Gross Family January 2009 Update

“Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!” Ps 34:8

January 12, 2009

Dear Friends and Family,

Shalom in Jesus! On January 2nd (1-02) we received the keys to our new apartment at Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas, TX. We are so excited to be here. God has provided a number of “unusual coincidences” (confirmations) to show us we are indeed hearing from Him…from a real sparrow sitting on the console of our car to our very apartment number…1-02. Many have asked what our future plan is after Jimmy graduates from C.F.N.I. Well…we are not sure! We are seeking the Lord daily for wisdom and guidance for what our ministry is supposed to look like now and in the future. We believe that God is calling us into full time pastoral/missions/family ministry either in the U.S. or possibly another country in the future. For now, it is living on campus among the students at CFNI and integrating ourselves into the community as much as possible. Here are some specific details and updates we would like to share with you:

- Jimmy officially starts classes on Monday, January 12th. He is enrolled in the School of Global Missions (spring semester), breaks for the summer and hopes to participate on a mission trip, and then will enroll in the School of Pastoral and Leadership (fall semester). Both of these schools will provide practical training that can be used in any area of ministry. He is also hoping to participate in music ministry here on campus.

- CFNI has a 24-hour house of prayer room which we have already visited. We feel that as a family (children included), God is calling us to participate in this initiative to help pray God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

- We still attend Baruch HaShem Messianic Synagogue in Dallas where God called us 3 years ago. Jimmy participates in music ministry at BHS and God has blessed us in many ways since becoming members of the congregation. We have been blessed with relationships and a general understanding and admiration for the Jewish roots of our faith in Messiah.

- Josef turned 1 year old on 12-26-08. We took him to his old home (of 7 months) on Christmas Day and he greeted the staff and doctors with big smiles. We believe our visit encouraged the staff to keep fighting for even the sickest babies. His health is improving and we continue to believe God for total healing for his body. (He is still on continuous oxygen).

- Rachel will start home-schooling both Meg and Ava this week. The girls are very excited!

- God provided two wonderful families for Jack and Taylor (our dogs). Jack was permanently adopted (but we can visit any time) and Taylor is being cared for until he is able to return to us in the future.

- We are waiting on God to provide tenants to lease our house. Please agree with us in prayer that this happens very soon. We also were able to sell one car! Thank you God!

- Jimmy is signed on with a temporary agency, but has not had much work. Other employment opportunities have presented themselves but for various reasons have not come to fruition. We feel a real peace about this. Jimmy will not be able to work full-time due to school/ministry and is praying for part-time work that will pay enough to sustain the family in conjunction with prayed-in financial support from other sources.

We truly believe that the Lord is sending our family out to go about the “father’s business”. As our world gets darker, we believe God is calling us to be a light in dark places. We would like to ask you to consider sowing into our ministry with prayer as well as an initial or recurring financial gift if the Holy Spirit speaks to you. Your gift would enable us to sustain the vision that God gave us by helping to cover our living expenses during this season.

Love and Blessings in our Savior-
Jimmy, Rachel, Meg, Ava and Josef Gross
3430 Marvin D. Love Fwy #102 Dallas, Texas 75224
jhg1468@aol.com; rachegross@yahoo.com