Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2004 1:24
AM
Subject: children's ranch update
Dear friends,
God is good. Every day, I am walking in new awareness
of how much Jesus/God loves me, and takes care of things, when I accept Him
for who He is, and try to honor Him and be used by Him in my daily walk to
reach/touch people.
My divorce is finally over. Final. Even there, I saw
God's hand at work protecting me.
I promise that this newsletter will not be as long as the
last one, as several people have told me that they didn't read all of the
last one because it was soooo long. Sorry everybody..... *sad
chuckle* There's just so much happening that I want to
share!
And just a quick note about the divorce before I start
talking about ranch stuff...
Several people have hit me recently about my Biblical
grounds for my divorce. Ps 15 talks about the man that in not shaken is
also a man that does not slander his fellow man. I am attempting not to trash
talk or slam Pauline. I will just say that she needs prayer.
And I will further only say that I discussed the situation at length with
several pastors whom I respect as men of God, before I proceeded with the
divorce, and they were in agreement that I was not in disobedience. Even more
importantly though, my own conscience is clear before God, and He is blessing
me and daily using me to touch people, not something He could do if I was in
direct rebellion against Him.
So, on to ranch stuff!
THE RANCH IS A REALITY!
Can I get a Hallelujah from anyone??? *happy
grin*
I put down rent money and started moving my stuff up to the
ranch, along with construction materials and supplies that God has provided,
on Saturday last week. A pastor and his wife, and 2 very close friends and
their daughter, accompanied me and Vanya up there that first day, and we spent
time talking, sharing the vision, and praying over the place, just dedicating
it to God and His ministry, and asking Him to fill the place with His presence
and peace. It was very powerful, the time we had, sitting first on the porch
as the sun went down, and then around a fire in one of the big fireplaces in
the lodge, eating supper provided by the pastor and his wife, and praying and
singing. After they all left, well after 10:30pm, me and Vanya made up a bed
in front of the fireplace, and crashed out for the night.
Later......
I stopped writing this email this morning because I felt God
prompting me to go down to the Athletic Club here in Emmett where I trade
services with the owners. It was Divine appointment time. Ended up laying out
the plan of salvation to a young man that I know several people have been
praying for. It was good. No decision, but seeds planted and watered. Cody.
God is calling him. Was just explaining that in order to truly know God,
forgiveness must be asked for (with repentance understood to be a part of
that), and an invitation for God to come into his life and take over must be
made, as the first step to anything related to God. One step at a time....
And it was interesting, something else that happened while
down there too. I went to take a shower after talking with Cody for an
hour, forgetting that yesterday I had used the last of my
shampoo in the small sample bottle that I had with me. So today when I
took it out to shampoo my hair, it had shampoo in it again, actually more
than I had used yesterday when I emptied it completely..... I think it
was just God giving me a little signal (like the woman with the jar of oil
that never ran out in the Old Testament), that God was pleased with me, and
still taking care of me. It was just kinda cool, and was a good reminder to me
later in the day when I was starting to feel emotionally tired and
discouraged, that God IS still taking care of me. Was just kinda neat.
Back to ranch stuff....
Sunday morning, I literally rolled out of bed, I was in
such incredible back pain. Severe pain. And I still had my pickup truck and
16ft trailer to unload. So I started in. Almost every trip carrying stuff
inside was a desperate prayer through gritted teeth that God would give me
strength. It was awful! But I got it all unloaded. Vanya even helped a little
bit. When I finished that up, we climbed (slowly and painfully) back into the
truck and tried to get to church on time. And this next part is kinda neat
too.
As I was turning off of Robie Creek road into the driveway
and onto the bridge across Mores Creek to go up to the plateau where the Robie
Creek Church (Mountain Meadow Christian Church - if I remember right), my
truck died. Right in the middle of the road. And wouldn't start. I popped the
hood open, and the starter was smoking. Smoking hard...... It was fried.
And we was stuck...... and late for church too *chuckle*.
I was praying outloud for Jesus to help us, and Vanya was
calling outloud for someone to come help us, and within minutes, a young man
pulled up and asked if we needed help. Come to find out, he was late for
church too *chuckle*. But this guy, Dave, was able to unhook the trailer, push
my truck out of the way (I could not because my back was in such pain), hooked
up the trailer to his own truck, pushed my truck down the road fast enough for
me to pop-start it, and that was that. We both drove on up to church while
Vanya and me were thanking Jesus for taking care of us. And the second service
at church was just getting started - wasn't late afterall...... Was just kinda
cool *contented smile*. And the man that helped us, turned out to be the
younger brother of a teacher that I used to teach with at Cole Valley
Christian High School here in Boise. Small world..... It was such a cool
God morning.... :-)
In church, they prayed over my back, and it helped some, but
in reality, God still had something to use my aching back in. That young man
Cody that I was talking to this morning? I talked to him in the Jacuzzi where
I had retreated to try to loosen up my back and make it feel better.... *soft
laughter*. It was kinda funny the way God used my back to lead to a divine
appointment to witness to someone that needed to hear about Him.
