God's doing something in our city...

We had an amazing time with Franciscan student volunteers for several days and Saturday a bunch come also along with some kids from the local High School. Please pray for Mama Nita, (AKA Juanita Slappy) has had her second Grandson shot in the last month in our downtown area. The first boy died and now Leroy is stable. This drug-gang war has to stop in Jesus' Name! It's so sad. We know our house will in some way will have a part in stopping this war of revenge.

Please also pray for our friends and brothers and sister in Nuba Mountains where I served a year ago for 2 months. Darius, a Sudanese doctor and dear friend, emailed me an hour ago saying there is heavy fighting near them and they are constantly in the surgical room mending near fatal wounds from the antenov bomber plane. The northern regime has declared all out war against the Christians and sympathetic Muslims in the north and have declared officially "Sharia law". These brave missionaries will stay there to care for the poor and wounded. Pray with me, please, for their courage, health, strength, wisdom and protection. Please pray for an end to the war there and for wisdom from other countries if they should intervene so that this genocide doesn't continue.

I wish I could be there, but God has made it clear to me to do this mission in Steubenville where we have our own war going on. Again, thanks so much for your prayers. God is teaching me so much lately. One thing is that, like Mother Mary, we can be small but mighty. "He who is mighty has done great things for me!" Luke 1. I may be only one small lady in the midst of a drug and corruption war in Steubenville, but together with many hands all enveloped in the Lord's hands, we can change this city around to become a city that loves God's heart and honors and respects each other. It CAN happen. I'm going to be childlike enough to believe it. It is NOT impossible for God. Please stand with me on this to see it happen.

I was VERY encouraged yesterday with a phone call from Pastor Jason from a church around the corner from us. He heard what we are doing and said something like, "That is exactly what we are seeing around the world-- God is moving mightily in the out of the box types of places like Christian coffee houses and people are having encounters with God in beautiful ways. I fully support you and if you need anything let me know!" My own parish is doing a fund raiser this week for us, too. God, YOU are moving in downtown Steubenville! Have your way!

Thanks for all those volunteering and sending words of encouragement. They mean a lot to us! God is really doing something great our city... Let's believe and pray for more!

I wish you all a very wonderful Holy Week and soon Easter.

Big hugs to you all!
Katie

Gratefulness

I am just amazed at the way God is moving in our new mission at Mama Nita's. He's sending such amazing people to us to build our Mama Nita's family and renovate our house...Bernadine, who just lost her grandson, Lee in a fire 3 weeks ago has been coming to volunteer to fix out house up. Lou Tucker, a local plumber said, "I will do your plumbing work under one condition: you don't pay me for my service. Lisa Reeves Foster cleaned up so many dusty dirty clothes and washed them and dropped them at Good Will and threw the rest out the window into our 30 yard dumpsters.

Luke Yanko and Ben Bowers plunged into the grotesque basement with gas masks and cleaned the whole thing out to fill up another dumpster. Brave men they are! And Walter Malorie from the local Pentecostal church has come faithfully to look out for me and serve to clean out the house out of the goodness of his heart. Mary O'Connor, my dear friend in all this, has done so much also along with hauling away the tree branches we cut off from the jungle outside. And we can't forget Mike Givens and Mark Richardson who are both doing windows and electric at cost. Wow, thanks Guys! Jonathan and Johanna Mears who donated the electrical supplies and did most of the work also. Thanks Ray for chainsawing the trees down, drilling the ground rod holes and shootin' the breeze with us-- and thanks Gary Bebee for serving in so many ways too!

Then we were blessed by 20 Franciscan students who came this week to clean, paint and dig up roots from the bushes outside. It now looks like a home! You guys are amazing. They teamed up with the Big Red High school kids and both cheered each other on and got to know one another. I felt like a proud mother watching them interact. Chris Sparks, Anna and so many other Franciscan students have been coming down regularly to brighten our house and bring so much joy and life to us!
Romans 1:21 – Even though men “knew” God they didn’t “give thanks” and their foolish heart was darkened. The list goes on and on.

I am touched this week about the importance of Gratefulness... I am so grateful. I think Gratefulness is going to be a charism of our house because that grace needs to be revitalized in our city. It is the foundation of all virtues it seems to me. Romans 1:21 says that even though men “knew” God they didn’t “give thanks” and their foolish heart was darkened. Darkness pervades our downtown area. Join us in becoming Eucharistic people-- actively grateful is the meaning of that word, Eucharist.

Pray for me and for all of us please to allow this grace of Gratefulness to permeate our lives and overflow into the streets around us!