John 16:33–These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 14:27–Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Dear Friends,
As always, thank you all for your continued prayers and support.
Besides me having a heart attack, we are all doing well. The Lord is always faithful and good.
Things keep moving along here at Fairhaven and we thank Him for the privilege of serving others. He continues to send the food items in and Sissie has a network of people who distribute it all to those in need.
I was on phone yesterday with Kallie, the young lady/nurse who has a ministry in Honduras. She has great need for supplies for treating wounds. If any of you have any items that would help her in this ministry, it would be a huge blessing to her.
As you can imagine, the local needs for food and help are becoming more severe, and I do believe that it is only going to become much worse in the very near future. Please be praying that Lord will continue to miraculously supply in order for us to help meet some of those needs. We are so thankful those He uses to provide the food and for those who take their time in order to make sure it is all distributed.
Attached you will see pictures of the loading for Transnistria. I guess this is somewhere between 145-150 containers that the Lord has allowed us to ship through the years. Sissie and I have never ceased to be amazed at how the Lord has provided the contents, and then the necessary funds, for shipping all over the world. I am attaching a story of how the Lord answered prayers regarding just one of the containers. I hope it will be a blessing to you and remind you of His constant faithfulness to all of us.
I am including “How to be a Peaceful Person in a Hostile World” simply because it gives a good perspective of what you and I are dealing with today and I thought you may like reading it. I will add one thing—our perspectives always need to be based on the fact that our Lord is in full control and, as Christians, He has allowed us to be where we are in order that we glorify Him. I try to always keep this in mind.
Again, thank you for your faithfulness in prayers and support. May the Lord continue to richly bless, and to protect, all of you.
In His Service,
Johnny
Johnny Huffman
Fairhaven Ministry of Faith, Hope, & Love
21066 Fairhaven Road
Covington, La. 70435
Ph: 985-892-1134
Fax: 985-892-1385
Cell: 985-264-5052
Email: johnny@fairhavenministry.com
Web: hopeforothers.org
Love is God’s will in action.
Phillipians 2:4,5—Look not every man on his own things, but every man on the things of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
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It’s the hottest day of the summer so far. The mercury is way up there, and all you want to do is stay in your nice air-conditioned home until it cools off after dark. But alas, you have a life, and you have to go outside. The second you open your door, the heat blasts you so hard it feels like a physical blow.
That’s exactly what it’s like online right now, no matter where your politics lie.
Except instead of heat, it’s a blast of hostility, hatred, and rage.
The Death of Civility
After the most tumultuous election many of us have ever personally witnessed, the animosity still hasn’t waned three months after the shocking (to some) results were announced.
In fact, it’s gotten even more heated.
I’ll try to lay this out without divisiveness because taking sides isn’t my goal here.
One side is unwilling to accept that the election didn’t go their way. Their rising and noisy discontent has enflamed the opposite side.
The result is ugly.
It’s all-out verbal war on social media, as people spew hate-filled, destructive things to one another. There is hardly any attempt for understanding on either side. Instead, there are threats, mockery, name-calling, and spite. If you call anyone out on their behavior, you are instantly named a supporter of “the other side.”
Basic civility seems to be dead, as people laugh at the fate of innocents, blithely plan violent events, and fan the flames of rage. They insult others and laugh at their misfortunes.
The rage level just keeps inching up.
Meanwhile, those flames are fanned by the media. Left. Right. It doesn’t matter which side. From both biases, there are breathless denouncements of “the enemy” that just tick people off more.
Politicians certainly aren’t helping either, using their platforms to stoke the anger levels even higher.
While there are some genuine hard feelings out there, these entities are throwing gallons of gasoline on the fire on a daily basis – and they’re making a ton of money doing it.
I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of it.
Not just annoyed. Not just a bit tired. Sick to my very soul to see how low so many people have plummeted.
It’s times like these when you see the true nature of the people around you. And sometimes what you see isn’t pretty.
I can only imagine that if the situation was truly dire, and the last bit of food was involved, that these are the people who would be out there fighting for it. Terrible picture, isn’t it?
A lot of people are feeling hopeless about the future right now.
These are the things you really can’t control.
First, let’s talk about the things that are completely out of our control.
We can’t change what is reported in the media. Heck, half the time we can’t even decipher whether it’s true or false. But here’s what we can do:
• We can refuse to be gullible.
• We can cross-check our facts and try to get an idea of the real picture, but we have to keep in mind that the media on both sides is biased and that the truth usually lies somewhere in between.
