First, I want to thank our prayer partners and supporters. The ministry God has directed us to, is enriched because of your willingness to be a part of it. In the personal department, Pam had her hip replaced and is doing well recuperating. The week after I returned from the reservation, she had surgery and I changed hats to become nurse, caretaker, and cook for a while. She is doing very well but the full recovery will be a bit longer. I have had dental work done and we are halfway to completing what is needed but it will be several months before we are finished. We cherish your prayers as we continue to heal, keep up with the ministry we are a part of and trust God to help make a difference in lives for the kingdom. I have been on the reservation several times in the last year with a number of people on work teams and God has blessed us with good relationship’s being built, work accomplished, and seeing firsthand God’s church going forward, making a difference in lives. God is working thru Siloam church, and the Cartwright's so please keep them in your prayers. The deck is finished now, dedicated to God’s work, and already in use. We are anxious to see what the outreach from the deck will have. This year the desert has experienced more rain than usual and with that, an issue the church has experienced, water coming in the back door, at times a lot of water. We changed two exterior doors, and I finally was able to take some time and do the excavating needed to divert the water plus clean up some of the landscape Steve wanted help with. It was also a good time to help one of the trustees remove some scrub bushes that enhanced the looks of the property and created better vision at the entrances of the property. The last trip was to also bring the heating and cooling equipment to a more efficient system. As the days had already started to heat up it was necessary to get the air in the church to a more even temperature and thank the Lord we were able to see that happen. We have been blessed to have some people willing to sacrifice their time and money to go and be a part of many upgrades to this building and build relationships with some beautiful people at Siloam church. Siloam has been in existence for over 100 years. There were some very lean years and, in those times, as little as two Native people would go to the church, have a service, just to keep it open. I suggest you keep watch to what God is doing at Siloam because the Holy Spirit is blessing, and people are following His lead. I have not named individuals because every person that is a part of this project is important, and I don’t want to miss anyone. I also want you to see the interaction with the people of the church from cooks to workers, so please look around the Beautiful Hands Ministries website to see pictures of the work teams and all of the wonderful work they've done. There should be another update later this week (the week of June the 11th.) Thank you again to all who are praying, contributing financially, and have made the trip to help work in this ministry. We couldn’t do it without you. A big thanks to Steve and Debbie for the work they invested in each project. Debbie directs the meals, housing, cultural trips just to name a few things, and Steve is a huge help in getting materials, working with us, finishing up after we are gone with any loose ends. We love you all. In His service, Tom and Pam Thank you for taking the time to read our update. It has been a busy year so far and a few challenges as well. I will briefly mention a few personal items and then complete with ministry highlights.
Pam and I have had a new grandson who is nine months old and also we just received word that in July the court will award adoption to Pam’s daughter and son-in-law a little girl that they have been caring for since birth. We are very excited and thankful for these blessed additions. I had been asked to be grandpa (papaw) and I am loving it. Pam and I are also helping with Harvest Chapel in West Jefferson with Pastor Faron Tabor so when we are not on the reservation or in a service somewhere, we are busy. I have been in Arizona the later part of 2021 and now in 2022, several times. I have had some people go on small work teams and we are now wanting to begin planning for more in the coming fall and spring. We were able to get the larger, very inefficient windows changed and put in smaller, more secure, insulated sliding windows. We have been upgrading, replacing, or fixing some smaller items to get phase I finished. We are now trying to get the HVAC replaced. The church is now deciding which system we will use. We have had some donations towards the new unit but we will need to raise more. We have two exterior doors that must be replaced, insulate the attic, complete the modifications to the sound system, before we can continue to phase II. The reason we are intent on completing this work is because God is doing some exciting work at Siloam. The guitar program is going forward with people waiting to be in it. The ladies bible study is growing, the children are starting to return. Some of the former church kids have moved back and are coming. Adults of all ages are coming. The contacts Steve and Debbie are getting is awesome, and God is moving. Please pray, for souls, work teams, finances to finish, protection and strength, wisdom, and more lives to be touched. More to come. You can always go to my website, Beautiful Hands Ministries for pictures and updates. Thank you. Love you all. - The Amlin’s Greetings to each of you. The first item is I am calling for anyone who believes in prayer to keep or put us on your list. I will be saying more at another time or you may detect what we need as we begin doing more online. The Lord is doing some exciting things at Siloam, and I want to give you a taste.
Relationships are hard to explain but to watch what happens between people when they come on one of the teams is so exciting. Some people talk about when two worlds collide only when it is a bad thing, but when true friendships are built from the same experience, it is a God thing. Until the next time, we covet and thank you for your prayers, financial support, trust, and friendship. Tom P.S. Steve and Debbie Cartwright have more exciting news to share about Siloam below. March 2020 Cartwright Chronicle: OpportunityThe word of the year 2020 so far is OPPORTUNITY-we can sense that God is doing something BIG. Why? Because of exciting possibilities and seemingly impossible odds - the perfect situation for God's glory to be seen!
In recent discussions about us hoping to rent a home nearer to the reservation, the church members said they would prefer us to live at the church property and voted to make the invitation official. This would provide extra security during the church remodeling project as well as open up a number of ministry possibilities for the church (men's and women's small groups, music ministries, community health initiatives and counseling/grief ministries, to name a few). We've made contact with the District 6 representative to tribal council and he has been very supportive of the idea. And financially, actually buying a mobile home would pay for itself in 4-5 years, considering the costs of rentals in the area and the fact that we are looking for longer-term. That's where a miracle becomes a necessity. The American Indian Field has a project account called "AIF Housing replacement or purchase" (310-31718), but no funds in that account right now. Estimates of the cost range from $50,000 to $80,000. WILL YOU PRAY as we seek God's miraculous provision for us?
Over the past year, we've had a number of supporters who have discontinued giving for various reasons. Additionally, increases in medical insurance premiums, housing costs and utilities make the monthly support needs even higher. We've calculated that another $1000 in monthly support would meet all monthly expenses. We're asking God to provide 20 people who would pledge new monthly support of $50 per month (or increase their current support by that much.) It sounds big to us, but we know it's easy for God. He knows who He wants to partner with us to make another 16 months on the field possible. We ask that you pray with us for this need-which is truly an opportunity to see God's glory revealed in marvelous ways. Write or call us if you want to help. You can also donate or pledge online at www.wgm.org/missionary/cartwright Also pray for a short (3 week) trip to Ohio and Indiana this April/May. Steve will be visiting supporters and sharing in some churches from April 22 to May 10; Debbie will join him during that last week, shortly after completing her fiscal year-end procedures as treasurer. Here is the schedule as it stands right now (come see us if you're in the area):
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