TOGETHER WITH YOU, we're bringing people together in Rockwood to ensure that no one is invisible and that everyone has access to food, freedom, and forgiveness. TOGETHER WITH YOU, we're working on PREVENTING trafficking, dovetailing with our Integrated Community Transformation mission. TOGETHER WITH YOU, we envision Rockwood becoming a community where children are less vulnerable to being trafficked and adults do not want to traffic kids.
Mr. Ali Today we learned that one of our dearest family friends over the years, really more like a family member, lost his battle to cancer. My last (brief) conversation with him was a video chat in mid-May, and I knew his days were short. I sent out an urgent prayer request and many of you prayed. Thank you. There has not been anyone in my life that I have prayed/fasted/wept for more than Mr. Ali. In fact, I am weeping now. For reasons unknown to me, I was never able to re-connect with him so I know nothing of his final days. What I DO know is that he was DEEPLY LOVED by God and by the people who knew him well. He was EASY to love. In spite of a very difficult life that involved loss, disillusionment, imprisonment, torture, sacrifice, poverty, and health challenges, instead of being jaded and hard-hearted he was kind, thoughtful, helpful, caring, respectful, intelligent, educated, and had a good sense of humor and a servant's heart. He was the closest friend I ever had (who did not share my faith), but the CLOSE relationship we shared was one I constantly use as an example of how two people can believe very different things and STILL have a healthy respectful conversation, as well as a loving encouraging friendship. Men like Mr. Ali have been a RARE find in my life experience.
A refugee in Greece since the 1990s, in the last year, when his illness became too much, he went home to Sudan. He went home to see his family and allow them to care for him in his final days. He is buried in the family's cemetery.
I will miss him dearly. As will many others.
Reaching Generations With the Gospel
Click here to hear the song This video is so meaningful to me on more levels than I have time or space to express. I wept while watching it after my Albanian brother Gregor sent it to me. Gregor met Jesus in Athens and has been loving, following, and serving Jesus in 4 different countries ever since (Greece, Albania, Kosovo, and now in Macedonia). The man singing (Aranit) in the video was one of Gregor's closest friends in Albania that Gregor (as a new believer) led to the Lord through correspondence from Athens back in 1992. The GIFTED young man playing the keyboard is Gregor's oldest son JOZEF who hopes to attend university in America this fall if God provides the funds. Jozef is currently in Albania while Aranit is currently in Italy. They worked on this project as a surprise for Gregor. The music is a Keith Green song. I ended up on the overseas mission field for 26 years largely because of the way God used Keith Green in my life. I am such a blessed man.
Food For Our Hungry Neighbors
The Rockwood Community Development Corporation (our partner organization) has been well-positioned to become a hub for distributing food during the COVID-19 crisis. As Rockwood is already the most economically-challenged community in Oregon, with 55% food insecurity, and high levels of hypertension, heart disease and respiratory issues, and has now become the EPICENTER of the Corona virus in Oregon, you can imagine the need. Over 600 boxes a week are going out to community partners such as:
* Rockwood churches * Wallace Medical Concern
* Kaiser Permanente’s low-income families that already receive other wraparound services
* Black Community Partners’ 125 families
* Rosewood Initiative’s families
* Outgrowing Hunger, with its 450 gardener families – most of them immigrant/refugee * A Latino grass-roots group
* Play Grow Learn (with its 50+ African-American families)
* Others
On Saturday, June 27th, the Shalom Rockwood Network sponsored a "Prayer March for Justice". About a hundred believers from various churches in Rockwood attended and made a great investment of unity in the Body of Christ. Prayer, speeches that called us to keep focused on Jesus and His love, peaceful expressions of calls for justice, and a united front to the community encouraged us to plan another one soon. Also, there were MANY expressions of solidarity and encouragement that came from people who passed by (on foot and in cars).
PRAISES AND PRAYER REQUESTS
* William graduated from college with an Associate's Degree in Music! He hopes to move out and share a place with a friend within the next couple of months and plans to continue working at the restaurant where he has been working for over a year.
* Kyle still hopes, Lord willing, to go to Scotland in the fall to study for his Phd
* Scott has started posting teaching videos on YouTube. He is starting with a weekly 10-minute teaching on Parenting, but in the near future plans weekly teachings on Marriage, Personal Finances, Discipleship, and Leadership as well. Please pray they will reach and encourage and equip many. The first two can be seen here:
* It looks like our two short-term mission trips from our church (we were planning to visit the two refugee ministries we helped start in Austria and Greece) will be postponed for another time (hopefully next year), as Europe is not allowing visitors from the U.S. We are still working and praying to raise funds that will go toward the mission trips whenever the Lord allows us to go. We will be holding a Dessert Auction at our church on Saturday, August 1st to raise funds. The Sunday before that (July 26th) will be our Missions Sunday; Scott will preach and we will have tables in the lobby with info and people to answer questions about local and global outreach efforts.SPECIAL MESSAGE:
We know these are especially difficult times for MANY people. For those who invested in our ministry the last few months: THANK YOU!
For those who are not able to in these days, WE UNDERSTAND and do not want you to feel undue pressure (from without or from within).
We know that GOD is our Source and sometimes he changes the channel through which He provides. And sometimes He provides times of testing (for all of us). (We just heard this week from a supporting church that they will no longer be able to continue their support).
THANK YOU FOR WHATEVER PRAYERS on our behalf, AND WHATEVER FINANCIAL BLESSINGS, you are able to offer to God through our ministry...whenever...however. We are grateful for you.
Please let us know how we can be praying for you!We are so very THANKFUL for YOU!
Because of YOU, we are able to educate others about sex trafficking, help foster a collaborative spirit amongst churches in an at-risk community, disciple others who will disciple others, and take the Gospel to the nations!
Thank you for allowing God to use your prayers and financial investments to help this happen!
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THANKS AGAIN FOR PARTNERING WITH US IN THE GOSPEL THROUGH YOUR PRAYERS AND/OR FINANCIAL INVESTMENTS! WE APPRECIATE YOU!
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Scott and Vicki McCracken · 2225 SE 157th Ave. · Portland, Oregon 97233 · USA
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