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Dear MCC Shine Volunteer,
You are amazing! We wanted to thank you for the time and effort you give to the Shine ministry at Mountain Christian Church. Most importantly, we wanted to let you know how God ministers through you! You are part of a body of believers who volunteer for Shine and together we have been able to touch the lives of teachers, staff, students and families of A. Montoya Elementary!
Here are just a few of the quotes from the recipients (we left the notes from the kids as written – very cute!)

• Thank you so much for all that you do for us at A. Montoya. We love the Adirondack chairs in the library and garden. Thanks also for the yummy goodies you bring for us.
• Many thanks for all you do. I especially appreciate the prayers and treats throughout the year! 
• I greatly appreciate the blessing that you are to our community!
•  Shine you are asum! (awesome)
•  Shine I luve you!
•  You’re the beast! (best)
• Thank you Shine for helping our school shine and all your hard work.
• Thanks to Shine they made my life better.
• Thank you for helping our school. You guys just made our school a more magical place.
• Thank you Shine for donating money and food. I hope you still have money. Thank you again!
• Thank you for helping our school.
• God bless you all and I hope God provides all your guys' needs. It was a big blessing to me and my kids and we are very grateful. Thanks!
• Just wanted to thank you again! What a blessing you have been! When I get to heaven I’m gonna look for you and we can jump up and down with JOY for the greatest gift of all JESUS!!!
• I am beyond thankful for all you guys have done for me and my family, words can't express! You all were so very friendly and welcoming, such amazing families. You truly are angels. God bless you all and blessings to all of you and your families.
• I am beyond grateful! This has been a very stressful and trying year for us. God bless you all.
• I'm overwhelmed! I can't believe what I received. I'm in tears. I've been feeling so overwhelmed and so hopeless at times and this is such a blessing. Thank you so very much. I can never explain how much all of this means to us. You and Shine are our Santa Claus this year.
  
  

As a Shine volunteer you are sowing seeds of the gospel in everything you do. Every small act of support is a seed that God can use to change their lives forever. You make an impact!

In Christ,
Marcy Bryant, Felisa Palfery, Davinia Rizzo, Frank Malizzo, Melissa Feldner, Chris Willadsen, Kari Christian – MCC Shine Core Team

“ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” - Matthew 5:15-16

 Kay Willadsen blesses our church body so much.  She has previously served on Deacon Council and helps lead our Women's Community Bible Study among the other many ways she and her husband, Chris give of themselves to Mountain Christian.

Philippians 3:10 “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of
sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.”

Philippians 3:10 has been my “life verse” for almost 40 years. Early on, my focus was on the “knowing Christ.” That was my heart’s desire. But, as the MS progressed, I knew I needed “His resurrection power” to proceed on in weakness. Then as I began to know my Lord better, learning how to keep myself in His love (Jude 21), God put a desire within me to participate in
the fellowship of His sufferings. Christ’s love was compelling me to live no longer for myself, but for Him who died for me and was raised again. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

This began the great adventure of doing the Romans 12:1-2 thing – in view of (because of) God’s mercy, offering my body, a jar of clay filled with the treasure of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:7), as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is our spiritual worship. So, I do not lose heart. Though outwardly I am wasting away, yet inwardly I am being renewed day by day.
(2Corinthians 4:16) I pray every day for an eternal perspective, with my eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter (or finisher) of my faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

March is Disability Awareness Month and that's a good time to remember God’s promises. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18) Colossians 3:1-4 calls us "to set our hearts and minds on things above, because we died, and our lives are now hidden with Christ in God." There could be no safer place, as we follow our Lord in triumphal procession, spreading everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Jesus. (2 Corinthians 2:14)

I have told many of you that I think I am “the most spoiled rotten handicapped person in America.” Have you seen my “transformer car” with a wheelchair folded up on the roof? And my power chair I have at home? And my wonderful husband, who does the shopping and gardening and caring for the “Willadsen Funny Farm”? Things I used to be able to do! Yes, I am
over abundantly blessed! And grateful! I have learned that “gratitude is the on-ramp to joy.”

I want to share the following note my sister received yesterday from Ani Boghigian, a young Christian woman in Syria, who has lived through war, persecution, and earthquake. She has an eternal perspective, finding her strength and joy in her Lord, not in her circumstances.

People say, “These young people are unable to have a life, are unable to enjoy their youth.” I want to tell them, “Do not pity us. We are growing in courage, we are grasping the different realities of life, and we are gaining the will power by facing these struggles. Pity the young people who live in very comfortable circumstances, who have not experienced the loss of their loved ones, who have not fled their homes, who have not experienced losing their treasures. Therefore, they have not learned dealing with the big and small troubles of life.

