Weekly street outreaches up 35%

Hello friends, I am sad and happy to report that there thousands more people attending Lighthouse Mission daily street outreaches now then this time last year. In fact, we are up a total of 35%. People have been waiting in the freezing cold & on long lines with their children in hope of receiving a few bags of food for their families. I thank the Lord that He has been sending so many people to our street outreaches & that He has been some how providing the food necessary for us to meet the ever growing need. But more importantly, He has been sending the thousands & thousands of people to us each week because we have been faithful it providing the people with the true bread of life- that bread is Jesus.

Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty”- John 6:35.

It’s not uncommon for our mobile food pantry trucks to arrive at an outreach location (we now have 10 that cover more then 740 sq.. miles each week) and discover 200 more people waiting on line then we had expected! Thats when things get interesting because we could not have had enough food loaded onto the truck for that many more people and yet everyone that afternoon seems to be able to go home with several bags of food.. How is it possible? (here is some bible home work for you- check out John 6:1-14 in your bible for the answer)

The only answer that I could provide you with is that it is a real miracle. I understand that many of you may find this statement hard to believe. All I can say to you is if you don’t believe me- come and see for yourself. You are always welcome to meet us at any of our street outreaches and help hand out food & cloths to the needy. I can gurantee you a few things. 1. you will do work- loading or unloading trucks & handing out food 2. you will hear the good news of the gospel of Jesus preached, 3. you may be moved to compassion & possibly remove your own coat & gloves to drape it over a shivering child & her mother as they wait in line for food...

Please consider becoming a monthly financial partner with the Lighthouse Mission. Your donation will go right to work- right here on Long island sharing the gospel & feeding the poor.

Jesus teaches us in Luke 10:2 “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."...

Man, I can’t wait to see what God is going to do next!

God Bless you.

- Pastor Jim Ryan

Gods creative & Innovative blessing..

Hello everyone, I wanted to share a quick update of an amazing & very creative blessing God has just provided to us. We have been praying for a way to protect the food that we put out on the streets during our daily street outreaches (which is now 10 locations). Normally, when we know it is going to rain or is raining we pray over & with the people who come for food then we hand out the food from the back of our box trucks. However, when it rains without warning, all of the food that our volunteers carefully set up gets wet & sometimes ruined. Sadly the people whom come to receive the food have to take home soggy cheerios & dripping pasta. Not any longer! Through the wonderful generosity our friends at Nesconset Christian Church we now have very creative & innovative awnings installed onto the sides of our mobile food pantry box trucks! The LIghthouse Mission is not only evangelical & the largest mobile food pantry on Long Island but we are now the first mobile food pantry to implement an awning system like this in the country!

In the event of severe sun or rain the food, volunteers and people will be nicely protected.

Thank you Jesus for an amazing blessing... I can't wait to see what God is going to do next!!!!

God Bless you.

- Pastor Jim Ryan

New van for "kids Club"

Hello everyone, many of you have been praying for the Lighthouse Mission to be able to buy a pair of new vans so that we could pick up the children who live in homeless shelters who are not able to attend the Lighthouse Missions "Kids Club".

As you might imagine a new van will cost well over twenty two thousand dollars. With the economy still on a nose dive our donations- (you know the only means of funding for the Lighthouse Mission- please consider being a monthly supporter... pretty please) has taken a dip. All of this translates into a lot of laughing at me (Pastor Jim) when I am asked what the Lighthouse Mission could really use and I answer “a new van to pick up children form homeless shelters”. Sadly, those laughing people must have forgotten whom I work for, its the same amazing person who provides us with enough food to feed 2600+ people each week, or funds to fuel our trucks, or perhaps even the new buildings He gave him- yeah I'm talking about GOD!

Sunday afternoon I received a telephone call from a close friend & supporter of the mission who simply asked” what are you planning to do about picking up the children who have no way to get the the Missions “kids Club” program?” I replied” I have no idea, but I know God will provide some way, He has never let me down”. “ I went to the Ford dealer with my wife and found a wonderful new passenger van that would work perfectly. I want you to go there and take a look at it.” the supporter said. “I don’t have enough money to even fill the gas tank” Pastor Jim explained. The supporter said “don’t worry about that, I have already taken care of it. If you like it-it’s yours!”. Moments later (after I picked myself up off of the floor), I got onto my knees and thanked God once again for His amazing provision for His lighthouse Mission.

Two days later we had an amazing new van completely paid for. It can seat 12 children & even has a CD player! - How else would you expect God to want us to drive his precious little children to His “Kids Club” to learn about His amazing son Jesus?

We are planning to immediately use the van to pick up all of the children who have to sit in a shelter all day because their families have no way to get them to the mission.

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus says “with man this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible.” - Matthew 19:26

I can't wait to see what God is going to do next!!!

God Bless you..

Pastor Jim Ryan

9 Degrees & the lines are longer then ever!

Each day the Lighthouse Mission goes out onto the streets to share the saving Gospel of Jesus & to feed the poor. We go in the heat, rain & cold.

However, this winter has been colder then usual. One might think that the extreme cold would keep people from traveling to the lighthouse Mission street outreach & stand on line waiting to receive a few bags of food- that is not the case. In fact, HUNDREDS of people stood on line for food & coats in the 9 degree cold (many children, elderly & disabled).. I saw a poor man who was wearing only sweater that had a 12" rip in the side - I was standing 20 feet away from him and was able to see his body shivering.

I walked over to him & asked where his coat was. He explained that he gave it to his wife to wear- they have no heat in their home. I looked into his bag & noticed he had a coat for a small child tucked inside. He told me that he one of the Lighthouse Mission volunteers offered him the coat because he had a young daughter at home who also did not have a good coat to wear. So I asked him why he did not get a coat for himself. He said that he did not want to be greedy & take more then one coat. I walked with him to the pile of coats and was able to find a pair of gloves, a thick winter hat and a wool coat. As I helped him put the coat onto his body he was shaking so much that I could hardly get the coat onto the poor man.

He hugged me & told me that he was a Muslim & that his family had no food or decent winter cloths to wear & not one of his fellow Muslims would help them. However, the "Jesus People" (he called us) at Lighthouse Mission would help... what an honor to be the hands of Jesus to this poor man.

News 12 also showed up to see how people were handling the cold: click here to see the News12 video link.

- God Bless you, Pastor Jim

(posted on face-book)

"Kids Club" weekly prayer requests

Each week at the Lighthouse Missions FREE "kids club" program the children have an opportunity to write their prayer requests in their weekly prayer book. We would ask that you would consider praying & supporting (perhaps sponsoring a lunch, toys, prayer, etc.) these children.

Without us mentioning our kid's names here are a few of the children's prayer requests..

(posted on lighthouse missions face-book)

- that God will help us to be good and to follow Him.
- loves her mommy - pray for her mom this week
- healing for foot, for it to grow and be healthy
- pray for her brother Jose
- for her neighbor who is having surgery
- for his brothers and sister
- for his sister ----- who needs balance with the time she spends on the computer
- for his fish, Jonah, who isn't eating
- for her Aunt, because her daughter died
- for her Uncle, because his son died
= that he and Christopher would become good friends
= for her friend who has leukemia
- that when she gets old she will find a job, and that mommy and daddy will get a job

- God Bless you... Pastor Jim