 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2nd Corinthians 5:17 NIV)When I saw the above butterfly, I was immediately reminded of 2nd Corinthians. Years ago, Rumbi had to intervene me for a counseling class and one of the questions had to do with what my metaphor was for counseling. I honestly did not have one but as I was looking around my room I saw some butterflies hanging on the wall. It then clicked. Just as the moth struggles to break through and become a new creation-the butterfly, we also struggle with things in our lives that need to be different, to change and be more like Christ. The good news is the Lord has already made us new! The old is gone! The new has begun! I am likely not explaining where my heart is with this but I love that we are not left where we were. The Lord continues to transform us and sanctify us, loving us in our brokenness and bring beauty out of the ashes. When we left China, we headed to Thailand to facilitate a Healing Group during a retreat with missionaries from the Asia Pacific area. We had 22 in our group. Again due to their locations I will not disclose where they were but we had a range of workers for 30 years to one heading to his field of service for the first time. It was a great group and I love how the Lord continues to make us His new creations, no matter how long we have been serving Him. As a result of our time, there is now interest in Sharon and I returning to Asia in the future to facilitate Equipping Sessions for Trauma Healing. I had not been back to the states for very long when I left cold Indiana for warm Florida. I went to assist with an Initial Equipping in Palm Bay. This Equipping was full at 25 participants and we ended up with 22 apprentice facilitators when it was over. My role during this time was more of a coach. For one facilitator, this was her first training. Thinking back to when we started in July 2017, I wish we would have had a coach to help us out! What was beautiful is when she had an aha moment of why the Lord had her there. She speaks Spanish and was excited to learn that the materials have been translated into Spanish. She now has several thoughts about being involved with the program in areas in Latin America. It was really neat to see her growth as well from the first day to the fourth. Our lead facilitator did an excellent job and I continue to feel privileged to get to serve the Lord in this capacity. Looking forward to what March has in store! With love, Misty From our Florida Participants: My healing has been evident. I came to learn how to treat the hurting and in the process I received healing! Powerful and liberating! The facilitators were warm, professional, and displayed the Love of God. The unity of spirit and team concept was evident from start to finish. It was a pleasure being a part of this training. This training has covered so many aspects and I think one that impacted me was writing a lamentation concerning my brother's death. It was very freeing and I hope to share this with many others! I will recommend this to others I know in ministry.  PRAYER REQUESTS:
Would you prayerfully consider becoming a partner of Misty Bodkins in 2019? There are 2 ways you may donate to Misty at Ministry Care. You can make checks payable to “Ministry Care” and send them to:
Ministry Care 14934 Pacer Ct. Carmel, IN 46032 Or you can also make an online donation, using Givelify, on our website at www.ministrycareinternational.org Ministry Care is a 501c3 therefore your donation will be tax deductible. If you have any questions feel free to email us as ministrycareinternational@gmail.com
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 The Prayer of a Righteous Person is Powerful and EffectiveThe Lord never ceases to amaze and our time in China was no different. It is the first time in what we call a Creative Access country and for that reason, I will not disclose the location of where we were. I will say that God blew us away in this Initial Equipping. We came into the country expecting a group of 11 but before our first day, the group totaled 19. It was the most internationally diverse group we have had: 6 were from African countries (including 2 from Zimbabwe!), 6 from various Asian countries (3 were Chinese), 4 were American, and 3 were European. We learned a lot about the variations in culture during the equipping. We spent 4 days for the equipping and then had 1 day of optional lessons. We spent quite a bit of time with the global workers there as well as learned a lot from our Chinese host family who were so gracious and hospitable. What stood out for me during this time was our lesson on Grief. We had many university students there who have left their home countries in pursuit of educational goals. All these years, during the International Conference on Missions, I have listened to leaders urge us to reach out to university students in America, especially those from other countries. But I never thought it was applicable to me. Until China. My eyes were opened to the various losses they experience as they enter a totally new culture and I was convicted of the great needs they have. Take a moment and imagine you are from Nigeria and you head to China for university. A communist country. A language you cannot read or write. Friends and family far away and no money in the budget for visiting home during your time at university. This is what students face