But my back is still pretty tight and sore tonight even, and
I am moving very carefully. I have to start loading up the trailer again
tomorrow for another trip up to the ranch with stuff this weekend, and I am
not looking forward to it, but that's ok. God will give me strength. The joy
of the Lord is my strength. I just keep reminding myself of all the little
ways in which He is directing my steps and using me, and I can plow through.
It's hard sometimes, and I find myself dealing with grief/sorrow/loneliness
over my lost marriage, but even there, God is my all in all, and is gently
taking care of me. There are several places in the Psalms where it quite
bluntly states that God is close to the broken hearted and saves those crushed
in spirit, and I know that He is close to me, and is using me to reach/touch
others, and that comforts me. And invariably, AFTER I go to Him for comfort,
He divinely sends one of my close Christian friends across my path to
encourage me, or bless me, or lift me up in some way. It's actually kinda
startled me a time or two, but He has truly been faithful. I love God and I am
so grateful to Him for loving me and taking care of me, even
when sometimes it feels like so many things are going wrong for
me. I just look at the things God is doing, and the way He is using me,
and I feel better.
On Easter Sunday, I got a little white Siamese kitten from
some girls giving kittens away in front of the local grocery store. I decided
to call her Lilly, short for Easter Lilly, since she is white and I got her on
Easter. She is enjoyable, and will be a nice little companion up at the ranch
for the first little while that I am up there by myself until our staff starts
to move in also.
Vanya loves our "big new house in the mountains". She
was having so much fun up there with me and also with my friends' daughter on
Saturday last week.
It was interesting even in praying over the place, and
walking around the place, God gave several of us just glimpses, almost
mini-visions, of some of the children that would someday be there, just
confirming in our spirits that He was there with us, and had plans to provide
healing to many many people, both children and adult, that would someday come
through there.
Now comes the part where YOU fit in
*smile*.
Tell God thankyou for all the neat ways He is working in my
life and using me. Then pray that I have the strength over the next several
weeks to get everything done that I need to to wrap up things in Emmett and
start my new life in Idaho City putting together the children's ranch and
conference center....
If you, your church, your civic group, or
whatever, want to help out with specific needs:
Item number first. A chapel. It only seems appropriate to me
that our first project before almost anything else, be to build a small prayer
chapel, placing God first in all things. The Star Friends Church in
Star donated their old stained glass windows when they changed out
their windows two years ago, and I still have this stained glass
waiting to be put into a prayer chapel at the ranch. Can anyone help with
this?
1. I am praying for one individual or church that would be
willing to take on the $400/mo rent/lease payment on the place so
that staff moving in can focus their efforts on getting the place
functional, and so that I can focus on business plans, paperwork, fundraising,
and the like, so that we can exercise our lease option to buy the place
outright in 6 months to a year.
2. We need building materials and supplies. The second
major project: redoing the foundation of the conference center because of
damage sustained last winter when the hillside behind it shifted. This will
take lots of concrete, lots of block, an earth moving cat or dozer, a cement
mixer, and labor.
3. An RV or fifth wheel trailer that can be used for guests
or staff while some of the buildings are being made livable
again.
4. There are 3 cabins onsite in various states of disrepair
(and room to build several more) that need sponsoring churches to
renovate them or build new (and would also thus have free access to them at
pre-arranged times of the year).
5. A hydro plant. I have two generator units that can
be installed, but we need someone that is willing to come in, provide and
install the penstock (pipe) and diversion in the stream(s) at the upper
end of the property, a hydro wheel (or two) driving these generators in a
small concrete and block house (to be built - I have the block already) at the
lower end of the property, and a battery bank, charger, and inverter, to
supply power to the ranch. There is a phone line into the place, but no
power line. The pastor from Robie Creek has lent us his 5kw gasoline generator
for the time being, but this is a short term backup solution only. Power is
critical to have, and is another top priority.
6. Many small cleanup and repair projects that would
be perfect for youth groups and/or small group retreats or weekend visitors.
We do not have a cook yet (a personal prayer request I am praying about
*chuckle*), but we will certainly do our best to make you and/or your group
welcome and comfortable, and let you work on something that will help
make the ranch and conference center functional. Campfires and speakers for
God focused time in devotionals/chapel, etc, will also be
provided.
7. High efficiency light bulbs to change out the power
hungry bulbs now currently in place throughout the ranch...
Thankyou each one for your support and
encouragement, and to many of you, your input into my life over the
years. God is blessing the time you invested in me, and I am thankful.
In Christ's service,
Sincerely,
Tim Benedict
__________________
Tim Benedict, MCSE
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