• We can support outlets we perceive to be more honest, but we must always remember that nearly everyone has an agenda.
We can’t change the hearts of people who have descended into hate. They’re going to have to dig themselves out of that pit. But here’s what we can do:
• We can offer a helping hand up when they’re ready, but until they want to climb out, that’s where they’ll be, regardless of our actions.
We can’t do a whole lot about the major policy decisions being made. Getting sucked into angry debates that descend immediately into ad hominem attacks is a waste of time and energy. But here’s what we can do:
• We can (and should) voice our opinions of these things in places where it matters. (Hint: Twitter and Facebook aren’t places where it matters.)
• We can make our points with facts and logic, rather than emotion.
You do not have to participate in the current climate of incivility. This is optional, and you can opt out.
No matter where your political beliefs lie on the left-to-right scale, there is something you can do to make life better instead of bitter.
Focus on the things you can control.
We can concentrate on the way we spend our days.
• We can be productive.
• We can be kind.
• We can spend our time with people who are also productive and kind.
If you spend all of your time wallowing in the mire, you’re going to get dirty too. It isn’t your job to tell people who aren’t going to listen that they should be nicer. Trust me; I’ve made plenty of those fruitless efforts myself.
I’m not saying that you need to live in a bubble, oblivious to the world around you. As someone who lives a preparedness lifestyle, it is essential to stay informed of current events.
Your take on things will make someone angry. It’s inevitable these days.
But don’t get sucked into the ugliness.
Walk away when you see incivility because you are not a referee, the official arbiter of right and wrong, or the person responsible for the behavior of others.
You can control what is in your own heart, the actions you take, and the company you keep. You don’t need to get in lockstep with a political party, an angry group, or a movement.
You need to focus on what is right, and you know that being cruel and wishing horrible things on people with whom you disagree isn’t right.
These things are certain.
With the future of our country looking so uncertain, some things are certain.
• You and your family will want to eat wholesome, healthy food.
• You will want fresh, pure water.
• You want to be safe in your own home.
• You want your children to be happy, kind, and secure.
• You want a roof over your head.
• You want your bills to be paid.
• You want to feel happy, healthy, and peaceful.
These are all things that you can control, at least to some degree. These are the reasons we prep and probably why you are here, reading this website.
The place you spend your time, your energy, and your passion is the place where things will grow. Do you want to grow something beautiful or something ugly?
Focus on nurturing that which you want in your life because therein lies peace.
Stop fertilizing the weeds. If other people want to fight it out online, will it really benefit your life to join the verbal battle?
When we add our voices to the hostile din, we just make it louder. Opt out.
Be a peaceful person in a hostile world.
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KIDS PRAY FOR THE FUNDING OF A CONTAINER
One of the things we have been privileged to do, because of the love and concern of so many others, is to ship Christmas Joy Boxes to children and Christmas Joy Bags to the elderly in Romania for Christmas each year.
We try to load this container on the first Saturday in November in order to assure that it will be in Romania in plenty of time for our coworkers to deliver all of these before Christmas.
I tell people that one of the benefits of the Lord allowing us to help others is that it gives the children here at Fairhaven a chance to be on on the “giving end” instead of always on the “receiving end”. Also, it enables them to see the Lord work firsthand.
One year, we were getting ready to ship our “Christmas Container”, of which the shipping cost was $10,368. Now, we have to confirm our shipping date a few weeks ahead in order to be sure that our container has a place on the ship.
It was about the first Monday morning in October and I was having devotion with the kids before they went to school. After devotion, I told them what the cost was going to be for the container and that we only had $3.000. I told them that we needed $7,368 in the next 7 days in order to be able to confirm shipping.
Well, they prayed, off and on, for that container all week. Nothing happened. Then, the following Sunday afternoon, a friend of mine came by for he needed me to help him move some livestock. As we sat and talked, he asked me when we would be loading the Christmas Container, for he always enjoys coming and helping. I told him that I was not sure and explained the situation to him and that the kids and I had been praying about it all week. He asked me how much we needed and I told him. He thought for a moment and said, “I can do that.” And he did.
As soon as he left, I went down to the house where the kids were in the kitchen with Sissie, making sandwiches before church. I walked in and said “Hey kids, guess what the Lord just did?” Allie, who was about 9 at the time, said “He gave us the money for the container?!” I told them that He had.
It is always great when they can see His faithfulness in these things and I pray that it will be something that will stay with them all their lives.