and not just in China but in America too. As Americans, it is a great opportunity to be welcoming and hospitable, teaching them about culture and how to navigate places like Wal-Mart. And for those students who are believers, they will go back to their home countries to be a great light and witness to those around them. And if they are not yet believers, what a great opportunity to show the love of Christ in tangible ways. I challenge you to consider where God has placed you. Is there a university student you can reach out to? With love, Misty Written by Val (Taiwanese participant): This has greatly impacted me. It was very eye opening to learn that hurt is everywhere around us...that brothers and sisters I see every Sunday have so many heart wounds. And I think it is amazing to get healed by identifying a lot of my issues and knowing it takes time to heal. And at the same time getting equipped to help those who are hurting/traumatized. And realizing the behaviors people have helps remind myself NOT to have prejudice and take things personally if some people act strange, seem cold, rude, or angry-we just need to reach out more.I think the training was very thorough and really useful. The materials are great to follow. The trainers Misty and Sharon are simply awesome!! Very approachable and inviting. THANK YOU!! Would you prayerfully consider becoming a partner of Misty Bodkins in 2019? There are 2 ways you may donate to Misty at Ministry Care. You can make checks payable to “Ministry Care” and send them to:
Ministry Care 14934 Pacer Ct. Carmel, IN 46032 Or you can also make an online donation, using Givelify, on our website at www.ministrycareinternational.org Ministry Care is a 501c3 therefore your donation will be tax deductible. If you have any questions feel free to email us as ministrycareinternational@gmail.com  The Prayer of a Righteous Person is Powerful and EffectiveWhat does the Bible say about prayer? Prayer is the way in which we communicate with God, and He wants to get to know us better. As we start into 2019, one way to partner with Ministry Care is through prayer. As we listen to the brokenness of the world each day through the news and other sources, it is vital that we keep prayer at the forefront of what we do. Otherwise, it is easy to grow weary and discouraged. We need to stay rooted, deep into the Word of God, seeking Him in all we do. As we try to bring hope into a hurting world, we know that it is through His Wisdom and Truths from His Word that will transform lives. Some specific prayer requests for 2019 include the following:
With love and thanks, Misty Would you prayerfully consider becoming a partner in 2019? There are 2 ways you may donate to Misty at Ministry Care. You can make checks payable to “Ministry Care” and send them to:
Ministry Care 14934 Pacer Ct. Carmel, IN 46032 Or you can also make an online donation, using Givelify, on our website at www.ministrycareinternational.org Ministry Care is a 501c3 therefore your donation will be tax deductible. If you have any questions feel free to email us as ministrycareinternational@gmail.com  THANK YOU FOR HELPING BRING HOPE AND HEALING THIS YEAR!The message of the Gospel of Christ brings the healing Light into the darkness of hopelessness. 2018 has been an incredible journey of faith with our Lord and YOU were there every step of the way building His Kingdom! You have been there with Misty, in the Middle East and Kenya, as she helped care for missionaries through providing a safe space for them to rest, reflect and be restored through fellowship, God's Word, and the opportunity to be heard. You were there as she co-facilitated training's in the states and through East Africa and Eastern Europe that brought hope, healing, and equipping of ministry leaders, nationals, lay people, counselors, and missionaries. You have been there through transitions to a new ministry that has been a perfect match for Misty these last 2 years. I just want to say thank you for walking this journey of faith, seeking to glorify God and engage people with the Gospel of Christ that brings hope and healing. I am looking forward to 2019 and eager to join God in the work He has planned for us. Together, through Trauma Healing, we will bring hope and healing, share the Gospel. and equip nationals and missionaries in Asia, Romania, Bulgaria, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and many locations in the US. Together we will bring comfort, rest, and refreshment to missionaries serving in Asia, Latin America, and Europe through co-facilitating a time of retreat. Together, we will see what else the Lord may have in store for 2019. I say "together, we" because you are with me even if you are not physically present. Enjoy some highlights of each month for 2018 in the ministry. Thank you for your prayer and financial support! Without you, these photographic highlights would not be possible! With love and thanks, Misty Would you prayerfully consider becoming a partner in 2019? There are 2 ways you may donate to Misty at Ministry Care. You can make checks payable to “Ministry Care” and send them to:
