A BIGGER PLAN – Born into a Living Hope
Easter is celebrated in many ways and at different times throughout the world. For the disciples it was a time of great loss that became their great hope. The grotesque torture and death of Jesus Christ on the cross outside of Jerusalem must have seemed like the end of the world to the disciples. However, God had a bigger plan!
The events of that Sunday morning changed everything when death and the tomb were unable to defeat the Son of God. Jesus conquered death and rose from the grave to secure our eternal future!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
1 Peter 1:3-5
Wars, famine and disease that so many are facing around our world today remind us that the curse of death remains, but God still has a bigger plan! We have a living hope in Jesus Christ!
Ethiopia Training Conference Update
Our consistent prayer for each of our training conferences is that God would be magnified and speak into the hearts and minds of each participant. We are so thankful for the ways in which He did during our time in Ethiopia. We could see it in the way the couples prayed together, in how their wearied faces turned to joy over the course of the week and in the application of God’s Word in their lives, marriages and ministries.
One woman commented that she didn’t want to attend and that her husband and kids had to drag her there. After the second day she said. “They will have to drag me away to get me to leave.”
One pastor expressed how he had been in ministry for 33 years and had never seen or participated in a conference like this. He and his wife were joyfully thankful for what they were learning and experiencing together as a couple.
Ways You Can Pray!
1. Rejoice with us in the gift of grace that we have been given through our risen Lord and Savior. Jesus changes everything!
2. Continue to pray for our Eastern European partners who are responding to the war on Ukraine. Some are bringing in supplies and helping to bring displaced families out of danger zones. Others are caring for the refugees as they seek help and safety in other countries. May the Lord give boldness to His messengers and bring peace to both people and the nations!
Each training conference inspires us anew with great appreciation for your faithful prayers and financial support. Thank you!
May you rejoice in the Bigger Plan of our Living Hope this Easter!
And the Shepherds’ Support Board:
David and Beth Butler, Jack and Nancy Shirley, Sid and Zane Williams, Connie Troxel