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I still have the picture of 7-year-old Jose cradled in my arms – a scene that took place 28 years ago in an orphanage outside Bogota, Colombia. As my plane landed last week in Colombia, I wondered where Jose’s future had led him. What was he doing now? Was he still alive?

He never knew how much his life affected mine. After traveling internationally now for over 34 years, you never forget that first missions adventure. Jose and some of the other orphans that trip were used by God to affect my destiny forever. Somehow I knew when I left that compound in May 1980 that missions would be my lifelong vocation.

There have been moments along the journey since that time I have doubted my abilities and even questioned some decision making. But two things in my life have never been questioned – the faithfulness of God and His call upon my life. And it all began with one child.

The Bible promises, “His loving-kindness is better than life; His mercies are new each morning.”

– From Larry Cochran of Go International, used with permission.

Our God is Indeed an Awesome God!

When Isaiah House, a non-profit drug and alcohol recovery center for men in Kentucky, realized it needed more space in order to expand and offer services to women, it was unexpectedly blessed by the gift it received: a $1.2 million former rehabilitation facility donated free of charge. This is not the only major gift this small program has received over the years; it started out in a donated 4500 square foot mansion. Now this ministry has two facilities to use while it continues to grow from the contributions of faithful supporters.

Isaiah House has been faith based since Mark and Tammy LaPalme started the mission in 1999. It has been at the forefront of successful drug rehabilitation, receiving national recognition for three consecutive years from The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty for the best program in Kentucky and one of the top 20 programs in the US in 2006.

For more information about this cutting edge program, visit Isaiah-House.org.

NewLife maintains a list of prayer requests from our employees, family members, and customers. This list is updated once a week, is available to each employee, and updates us on occasions when more prayer or praise is called for.

We are humbled to be able to pray for these needs and ask that if you have a special prayer request, please contact your Customer Service Representative.

In a recent article for The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO), Carol McGraw wrote about a new personal Christian endeavor — creating faith books. It seems that scrapbooking is being used by Christians to track their personal journey of faith including baptismal records, church records, and Christian life milestones like marriage, etc. Church congregations are also using faith books to keep a record of the history and life of the church.

While some people prefer to make their own book covers and page decorations including pictures and documents, supplies for faith books are now available at Christian stores. A recent book by Sharon Sheridan, Pages of Faith (Morehouse Publishing) is also available as a guide on how to create a spiritual scrapbook.

Spiritual Scrapbooking takes the personal journal up a bar in our search for understanding and celebration of life events. It is also something you can share with your friends and family. What a great idea!