March 2023 Newsletter
Prayer request: Pray for those you know who need to forgive others, that they will seek God’s help.
If you have any questions about the Mission or how you can help, please give us a call. 432-337-8294
A Word From Our Director ~ Pastor Andrew Pistone
Black & White…or Gray?
AIf you grew up in the church, you probably remember learning about Joseph and his coat of many colors. I think it's good to be reminded of the story - which focuses on Joseph's faithfulness to God - so that we can be encouraged to trust God in our own difficult times. We see God working in Joseph's life in multiple situations and, at the time, each one of those situations seemed to be hopeless.
Hated For Being the Favorite
Joseph's father, Jacob (also named “Israel”) - had 12 sons, and Joseph was his favorite. “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also, he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.”(Genesis 37:3-4)
Joseph's special tunic was a sign of their father's favoritism, and it didn't help that Joseph started sharing his prophetic dreams with his family – dreams which depicted Joseph ruling over them. When he told his brothers what he had dreamed, they were jealous of him and hated him even more. The ten older brothers were so bitter and angry toward him, that they threw him into a deep pit – where he would have eventually died. After some discussion, they decided that it would be more profitable to sell him into slavery - and that's what they did…so, Joseph was sold and taken to Egypt.
Then, the brothers killed a goat and dipped the special tunic in the blood, so that they could deceive their father - leading him to believe that Joseph was dead. Eventually, God brought about a lot of good from the bad things that happened to Joseph, but, the fact IS - that Jacob and his family experienced a lot of heartache because of the chain of events that began with Jacob's favoritism.
While Joseph was in Egypt, he earned the trust of his Egyptian master – who put him in charge of everything in his household and everything he owned. Joseph was a man of purity and integrity, but he was arrested for a crime he didn't commit, and he was thrown into prison.
God was with Joseph in prison and, again – because of his integrity – he earned the trust of the chief jailer, and was put in charge of all the other prisoners. “The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.” (Genesis 39:23)
While in prison, Joseph met people who had served Pharaoh, and they shared their dreams. God gave Joseph the ability to interpret those dreams, and the men noticed that the interpretations turned out to be correct. Then, Joseph was given insight to interpret Pharaoh's dreams, too - where God revealed to him that there would be seven years with plenty of
food, and then – seven years of famine. Pharaoh trusted Joseph and his interpretation of the dreams, and he placed Joseph in the position of being second in command in Egypt. That's when Joseph began the monumental project of collecting and storing grain in all the cities throughout Egypt - so that they would be prepared for the famine which was to come. They stored so much grain, that it was impossible to keep an accurate count of the entire supply. It was a gigantic rescue operation! Because God had given insight and wisdom to Joseph, the people of Egypt and the surrounding regions were saved from mass starvation.
As you and I navigate our own challenges, I'm guessing that we sometimes find ourselves wondering, How could God possibly use this difficult circumstance in my life? We know that God will use all the situations in our lives – even the things that don't seem to fit – to accomplish His plan…just like He did in the life of Joseph.
He Forgave Them
It's never too late to forgive. When the famine occurred, Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to find grain. They hadn't seen Joseph in over 20 years, and they definitely didn't expect him to be Pharaoh's right-hand man, so, they didn't recognize him. As it turns out, Joseph's own dreams became a reality when – because of his position - his brothers really DID bow down to him. This would have been a perfect opportunity for Joseph to take revenge, but he didn't do anything to punish them for their evil act of selling him into slavery. He did TEST them to see if they had changed their selfish ways, but forgiveness was always in his heart.
Eventually, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. “Come close to me.” So they did. Then he said, “I am your brother Joseph. I'm the one you sold into Egypt. But don't be upset, and don't be angry with yourselves
because you sold me here. God sent me ahead of you to save many lives. For two years now, there hasn't been enough food in the land and for the next five years, people won't be plowing or gathering crops. But God sent me ahead of you to keep some of you alive on earth. He sent me here to save your lives by an act of mighty power. So then, it wasn't you who sent me here. It was God.” (Genesis 45:4-8) “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)
Even though the years are described in just a few chapters in the Bible, we can't forget that Joseph waited on God for a LONG TIME! Joseph was probably about 17 or 18 when his brothers sold him into slavery, and he was 30 years old when Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt…plus, he was in prison for, probably, a minimum of three of those years, and maybe more…IN PRISON!...for something he didn't do.
