Sad but Joyful Days

I know that sounds like a weird title but that best describes my week last week. For those that don't know last week was my last at Love89. I have been dreading it for weeks. Love89 was not just a job it was a ministry that was a big part of our lives. As I think back I think the most about the calls that we received off the air with people in need. I remember a few weeks after we started a lady called us at 7:30 in the morning to thank us for making her laugh because her husband had just left her the night before. It was that moment that changed my view and vision for my part of the ministry of Love89. I realized that it wasn't about how we sounded, or how smart wee were, it was about who we were when the red light wasn't on.

The people of East Tennessee have changed my life. Friday night I was totally blown away. I had a listener come up to me and he shared that he listened to the entire show on Friday. At the end of the show the staff laid hands on us and prayed and commissioned us. He shared that he too pulled over to the side of the road and not only prayed for us, but placed his hand on the radio while praying. I was so touched and so moved. We serve a God that is so awesome. It is so cool how we can all come together as one body of Christ to do ministry. Even though I have left Love89 is still a part of me. I know that the staff there is praying for me and I look at our ministry in Guatemala as an extension of that station. I want to say thank you to all of you and to the awesome staff of Love89 for changing my life!!! That's right it's your fault we are moving. HAHA

Hey we need your help. We need to get the word out to everyone about our blog/prayer network. Our goal is to have 400 folks in our network. If you would please email this to everyone you know. We are heading down in less than 2 months (June 7th) and we need a ton of prayer during this time. We have had some road blocks thrown at us that we specifically need prayer for.

1. Because of fuel cost we need to raise $3000 in 3 weeks for our container to ship all of our things to Guatemala plus a ton of stuff for the kids at Casa.

2. We still need 33 people or families to partner with us at $30.00 to meet our budget and this has to happen before the end of April.

3. Carla's dad is struggling with his health.

I want to leave you with a story of encouragement. A few trips ago I had a gentleman go with me that worked on our house and built the stage at Casa. While he was there he fell in love with the place. He went home and shared with his Mom that where he had been. A few months later he found out that his sister who lives in Atlanta had also been to Casa and was adopting a little boy from there. So in December he got the chance to meet his new nephew for the first time. I am amazed at how our God puts things together. This was a family that satan had blown apart but God was able to restore all the way in Guatemala!!!!

Go God!!!!

Mike

Sorry it's been so long.

Hey guys,

I am sorry it has been so long. Believe it or not I have been working. Carla got here o Monday so the work had to get going. We have the house about 80% done. We will be ready for floor tile within a week or so. We are hoping that everything will be done by June. I will be back in Knoxville on Sunday night and on the air Monday morning. If you have not heard me and knives have not gotten along this week. I got into a knife fight with my self and I am bringing home a extra souvenirs. Seven stitches to be exact. I have posted a picture because I know you want to look. We had a great week with the boys. The kids have adapted so well to Casa. Julian told me over and over that God was so awesome to let him and his brother come and live with his family at Casa. He kept thanking me for not giving up on him. The paperwork is moving so please keep praying.

As i thought about them this week I was reminded just how blessed I was growing up. Knowing that I have 2 parents that love me. Those kids have had such a hard life but are still just normal little boys. Julian told me that he just wanted to live with us and work around the house and do dishes. I then hugged him and told him that he was just going to be a kid. At their home they have to wash dishes, do their clothes, and a whole bunch of stuff. I just want to give them the opportunity to just be kids.

Please help us pray about a container to ship our stuff. It looks like it is going to cost around $4000.00. If you would like to help with this need please email us. We will only take 1/3 the rest of it will contain a lot of supplies for Casa. Our 2 inflatables arrived on Friday so we are almost ready to go for our parties in June and to do our ministry in the future. We are also trying to get the rest of our support lined out so if you know of anyone that would like to partner with us please email me.

Well that is it for now from Guatemala. I can't wait to get home and hug Katie and Zach!!!

