Buy and/or Sell Strawberries for Jesus!

Thank you so much to all of you who have already signed up to sell strawberries to raise money for the widows in Rwanda.  Thank you also to those who will be helping at Travis tomorrow.  It is becoming more and more common for us to have many great opportunities to serve the Lord by serving others.  There are still a bunch of empty slots on the sign-up sheet for True Vineyard.  If you have two hours (or 4 or 6) over the next four days, it would make a huge difference.  Here is the link.  Please sign-up if you can.  Thank you so much!

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0F4BA9AA2C7-true

Also, don’t forget that buying strawberries from True Vineyard also helps widows in Rwanda.  A dozen strawberries is only $18.

 

Have a great weekend!

Garrett Surgery #2 update

Thank you guys so much for your prayers over Garrett.   He had a 7 hour surgery yesterday to remove the remainder of the brain tumor.  After an MRI today, the results are in that he appears to be completely tumor free!  The surgeon said it was a nasty tumor that was basically glued to both of his optic nerves and his carotid artery.  Removing it from both of those things risked his vision and his very life.  The surgeon said had he tried to extract the tumor in the first surgery, it would’ve likely ruptured his carotid artery.  Needless to say, we’re glad he didn’t.  Please continue to pray for the Moore family.  Garrett’s body is still regulating post surgery, and he’s having quite a bit of pain.  We are grateful to finally having this behind as, and we look forward to walking with Garrett as he continues to heal completely from the affects of the tumor.  He has several weeks of recovery ahead.  Thank you again for your prayers.  Let’s keep them up as we give thanks for what he’s come through already.

Garrett leading worship in January

Opportunities to Serve Texas State International Students

Lisa Damron works in the International Office at Texas State and has some ways we can serve International Students. This is a great way to go and serve the nations without ever leaving San Marcos. I’ll let her take it from here:

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to share some easy ways to get involved with International Students.These opportunities mostly come at the beginning of each semester and I don’t want to miss this chance to pester you while things are moving fast & International Students are most available.

Here are the ways to get involved:

FOR STUDENTS: 

Conversation Partners: Meet once a week or every few weeks with a student to just TALK with them; it helps them make friends and practice their English. There are potentially 22 TSIE students who will be looking for partners and the way to sign up just got easier: just look at the top section about Convo Partners on this link. http://www.txstate.edu/ie/services/tsie.html.

Conversation Circle: This is an event that TSIE to play games and get international students and americans in the same room talking. We’re hosting it at the international office now so I will probably be there almost every time. I don’t know what days it will be but it’s the second thing on the page on the link above. Please let me know if you are interested in this one so I can forward you the dates and times when they are set.

FOR COUPLES/FAMILIES:  

Every year Dr. Seese puts together the International Friendship Program. This year 3 students have signed up. They pair a student with a family and they are committed to meeting together once a month for dinner, an outing, a holiday or birthday, etc.

FOR PEOPLE WHO WORK ON CAMPUS: 

The mentoring program pairs you with an american or international student. If you work on campus or are a junior/senior you can sign up to be a mentor and they pair you with people who have similar interests. We’re trying to get international students to sign up for the mentoring program but even if you get paired with an american student it’s the same idea – meet someone you can serve, help and love on.

FOR EVERYONE: 

There is a new initiative by the university to get students out and about, involved on the campus and the city. Every month we host events and international students are invited, the first will be February 24^th: lunch with some basketball players and then going to the game together. Anyone can attend these events, so if you want to know about these every month tell me and I’ll keep you in the loop.

Lisa Damron

elisabethdamron@gmail.com

Good News Update

Our first Good News Club at Travis was a smashing success.  Last Friday we were told that 3 kids were signed up.  By Monday that number was up to 33, and yesterday we were told it was up to 48!  We were actually more comfortable with the 3, ready for the 33 and overwhelmed (in a great way) by the 48.  Thank you so much for those of you who volunteered.  Due to the large number of kids, we will need more help than we thought.  We need 9-10 volunteers per week each Wednesday other than Spring Break.  The commitment is a minimum of 2:30-4:15, but 1:30-4:15 is better.  If you would like to be a part of what’s going on at The Good News Club at Travis, contact Ryan Damron (ryan@river-stone.org).

To help out at Travis on other days, see our more exhaustive link of Travis info.

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Volunteer: True Vineyard Chocolate Strawberries

Its that time of year again, and TRUE VINEYARD MINISTRIES needs us to help them  sell chocolate covered strawberries. This is their biggest fundraiser, and a super easy way to be doers of the word. Every bit of money they make goes toward supporting Rwandan widows. CLICK HERE to sign up for a 2 hour shift.

