Saints,

Please pray for Kanani, a woman I met on the telephone who attends a Mormon church but considers herself a Gnostic. Yup, Gnosticism, as in the 1st-Century heresy that many of the Apostles themselves dealt with in the New Testament. Apparently it still has adherents.

So here’s how this came about – only God can do this… I was at Sam’s Club buying 10 cases of hand warmers. Betty, the cashier, asked me why I was buying so many hand warmers. I told her it was for my church. We were going to be giving them out in town as gifts to everyone, and before I could speak more she asked me what church. So I told her and invited her to come. I gave her the website and when we meet, etc., and she asked me if we ever have meals or food events. She said her daughter, Kanani, just ran out of food stamps and she’s raising three small children alone, and she needs food. So I told her that a local supermarket generously gives us food and every single week we have free food available to help people stretch their grocery budgets further, and we’d love to give food to Kanani.

Betty was all excited. So I asked for her daughter’s contact info, and her Mom gave it to me. Wow! I gave her a gospel tract and my thanks.

So I called Kanani today and learned that one of her boys has Asperger’s syndrome, another boy has non-verbal Autism, and she has a baby daughter as well. She is in the midst of a divorce. Very sad situation! Of course not knowing Christ as Savior is infinitely worse. So I’d love to give her food, but also share the saving gospel of Jesus Christ!

I told her I could offer her food and she was SOOOO excited! She said it was an answer to prayer. I used her mention of prayer to segue into spiritual things. I asked if she wouldn’t mind if I asked her religious background and she said her Mom is a Mormon and she grew up in the Mormon church. But she considers herself a Gnostic, trying to harness the hidden knowledge within all beings and found in part in all religions.

What a mess of a belief system. But despite attending the Mormon church from time to time, she isn’t shown the love of Christ there. She told me she doesn’t have anybody who can even watch her kids with special needs. How sad.I told her we have people at our church with special needs and we’d love to get to know her, and she said she’d like that.

So please pray for Kanani. She says she’s not ready to come attend church because she doesn’t want to confuse her kids taking them to the Mormon Church and a non-Mormon Church. I told her we help people and show the love of Christ without condition, and if she doesn’t attend our church, we’ll still give her food anyway. She was so excited! My wife and I plan to stop by her place to deliver her some food tomorrow after church, and despite her talk of Gnosticism and Mormonism, I believe the love of Christ and the truth of the gospel conquers any false religions of the evil one. I’m praying that we’ll be able to form a relationship and be able to meet her Spiritual needs as well as physical.

Also please pray for her mom, Betty. I’m very surprised that a Mormon would give her own daughter’s contact info to a member of another church. Perhaps Betty isn’t all that devout?

And if you wouldn’t mind, please pray for my church’s outreach that happened today. Many people were given the hand warmers and a gospel tract specifically written with the theme of a cold winter and finding the warmth of God by repenting of sin, and putting your faith in the Light of the world, Jesus Christ. Many received the gifts and tracts with gratefulness!

Thanks and God bless!

in Christ and for His glory,

Mark