His Servant,

Mike

In Guatemala

Hey Guys,

I wanted to share with you that I left on Sunday and I am currently in Guatemala. I will be here for two weeks so please pray that we can get a lot of work finished. We have to finish the sheet rock and paint the outside before next Monday. Carla is coming down with a couple of friends to paint the inside so we have to be done. Also we are so excited we got our van this week and it is really nice. I will try and post a picture later this week. I am going to cut my update tonight a little short because I will be updating a couple of times this week and next week. Listed below are our current needs and prayer request. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Please email this to friends so they can get on the prayer list with us. Also check out our blog through out the week as we will be adding pictures of the house.

His Servant,
Mike

Needs

1. Funds for the Container. We still need $1900.00 to ship.
2. Need to sale 2 bedroom suites to buy a 3 child bunkbed. One is Nascar(Very Cool) and a Set of bunk beds that make a "T" and has a desk on the side.
3. Still needing about 25 sposors at $30.00 per month.


Prayer

1. Genisis to have her Kidney Transplant.
2. Carla's Dad.
3. House to Sale.
4. Trip through Mexico.

Moving Along

Well another week has passed and it was pretty eventful. We started the week by closing the deal on our van. We got a 2001 Ford Windstar that I will drive down at the end of April. Then we started the fun part of moving, the packing. We finished off the week by just taking a day and sleeping.
When December Radio came to town a month or so ago we knew that we were going to buy a van. We had no idea that we would be buying it here then driving it through Mexico, but I guess this just adds to the adventure!!! We were able to get a great deal on the van. With the monies raised from the concert we were able to buy it for cash and have a little left to help pay the taxes. I will leave on April 19th and drive our Uhaul full of furniture and stuff to L.A., That’s lower Alabama to load it onto a container. Then Time Ruth a missionary at Casa and myself will leave from there and drive through Mexico to Guatemala. I must tell you I need lots of prayers on this one. Once that is done I will fly back to the US to spend most of May, then we will all make the move down on June 7th. We still have a couple of needs for the van and I will list them below with our needs list.
This week we also started to pack. I can not believe we have so much junk. As I look at the people of Guatemala that I am going to minister too at how little they have then look at the boxes we are taking I am almost ashamed of myself. We have so much to be thankful for in our lives. As I was boxing up music cd’s today I bet I packed thousands of dollars of music. How many people could I reach with that money. God has really started working on our family, helping us to understand that the stuff we have is just that stuff. We have started making two stacks, things to take and things to store until we can have a massive sale. I’ll let you know when that will be so you can add to your junk (HAHA). The other thing that happens as I pack is I run across things. I found my journal the other day that I had on my very first trip to Guatemala. As I read through it I laughed because I had written a statement that there was no way I could ever live in a “third world country”. It’s funny how God does things. So if you’re a packing expert and your looking for something to do in the next few weeks let me know and we can sure minister to ya.
Finally at the end of this week we done some things we haven’t done in a while. On Friday night we went Bowling until 2AM and yes I got beat by everyone. We found ourselves at Waffle House at 2:30 eating everything smothered and covered. Then on Saturday we slept until 2 in the afternoon. It was amazing to sleep that long with no phone calls or kids poking me on the forehead. Some days you just gotta take it easy.
One final update to tell you. Our prayers are being answered with Carla’s Dad. He got his test results back and his cancer has shrank. Not only that but they cleared him to come to Guatemala and visit us in June. Please keep praying that God will heal him. He has so many talents that he could use at Casa. I am going to shut up now and go watch the rest of the Lady Vols game. I have our prayer list and needs list listed below for this week.

His Servant,
Mike

Prayer Needs
Genesis surgery – That everything would line up and she will be healthy to have her Kidney transplant.
Carla’s Dad that God would continue to heal.
Our House – That it would sell very quickly.
Our finances – That our sponsorship program would start to take off.(Currently at 25%) Also for other things we have to buy.
Pray for our preparation that we would be ready in time!!

Our Current Financial Needs

Funds for our Container $1900.00
Funds for Kitchen cabinets $1000.00 ($1000.00 already donated Praise God!!!)
Moving expenses for Uhaul and drive to Guatemala ($1200.00
Furniture (Kitchen table, q full size Bedroom suite) $1300.00
33 Families at $30.00 per month. 6 Churches as Partners (If you would like more information Please email me or call me.)

