9-9-2004
Dear
Friends,
Well, I am
feeling a little better about this coming winter now..... A friend of
mine, an old business associate actually, brought her family out here FROM
CHICAGO for 4 days over Labor Day, and we accomplished a number of things,
including splitting and stacking a LOT of wood for this winter. And
unbeknownst to me previously, her husband is a lawyer who specializes in tax
exempt non-profit organizations. He and I had some good conversations, and he
is helping me wade through the paperwork associated with setting this place up.
Actually, each member of the family that came out was an answer to some
specific prayer request that I had been praying. It was very encouraging.
Thankyou my friends from Chicago. You were a true blessing to me.
And my
pastor from Mountain Meadow Christian Center has come up several times now
and helped me with things. He has such a servant's heart that encourages
(and shames) me every time I see him. He has loaned me his log splitter
temporarily so that I can split the wood I need to get this place ready for
winter.
Ongoing
saga of my pack rat/rock rabbit..... :-) He chewed through a half inch thick
press board lid on his cage and escaped about 2 nights ago. So it and
another pack rat that has just moved in, are loose here again *chuckle*. I must
break out the live traps again and plug the holes they are getting in
through.... But I can see several spiritual object lessons there..... Can you?
But
finances are killing me. I am seriously struggling with trying to find the
balance between meeting my personal needs and bills, and wanting to devote
my entire energy into getting this place up and functional, or at least
winterized. And I'm not doing a very good job of it, can I say that? It is
source of deep frustration. I know that God has called each person in His
kingdom to service, and when I get so frustrated and wonder why other people
can't see the same vision and potential for this place, I have to continually
stop myself and remind myself, that each person God has put a call on, wonders
the same thing. Just recognizing that I must be faithful to my call, just as
every other Christian must be faithful to his or her own call as well. We
need to work in unity, not browbeat each other wondering why each person can't
or doesn't feel the same passion we each feel individually about our respective
callings. It's been an interesting realization and recognition for me.
But if you
think of it, pray that God opens the right financial doors for me and this
place, and that I can see/follow His leading. This a matter of prayer and
fasting to me, because without some sort of breakthrough, or direction, or
leading/blessing from HIM, this place will cease to exist, this winter. And not
just because I would be giving it up. Structurally, several of the wonderful
buildings on this property here, with a little salvage and repair work now,
could be saved, but without such repair now before winter falls, these
buildings will be an entire loss and this place will simply cease to exist as
it now exists. Just pray that God makes His will known. After seeking His face
on it for several days, I do not believe God wants me to be looking at other
properties, that this is still the one that He has chosen to use and bless. And
looking back, I mean, literally, I could write a BOOK about all the
answers to prayer He has given, all the ways He has led, all the ways in
which He is taking care of me even now. I KNOW He has led me to this
point. But what now? If there is some sin or something in my life that is
preventing Him from blessing this place, then pray He shows me that too so I
can deal with it and get it out of the way. Or if He has other timing plans in
the works, pray too that He lets me know that and gives me the patience/faith I
need.
It's
interesting to me, that even in the midst of my soul searching and asking
direction from Him, he would send me this family from Chicago, from out of the
blue (they receive these emails and simply decided to come help), to help start
winterizing this place and encourage me. So I KNOW God has something up His
sleeve. It makes me VERY curious, and nervously excited all at the same
time, and feeling dread, overwhelmed, and a little scared too *chuckle*.
What an odd mix of emotions to be feeling..... *grin*
It also
seems odd to me, and is something I am puzzling over, as to why more people
from out-of-state and even out-of-the-country would be showing interest in this
place, and in helping support it in prayer, logistically, and even a little bit
financially, than I am seeing or getting from my own connections and
churches in the local Boise and Treasure Valley area. Not sure what that
means, but I'm thinking that it may simply be God broadening the picture and
letting me know that this place will have a national and international
ministry, rather than the more locally focused ministry that I had originally
envisioned. It will be very very interesting to see what happens.... *nervous
grin*.
Prayer
needs. $1100 ASAP to pay rent due and permits associated with moving the
donated mobile home up here. It is already split into two pieces, waiting to be
moved and placed as 2 separate studio apartments up here (so that several
singles can move here that have committed to be staff), and the moving expenses
have been paid, but building permits, septic permits, and rent, have not been
paid, and thus, the trailer is still sitting on property that has already been
sold, less than a week from the deadline that it has to be moved by. I tried to
earn the money myself to make it happen, but the business deal that I was
working on hasn't come through yet, as though God is reminding me that
this is HIS ministry, and that He isn't going to allow me the room to have
pride in having done it myself. Which leaves me the only option of praying and
fasting about it, and laying it before people that I know and trust and/or
that have expressed interest in knowing what is happening with this new
ministry.
Something
else that makes me sad? Everytime I lay a financial need before people via this
newsletter, I have people ask me to remove their names from the list. Please,
if you can't do something financially, just say a prayer for whatever the need
is! I KNOW that many of you don't have extra money, of that your money is
already going to other ministries, so I am not worried about that and I don't
take it personal. If you can't or don't feel comfortable with the financial
stuff, just say a prayer for me and this place then.
So a recap,
since so many new people have been added to this list in recent months.....
I am
living on a run down 88 acre ranch in the mountains between Boise and
Idaho City, Idaho, trying first to convert part of it into a
conference/retreat/seminar/camp/training center available to Christian ministries from
anywhere (but focused on youth and wounded people), and secondly, to turn part
of it into youth and children's and unwed mothers homes, to take in
kids/youth that otherwise fall through cracks in the system, or that have no
homes of their own, or that simply need a place to grow/heal in a
functional Christian home environment. There are a number of committed
individuals that have thrown in with me on this project, including several that
have committed to moving here or this area to be close here. I am simply the
first one here, and in some ways, am pulling the whole project together. The
need for both functions is pretty great, for a conference center closer to
Boise than Cascade/McCall, and for youth homes to take up some of the huge
waiting lists that exist for some of the denominational youth ministries/homes
in the Northwest. I envision this place being a place that all of the
evangelical denominations of the area can all feel comfortable using and
sending people/youth too, instead of each denomination feeling like it doesn't
have access to, or can't participate with, the activities that other
denominations are a part of.
Our own
mission statement here at Thorn Creek Conference Center & Youth Ranch
is simply this: first "To bring Christ centered healing to the
wounded youth of today's culture", and secondly, "To train the
next generation of Christian leaders".
So any help
that God lays on your heart to help out with, even if simply only in prayer
support, would be appreciated. Laying up treasures in Heaven. This isn't about
me Tim Benedict, this is about reaching people that are hurting, bringing God's
healing to them, and helping them stand up and challenge and change their world
for the better.
Is that
fair enough?
:-)
In God's
service,
Sincerely,
-Tim
Tim
Benedict
Thorn Creek Conference Center & Youth Ranch
21 Yellowpine Lane
Boise, ID 83716
208-392-6723
tbenedict@bigskytel.net