Beth Murschell is home now in Florida with the Murschells’ new family member: Chloe Jane Yoon Jin Murschell

Read more about the Murschell family and Chloe Jane here:
http://juxtaposition.wordpress.com
http://www.murschell.com

Also, please continue to pray earnestly about the Bixbys’ adoption situation, especially over the next several days.
Bob’s weblog
Bixbys’ YouBelong journal (password required)
The Corban Project

What a great opportunity Global Grace is having just this week to help someone in need! We received an email tip of a local need in the Rockton, IL area. Our very own Ed Foster and his son Joel are laying laminate flooring for a widow who recentlyl lost her husband. We are helping by meeting some renovation needs that her house has needed for some time. We will be continuing the work for the next two days.

We know that the Scriptures clearly teach according to James 1:27 that, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (NASB) We are attempting to “flesh out” our love for our Lord by loving our neighbor and meeting a need that is evident.

Please pray for our efforts. We are certain that this widow and her sons do not know Christ as Savior. Again, what an opportunity for us to show the love of Christ.

For those of you who have been asking about the Murschells’ little girl, Chloe Jane, for whose adoption referral fees Global Grace / Hannah’s Heart helped to raise financial support, here is an important update: Beth Murschell is on her way right now to get Chloe Jane and bring her home! The Murschells couldn’t afford to take the whole family to Korea (although they’re already seeing some possible reasons God in His providence did not permit that - for one thing, Andrew got hit with the Christmas flu that’s been going around). So Mick and Chloe’s siblings-to-be have gone to South Carolina to celebrate Christmas, and Beth boarded a plane on Christmas day. She is en route to Korea (by way of an unexpectedly long delay in Japan). You can keep up with the Murschells’ latest news at either of the following websites:
http://juxtaposition.wordpress.com
http://www.murschell.com

And Bob and Jennie Bixby left for South Carolina a couple of weeks ago to attend Bob’s sister’s wedding and to await the arrival of little Samuel Corban. After a couple of false alarms, they are just praying Corban will arrive soon. Bob flew back to Rockford for Morning Star’s Christmas Eve services and is now back with Jennie and Patience in South Carolina, awaiting Corban’s imminent arrival and enjoying the company of their family members. Please pray for the Lord to continue to work out the details for Corban’s adoption, and pray that the Lord would use this time to prepare and bless the Bixby family. You can keep up with their baby updates at either of the following websites:
http://www.youbelong.net/requested (password must be requested)
http://weblog.wordcentered.org
http://rbixbyfam.blogspot.com

In addition to continuing work in Mississippi and helping out a more local widow’s family with some building needs, Global Grace and its adoption-financing part, Hannah’s Heart, have undertaken yet another project. Not surprising. But this project is particularly close to the hearts of Morning Star Baptist Church members.

In His providence and perfect timing, God has given our pastor’s family another opportunity to adopt: The Corban Project

“With the addition of little Corban, the Bixbys will become a multiracial family, and they are exulting in that prospect. They are not perfect people, and they would not claim to be perfect parents. But Bob and Jennie believe this opportunity is God’s answer to their prayers for another child. Not only do they want to bring Corban into a loving, healthy, two-parent home, but they want to teach him about the one true God Who adopts sinners into His own household, both for His glory and their good.”

Bob and Jennie have had very little notice to prepare for this little boy (they just learned about him three weeks ago!), but they have been praying for him for years. They have taken out a loan to cover the immediate costs and are already in South Carolina waiting for Corban’s birth. Hannah’s Heart has taken the initiative to consider the Bixbys official “applicants” for whatever aid we can raise to contribute toward Corban’s adoption costs.

Chris Metras, the new director of Global Grace, wrote that

“as Morning Star Baptist Church’s missions and disaster relief arm, we believe the financing of Christian adoptions is one way to live out the love of Christ by addressing both physical and spiritual needs of people with whom we come into contact. Because of this, Global Grace has officially embraced Hannah’s Heart, an adoption-financing endeavor that originally began in August 2005 as the burden of Morning Star’s single adults fellowship.” (Read the rest of Global Grace’s endorsement of Hannah’s Heart here.)

With Global Grace’s help in handling the funds, Hannah’s Heart has been able to help a couple of other Christian families with their adoptions. But now we have an opportunity to help our own pastor with an adoption opportunity that has been materializing over the last three weeks. It is an especially joyful privilege for those of us who have prayed with Pastor and Jennie for a long time to be able to contribute toward their needs. Please visit “The Corban Project” page to learn about the most recent developments.