Ministry Care 14934 Pacer Ct. Carmel, IN 46032 Or you can also make an online donation, using Givelify, on our website at www.ministrycareinternational.org Ministry Care is a 501c3 therefore your donation will be tax deductible. If you have any questions feel free to email us as ministrycareinternational@gmail.com  It is Giving Tuesday! What is Giving Tuesday? It is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when nonprofits focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. There are many wonderful ministries to give to. I ask that you prayerfully consider giving to Ministry Care this year. The Lord has opened up many doors of opportunity for 2019 and I know those opportunities will continue to grow. In looking ahead, we have set a goal of $3750.00 to raise by the end of the year. What is the purpose of this you ask? One of the challenges we have observed in 2018 is the inability of a national (a local to the country we are in) to be able to afford the cost to attend a Trauma Healing Training. I can share with you many reasons as to why it is important for them to have "skin in the game" but the bottom line is as we look to 2019, we have opportunities in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and other locations to offer this training. The money raised during Giving Tuesday will go to fund these training's for 2019 by offering scholarships for the locals. When we meet our goal, this will enable 25 nationals to attend the training. In honor of Giving Tuesday, would you consider making a donation to Ministry Care this month? There are 2 ways you may donate. You can make checks payable to “Ministry Care” and send them to: Ministry Care 14934 Pacer Ct. Carmel, IN 46032 Or you can also make an online donation, using Givelify, on our website at www.ministrycareinternational.org. Make a note that the donation is for Trauma Healing. Ministry Care is a 501c3 therefore your donation will be tax deductible. If you have any questions feel free to email us at ministrycareinternational@gmail.com or call at 765-603-3643. Written by a Ugandan:
I am so grateful and blessed to be a part of this trauma training. I believe it was made for me because it was exactly what I wanted and needed to hear in this season of my life. Truly my heart was hurt and broken. I was carrying a lot of stress and luggage that my body could not handle. I did not know I was suffering until I attended this training. Now I know I was having a lot of trauma and heart wounds going through my life. I had never been comforted and encouraged like this before. I always felt lonely, distanced, blamed, condemned, shamed, and I always felt guilty for everything I do. This training impacted my life in so many ways I view myself now and even in handling situations in my life. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this training.  From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!
I am so thankful for those who chose to partner with and support Ministry Care. We would not have been able to have done this work around the world without YOU! Your generosity makes me pause and be thankful for you. That God has chosen me to serve him in this missionary capacity makes me pause and be thankful to Him. Psalm 107:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Each day, there are opportunities to chose to be thankful. Even when we find ourselves in dark and troubling places, we can always give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for His love. A love that no matter our circumstances we cannot be separated from. A love that is constant. A love that never lets us down and is patient beyond belief. May your Thanksgiving be filled with joy, laughter, family and friends and most of all, a remembrance of what the Lord does in each of our lives-giving thanks to Him and His everlasting love. Thrive: To Blossom, Flourish, Develop Well, Going Strong, Healthy,Romania and BulgariaThe second half of September was spent in Eastern Europe. This was my first time to this area of the world. It was very eye opening. Growing up, I had a lot of thoughts about communism and it was interesting to gain perspective from those who lived through the fall of communism. It was bleak to still see the communist bloc type of housing and to imagine what it would have been like to have lived there. My thoughts about this extend far beyond a newsletter so feel free to reach out to me for further discussion. I am super excited though to see the Lord opening up doors in this area. We held a Convening Session for Trauma Healing in Brasov, Romania and Sofia, Bulgaria. The purpose of a Convening Session is to give top leaders enough of an exposure to trauma healing so that they can decide if they want to integrate it into their ministry, The benefit is it helps those who are not familiar with the model to gain awareness. As well, when a group of leaders gathers and decides that they want to integrate trauma healing into their ministries, this provides a strong foundation on which to build the trauma healing program. The downside for us is there was enthusiasm and commitment but now we are trying to determine when to come back and hold the Initial Equipping. It is ideal to hold an Initial Equipping about three months after the Convening so that the interest aroused can be channeled into action before it disappears. Due to other obligations we are struggling to find the right time to return in that 3 month window but trust the Lord's timing is always greater than ours. We had the chance to meet with the Romania Bible Society. This was beneficial as it continues to foster relationships with the local Bible society on the ground. We were able to make sure we were not