Dear Friends, 

“Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the Lord. “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.” –Isaiah 54:1-3 

My tent has recently been enlarged in a number of ways. Very practically, I have moved into a new house on the West Bank and am living with three other wonderful women, one of whom is my long-time friend, accountability partner, and now my “sidekick” in a new ministry project, Lorie. The other two are rapidly becoming great friends, and I feel very blessed to be surrounded by such lovely, like-minded and “like-hearted” people. We are still looking for a fifth housemate but are excited to be settling in. Our desire is to have a home where people in need are welcomed, where we can be a blessing to the community around us as well as an encouragement to one another.

It is this “new ministry project” that I want to focus on, however, in this month’s letter. For the last few months, something new and exciting has been in the works, and it has only recently become “official” enough that I may announce it publicly. You may have wondered, if you read my newsletter online regularly, why I did not give you a report of my time in New Zealand after I returned. The reason is that the main thing I had to share was not any specific thing that occurred, but rather a vision that was birthed in me that has now begun to take real shape. God has, I believe, led me to “enlarge the place of my tent” in a greater sense by beginning something brand new on the West Bank. And not just another ministry. No… We are going to plant a new church!

It’s true! I have felt for some time that God has had more in mind for our ministry in this part of the city, where I have been getting to know and love people for the past six years. But it was unclear until recently what that might be. Through much prayer and many confirmations, I have become convinced that this is the correct next step, and I am incredibly excited about what God is going to do.

My deep desire is to have a strong, ongoing presence on the West Bank—not just a weekly event, but a community. I want to bring together a body of people who passionately preach the Gospel to the lost while just as passionately discipling those who are already believers. I want to plant ourselves at God’s feet until he gives us a way to communicate the cross effectively to everyone from the punks to the Muslims. I want to serve the poor. I want to take care of people whom no one else cares for. I want people who have no sense of purpose to know that God has reserved a place for them. I want to restore hope to the hopeless and joy to the cynical. I want to send God’s Word into the streets and call in those who have no idea of the beauty of our Lord.

For the last few months, I have been struck by the opening verses of Isaiah 54, above. I have been crying out, “Enlarge my heart, God! Enlarge my heart!” I believe God told me several years ago that I would see many spiritual children born on the West Bank, and now I believe he is asking me to create a space for them—both on the West Bank and in my heart. I know how important it is that I am strong enough to care for others, so I am also pleading with God to “strengthen my stakes” in order to make me the secure shelter people need. As I pray, it becomes ever clearer that I am not sufficient in myself, so I find myself more desperate for Jesus than I have ever been before, which is a beautiful thing.

I do not yet know what this church is going to look like. We are in the very beginning stages of forming a team and praying about how to move forward. We are deciding on church structure and phases leading up to the actual “launch” of the church. There are many things yet to be determined, as we will be the first group to be sent out from our church and there is no official protocol in place. But we know that this is the direction in which God is calling us. We expect to spend the next several months in prayer and preparation, as we seek God on how to let this venture take shape. I want our team to be equipped to disciple, lead, and serve those who become part of our body. I will also study and practice preaching, since I will be doing the majority of the teaching and need to be better prepared. I have been told by multiple people over the years that I would have a preaching ministry; however, I promised God that I would not seek it for myself but would wait until he brought it to me, since I knew there was a great risk of pride in “being up front.” It seems that time has come where he has opened that door, so I am both excited and humbled by God’s grace.

I desperately need your prayers to be equipped to move forward into this amazing opportunity. I am fully aware how far over my head it is, and I am reveling in the knowledge that it is God who will accomplish his purposes, not me. Please do see the important prayer requests below, as this is of course a very important time in our work on the West Bank.

Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong!
Molly S. Waggoner
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Prayer requests:

~Please pray for this church! Like I said, we are just beginning, and everyone involved needs great guidance from God. Please lift these things to the Father:
-For our core team—Lorie, Matthew, Clayton, Jeremy, and me—that we would grow in unity, wisdom and anointing in what God is calling us as individuals and as a team to do.
-That God would help us with the practical planning that needs to be done, yet that we would never forget that the heart of the ministry is more important than the format we use.
-For God to be preparing others to join us in the future as we open up the team to other people’s involvement.
-For a space to meet and the funding needed to use it.
-For the right name for our church and wisdom in crafting a mission statement that captures the heart of this work.
-For revelation of how to communicate the cross to the wide variety of people on the West Bank.
-For God to teach us how to lead well—how to serve, to disciple, to teach, to love…
-For God to refine us and make us vessels of gold that can be used for noble purposes (2 Timothy 2:20-21).
-For God’s provision as I prepare to quit my job in order to focus more time on this venture.

~Please pray for our house—that we would grow as a community and have wisdom in knowing how to be a light in our community and a blessing to those we house. Also please pray for God to quickly provide a fifth and final roommate. 

~We are changing some things at Jesus Kitchen to encourage our team to develop a greater unity and passion for the West Bank. It will include more responsibility for other team members and a lot of focused, intense prayer.  Please pray that this ministry would continue to grow, instead of becoming a stagnant, rote activity we do every week.

Thank you! You are such a blessing in my life!
MSW

Donations may be made by sending a check to Steiger Int’l, PO Box 480, Huntington, MA 01050, with “Molly” in the memo. You may also donate online at www.steiger.org. Click the “Donate Now” button, and write “Molly” in the purpose of donation.