It is November and this is always a great time to share some of the things that we are thankful for!
Let me start by saying that we are thankful for you! We are thankful that you pray for the ministry, that you care about the ministry and that you give faithfully to the ministry. Everyday I give thanks for Sanctuary Inn — this is something that God has done, we did not do this on our own. I believe that God wants his global workers to have a place to “come aside” (see Matthew 14:23) and as part of that desire, He allowed us to open Sanctuary Inn.
We are thankful for a place that is beautiful, peaceful and refreshing to those who come to stay. When we prayed for a location our hearts were burdened to have a place that would speak to the hearts of those who would stay with us — and that is exactly what God has given us. I hope I remember to give thanks each day for this great blessing.
We are thankful that we are about to enter our fourth year of ministry here in Welches. Can that really be true? We have had the privilege of hosting over 200 missionary guests in our time here thus far — from the first few weeks we moved here to this very minute we have been blessed to host God’s global workers from well over 20 countries of ministry.
We are thankful for the team that God has put together to minister here at Sanctuary Inn: Steve and Joann; directors, hospitality, cooking, cleaning, and doing a million odd jobs; Micah and Kara; web design and newsletters and everything technical, meeting with guests and listening with a sympathetic ear and wise heart, great parents and always inspiring the rest of us to explore the world around us. Dan and Anna; ready to serve and host, also people who do a million odd jobs, connecting with people, sharing the needs of the ministry and speaking words of blessing on those whom they meet, and of course great parents.
We are thankful for the many volunteers who give their time and talents to Sanctuary Inn: from car repairs to installing an ice machine, to making beds and cleaning buildings, painting, electrical, gardening — what don’t our volunteers do? Of course 2020 has presented some challenges in terms of our normal workdays, but we continue to be blessed by those who have been able to participate in life here.
We are thankful that in the midst of Covid-19 and wildfires we were able to host our “virtual fundraiser” and you responded by exceeding the $27,000 match that we had available. Who could predict how an online fundraiser would go? God graciously has met our needs once again. Thank you for your participation in this effort.
We are thankful for the beginnings of our Sanctuary Inn podcast, The Innkeepers. We are launching next week, Monday, September 16th! Kara and I (Steve) have been blessed to have amazing guests to interview about missionary life and missionary care. We hope that you can listen and that you can share the news about the podcast with a friend (or two!).
We are thankful for health! We hope that you have been well this year, but we know that the challenges in 2020 have been immense. We want to pray for you if you have any health concerns — or any other concern; you can email us at: [email protected]. It would be a blessing to pray for you.
But what are we most thankful for? We are thankful that we serve a risen Savior who is able to redeem our sinfulness and brokenness for His glory. He is able to heal our wounds because He was wounded so that we could be made whole. He walks alongside us in our deepest sorrow and pain because He knows the pain of separation and the sorrow of abandonment. He gives us joy in our sorrow, hope in our discouragement and peace in our troubled hearts — and it is this Jesus that we share with each guest that God brings to Sanctuary Inn.
God bless you all — please share with us what you are thankful for.
– Steven Price for the Team at Sanctuary Inn
|
|
77 Project
In this season of Thanksgiving we wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you for your participation in the 77-Project this year. From the seed of $77 that God had planted through a man all the way from Connecticut to now seeing the fruit of 115 gifts totaling over $22,000!
We are so thankful for God’s faithfulness as well as your faithfulness! In a year of so much unknown, it is clear that the generosity of the Lord continues to be above and beyond all that we could ever ask or imagine.
One story that we wanted to share with you is about a youth group. This church’s youth group has used the Lodge at Sanctuary Inn for retreats for over 10 years. This year they wanted to be a part of the 77-Project with us. They set a goal for each youth (20 or so) to raise $77. During the process, the Church announced that they would match $2,100. Altogether, they ended up raising over $5,000!
The money from the 77-Project will go towards the principal balance of our property payment. As we here at Sanctuary Inn talked and prayed about God’s leading for the end of the year, we are believing that He will provide $50,000 to give towards paying our loans.
Would you consider giving to make this goal possible?
Would you consider asking someone else to give to make this goal possible?
It is so great to have you on the Sanctuary Inn Team! You are helping to provide the space for missionaries to be equipped, refreshed, and restored so that they can continue reaching the nations with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Our prayer and encouragement for you this season is that,
” The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you
The Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”
– Numbers 6:24-26
With gratitude,
Dan Abbott
p.s. If you have any questions about donating to the 77 Project please contact me at [email protected]. I’m glad to help!