Believe
Thank you for taking the time to read our Messenger! This Messenger is full of stories of success and achievement from some of those we are fortunate enough to serve. I wish you had the opportunity to see and understand the way God is working throughout our ministry each day. The challenges are great, but we were created to overcome!
The word believe is defined as one’s acceptance of something as true, correct or real. It could be said that once you believe, you are convinced that you know the truth. Today, we believe all sorts of ideas. We might believe that one brand of automobile is better than another, we might believe that one type of food tastes better than another or we might believe that certain types of music are the best to name a few examples. What then is correct?
What does it really mean to believe? For me, it is difficult to explain what it means to believe without understanding what it means to trust. The idea of trust can be defined as a belief in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of someone or something. In other words, we can’t really believe unless we trust. We have all known people who have broken our trust, that can really hurt! Becoming someone who trusts again after we have experienced hurt can be difficult.
In this Messenger, you will read stories of belief and trust, and how they were vital factors that led to success. Christina’s story is one of great difficulty but also great success. She states that in a moment of great uncertainty, she received a great blessing! We have many “Christinas” in our care now that are struggling to find their purpose and meaning, to find something to truly believe in and trust. God provided what she didn’t know she needed just at the exact moment she needed it, what an inspiration! You will also read a story about Pastor Rudy, one of the most dedicated godly men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. It would be easy to see his vibrant church in the Dominican Republic now and not realize the challenges he faced throughout his journey. Pastor Rudy’s accomplishments are impressive, but simply put, he loves God, and he loves people.
I see many similarities between Christina’s and Pastor Rudy’s experiences. They both had to believe and trust. They had to believe in God, accept Him as their Savior and trust in His plan. They both faced serious challenges and struggles but they trusted His plan. They knew they were created for a purpose, and they marched forward boldly even in uncertain times. I know I have been challenged and motivated by their stories! While you may never meet Christina or Pastor Rudy, if you support us in any way, you are part of their story.
As we serve throughout our nine ministries, we see a pattern. The first step is healing, hearts and souls need to be healed. We have highly trained staff that the Lord uses but make no mistake the healing comes from Him. The second step is restoration, hearts and souls need to be restored and made new. The final step we see is transformation, hearts and souls need to be transformed. What an amazing privilege it is to be a part of so many stories. You make it possible for us to heal, restore and transform. Please keep the STCH Ministries team, Christina, Pastor Rudy and all those we serve in your thoughts and prayers!
Romans 8:31- What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
