I need help.
The Lord has done so much already. So much that I can hardly keep up with it. But there is still so much remaining to get me in the Light House.
My heart is longing so deep to be there. In the place I thrive so well. In the midst of the hard place He has gifted me to live. In the middle of the beautiful people He loves so much.
I feel so lost not being there. I feel like I don't fit in anywhere. I feel so unsettled. For 6 months I have been living out of the community, and these months have been some of the hardest of my life. Going back and forth from Madison/Ridgeland to Jackson. From one culture and way of life, to a completely different one. It is very much like going from one country to another, on a daily basis.
Today I was sitting in my car in front of the house, waiting to meet the guy working on the windows. I was checking messages on my phone and heard some arguing and screaming down the street. A man was running down the sidewalk, from the apartments near me, and ran right past me and behind my house. He didn't even see me in the car. A few seconds later another man came out from the same apartments on a bike, obviously looking for the first man. I can only assume the first man was hiding from the second, and why he might have been - and he was hiding behind my house. And there I was, just sitting, reading emails, and thinking about windows! While this is somewhat normal to me (after living around this for several years), it is still a spiritual battle that I am faced with, that never becomes truly "normal."
So how can you help me?
Pray. A lot. There is so much going on in Midtown. A lot of good that is happening there, but there is still a lot of darkness that looms over the area.
I need help with completing the house. I need money to do that. I need volunteers to do that. God has already sent both of these to get me where I am today, so I know He will continue to send all I need.
I am estimating that the remainder of the work will cost around $20,000. If you would like to make a donation to go towards this cost, you can do so through my PayPal account (PayPal takes a percentage of donations, and I don't like that, but haven't found another way to do this yet - link is on the blog), or by sending a check to:
Jamie Rasberry/Midtown Ministry
113 Oakhurst Trail
Ridgeland, MS 39157
If you would like to come and serve with me and help with the house, there is much to be done. If you are skilled with carpentry, repairing floors, laying tile, building cabinets, etc....I need your help!
Call me anytime, 601-573-5472, or email me, midtownministry@yahoo.com, and I will be more than happy to give specific details of what I need help with.
"My" plan is to be in the house by June. God's plan is always better, but I am secretly hoping His plan is June too.
And I am learning to be ok with asking for help.
"The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me
because God anointed me.
He sent me to preach good news to the poor,
heal the heartbroken,
Announce freedom to all captives,
pardon all prisoners.
God sent me to announce the year of his grace—
a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies—
and to comfort all who mourn,
To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion,
give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,
Messages of joy instead of news of doom,
a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.
Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness”
planted by God to display his glory.
They’ll rebuild the old ruins,
raise a new city out of the wreckage.
They’ll start over on the ruined cities,
take the rubble left behind and make it new.
You’ll hire outsiders to herd your flocks
and foreigners to work your fields,
But you’ll have the title “Priests of God,”
honored as ministers of our God.
You’ll feast on the bounty of nations,
you’ll bask in their glory.
Because you got a double dose of trouble
and more than your share of contempt,
Your inheritance in the land will be doubled
and your joy go on forever.
Because I, God, love fair dealing
and hate thievery and crime,
I’ll pay your wages on time and in full,
and establish my eternal covenant with you.
Your descendants will become well-known all over.
Your children in foreign countries
Will be recognized at once
as the people I have blessed.
I will sing for joy in God,
explode in praise from deep in my soul!
He dressed me up in a suit of salvation,
he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo
and a bride a jeweled tiara.
For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers,
and as a garden cascades with blossoms,
So the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom
and puts praise on display before the nations."
Isaiah 61
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