Showing posts with label youth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label youth. Show all posts

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Pray NOW About BELE CHERE 2013 in Asheville, NC!

By Pamela Rae Schuffert presenting investigative journalism from a Biblical Christian perspective-



Oh, how I WISH I were in Asheville, NC, this weekend, to pray walking up and down those streets once again! 
  Bele Chere in Asheville, NC

For now is the time of famed BELE CHERE, the three day festival held annually there. The downtown streets are closed to traffic, and hundreds of booths are set up with vendors selling their goods. People of diverse backgrounds fill those streets from early in the morning, til late at  night. Music of various kinds is heard on every street corner.
Street musicians galore during Bele Chere!

And here come the hippies and rainbow people types from all over the nation, converging upon Asheville! And out of those mysterious mountains comes the pagans, the Druids, the Goths and the Celts, the vampires, the witches and the satanists. A true modern Babylonian gathering! 

And Jesus Christ loves and died for each and every one of them to be forgiven and saved."This is a faithful saying, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners..." declared the Apostle Paul.

How else do we expect the destructive flames of Satanism and the occult, so rampant throughout those mountains, to ever be extinguished there, UNLESS SUCH LOST PEOPLE RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOR??? 

Only Jesus can set these precious people free from the terrible power of Satan and sin. Because this is precisely WHY God sent Jesus His Son to this dark and sinful world!

At one time, Jesus declared that He was sending the Apostle Paul on a mission: to reach out to those under Satan's power, and to bring them to God instead. Jesus declared:

"...To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to the light, and away from the POWER OF SATAN to the POWER OF THE LIVING GOD, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in Me." Acts 26:18

And in like manner, Jesus wants to send each one of His true disciples into the world with the very same mission: to turn mankind from the destructive power of Satan, instead to the power of the Living God through Jesus Christ.
Street singer at Bele Chere

Oh, how I wish I were in Asheville this final weekend in July 2013! To weep over this city and region, to fast and pray and cry out to Almighty God for these precious souls to be saved, and to perform a prayer walk therein. But barring a miracle from God, I cannot. I am 2,500 miles away.


Jesus died for ALL 

However, readers, if YOU live near this region, God may be calling YOU to go, to pray and witness of Jesus up and down these streets during this time! It is not just "the pastor in the pulpit", or "the missionary" that God wants to use. 

God wants to use EACH ONE OF US to reach out to the world around us. God needs many workers in this corrupt world we live in.

It will take the entire Body of Christ throughout America, to make a critical difference in the destiny of our nation today. ALL of us have a role, and EACH ONE of us are important in God's kingdom. Stop looking to a pastor or someone else to get the job done! 

Let's face it: the work of reaching the lost throughout our nation is UP TO US!

I may not be able to minister in the streets of Asheville NC this weekend. BUT I can minister here, right where I am! There are huge street festivals throughout this Glacier region here as well this weekend. Western themed, of course. Rodeos, large public barbecue cook-outs, antique car rallies, etc. 
Barbecue smoke-out in Whitefish, Montana
Local RODEO in Columbia Falls, Montana

Today I will be praying for God's leading, and then heading out to witness Jesus to local people I encounter. And I always love to minister to the homeless kids I encounter everywhere around here, with their dogs and backpacks...many so far from home and in need of a Christian "big momma" to feed them and pray with them. 

I admit it's easy for me to have compassion on the homeless. 

Because I am one of them. 

But then, so was Jesus as He fulfilled his 3 1/2 years of travels throughout Israel, to share the GOOD NEWS. "...for the Son of Man has no where to lay His head."

It is amazing what depths of compassion and tenderness and mercy are brought forth in our lives, when we are called upon to suffer for Christ. Although Jesus COULD have lived His life in a luxurious mansion clothed in rich garments and dining on fine food daily, as the very Son of God come to earth, HE DID NOT.
Instead, we find Jesus, meek and lowly in heart, full of tenderness and compassion for the poor, the homeless, the sick and the sinful. He lived on the level of the poor of the land, often with nowhere to lay His head. 

