Greetings!
Dave will be back next week! For this week, included is a note from another J17 staff member sharing how she came to serve with this ministry.
At age 15, I decided to make my faith my own by asking Jesus to be my Savior. It wasn’t until my early 30s, though, that I surrendered to His will making Him Lord of my life. That is when this life changed in many sweet yet challenging ways.
Between serving on a short-term mission trip to the Dominican Republic, returning to school full-time to complete a Master’s Degree in Christian Ministry, and leaving my quiet suburban home to live in the UA/downtown area, God prepared my heart to serve Him right here in this dusty city that we love. He began in small ways that moved my heart, then in big ways that challenged what I thought I knew, and finally in even bigger ways requiring marvelous steps of faith.
On this wonderful journey, God led me to serve with 4Tucson. What an honor and privilege. I learned what it might look like if Jesus’ prayer for unity within His body happened in Tucson. Then one day,
I saw it
with my own eyes at a women’s John 17 Weekend with 30 other sisters in Christ. My understanding of Jesus’ prayer for unity was transformed into a passion for Jesus’ prayer to be answered.
We 30 women had fewer things in common than what we had in common. Yet how the One whom we have in common created a oneness in us! His name is Jesus! I then realized that when the citywide body of Christ becomes one just as Jesus and the Father are One, Tucson does not stand a chance. The status quo will be turned upside down through our unity. Our city will be transformed, and God will be glorified!
I believe that my fit with J17 Ministries is exactly where God wants me today. He gave me the passion, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve with this amazing team. We are all committed that if Jesus prayed for it, we are going for it!
Karen Henley, Administrator