Things Continue To Head South

Well it has been a little over a week but I wanted to wait until I could share some great news with you. On Thursday we verified that the Orphanage paperwork that we have been waiting on was approved by the PGN and our paperwork is now being placed in line for our final review. We are not sure how long this process takes but we are ready for whatever God allows. The Orphanage paperwork was suppose to take 45 - 60 days and was done in 2 weeks so God is working. We are headed down the last of March so we are praying that God could make a way for us to get them while we are there, but if not we still know that it is going to happen!

Fundraising is ourfocus right now. We are working with a few churches trying to line up speaking engagements. If your church would like to have us we would love to come and share about our ministry. The month of March we will be focusing on our monthly support. Right now we are 25% there, so we have some work to do. Our over all goal is to have 50 families at $30.00 per month. That sounds like a lot but we want a wide base so we can have more folks partnering with us. The more we have the more that are praying for the harvest. We are also working to have 10 churches at $100 per month. Right now we have 4 and 2 that we are talking to. I am sorry if I am boring you with this I just want to share with folks what are needs are so you can pray with knowledge.

We are excited about our house. We bought a microwave today and we have also found our kitchen cabinets. We are now looking for our dinning room table and we also found a really cool bunk bed that sleeps 3 which would be great for the boys. We have some furniture for sale and I will have pictures on our website on Sunday. We have a brand new set of solid oak bunk beds that will not fit in the new house. We also have a race car bed and some really cool lockers that go with the room set. Finally tonight we picked out our ceiling fans to go thought the house. This has really got Carla and the kids involved and excited about the move. One final thing about the kitchen. Carla's dad is a cabinet maker and she ask him to go and help hang them and they are going next week to get their passports. Carl has his scan done last Friday and gets the results this week so please pray!!!

Finally we have 6 teams from Knoxville coming down this summer. Pleas pray for them as they start their preparation. As I was coming home in December I read some scripture that God really revealed to me why we are to go to Guatemala. That scripture was again reminded to me just 2 weeks ago so I am sharing it below. With all of the struggles and worries about moving, when I read this scripture it all becomes clear and a total peace comes over me. Our God is so faithful to give us clear direction when we seek Him with our hearts. Below is our prayer list for this week. If you would pass this blog to your friends so they can sign up and begin to pray for us as we continue this great adventure we would greatly appreciate that. Our goal is to have 400 within our prayer network. Also my email address is mike@clubhouseguatemala.com if you would like more information about being involved in our ministry.

His Servant,
Mike

John 4:36-38
36The one who harvests is already receiving his wages and gathering a crop for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who harvests may rejoice together. 37For in this respect the saying is true: ‘One person sows, and another person harvests. 38 I have sent you to harvest what you have not labored for. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

Prayer Needs
1. Carl - Carla's dad and his Lung Cancer.
2. Sponsorship Program - That more folks will choose to invest in our ministry.
3. Our House - That it will sell quickly!!!!
4. Our Guatemala House - That we can get the funds needed to ship everything. ($1900)
5. This is the #1 Request, pray for Genisis that she can stay healthy to get her transplant.

This Are Shaping Up

Last week as I wrote our newsletter I had tears of sadness dripping on my keyboard. Today I must say I have had tears of joy. Yes I know I am a man but hey it takes a real man to cry. As we said goodbye to our cats last week it was tough but God took no time to bless our socks off.

We got a call on Valentines night that rocked our world. On Tuesday of last week our paperwork was filed with The Central Authority. This is the new adoption office in Guatemala. We were told our paperwork would be there for 30 – 45 days. Well on Thursday they called and told us it was finished and on its way to what we hope is the final destination. So in 2 days our paperwork got through. If you know anything about Guatemala, that is a miracle!!! Isn’t it amazing how Awesome God is. It has been a tough and long 4 years but we are not giving up. Those are our sons and God will make away for us all to be together.