Personally, I have also found it is easier to minister to others, when you are at where they are at.

Because only then can you understand their sufferings. And so it was with Jesus Christ, born in a lowly stable, living among the outcast and the needy to fulfill His ministry. I would therefore prefer to live exactly as God has led me, than the finest earthly mansion. I am right where God wants me for ministry.


Oh, God, save the young people of America today.
Pray for the salvation of the youth of America

I am determined to make a difference in our world today, and in our nation, America.

Christian readers, those among you who are blessed with nice homes and jobs and abundance, please don't tell me you cannot use what God has given you for ministry and get out to reach the lost in America! 

If I can be used effectively to reach the lost for Christ, even ministering under extreme circumstances (living and working out of my vehicle), then you too can be used effectively for His glory! 

God is weary of our many excuses for why we cannot lay down our lives to serve Him. People are going to hell in our nation, because we made excuses for WHY we cannot fulfill THE GREAT COMMISSION, and preach the Gospel and minister to the lost.

The day of excuses is OVER. The time to reach the lost for Jesus is NOW...before the NWO storm of darkness breaks with a fury over this nation.

I recently prayed about my desperate needs, and the Holy Spirit told me clearly to MAKE EACH DAY COUNT FOR JESUS! There can be nothing more important than the WILL OF GOD and reaching one more soul for eternity and God's kingdom!

He told me not to worry about my life or my future, but simply to keep my life in His hands, to trust Him, and press on relentlessly with the work of God through my life.

The Modern PREPPERS

You know...some people have plenty of money to face the future with.
They have their silver and their gold and their guns. They have their  fortified homes, their bomb shelters installed in their back yards or basements, their long term food supplies, etc. 


And every day they are scrambling as PREPPERS to make ever more preparations for the coming storm we know is approaching.

However, people in my position (and many of Americans are in situations similar to mine) simply can't make such preparations. Why? I don't have the money. And neither do many of you. 

And I don't even have a home to fill with food supplies and to prepare for the future. Some of you are homeless, or other equally challenging situations. I am still living in my car (it has been 5 months now, most recently.)

When I protested through tears to God about this recently, reminding Him of my situation, and of how I have faithfully served Him for 42 years now, and now have really nothing to face the future with, He had an answer for me.

Just keep on glorifying Him in this world...continue to be burdened for the things God's heart is burdened for...keep reaching one more soul for Jesus and seeking His will every single day...love one more hurting person...feed one more hungry street person...to essentially KEEP BEING LIKE JESUS. 

And His word promises that HE will then take care of the rest!
******************************

"Father, Thy Word is Truth."
~Jesus Christ~


Well... either His word is TRUTH...or it's all A LIE. He promised that when we sought first His kingdom and His righteousness, all these things would be added unto us. We as His disciples have a choice of believing God, or not. 

I have made my choice. I choose to BELIEVE GOD and to continue in His will for my life. And I would rather DIE trusting in that eternal word and doing His will, than to turn back now.

I sometimes feel so vulnerable, unprepared and unprotected by this world's standards as I look at what is coming to our nation. BUT...We know from His eternal word, that God cannot lie, and HE HAS PROMISED.

Many of you are in the same position that I am in. And you are wondering every day how you are going to face future events coming to America. But I want to GIVE YOU HOPE from the eternal WORD OF GOD!

He is an ALMIGHTY GOD of perfect integrity and power, able to fulfill His eternal promises to His people.

We all must choose to trust Him completely at such a time as this coming to our nation.

It doesn't matter if we can't 
SEE 
the fulfillment
of His promises yet.
We must continue to trust Him.

We are to live our lives every day 
BY FAITH and NOT by sight.
I confess to you, 
my brothers and sisters 
in Christ,
that God is faithful
and what He has promised
through His Son Jesus Christ, 
He is able to deliver fully.