stepping on any toes either so to speak by proceeding with planning an Initial Equipping. The Bible Society has been actively engaged in equipping both the Orthodox and Evangelical communities so it gave us the opportunity to sit in as learners as well as there are distinct differences between these communities. Outside of these Convening Sessions, we also met up with Rhonda, who is the European Regional Member Care Director for Global Outreach. Sharon, Rhonda and I had the opportunity to engage actively with member care for those missionaries with Global in Bucharest, Brasov, and Sofia. We also had the chance to encourage a missionary outside of Global in Bucharest, And it was a treat to get to spend time seeing some of the local sights, such as Dracula's Castle, with the missionaries. Again we want to be used by God to encourage, love, listen to and serve those He has called to ministry so that they know they are loved, supported, heard, valued and understood. If they know these things, they will thrive not just survive and we feel like we were able to fulfill this in our time in Eastern Europe. Stateside Training's: Omaha, Indianapolis, Orlando The month of October has been back to back training's for Trauma Healing. I arrived back to the states on October 2nd and headed off to Omaha for an Advanced Equipping. We had 17 participants (maximum is 20) in attendance and 4 Training Facilitator's that we were intentional about coming alongside to train well. The model that Good News is using to train the trainer's is very exciting to be a part of and has made me realize some of the gaps I had in my own training. Advanced Equipping Sessions are also fun as it is much more participant led and it is awesome to get to be a part of their action planning as they prepare for their own trauma healing ministry roll out. I went from Omaha to Indianapolis for an Initial Equipping. We had this one planned since April and it is a testimony of how God is the best net worker. The host of the event has a daughter who attended one of our Initial Equipping Sessions in Uganda while she was there as an intern. Her daughter is originally from Greenwood, Indiana. As a result of her daughter's attendance and enthusiasm about the training, conversations began about holding one in Indianapolis. We ended up having 34 participants (maximum is 36) attend, with many of them being from Indianapolis. What is exciting for me is to get to be a part of training in the area that I use to call home when I worked in the states. We had quite a few also serving in cross-cultural missions and 16 of those participants work in the mental health field.There was a group of them also part of the Catholic faith and they had many ideas of how to implement Trauma Healing Groups into their community, especially among those who have experience trauma at the hands of the church-an unfortunate consequence of the fallen world we live in. Finally, I went from Indianapolis to Orlando for our 2nd Advanced Equipping this month. In Orlando, we had 19 participants and 2 Training Facilitator's who moved on up as Master Facilitator's-the highest level you can achieve in Trauma Healing. The Advanced Equipping helps to provide clarification as to what the program model is all about. It gives the participants a chance to go deeper through the material-especially at the review of each lesson during practice facilitation where they have a chance to ask questions, gain clarification, and discuss any challenges they faced. Many of them gained an appreciation of the participatory model during the advanced and often state they wish they could re-do their first groups. One of the challenges I have personally faced though is a heavy travel schedule with minimal time to recoup before moving on to the next event. This is how the next few weeks will go as well, leading up to Thanksgiving. I knew this would be a full schedule so I am trying to be intentional about a time of rest at the end of November. As I am often speaking to others how they are no good pouring out if they do not have a chance to be poured into, I am reminded to take my own advice and am thankful for those in my life who are holding me accountable. To end on a praise report: We are thanking God in that it was reported that 4 people committed their lives to Christ during the healing groups and 1 rededicated their life to the Lord. We know how trauma creates a barrier to the Lord and we see the impact healing groups have had on removing that barrier.  A little sightseeing in Bulgaria Prayer Requests
Thank you for your support of Ministry Care! Ministry Care is a 501c3 organization, therefore, your donation will be tax deductible. You may donate one of 2 ways. You can make checks payable to “Ministry Care” and send them to:
Ministry Care 14934 Pacer Ct. Carmel, IN 46032 Or you can make an online donation, using Givelify, on our website at www.ministrycareinternational.org or click the button below If you have any questions feel free to email us as ministrycareinternational@gmail.com Thank you so much! And may God bless you richly with His presence! Member Care: Caring for global workers so they can remain healthy emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually so they can be effective on the field Bahir DarIt has been an incredible first half of this trip that takes us both into Eastern Africa and Eastern Europe. The first week was spent in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia facilitating an Initial Equipping in the Healing the Wounds of Trauma program. To say our time there was blessed would be an understatement. We (myself and co-facilitators Sharon Batley and Joy Stevens) were hosted by missionaries Andrea and Jeremy Ireland. With permission from Sharon, here is what she has to say about our time in Bahir Dar: "It is a big deal to be hosted by missionaries in their home… they open themselves and their lives to you. Not to mention that ministry demands continue even though they are hosting and coordinating the specialized training. I have organized and hosted many teams through the years and often it is an exhausting blessing to have people in your home, continue with the daily demands of ministry programs, give attention to your spouse and children and the list goes on. I truly appreciated that Andrea and Jeremy were willing to have us fold in with their family and include us in ministry activities outside of the training. I loved getting to know them and the children better, seeing where they live and minister and meeting national partners they work alongside. Experiencing all this gives me a better insight on how to pray specifically for them, for their ministries and the city they serve. Please pray for this wonderful family as the minister to boys of the Bahir Dar streets and university students. One of my greatest desires is to be used by God to encourage, love, listen to and serve those He has called to ministry so that they know they are loved, supported, heard, valued and understood. If they know these things, they will thrive not just survive." I agree with Sharon, which is why last month my emphasis was on Missionary Care. It is exciting to see it lived out this month. The Initial Equipping went really well. Even though this is a training to equip the attendees to be able to facilitate healing groups, we walk the participants through the lessons as a healing group. Our desire and prayers are that the participants would experience God’s healing in their hearts and lives. Through experiencing the healing of wounds on their hearts, they will be able to comfort and help others. At the end of our time together there was great conversations and revelations about suffering, how does healing begin, grieving, lamenting, and taking the pains of our hearts to the Lord, and finally forgiveness. Please pray for the attendees that God would continue to reveal to them His meaning of forgiveness. In many African cultures, the true purpose of granting and asking for forgiveness has been twisted and distorted into an obligation, expectation, and a way to avoid consequences of actions. At the end, it was a blessing to hear how God used our time together to bring awareness, correct false teachings, bring healing and freedom. Testimonies from Bahir Dar
Please continue to pray for the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and lives of these beautiful people. Pray also for how God would use the healing, freedom and fresh understanding of truth in their families, church, friendships, and community.  Blue Nile Waterfall Again with permission from Sharon, here is her perspective on missionary care. "Following the training, we had the privilege of sharing a couple of meals and fun outings with the Ireland’s and their co-laborers in ministry. These were important moments of caring for the caregiver. The needs and demands of ministry do not fit into an 8-5 schedule. I understand well how hard it can be to make sure you are taking care of yourself in the face of continuous ministry demands. We took time to sit and listen, to hear their struggles and joys in daily life and ministry. This downtime revealed to me the love they have for the people and country. It gave them great pleasure to share with us the beauty of the Bahir Dar area, through a boat ride on the Blue Nile to an Orthodox monastery. Later a day outing to the spectacular waterfalls of the Blue Nile. It was a rigorous hike to see the power of God’s creation. During the hour hike to and from conversations were had, laughter shared, and I was able to see a more carefree side of them." I asked Sharon permission to share as I felt it may be helpful to hear about missionary care from another point of view instead of just mine. Addis Ababa The rest of our time in Ethiopia was spent in Addis. Ethiopia operates on a different calendar so we had the honor in joining in on a celebratory New Years Day Lunch with friends. We were able to spend time with several of the missionaries in the city as well as touch base with a few who participated in the Initial Equipping we held earlier this year. One of the challenges we faced in Addis was multiple protesting that was occurring, which limited our time out. Please continue to pray for peace and unity For Ethiopia.  Ethiopian New Years Lunch! Melkem Addis Amit 2011! Thank you for your support of Ministry Care! Ministry Care is a 501c3 organization, therefore, your donation will be tax deductible. You may donate one of 2 ways. You can make checks payable to “Ministry Care” and send them to:
Ministry Care 14934 Pacer Ct. Carmel, IN 46032 Or you can make an online donation, using Givelify, on our website at www.ministrycareinternational.org or click the button below If you have any questions feel free to email us as ministrycareinternational@gmail.com Thank you so much! And may God bless you richly with His presence! Peace be with you and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. This month has been full of continued service in Trauma Healing. This time our initial equipping took us to Salt Lake City. We had the opportunity to tour the correctional facility (one of the largest in the states) where we were met with an enthusiastic administrative staff who is on board with seeing Trauma Healing Groups occur in their facility and the benefits it can have with the inmates, As a reminder, trauma can create a barrier in hearing the word of God and by bringing Trauma Healing inside the jails, where there is a highly traumatized population, we trust that God's Word will not return void and lives will be transformed and barriers broken down to hearing His Word. During the tour, one of the chaplains said something that has stuck with me these last few weeks. Her comment was that seeing the inmates in shackles always reminds her that we can visually see their bonds but we too carry invisible shackles-people just do not see what weighs us down. Her comment has made me reflect that God sees our brokenness and wants to break the chains in our lives-that His love is always greater than those shackles that keep us in captivity and that He is here to set the captives free-what a mighty God we serve!! The month of September leads me back overseas. I will spend 2 weeks in Ethiopia and then 2 weeks in Eastern Europe-Romania and Bulgaria. Part of that time will be spent facilitating a Trauma Healing Training in Northern Ethiopia as well as holding Awareness Sessions in Eastern Europe to determine the viability of Trauma Healing for the ministries there. Part of the time is to continue to do member care. I included a definition at the start of this newsletter. I would like to expand on that. In her book "Healthy, Resilient, and Effective in Cross-Cultural Ministry", Dr. Laura Mae Gardner defines member care as follows: "Member care is doing whatever it takes, within reason, to ensure that our workers feel cared for and supported by their agency and church, that they have the resources they need to work effectively, and to care well for themselves and their family. It is comprehensive – the ongoing preparation, equipping and empowering of workers for effective and sustainable life, ministry and work." Member care is an integral part to Ministry Care but honestly it should be a part that we, as the Body of Christ, should be playing as a whole. It is a privilege and honor to stand in the gap for missionaries in prayer but also to come alongside them in care to ensure they stay healthy on the field-not just merely surviving but thriving. Please pray for this part of our work in September as our paths will cross with a variety of missionaries. Please pray how you too can be a part of Member Care for the missionaries you know. Thank you for your love, care, and support of me as I continue to serve as a missionary as well. Testimonies from Salt Lake City Trauma HealingThis seminar has opened a whole new pathway for healing and effective evangelism. I have participated in many trainings. This group and process is easily one of the best I have ever had the privilege of being a part of. I really appreciate the high standard for evaluation and honor for the work. Thank you. A response to the question of how has the seminar impacted you? My own healing and self-discovery of trauma that has been in my heart since childhood. I thought I had dealt with it but obviously not. God is Faithful and Good. He healed me and met me at my need. I feel better able to minister to others and also face the future. Thank you training team. Praise God! This training taught me to have the courage to allow and trust someone with my trauma in order to be healed. It felt great to share with someone. I believe that God has made a way for me to be here. I am grateful and blessed. He has done a mighty work in me and I am Free!!!! A response to the question of what session that was most helpful? Lamenting. I needed to voice my complaint to the Lord for the death of my first born daughter. I was brutal because the trauma was sudden, unexpected, and violent (she was killed by a hit and run). I then needed to follow up by bringing this pain to the Cross. I experienced a wonderful healing. The process began from the beginning of the first lesson and was deepened with each lesson exercise. I praise the Lord for all of you.  Prayer Requests:
Ministry Care is a 501c3 organization, therefore, your donation will be tax deductible. You may donate one of 2 ways. You can make checks payable to “Ministry Care” and send them to:
