Dear Pastors, Churches and Family,
A month of “on the ground” searching in Flagstaff for a meeting place, permanent home, and job has so far not produced any real results. Some things have had to wait until LeeOra can join me here in Flagstaff which will take place in early June. What we’ve found is the same as many of you already have experienced, rentals are higher because people can’t afford to buy homes anymore and are renting instead. The problem is compounded here in Flagstaff due to the tourist industry which rents homes and cabins to summer visitors each year and students at the local university which help to keep rentals in demand and thus keep the prices higher than surrounding areas. A 3 bedroom 2 bath in Flagstaff typically is going for $1200 to $1500 a month. The same house outside of Flagstaff goes for about $500 less. We are looking into manufactured homes and nearby towns to lower the costs. We need a place large enough to host Bible Studies and fellowships as this will probably be the way we begin to reach individuals and families and build the church.
Jobs are scarce and mostly general labor or specialized skills. I hope to get on with the school district next year but this year is too far gone to allow enough time for the background checks, fingerprinting and interview processes. I may try to do some “tent making” by building websites for churches in the meantime. I have the experience in design, registration and maintenance but lack any kind of certification and this may be a hindrance.
In April we traveled to Pueblo, Colorado for the Missions Conference at Heritage Baptist Church where Bro. Chuck Bigler pastors. It was an encouraging fellowship filled with good preaching and the blessings that only come when God’s people gather together. Much thanks to the church for hosting the conference. Thank you to those who helped us out personally by paying for a tank of diesel fuel to make the trip back home. The Ford F250 holds 38 gallons and diesel was over $4 a gallon. I’ll let you do the math but that is a much appreciated love offering at any time.
It is now late May and I have traveled back to Texas to pickup LeeOra for the return trip to Flagstaff. I have a couple of appointments to present the work and then will pack up and head back to begin the work with redoubled intensity. I left the travel trailer in a Flagstaff RV park as it was cheaper to pay rent than to bring it with me. Mileage is about 20 without the trailer and about 10 with it.
I have received some great news that confirms the Lord is still opening doors and supplying needs for the work of First Vision but I’ll wait until everything is confirmed and give the report in the next mission’s letter.
I have also registered three domain names for the First Vision website. You can now reach it at firstvisionbaptist.com, firstvisonbaptist.info or the old address 1stvision.org. I have also put together a new Facebook page for First Vision Baptist and would invite you to join the page to receive news and updates about the work. In the next few weeks I’ll be adding content and updates to the pages as well as refreshing all the sermons and Bible studies that are online at the First Vision website.
In His Service,
Kris and LeeOra Minefee
No comments:
Post a Comment