And it is better to die in faith, believing
and acting in obedience to His word, 
than to never believe at all.
***********************************


Because in Heaven, 
every promise God has made 
will be 
finally fulfilled 
completely.

"And this is the victory that overcomes the world,
even our faith."
I John 5:4b

~Pamela Rae Schuffert~

Monday, October 1, 2012

The Amazing Eskimo Kids of Kotzebue, Alaska!


Kotzebue, Alaska is a very special place, filled with amazing people. I am always meeting people with incredible tales to tell, and skills and talents that never seem to end. The longer I am here, the more Kotzebue reveals it's hidden treasures from among it's people.

One group that continually amazes me are THE KIDS OF KOTZEBUE. I have encountered them repeatedly through Lisa's precocious son, 17 year old Solomon. 

Solomon loves Jesus His Savior! And Solomon also loves his local high school, filled with committed teachers from all over America who have come to dedicate their skills to helping the kids of Kotzebue fulfill their dreams and goals in life. He is actually on his way to becoming valedictorian in the high school this year, by God's grace. 
Both the school superintendent, Norm Eck, and the principal, Mike Lane, are doing an amazing job alongside the teachers in transforming the gifted kids of Kotzebue into junior dynamos of learning, intellectual prowess, various skills, and perfecting their talents further through shop and music classes.

Solomon gets along great with these village teens. Full of life, humor, mischief and amazing talents, it is always a special night for us when Solomon invites his friends over for my special treats of moose pizza and brownies.

This past Saturday night, Solomon invited the gang over for pizza and ice cream and brownie cake. Actually, it was his brother Adam's pre-birthday party we were celebrating. But the word got out in the village, and soon we had a houseful of Solomon's friends over to help Adam celebrate!
Laughter and smiles and fun conversation filled the living room. But then, Solomon pulled out an electronic keyboard that the school loaned him so I could teach him piano. And one by one, these amazing teens sat down behind the keyboard and began to play with skill and finesse that they never told us about before!

Then, they all started to sing. One young man, Levi, pulled out his cell phone and played a Gospel song he had downloaded, and everyone started to sing, even raise their hands to praise God! They replayed that song again and again, and they all sang that song for the longest time. It turned into a Gospel music night! 

Here is the song Levi played for us, that got all the kids praising Jesus. It is really an old southern Gospel song speaking of repentance and being baptized and turning to Jesus Christ:


That did it. 

Solomon and I have now decided that every Saturday night will be GOSPEL MUSIC AND PIZZA NIGHT for the amazing kids of Kotzebue! Prayer and Christian testimony and ministry will always be included.Also, we want to soon have Christian movie night with edifying Christian movies that will minister to them. (They have no movie theater here in Kotzebue. Hmmm...maybe that is a good thing after all!)




What a wonderful way to do Christian outreach to these precious young people...right in our home. I love it. Solomon is learning how to minister to his friends and to pray with them, or to take them to Brother Lance Kramer for prayer and deeper counseling at his home.

Pray for these amazing KIDS OF KOTZEBUE. They have a tough challenge before them, survival in the Arctic Circle. Life skills for them include learning how to hunt and fish, hunting on a perilous ocean for whales and seals and walruses, mushing dogsleds or riding snowmobiles over the snow and ice. But God seems to favor these people, and has poured all kinds of talents, skills, beauty and grace into these precious children.

As in every other community across America today, these youth have their struggles with alcohol, drugs, and the temptations that assault young people daily in today's world. 
But with Jesus Christ as Lord of each one of their lives, they can experience victory in every area and soar to overcome to achieve great things in their world and for the glory of God. Bringing life and hope into their lives through proclaiming Jesus Christ to them is the greatest gift we can give to uncertain youth today in a dark and perilous world we live in.

I so desire to be a part of what God is doing here among the Inupiaq people of Alaska and the Arctic Circle. Pray for them, pray for me and our success in reaching into their lives with the love of God and the power of Jesus Christ to transform lives for His glory. 

-Pamela Rae Schuffert reporting from Kotzebue, Alaska