May 2015

"Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." - Proverbs 22:6 (NIV) A core value of Diakonos Community and missional living is seeking ways to bless others through the regular activities of our lives.  This is something we seek to pass on to our own children as we teach them what it means to follow Jesus. This year Elaina asked guests at her birthday party to donate socks and batteries to Food 4 Souls in lieu of gifts.  Some of her friends brought both a gift for her and donations, but it was exciting to see how her guests' parents responded to the donation idea.  One friend's mother told me her own father had spent 15 years living on the street before he died.  She was excited to hear our church was very involved in serving friends without homes. As parents, it's a blessing to see our own children embrace the same values that are important to us.  Pray for wisdom for us as we seek to continue to teach them to seek God's Kingdom first. Prayer Requests Pray for a friend who is trying to make some more deliberate changes regarding an addiction in his life.  Pray that we are able to help him find a good support group and that he will find a sponsor who he can really connect with. Continue to pray for the son of a woman in our missional community.  He has been arrested twice this year and spent the last month in juvenile detention because of some of the choices he has made.  He has since been released with electronic monitoring.  Pray that God's Spirit would continue to work in his heart to make positive changes in his life. Pray for a young girl in Diakonos who is being tested for Chiari Malformation.  She has been dealing with headaches and nausea for months because of pressure on her brain. Her family is consulting with a neurosurgeon and considering brain surgery to relieve the pressure.  Pray that God would give her parents and the doctors wisdom in making treatment decisions.  Pray also for God's healing touch to be experienced in this girl's life. Financial Support Information In light of the possibility Leon will be stepping away from his part-time teaching position to focus on Diakonos and the opportunities we mentioned in our March update, we have raised our goal budget to $3300/month. Our current regular pledge total is $1722 / month, so we need to raise an additional $1578 / month to be able to make this change. Our goal is to raise this increased budget by September 1 in order to give the school adequate notice to find a replacement teacher by mid-year. If you would like to personally invest in this ministry, you can either mail donations to the address below or click the "Give Now"  button below to give online. Mail all tax-deductible donations to: Christian Associates International 18940 Base Camp Rd Monument, CO 80132 Make checks payable to Christian Associates International and write Longard - 41273 in the memo. Contact Information: Leon & Tina Longard 4441 Lucky Cir Indianapolis, IN 46203 Home: (317) 791-7116 Cell: (317) 970-7799 E-Mail:llongard@christianassociates.org           tklongard@gmail.com Website: diakonosindy.weebly.com