They used to accuse us young people saying we were weak. But now we are so strong that we can smile every day. They used to say we didn’t appreciate anything. But now we even appreciate the comforts of a good night’s sleep. They used to say we lacked faith. But now our only hope is in God. The war strengthened our hearts, but the pandemic and the earthquake did not harden them.”
Ani Boghigian, Aleppo, March 2023

Joni Earickson Tada, one of my heroes, says “The weaker I am, the harder I lean on Jesus. The harder I lean on Jesus, the stronger I know He is.” So, find your strength in Jesus. It will always be enough! (2 Thessalonians 3:5)

One of my favorite experiences is boating along the rivers of the Peruvian
Rainforest. The rivers and trees are immense. Butterflies, monkeys and birds abound. Words cannot do the beauty of the jungle justice. But, then we stop the boat, the breeze goes away and the bugs begin to feast. Few endure the heat and bugs except the Indians who live in much the same way as they have for hundreds of years. They live off the land with no electricity or running water and extremely little communication with the outside world. They are largely forgotten.

Jorge Alvarez who directs AMFA does not forget these people. Jorge has been working in this jungle for over 20 years meeting two fundamental needs of these people—clean water and Christ. MCC has teamed with Jorge to sponsor the installation of one or two water wells per year. This past year a sponsored well was drilled in Nuevo Panailll serving a community of 459 souls. While in the community hygiene training, kids camps, movie night and the well dedication were all used as opportunities to share God’s word.

The engagement does not end with freshwater. Rather, MCC is also working to seed churches in the jungle. We are sponsoring Edgar, Fernando and their families to minister to villages where wells were drilled. We are supporting Edgar, Fernando and their wives to attend a Bible Seminary focused on equipping indigenous pastors. Edgar, Fernando and their entire families travel from their homes deep in the jungle to Pucallpa three times each year to attend Seminary. This involves a difficult 200-mile trip by boat and bus. Although their education was suspended by the Pandemic they are back on track and have finished about 1.5 years of their three-year program. We hear that they are very good students and are very eager for the Gospel. When they are not at school they are back home putting their new skills to practice. MCC has also helped in the construction of church buildings for the new pastors.

The remoteness of these jungle villages makes it difficult for churches and pastors. Toward this need MCC is sponsoring Pastor Victor to travel around to these isolated churches to encourage, teach and reinvigorate the body. Pastor Victor will travel tens of miles by boat and foot to visit these communities every month. Alternatively, Pastor Victor will organize revivals and workshops where pastors and Christians alike will gather to study and worship together.

The most exciting part of my boat trips in the jungle is to see how the villagers come running to the riverbank waving their hands and shouting Jorge or Victor. This is highly uncommon as the Indians rarely trust the Peruvians. But through Jorge and Victor’s hard work and dedication they have earned the Indian’s trust and more importantly they are putting their faith in God.

You can play a part in this ministry by praying for Jorge, Victor, Edgar, Fernando, their families and the whole AMFA team. You can also help support the ministry through designated gifts. Finally, cards or notes (in Spanish) are always welcome.

I love any sort of prompt or beautiful resource that sets a stage for the seasons.  I think it helps me embrace time and holidays with purpose. Amy Gannett of Tiny Theologians has beautiful cards to help those of us with younger kids prepare for Easter. 

She has her line of ABC’s of Easter cards that have a Scripture and a small definition on the back of the card.  It can be an additional way of telling the Resurrection story at the breakfast table or during reading time.  They can be kept in a basket or bowl so it’s easy to grab and read through.

Another fun resource she has available is her Road to Redemption coloring sheet. Cards give a daily Scripture reference and a timeline of key events in Easter week. Kids can follow along and color the huge 6ft by 3ft  sheet that corresponds with the events being read.

I hope you find small ways to fill the Redemption season with joy and beauty.  We have so much to celebrate!

Since last year, I have been working with the East Mountain Food Pantry - an organization that provides for the needs of up to 650 families in the East Mountains. In reflecting upon the work there and how I integrate my faith with the work of the pantry, I have been convicted in understanding the mission of mercy and what it means to the Christian believer. Luke 10:25-27 describes the radical parable of the Good Samaritan.

It's a familiar story to all of us yet how many of us actually take it to heart and fully grasp the meaning of it? Samaritans were the bitterest of enemies with the Jews. Yet, there along the Jericho road, it was a Samaritan who sacrificed personal safety, to show great deeds of mercy towards a bitter enemy and someone of a different race. Christ points to the parable of the Good Samaritan in answering the question, What must I do to inherit eternal life? 

Tim Keller summarizes the parable in his book, Ministries of Mercy - Along the Jericho Road. He states that in this parable, the Lord directly attacks the complacency of comfortably religious people who protect themselves from the needs of others. After all, it was the priest and the Levite who passed by the injured Jewish person. 

Christ calls us to love God and love our neighbor. The parable of the Good Samaritan clearly defines our neighbor as anyone at all--acquaintance, friend, next door neighbor, stranger or enemy. Scripture does provide us with some sense of priority in this matter with our first obligation being to family. However, it is clear from the parable of the Good Samaritan that we are to show mercy to all. Each of us individually can only do so much (after all, millions across the globe are suffering from hunger) and if you are like me, it's easy to become overwhelmed.

However, together as believers we have great power through the Holy Spirit to make a difference in the mission of mercy. We are all along the Jericho road surrounded by those in need whether in our backyard or across the globe. While we are saved only by God's grace,  in the name of Christ, we can all serve and glorify his name through our works of mercy.