Or you can click here for Online Giving.

We are so excited to see what the Lord is preparing for us in Kenya and we are honored you'd consider to GO with us!

Blessings,

Luke and Jessica Beaver
(Elizabeth, Lucas, Ashlee, Aaron, Olivia, Ella and Abigail, too!)

Support Needs

Financial Needs

Outgoing Support Needed:
$39,082
We are at 30%

Monthly Support Needed:
$7,999
We are at 12.5%

Prayer Needs

Praises!
* Abigail arrived safely and was EARLY! A first for Beaver babies!
* We are actively speaking with small groups and enjoyed a wonderful Sunday with Wellspring Community Church!
* We are continuing to receive people who are interested in partnering with us in prayer and financial support!

Requests
* For Luke and Jessica to organize their time so that Bible Requirements, Outbound Training and Paperwork can be completed efficiently
* For us to prepare the children, as much as possible, for the move to Kenya
* For God to raise up prayer and financial partners

Worth more than a thousand words: A Ministry Fundraiser

I've always loved pictures. Those precious moments captured on film to be forever saved when your memory one day fails you.

When I was in college I remember getting my first camera and rushing to the one-hour photo lab, getting a roll developed while I waited, and then scouring through them to see if even one was worth the price of developing.

(courtesy of Autumn Song Photography) 

Sometimes I'd get a picture where not everyone was looking but instead, a moment in time was forever inked onto paper, creating a visual memory I could tangibly hold in my hands. I still flip through old photos sometimes and memories come flooding back. Friends I've lost touch with, then remember how much I miss them.

(courtesy Bill Broere Photography)

Now that I'm a mother, pictures take on a whole new meaning. I look at the images that have been captured behind the lens of a camera and I see so much more. I see chubby fingers that have grown slender and will no longer get tangled in my hair. I see plump cheeks that have turned into distinct kid faces, no longer squishy and covered in drool.

(courtesy of Autumn Song Photography)

And when I look at pictures of my kids now, I think about how the faces I'm seeing will morph from the face of a little girl, into the face of a woman. I wonder what features will remain distinctive and which will fade with maturity and time.

(courtesy of Autumn Song Photography)

So when Autumn Song Photography and Bill Broere Photography agreed to partner with us to do a photography fundraiser for our ministry, I was beside myself with joy. Not only do both of these men capture breath taking moments from behind the camera but they both have a heart for the Lord.

(courtesy of Bill Broere Photography)

On October 30, 2011 both of these men are donating their professional services for the sole purpose of raising support for our ministry and the people of Africa.

(courtesy of Autumn Song Photography)

These two men are taking their God-given talents and using them for the glory of God's name to be taken to the ends of the earth.

(courtesy of Autumn Song Photography)

Not only will your sitting fee be tax-deductible but you will also have the joy of looking back on memories that will last a lifetime. Images that you can look at years from now and remember that two-toothed grin that has now changed into a toddler boy, then later into a young man.

(courtesy of Autumn Song Photography)

As you reflect on the joy of the blessings in your own life, you will also be blessing others with the joy of Christ's name being proclaimed to generation after generation.

(courtesy Bill Broere Photography)

If you live in the North Carolina area and you'd like more information on how you can participate in this amazing fundraiser, get some amazing photographs for your family and help take the message of the good news of Jesus Christ to the unreached people of Kenya, you can email me at:

beaverbunch (at) gmail (dot) com

Please put "Photography Fundraiser" in the subject line.

All donations from this event will be tax-deductible. We look forward to seeing you on October 30th!