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“And with great power the apostles gave witness to
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great
grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:33) March 2005 Dear Friend, Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. We are fine, pressing in to the things God is calling us to do this year. Our thoughts these past couple of months have turned to the devastation of the effects of Tsunami, of the lives lost, of the horrors the people who survived have been subjected to. We are praying mightily for God to move upon the places hard hit with His saving grace, comfort, and peace. Praise God for all those who have dug into their pockets to send monies to bring relief. We must continue to do so! As of this writing, I still have not heard whether Dr, Rao, and his wife Shobha are okay. They live in Vijayawada India. Dr. Rao has been an intercessor with us for many years, and we have formed a wonderful relationship. He helped coordinate the Day to Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem in India. We praise God that Pastor Owuor, his church, CHN of Kenya, the two children we help sponsor, Reagan and Mercy are fine. Pastor Owuor coordinated the Day to Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem in Kenya, working with Eagles Wings ministry. They live in Nairobi Kenya, which was hit by the coast, but their area is okay. For those of you who have relatives or friends in these places, our prayers are also especially for them, and for you. This month we will commemorate the life, death, burial, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we look to the Scriptures, we understand that there is nothing that Jesus has not gone through in His lifetime here on earth, that we have gone through. He understands it all. Our primary concern for all those thousands of people, is that they would know that Jesus Christ lived and died for their salvation. He came down from heaven, a place of honor, to be born of a virgin in humble surroundings, and lived His life without kingly comforts and position so that He could identify with us. He was willing to suffer and die on the Cross of Calvary for us, and praise God, defeated death and the enemy by rising from the dead! Glory! We can know, that no matter what trials we face here on earth, we have a heavenly home where there is no more tears or sorrow, where we will live forever in the presence of our Savior. We will have life eternal, with everlasting joy! In Hosea we read “I will give her the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.” (Hosea 2:15). Achor means “”trouble.” This passage tells us that God redeems situations, bringing present hope in the place of previous trouble. As in the beginning of this year, let us position ourselves to live life with exuberance and expectation instead of in despair. Let us press on to receive God’s blessings and restoration, let us come into His rest. This year, let us recall how the Apostles reached out to the people in Holy Spirit power and anointing, and how God moved upon the masses bringing salvation, healing, and deliverance. What happened 2000 years ago, is for NOW! God’s Grace is for NOW! When we rest in His presence, we will again refresh ourselves in His Glory; our faith will soar, our spirit and soul will rise up to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. The very fact that Jesus rose from the dead tells us that He is alive, and He is here! There is hope for our future! Because of our faith, we know there is forgiveness for our failures, we know that in our weakness, His Grace gives us strength. In Him, we are made strong. We think that spring and gladness are gone from our lives, and we think that the rest of our days are to be spent mourning, but God says differently! He says you will sing, He will lift you into the life of victory! Because of His death and resurrection, satan is defeated! “...Death is swallowed up in victory!” (1 Cor. 15:54). Let us begin fervently as of this moment, to pray mightily for the unsaved, for the church, for the mission fields. As we pray around the world, we join with those who are in the missions, who are doing as the Apostles did, spreading the salvation message across unreached regions. When I think of this, I think of Neil and Hilda, a couple from our church who are in Mozambique working hard to evangelize and bring relief there. Their lives are in danger every day from disease, and thieves who attempt to destroy the ministry. This couple are special heroes to me, I admire them so much for their dedication, and perseverance in the presence of danger and hardship. Please especially remember them in your prayers. We are living in an Apostolic age now where pastoral leaders are raised up to do the work of an Apostle, pouring out their life to bring salvation and deliverance where they live. Cities are being transformed, God is moving in places where people once said, “could anything good come from this place?” Life is not easy. We struggle, we work hard, we do the best we can. The main thing is to face it with courage and anticipation that we are doing what we can to accomplish God’s will in our life. Our hope is in Jesus, and because He lives, we too, shall live. Let us face each day with expectation of springtime, of hope, of joy, of life! Let us face each day with God’s Grace upon us, knowing that He is our provider, and our comforter. Let us never forget the Cross, let it be impaled in our heart as we move forward in life, with expectation and exuberance. Spring is coming! The birds will sing again! We will see that first crocus, we will smell the flowers once again. Look to the sky, and take a deep breath knowing that our Heavenly Father loves us more than we can ever think of or imagine, and that there is hope in our future. Let this Resurrection Sunday bring you to higher ground, to places where you have never been before. Let this time bring you to greater depth in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ. Let this day give you strength, peace, joy, and all that you need to help you to finish your race with grace and determination. Let this day bring you alive to look around and see the beauty of His love and Grace provided for you. God bless you, Rev. Dr. Barbara Anne Yovino
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