Seasons

Dear friend, We pray this finds you well and thriving in your walk.  Wanted you to know how valuable you are to us and to the Lord.  We have been through a couple of incredibly fruitful and growing seasons since returning from full time ministry in Africa.  You have been so instrumental in the ministries He has placed us in and we remain ever so grateful and blessed.  

The bible says in 

     -Ecclesiastes 3:1 "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..." and in 

     -1 Corinthians 3:7 we are reminded that "Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but ONLY God who makes things grow"  

What a precious Savior that goes before us to create good works for us to walk into.  (Eph 2:10).  Our prayer for you is the same as it is for us.  That we all see where God is working and join him in that, even if/when it is hard or inconvenient…the seasons of life.  For some it is a lifetime in one role, others serve quietly and subtly behind the scenes, for us it seems to be to start, to streamline, to train, lead and hand off ministries to the next more competent person. 

Once we returned in 2016, Mitch co-pastored at Hills View Evangelical Free Church in Piedmont South Dakota and then served at OneChild(formerly Mission of Mercy) to help streamline and create a dealer and better way of Child Sponsorship globally.    All along, Charlotte found a mission field at 3 different schools and her passion is growing for special needs children in the education sector. 

Due to Mitch's growing health issues (neuropathy made worse by cold and elevation) and a longing for ministry deep within us with our kids(the kids of South Africa/Swaziland specifically), we just relocated to Florida.   We are happy to report that my(Mitch) health is substantially better and we are now serving with our dear friend and sister Claire at 

www.lydiasmission.org.

 

(serving 1600 children, employing women and teaching skills while discipleship occurs, running a farm, caring for elderly and baptising nee believers in the dump ground!...and so much more).

Attached is a more detailed explanation, and we would LOVE if you would be so willing as to subscribe to the newsletter (once a month, it is a very simple read) and commit to praying for us as well as letting us know how to pray for you.  We will be remaining stateside, but taking groups over as they develop and attempting to start a more robust children's program as well as connect with current donors and churches to strengthen relationships. 

May God bless you richly, we hope to see you again one day or catch up online soon.

Mitch & Char 

scroll down and subscribe as well as follow on social media :  

www.lydiasmission.org

... and HERE is the update:

Meet Evidence, Shaun and Mitch

Hello friends! Our mission and community is growing! The testimonies I could tell are endless and The Lord is doing a mighty work at Lydia's Mission. This month's update is filled with stories of growth and exciting news for the future of all we do here in South Africa. Know of our prayers for you! Please keep praying for us! We're so grateful for you.   Meet Evidence & her daughters They are changing the next generation Meet Buhle, Evidence's first daughter, born after we met her mom at the garbage dump. Meet Evidence's new baby girl, Nokwanda, born surrounded by the Lydia's Mission community. When we started the bible study at the garbage dump, Evidence was pregnant with her first child, Buhle (meaning beautiful). This month, we welcomed Evidence's second child, her daughter, Nokwanda (meaning increase). When we first met Evidence, she was working in the dump, gathering trash to support her family. Since then, her life has radically changed. She now has a job at the farm and skills to grow and support her growing family. Her daughters Buhle and Nokwanda will grow up with an empowered life and change the generations to come. We rejoice in the new life of these precious girls. While Evidence's life has changed, so has the life of our mission. We are growing and praying for support so we can further our capacity to serve. Our hope to see children's programs go deeper and reach a point of holistic child development. We desire to work with this generation now so children like Buhle and Nokwanda can change their community tomorrow.    The next generation is here and needs our support. Help us grow our mission MARCH AT LYDIA'S MISSION: We're sewing stuffed animals again! After a break during COVID, our precious women are back at it. Shop these adorable stuffed animals at the link below! Shop stuffed animals and empower a woman A new marriage and farm manager! Last month you met Shaun who was recently engaged to Claire. They have been building their relationship for some time and are now married!! We are so thrilled to see the love and ministry grow with this dynamic couple. He loves Jesus and the people of Africa and will now join Lydia's mission team as our Farm Manager. The couple hopes to come to the states this summer once visa paperwork issues are figured out.   Shaun has experience through various industries ranging from property management, sales of properties, health and safety and Emergency medical services.  He will add a much needed maintenance service on the ministry farm, Hope Centers and Gogo Center. He also brings a passion to love people well and serve faithfully in his new role.  He has many ideas to reduce operating costs for the ministry while continuing to develop income generating projects. We are excited to welcome him to the team! Meet Pastor Mitch! The exciting news continue! Pastor Mitch Hildebrant joins Lydia's Mission in a new role to support our expanding ministry to women, children and the elderly in eManzana.    Mitch will be jumping in with both of his size 12 feet to provide leadership in a number of growth areas for Lydia's Mission: Assist with children's field program expansion at our Hope Centers Guide ministry operations and strategy Lead prayer teams Develop a Supporter Relations program Coordinate mission trips to the Ministry Center in eManzana Provide spiritual guidance Develop an internship program in the future Mitch has a rich history in serving nonprofits. A background in Christian radio, management and leadership, launching and overseeing ministries in South Africa and eSwatini, pastoring a vibrant church in South Dakota and most recently serving in a senior leadership role with an international holistic child development organization.  Mitch and his wife Charlotte have sat on the board of directors for Lydia's Mission since the ministry's inception and have been a blessing beyond measure for the ministry and for Claire. When Claire moved to South Africa, they connected and developed a deep friendship and ministry partnership that has strengthened over these past 8 years.  "Serving with Lydia's Mission brings our passion of reaching the African people with tangible love of Christ together with connecting those precious people to wonderful individuals in the US. We believe in this ministry, its design and impact in the kingdom" - Pastor Mitch Don't be surprised if you hear from Mitch asking how he can pray for you, saying thank you and encouraging you in your journey as we partner together. Help us welcome him to the team with a note to mitch@lydiasmission.org. Reach out to Mitch Follow us on Instagram for updates Connect with us on Facebook for updates Thank you for your continued prayers + support. We are so thankful for you. In Him, Claire, Buddy the cow, Izzy and all the strong women of Lydia's Mission Lydia's Mission meets needs, embraces hearts and empowers women to transform their world. Located in rural South Africa, we provide hope, opportunity and a community rooted in Christ that impacts generations.  90% OF FUNDS RAISED GO DIRECTLY TO THOSE IN NEED  Give today © 2022 Lydia's Mission. All rights reserved. 6724 Perimeter Loop Rd.  Suite 139  Dublin, OH 43017 Update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.   Lydia's Mission is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible.

This email was sent to mitchionary@gmail.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Lydia's Mission · 6724 Perimeter Loop Rd · Suite 139 · Dublin, OH 43017 · USA

--

Mitch

--

Mitch

A fire

A calm cool day as the sun came out, snow melting and pikes peak shining in its glory.  Clouds rolled in and the landscape changed. A slight cool this evening. 

We were blessed to have an opportunity to get out of the house for an hour. We collected...firewood. We are so privileged. 

Tonight we lit a fire and gazed at the flames. The wicks and tongues rising up. The char of the logs. That campfire smell in the air and several loud pops and cracks from what we assume is sap in the wood. What a relaxing feeling; electrifying all senses-sight, sound and smell. 

We think of those around the world that have to start fire for survival as the winter months approach in Southern Africa. (We go back in our minds and hearts every day)A day long journey to collect wood and no capacity to enjoy the burning. A necessity. Life. 

What else can we do?  How else can we engage an army of privileged people like us to connect and make global change?  Pray. Give. Go. Serve. Love. Connect. Dream. Respond. 

On tv's Survivor "fire means life". Jesus will return as flaming fire...

Perhaps we could all stand to be contagious as fire. Spreading life to others.  We can do so much more as a global community.   One log snuffs out quickly, but the force of several lit logs is nearly unstoppable. 

"each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done." - 1 Corinthians 3:13

"7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels

8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." - 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8

May He lead us. In us and through us. 

--

Mitch