Spirit Midwest Ministries Blog

Don't Miss our Third Annual Valentine Dinner & Dance

Post by Julie Barnes on Sat Jan 14th, 2012

Indulge your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day this year and enjoy a romantic, candlelit dinner; professional dance instruction; a live disc jockey playing all of your favorite dance music & a photographer to memorialize the evening.

Spirit Midwest is presenting this memorable event on Tuesday, February 14th from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Lotus Moments Event Center, 2134 E Grand Ave, Des Moines. Dinner will be formally served at 6:15 p.m. and will include a mixed green salad, fresh baked bread, glazed chicken, orzo pasta pilaf, garlic buttered asparagus, a decadent dessert and unlimited coffee, tea and water.

Throughout the meal, you will enjoy the ambiance of being serenaded with live music which will be immediately followed by dance instruction provided by Des Moines Dance. Of course, there will be plenty of time for you to show off your own dance moves as Jimmy Olsen spins your favorite tunes. Plus, all night long you will have a chance to memorialize the evening with a professional photo!

Seating is limited for this romantic event - which is sure to sell out quickly - so get your tickets now! They're available exclusively at Wellspring Christian Resources, 10465 Hickman Road, Urbandale. Tables seat six, so put together a group and get your tickets today!

Tickets: $25.00 per person

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How Will Anyone Go & Tell Them Without Being Sent?

Post by Julie Barnes on Tue Jan 10th, 2012

Would you like to bless our Tijuana Team 2012? Here's a great way!

Join us for our

SPAGHETTI DINNER FUNDRAISER

at

The Market at Lotus
(an indoor farmers’ market!)
2134 E Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA

Dinner will be served from 12-4 PM

All proceeds will benefit Spirit Midwest Ministries’

TIJUANA TEAM 2012 SHORT TERM MISSION TRIP

FREE WILL OFFERING!

While the members of our short-term mission team always pay their own way to Mexico, there are often additional expenses that Spirit Midwest absorbs in order to bring about the plan that God unfolds for us. Those expenses are covered by the funds we receive at our fundraisers. Our Spaghetti Dinner is specifically targeted toward the festival expenses for Espiritu Tijuana. With the expenses of clothing and food for distribution, shipping fees to send the items that have been donated here in Iowa, inflatables, and other ministry related materials, we are hoping to raise $500-1000 at this dinner.

However, we're also hoping to bless those who come to the dinner - so don't stay away if you feel you don't have enough to offer (for the free will offering). We know that God will provide. We'd love to have you join us just to share in the glory of God. The food will be good, the fellowship will be better, as our God is GREAT!

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Espiritu Tijuana (Spirit Tijuana)!

Post by Julie Barnes on Sat Jan 7th, 2012

We are so excited about our upcoming Short-Term Mission Trip to Tijuana, Mexico! It's been amazing putting together the team, the projects and the ministry that we'll be doing on this trip. While we are used to customizing every trip to match the personality, skills & direction of each team, this particular team has really been custom-tailored by God Himself!

First, the directors (Mike & Cathy Brandt) of the base where we launch from in Tijuana (Puente de Amistad) just happened to be staying at my house during our initial informational meeting in October. So, after we had discussed all the talents and ministries of the people on the team and the opportunities that would be available to us on this trip, Mike & Cathy realized that we had a unique team of people who had experience working in a festival atmosphere. They had missed out on an annual outreach they normally held in Tijuana in October because the ministry group that headed it up was no longer operating in the area. So, they presented the opportunity to us. After much prayer and discussion with the rest of the team, we decided it was a go!

In order to really do this right, however, we knew we were going to need a lot of help from local ministries, churches and organizations. We'd need speakers, bands, volunteers, people for setup and tear down, plus we wanted to provide practical assistance to our festival goers, as well. So, Al and I went to Mexico in December to see if we could arrange a local team to take care of the pre-festival planning and advertising that would have to happen without our hands on input. In our minds, we were hoping to explain our vision well enough that we could convince these pastors, orphanage directors and musicians to be a part . . but God knew better!

Instead of us trying to convince others to join the movement, God just ignited a fire in them when we began speaking . . . we started telling the orphanage director what we were thinking and before we even finished the first sentence, she jumped in and finished it for us! It was almost as if it was her idea! Suddenly she was talking about how we can provide hair cuts, because she has six girls in her orphanage who are experienced hair cutters; then she told us about a clothes closet she has which is overstocked with clothing that she offered to donate to festival attendees. Then we discussed our desire to provide dental care, but our dentist needed to find a dental chair before he would commit, only to find out that she had one! It was truly amazing.

The men were talking to her husband, who offered suggestions on locations he could arrange and logistical details. He also recommended that we talk to their son, Sammy, who just happens to be in an incredible worship band in Mexico. So, we met with Sammy and again began to outline what we thought God was planning for our festival, only to have him jump in and offer idea - guest speakers, a better location (in a local church), organizational details, and yes - he said his band could minister! We were so humbled to see God moving!

Then we came back to Iowa to share with our team what God was doing and as we were talking about the doctor who volunteered to be a part, as well as the dentist who now commited to join us since we had the dental chair, one of the ladies on our team excitedly piped up: "I'm a dental technician! I'd love to work with the dentist!" Isn't that just the way God works?! Even without our knowing what He was doing, He was knitting together our team with the local volunteers to put together a phenomenal outreach - Espiritu Tijuana (Spirit Tijuana)!

Our team will spend an entire week ministering in orphanages, feeding kitchens, churches, rehabs, prisons, juvenile detention centers, neighborhoods and more! Then, to culminate our week, we will hold a festival on Saturday, March 3rd, which will offer both practical and spiritual rewards:

  • Guest speakers
  • Music
  • Food distribution
  • Clothing distribution
  • Eyeglass distribution
  • Medical care
  • Dental care
  • Inflatables
  • Clowns
  • Interpretive dance
  • Games
  • Facepainting
  • More!

We are so blessed to be a part of this incredible outreach. We know that with all the work God has put into this already, it will bring about some amazing and life-changing fruit. If you would like to be a part of this outreach, but can't join the team, you could join our financial or prayer support. We are always in need of more funding and prayer as we embark on these outreaches! Let me know if this interests you - just send me an email at julie@spiritmidwest.com!

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