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Terri Clark Ministries, Inc.
Bringing hope to the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and challenging believers to a deeper and more personal walk with God through the teaching of His Word.
| Spring is in the air and already I have found myself outside breaking up the fallow ground. Last Saturday, I loaded my car down with colorful annuals, digging tools, bags of potting mix, and a lot of hearty enthusiasm. After unloading my cheerful trays of flowers, I started to dig. The sun felt good?at first, but by mid-day, I was sweating and feeling the effects of an underworked, out-of-shape body trying to prepare the stubborn, rocky soil for its new inhabitants. What started out to be an exhilarating day, ended with sore muscles soaking up relief in a hot tub of water. Was it worth it? You bet! Despite the hard work, I know all that effort will be rewarded as my flowers grow and blossom throughout the summer months.
Spring represents new life, warmth and change, but like my flower beds, change comes with a price tag?hard work. As TCM enters this Spring season, I am happy to report our hard work, (mostly my husband, Harvey's), has resulted in a beautiful new setting for our ministry vision for Sweet Water Conference & Retreat Center. The new office building is up and running, the parking lot is in, the underbrush has been cleared away?and the flower beds are beautiful, even if I do say so, myself! We are all excited about the blessings we are enjoying up here on the mountain and hope to share it with you?our friends, family and partners in ministry this summer at our Grand Opening and Open House. We will be announcing the date as soon as we return from our Uganda Mission Trip in June. (Look for more on the Mission Trip in this newsletter.)
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| Blended Families ~ Sweet Water Conference & Retreat Center | |
Each week, I receive emails from blended couples desperate for help in their marriages. Once the cornerstone of American society, marriage has become a battered and bruised institution. We all know families who have been torn apart by divorce and it breaks our hearts?especially when we see how it affects the children. In fact, younger generations today are growing up in what experts call, a "culture of divorce".
Recently the Barna Research Group released results from their poll about divorce. The survey found that divorce rates among conservative Christians were significantly higher than for other faith groups?much higher than Atheists and Agnostics experience.
George Barna, President and Founder of the Barna Research Group commented: "While it may be alarming to discover that born again Christians are more likely than others to experience a divorce, that pattern has been in place for quite some time. Even more disturbing, perhaps, is that when those individuals experience a divorce many of them feel their community of faith providers rejetion rather than support and healing. But the research also raises questions regarding the effectiveness of how churches minister to familes. The ultimate responsibility for a marriage belongs to the husband and wife, but the high incidence of divorce within the Christian community chalenges the idea that churches provide truly practical and life-changing support for marriages."
Life-changing support is what TCM's ministry to blended families here at Sweet Water is all about. Remarriage with children is a difficult challenge-even for Christians. By applying solid Biblical principles to the hard, emotional issues of blending, couples attending Sweet Water will find help, hope and healing in their marriages.
Watching Sweet Water take shape over the last few months has been an incredible joy to my heart because I know this ministry, focusing on the marriage in blened (step) families, will have part in turning the Barna Research Group's survey results completely around.
Please join us in prayer for God's favor and provision to complete construction soon so we can move into this ministry in an even greater way.
Our Uganda Children's Sponsorship Program is now sending 157 children to school. Our sponsors are just ordinary people around the country, cutting a few corners in their own lives to help. For these desperately poor kids, going to school is a dream come true. But it isn't just Ugandan children who are being blessed and receiving an education?some of our sponsors are American children collecting quarters, nickels and dimes. Here is a letter from a teacher in Arkansas:
 | Hi. My name is Ms. Murray and this spring I have been student teaching in a 1st grade class in Benton, Arkansas. Our class joined together with all of first grade to raise money for Muwanguzi, a boy we chose to sponsor through the Terri Clark Ministries. As a class we discussed what our money would be used for and how it would make us and Muwanguzi feel. We especially wanted to raise money for our new friend to go to school. My class was also able to write letters to Muwanguzi telling him about themselves and asking him questions. The student's initial goal was to raise $70 over the course of a month. As the coins came in and we charted our progress, it was easy to see we would surpass our goal. In the end, the 1st graders raised $150! Needless to say, all the students were very excited! They were so thrilled to help a boy just like them that they went above and beyond the call. I know this will be a much greater blessing to Muwanguzi than it was to me or my class. I am very proud of how my group of 1st graders stepped up to give hope to one special boy and his family. |
What are you doing with your loose change? How about sponsoring a Ugandan child? Go to my website, click on the Uganda button and choose a child today! www.terriclarkministries.org
| Ray of Hope Medical Center | |
"Hope - Faith - Victory" In October of 2004, I had been in Uganda for nearly ten days, but had never climbed the stairs in the clinic. The stairs which eventually would lead to the second floor ended at a doorway to the roof. On the morning of the Ray of Hope Medical Center Grand Opening and Dedication Service, I was prayerfully walking all around the newly painted building asking God for wisdom and what He would have me say to the people of Ntinda. My heart was so full of gratitude to God for the privilege of being a part of this wonderful project.
I ascened the stairs and heard a still, small voice whisper thress words, "Hope, Faith, Victory." In my heart I knew what God was saying. "The first floor will be called Hope, because it will bring hope to the people of Ntinda. The second floor will be called Faith, because it will be built by faith, and the third floor will be called, Victory, because it will be completed in voctory.
Now, 3 ½ years later, "Ray of Hope Medical Center," has brought life-giving hope to the people of Ntinda?with just the first floor! Yes, the second floor has been built by faith?one brick at a time. And hallelujah! It will be finished and ready for our medical team in June. Construction on the third floor will begin right away, and we fully expect it to be completed in victory.
God is so faithful. What began as a chance meeting with an African nurse sharing her dream at my Ladies Bible Study in 1998, has grown to become a partnering of two ministries from opposite sides of the globe. Her dream is nearly a reality.
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We serve a big God. And I've found our big God likes to stretch us to our maximum potential to accomplish His big plans. Our 2008 Uganda Mission Trip is a big stretch for all fifteen of us on the team. We will be ministering to hundreds of people in two separate missions. One mission is medical and the other is to the Ugandan youth. Our medical team members, will be joined by the African doctors and nurses to provide a week of free medical treatment at the clinic. While that medical mission is going on, the rest of our team members, mostly consisting of young adults from Arkansas, will be leading worship, performing dramas, praise dances and preaching the Gospel. Our theme is Freedom. With a Scripture text from 2 Cor. 3:17 Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. The agenda includes visiting schools, churches, door to door ministry, Sport Day at a deaf school, and a Youth Rally in Kampala where they'll be joined by Ugandan Young Adults. We are expecting a crowd of 4000 young people at this rally.
Please Pray for Us: Our trip is June 7-19, 2008. Our team members are: Terri Clark, Judi Mayfield, Mickey Gates, Carrie Post, Tracy Fisher, Erin Kieffner, Mary Ann Kieffner, Mitch Owen, Chris Westerman, Melody Scully, Lauran Williams, Kara Turner, Emily Tucker, Candice Shuffield, Beth Gates.
Needs: Medicines and medical supplies we can carry in our luggage. Financial contributions to purchase medicines in Uganda for treatment during medical mission, and to stock the clinic pharmacy. Financial Contributions to help in our outreach to the Uganda Youth.
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