 

Help a widow. Bring an orphan home.

The Coriell’s have been a party of the River Stone family for a couple of years, and we have been praying that entire time for the day they could bring their daughter home from China.  We’re finally close, and you can be a party of bringing Selah home.  As many of you know, fundraising for international adoption is a huge undertaking.  Nathan and Alisa have found a beautiful way to raise money…serving a widow.  Through an organization called “Both Hands,”  they are partnering to help out a widow by doing some repairs on her home.  They need team members to join them in this project who would also be willing to stand with them in prayer and fundraising.  The link above has more information about how you can help.  You can e-mail us and we will forward your information to the Coriell’s, and they will follow up with you.  We are so excited about how close they are getting, and it is a tremendous honor to serve both widows and orphans as James 1:27 instructs us.

Here is the Facebook group page as well for you to join: http://www.facebook.com/events/299943943391741/

TRAVIS OPPORTUNITIES: we need everybody in on this!

Hey Church, here are the details of the opportunities to serve our city at Travis Elementary school:

 

“Hello. My name is John McGlothlin, and my wife and I oversee River Stone’s for the city mission work.  The most important part of that work right now is happening at Travis Elementary. There are four ongoing opporunities:

(1) Tutoring: on every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:45 to 4:15 and Saturdays from 9:00 to 11:00, except the week of Spring Break and Easter (4 to 8 volunteers each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday).  The 3rd through 5th grade kids need help with math and reading.  The work is one on one with the children under the direction of the instructors.  Travis has asked for any adult volunteers who are proficient at math and reading, well at least to a 5th grade level.  If you are interested, please give me a call because we need to have you fill out a volunteer form for the district to run a criminal background check on you since this is one on one work with the kids.  I also need to know in advance what days you are willing to tutor, because we are the most help at Travis when they have an accurate count on what help they will have on what days.  It doesn’t mean people cannot come on a whim, but it means that is much less helpful to the teachers.

(2) Good News Club: on Wednesdays from 3:00 to 4:15, starting Feb. 1 till May 16 except the week of Spring Break (6-8 volunteers each Wednesday). Good News Club is a 1 hour Bible teaching time, much like a VBS format — Bible story, snack, music, games for students between k-5th grade.  We need helpers with crowd control, and also to be team leaders in small groups.  No advanced preparation is necessary, unless you would like to help teach the lesson or memory verse. It is a great chance to love on students.  This is a bible study designed for kids to experience the gospel, feel some love and learn a bible lesson.  It is held in the Travis Music Room.  If you are interested in volunteering for Good News Club contact Ryan Damron. (scroll down for contact info)

(3) Saturday Lunches: every Saturday from 10:00 to 11:30 from now until April 22nd with the exception of Spring Break and Easter weekends (12-18 volunteers each week).  Travis has school on Saturdays throughout the Spring, and it is required attendance for some kids.  The school feeds the kids a modest breakfast from 8:00 to 8:30, teaches them from 8:30 to 11:30 and then used to send them home with empty stomachs.  You usually only get invited to Saturday School if you are behind in class but the principal said some of them ask to come just so they can eat.  Either way, these kids are from families to whom we are called.  We want to make Saturday School a party and celebrate that they came, while providing the kids some nutrition by sending them home with a sack lunch.  That means at least 140 sack lunches need to be packed and distributed each Saturday morning.  Travis is allowing us to use their cafeteria from 10:00 to 11:30 for the work.  After packing the lunches, you get to hand sacks to kids — as we do for them, we do for Him.  Unfortunately, the person who hands them lunch on Saturdays might be one of the more reliable people in their lives, and if so, you might be the picture they need of the gospel.  Or maybe we just feed hungry kids — that is a win in and of itself. (specific dates: FEB 4, 11, 25 | MAR 3, 24, 21 | APR 14, 21)

(4) Supplies and Clothes: ongoing need. The school keeps a room stocked with school supplies, coats and shoes for kids who cannot afford to buy them.  The principal and the parent liaison stand in the hall and spot kids with shoes which are no longer doing the trick and share what they have to share with the kids.  There is no funding for these things.  We are accepting donations of pencils, glue sticks, children’s coats and shoes.  We ask that everything that is donated be in good condition, but it doesn’t have to be new. Bring on Sunday and put them in the black bin.

As you can see, it is going to take all of us to do the work available at Travis.  We are interested in which of these four areas feels like a good fit for you, so we know where to plug you in.  Pray on it and give me a call or email at your convenience or give Ryan a call ro email directly for Good News Club.”

John’s #: 512-757-5592

John’s Email: forthecity@river-stone.org

Ryan’s #: 512-557-4710

Ryan’s Email: ryan@river-stone.org