1. August 29, 2008
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We would like to begin this newsletter by thanking all those who are faithful to praying for us daily. While the financial support
we receive is indeed very much needed and appreciated, we have been especially mindful lately of the power of prayer. In fact,
it seems as though the Lord has brought prayer to our attention over and over again these last couple of months. God has
weaved the topic of prayer into sermons, sunday school lessons and personal bible study time. The importance of prayer has
been realized first-hand through our own need to bring our burdens to him, through our desire to intercede for others and
through seeing so many answers to prayers as well. Through the process of trying to keep in communication with God all
throughout each day (something that is not always easy to do), despite distractions of life and busy schedules, we have made a
renewed commitment to God regarding prayer. In our Psalm 23 program development discussions, the Lord has strongly
impressed on our hearts that the most important element of the program must be PRAYER! In the very near future, we are
hoping to present a plan using a combination of technology and traditional communication methods to match up our chronically
and terminally ill contacts with Christians who will commit to praying for them daily. So, if you are not already doing so, please
consider becoming a dedicated daily prayer partner for the ministry and for a Psalm 23 “lamb”. “Lamb” in this case refers to
someone who is ill and is being ministered to through Psalm 23. Please let us know when you have made this commitment so
that we can add you to our prayer partner network.
Since our last newsletter, God has allowed our paths to cross with many very
special people. Among them are Justin Bath and his mother, Melissa (pictured
with Tom at right). Justin is 20 years old and has leukemia. He is currently
undergoing treatment in Winston-Salem at North Carolina Baptist Hospital.
Tom and Pastor Chris Benfield of Pilgrim Baptist Church in Taylorsville had
the opportunity to visit with Justin and his mom at the beginning of August. It
was inspiring to hear this young man talk about his plans to go back to
college. Because of his experience with this life-threatening illness, he
decided to change his major and now aspires to be a doctor. Tom felt so
honored to be used of the Lord, to share his own story with Justin and to be
an encouragement to this family. Tom presented Justin with a New Testament
Bible (including Psalms and Proverbs) that was donated to Psalm 23 Ministry for distribution to those who are ill. Throughout the
entire visit, Justin was either opening it up and reading to himself or was clutching it close to his chest. He kept telling Tom and
Pastor Benfield how much he appreciated them coming to visit. When it came time for him to receive one of his treatments, Tom
told him that he would stay with him through it if he didn’t mind. During the treatment, Justin looked over at Tom with tears in his
eyes and said, “I really appreciate you staying with me.” This is just one of those times when Tom feels like all he went through
himself was worth it. Tom continues to stay in touch with the family by mail, email and telephone. Tom and Terry are planning
on going to Winston-Salem for another visit in September.
You may have heard it said that when you enable a missionary to go somewhere, it is as if you have gone there with them. So,
we would like to say to you, “Thank you for going with us to hospitals and homes of the sick and sharing the love of Christ with
those precious souls.” Many of these people have been told that they don’t have long to live. Some are dear saints. Others are
unsaved. They are very keenly aware of time and how quickly it is going by. And while we all know that our days on this earth
are numbered, as Christians, we know that time is eternal….whether it be in heaven or hell, the choice of where to spend it is up
to each individual to make. It is our prayer that God allows us to bring the message of hope along with our encouragement to
those staring into the time-clock of death….especially to those who are lost, to help them realize that they have a decision they
need to make before it is too late.
In His Service,
Tom & Terry Shuford