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander; as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32)
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Things to Remember
It's never too late to forgive.
No matter what happens in life, and no matter what trouble we experience…we can have confidence that God is accomplishing His purposes – for His glory, and for the good of His children. We can have inner peace - even when we don't understand things that happen to us.
When we have problems, we can look at them as opportunities to demonstrate the power of God in us. Hopefully, we'll have attitudes that refuse to wallow in self-pity, and instead, choose to count our blessings – even in the middle of our problems. I want to have the kind of faith that says, I know the ONE who is in control, and I'm privileged that He is attentive to me.
Even when we find ourselves in situations that seem hopeless, we can pray for wisdom – and unshakeable faith – as we trust God completely.
We should want to be like Joseph – to trust in God when we don't understand everything, and to have faith that endures – no matter what!...so that our lives reflect the power of our God so clearly…that nobody misses it!
Pastor Andrew
Update on the Mission
During the last year, there have been some exciting changes at the Mission. We added an Executive Assistant, who has been extremely helpful in keeping our day-to-day operations running smoothly. We have also incorporated an additional professional counselor to assist our guests as they face a variety of challenges. In addition, we have had an increase in the number of women and children who have come to us for help. Thank you for your continued partnership. It is crucial to our ministry.
Thrift Store
If you haven't had a chance to shop at our Thrift Store, we hope you will do that very soon. The proceeds from the store are a major source of our support. You will find thousands of quality items at incredible prices, and you can shop with confidence that your dollars are helping to change lives.
We are located at 1515 E. 8th Street, Odessa, TX Our hours for shopping are: Monday - Saturday from 9:00 am – 7:00 pm.
We continue to take ALL donations with grateful hearts. We could not do this without your help.
We will come to PICK UP any and all donations – just give us a call at 432-337-8294 to schedule a pickup. You can also drop off your donation at the Thrift Store,
Funds / Donations Needed
Your financial support will help us provide hot meals, a safe place to sleep and shower, and exposure to the truth of God's Word through Bible study and counseling to those who struggle with addictions. Many come to know Jesus as Savior because of the work God is doing here at the Mission.
There are a few ways you can give:
#1: PayPal Giving Fund:100% of what you give goes to the Mission. Paypal does not keep a processing fee when you use this service. If you would like to make a direct financial donation you can go to PayPal at the link below.
https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/2432315
#2: Use our Website http://www.doorofhopemission.com/donate.html
#3: Mail a Check to Door of Hope Mission PO Box 1789, Odessa, TX 79760
#4: When you Shop at Amazon or Ebay, just add us as your preferred charity, and a portion of your purchase will go to the Door Of Hope Mission.
With Amazon: Visit Amazon Smile www.smile.amazon.com, then login to your account then you need to select Door Of Hope Mission Odessa TX so we will receive donations from eligible purchases when you shop.
With Ebay: You just need to add the Door Of Hope Mission to your favorites. Click the link this link to add us.
https://charity.ebay.com/charity/charity-name/2432315
If you have any questions please call us 432-337-8294.
The Door of Hope Mission is supported 100% by DONATIONS and our thrift store. We do not take money from the government because they would restrict us from preaching about the freeing power of Jesus to those we help.
All donations are tax-deductible.
DOOR OF HOPE THRIFT STORE UPDATE
We are in need of good furniture and antiques that you might want to donate to our ministry, and of course - we continue to take ALL donations with grateful hearts. We could not do this without your help.
We can also accept cars, trucks, RVs and boats.
If you have items you wish to donate, please drop them off at the store. If you need us to pick them up, please call the Mission at 432-337-8294.
We invite you to come and visit the Door of Hope Thrift Store. We are located at 1611 E. 8th Street, Odessa, TX 79761.
Our hours for shopping are Monday - Saturday from 9:00 am – 7:00 pm.
Please visit us on Facebook : www.Facebook.com/DoorOfHopeThriftStore
All donations are tax deductible.
Please check out our latest post and like our page at https://www.facebook.com/DoorOfHopeMissionTX
A CHRISTIAN MISSION