Meet Chloe Jane.
UPDATE as of noon, 20 Sept. ‘06:
Praise the Lord, He has provided the rest of the money that was needed for Chloe’s referral! Read more about it here.

52 donors have contributed $4,077 so far. We are praising the Lord for providing both the money and the willing hearts that have given so far.

Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. ~ I Chronicles 29:13-14

Based on the generous gifts that have come in so far, the Murschells have been encouraged by their agency to keep pursuing Chloe. They have till the end of this week to come up with the remaining the remaining $2,748.

Jeremy and Anouk have come home to Rockford, have taken jobs in town, and are heavily involved in the ministry here at Morning Star. The people we helped to relocate have now moved back home to Louisiana and are expecting another baby. We have sent a couple more teams down and our leadership team are involving themselves in conferences discussing philosophy and practical methodology for mercy ministries.

One of the major developments for Global Grace in recent weeks is that Chris Metras will be directing it now. Chris has left his teaching job and switched to his own full-time painting business so that he could have the flexibility to work for Global Grace.

This Thursday Chris, along with Ben Walsh and John Iverson, will head down to Bay Saint Louis, MS, as a part of Global Grace’s continuing outreach efforts to areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. Along with providing assistance in rebuilding a home of an elderly Christian lady, Chris will be surveying the area and meeting with other pastors to find additional opportunities for Global Grace to minister in the area. Please remember to pray for these men as they travel to the area, that their efforts will be fruitful and that God will open doors for them to minister to both the physical and temporal needs of people and that these open doors will also lead to opportunities to address the spiritual and eternal needs of people as well.*

*Thanks to Pat Berryman for the above text, taken from our church blog, http://msbclife.blogspot.com.

This spring and up through Mother’s Day, Morning Star Baptist Church teamed up with Alpine Bank of Rockford to raise awareness and funds on behalf of the Hawkins family, whose lives changed radically when a tornado devastated their home and left Amy paralyzed.

In a sacrificial decision, Amy threw her body over her two boys to protect them when the tornado hit their home in April of this year. The family was given an Extreme Home Makeover to help them rebuild a home and adapt to Amy’s new needs. Both Jerrod and Amy grew up in the Rockford-Byron area. We have $1,000 to give to the Hawkins family, and Chris Metras plans to deliver it when the next work team goes through Tennessee this weekend.

We promised pictures of our new home that God has graciously provided for us. It has taken us far too long to post them, but nevertheless here they are. God has once again proved that He will provide exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ever ask or think!

God bless,

Jeremy & Anouk

Most people have heard the saying, “God works in mysterious ways”. And when most people hear that statement they probably nod their head in agreement. However, when it is your life in which God is working mysteriously, it isn’t always as easy to nod your head in agreement.

After our mission in LA/MS, we moved back to Rockford, Illinois. Here was our plan: I would get a full time job someplace right away. After I started my job, Anouk would try to find a part time job someplace. We wouldn’t really look for housing until I had my job, then we would decide if it would be better to buy a house or rent first.

Here is God’s plan: Anouk would find a full-time job very soon after moving back to Rockford. I would keep looking. Instead of waiting to find a house until I got a job, we were to rent a house. I would keep looking for a job, and finally get a part time job.

So, where are we at now? In God’s gracious plan for us in our beautiful new home. The job that He gave to Anouk is a great job. My job situation has been a little more difficult (you should have seen some of the looks I have received when people look over my resume). This coming Monday, I am starting my new job as a chaplain for Wesley Willows – a retirement / nursing home facility. The job was offered on a part time basis due to the fact that there is another person that they are considering for the position. Originally, the position required a Master’s of Divinity degree (oops, I forgot to pick one of those up at Wal-mart last night), and the other candidate has an M.Div. I will work part time for a month while they determine if they should offer the position to the other candidate or to me. I am only praying for God’s will to be done.

God has given me a backup plan as well. Target is opening a new distribution center in DeKalb, IL. I have been offered a position as a warehouse worker. The job won’t start until May 31st, and if the chaplain position turns into a full time position, I can back out of the Target position at any time.

Seeing how God works is indeed mysterious at times, but it is always better than what we deserve. Take our house for an example. We have a house filled with beautiful wood trim that has never been painted (that is a miracle in itself!). The rent is far cheaper than what we were expecting to pay, and the owners have given us a free first month of rent! God used them to bless us.

“God works in mysterious ways” – true, but I have always liked a good mystery . . .

(there will be pictures of the house within the next few days)