Ministry Care 14934 Pacer Ct. Carmel, IN 46032 Or you can make an online donation, using Givelify, on our website at www.ministrycareinternational.org or click the button below If you have any questions feel free to email us as ministrycareinternational@gmail.com Thank you so much! And may God bless you richly with His presence! Peace be with you and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. This month in a conversation with someone, I was reminded about a similar conversation in 2013 in Zimbabwe about fear. Let me set the stage. I was helping with a youth camp with 2 dear friends of mine, Corky and Jo Sheppard. Over dinner one night, Corky asked me what was my biggest fear. I gave my usual response, "sharks." What I appreciate about Corky is that he was not accepting of my initial response. After further conversation, I confessed that my biggest fear was I felt the Lord was asking me to do great things for Him-for His glory and His kingdom-bringing freedom to those in captivity, which lead to my questioning of what if I am not capable, what if I am not confident, what if I fail Him? These are questions maybe you have asked yourself as well; they are certainly questions Moses asked of the Lord. You see, the Lord placed on my heart a few years before that a vision of traveling and training-helping equip and empower others to bring hope and healing to their communities. But I had no idea how this would work or what it would even look like and I had definitely never voiced this out loud to someone else. Isaiah 61:1-3 was the Scripture the Lord revealed to me-seeing people be free from their brokenness and experience healing only He can provide.But I did not know the tools or way to make it happen. Please do not misunderstand-not that I am special or intending this in a prideful sort of way. I have wrestled with even sharing this in my newsletter but after prayer, feel it is important to be more personal. God has a calling for each of us but I was truly afraid of failing Him-not recognizing that it is in His strength that His power is made perfect in my weakness. Corky had some great insight and wisdom and encouragement on patience and continued seeking and reliance on the Lord for both vision and subsequent provision. Two weeks ago I was driving to church and thinking about how Trauma Healing is going to be a huge piece of ministry moving forward. I was reminded of the vision years ago of "traveling and training." (I never could figure out a better way to word this). As I was praising God that this vision was starting to come together and really more make sense, I felt Him urging me that He is planning to expand the territory. Again, I had no idea of how this would look but I am committed to serving Him wherever He leads. The next week I was in Memphis for a variety of meetings. One of those was with Global Outreach. We were talking through some ideas of incorporating trauma healing into member care for 2019. No firm plans are finalized but if the various pieces come together, we will be serving in Southeast Asia in February and April, Latin America in May, and Eastern Europe in August as well as plans to continue to facilitate Trauma Healing in Eastern and Southern Africa. Wow...what confirmation right away of the Lord expanding the territory! I am now understanding that Trauma Healing is one of the methods and tools the Lord will use to fulfill what He has placed on my heart. What else have I been up to this month? Well, I spent one week in Memphis. It was a time of various meetings but also catching up with my friends who serve in Ethiopia that are stateside as well as connecting with ministry partners. We were able to do some strategic panning as I will spend 2 weeks in Ethiopia in September. We also held an Advanced Equipping Session in Abingdon, VA for Trauma Healing. We had 12 participants attend, where 6 became Training Facilitators and 6 Healing Group Facilitators. While in VA, we had a chance to visit inmates in the Abingdon Regional Jail who participated in a healing group. They had testimonies to share of how the Lord has used those groups and unpacking their trauma to bring healing and change in their lives, Each one was quick to give glory and honor to the Lord, with one saying, "I was saved in here but this group helped me get to a place of freedom." It was such a great encouragement to hear this before we stepped in to facilitate the training. We then traveled on to Dulles to a conference held by Kairos-a ministry that serves in the correctional setting. There was much excitement among the attendee's about Trauma Healing and here is where I was reminded about fear. One of the participants in the workshop had quite a testimony to share about the Lord's hand on her life and the changes He has made in her since time served in prison. She spoke with me one on one about the fear she has had as she felt the Lord prompting her on to share her life and testimony to those currently in prison. She was fearful that the Lord wanted to use her in a powerful way but in her brokenness and past, how could she be used by Him to speak into other's lives? And I was suddenly in a conversation 5 years prior where I was asking similar questions. I look forward to staying in touch with her and hearing how God is using her to impact others. One final note: Zimbabwe has just held elections. It is the first time since their independence in 1980 that Robert Mugabe has not ran for president. Results have not yet been posted but please continue to keep the country and its people, whom I love deeply, in your prayers.  At camp in Zimbabwe in 2013 Prayer Requests:
Ministry Care is a 501c3 organization, therefore, your donation will be tax deductible. You may donate one of 2 ways. You can make checks payable to “Ministry Care” and send them to:
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AuthorMisty Bodkins has a Master's degree in clinical psychology. She has worked both stateside and internationally doing counseling, training, teaching, and research. Her passion is working with people who are in crisis. Archives
December 2019
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