The blessings did not stop there. This week we have had a couple of individuals give $2,000 toward our move. We also have a third that wants to help with our computers. The amazing thing about this, is these folks were not on our original list of friends and family. God has opened up so many doors for us and we are so thankful and excited. Below I have a list of target items that I would like to ask you to pray about. These are things that we need to make the move.

Our time for the past week or so with Mike Clark has been great. Our family has really had a great time getting to know him and Dottie. They are such good people and truly sold out for the Lord. If you would like to hear them this Sunday At Mount Harmony Baptist. He service starts at 10:15AM. I don’t want to pull you away from your own church but his stories are worth the drive.

Finally I want to take a moment and just tell you how excited I am about those that are jumping on board. We have seen a few people this week that have made commitments to help us each month. My prayer is that your return on your investment will be 10 fold. As I came back from Guatemala in December God shared with me in His word that there is a great Harvest in Guatemala and we are called there to help bring the harvest in. Anytime something like this happens, satan tries to stick his nose in it. Please pray for protection for our family as we continue to follow God to Guatemala. Listed below are also our 5 prayer needs for the week. Please send us any prayer needs that you have so we can add them to our list.

His Servant,
Mike

Prayer List Needs List
1. Carla’s - Dad Carl Gann 1. Container - $1900 still needed.
2. Genesis – Little Girl at Casa that needs kidney 2. Kitchen Cabinets - $1900.00
3. Casa – The Flu is around even in Guatemala 3. Inflatable Slide - $1500.00
4. House to Sale 4. Bathroom cabinets and doors $800.00
5. Find a vehicle 5. Paint and supplies $400.00

Getting There

I am sorry it has been a little over a week since our last update. Our entire family has been down for the count with this flu junk going around. Even though we have been sick things are still moving along.

Last week we sent out 150 letters trying to finalize our support. We are still needing 40 families at $30.00 to meet our family goal. Thank you to all who have gotten on board with us so far. We also have 5 churches on board now and are needing 10 more to meet our church goal. If your church would be interested in partnering with our ministry please email me with the information and I will contact your pastor. Our goal is to not only have churches sponsor us but for us help the church educate its members about missions. With the technology we have now we can offer a lot to churches. We would love to have your church on board.

As we move forward we are starting to see doors close behind us. I feel that is an important step for us because if those doors do not close it is so easy to try to go back through rather than focus on the task. I think for the kids this is the toughest part. Pray for Zach, for months he has been so worried about what he would do with his cat Dudley. Well today our neighbors came over and shared with s that they found him in their garage dead. Zach was crushed and it has been a tough day for him. Also Katie has something going on and some doors closing with some relationships that are really hard for her. God knows what he is doing so we have to let Him be in control. It is tough but also neat to see God working in all of our lives. For Carla and I it was a good weekend. Mike Clark is here for a few weeks speaking at a few churches. We went to Pratt’s Chapel last night, that is Carla’s families church. It almost seemed as everyone has already started saying good bye. That was tough but reassuring for Carla. Carla’s dad even talked about maybe going to Guatemala. That would be Amazing!!!! For me well we set a date for my final day at Love89 and I have to say that was not easy. April 11th will be my final day on the morning show. So it seems we are all starting to really give up things we love.

For those that do not know Mike Clark he is the Founder of Casa. He is here the entire month of February speaking. Below is his speaking schedule. Speaking engagements are also picking up for us. If you would like for us to come to your church and share about our ministry just contact me or Carla and we can set it up.

Feb. 13th Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church Niota, TN
Feb. 17th Buffat Heights Baptist Knoxville, TN Morning Service
Feb. 17th First Baptist Bluegrass Knoxville, TN Evening Service
Feb. 20th Arlington Baptist Youth Knoxville, TN Youth Service
Feb. 24th Mt. Harmony Baptist Knoxville, TN Morning Service

Prayer Needs

1. Carla’s Dad Carl
2. Hose to Sale – Open house this weekend from 2-5
3. Support to be confirmed
4. Genesis – Little girl needing Kidney Transplant
5. Family as changes take place