Tom & Laura: January 2017

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

The Clifton Family

Serving with FamilyLife, a ministry of Cru

“If we reach the family, we reach the world.” Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Cru

What is FamilyLife?

FamilyLife is a ministry of Cru that has been impacting families across the globe for 40 years. We do this through weekend events, resources, radio and the website. The needs of the family are an open door to the gospel. Last year in the Pacific Northwest alone there were over 1,000 couples that attended a Weekend to Remember event and 70 made a decision for Christ and about 470 recommitted their lives and marriages to Christ! The impact worldwide is even greater!

Couples attending the Weekend to Remember

Our Story

We met in college and moved to Wenatchee to begin our teaching careers. God used the challenges and devastation we saw happening in the lives of the children in our classrooms to put a burden on our hearts for marriages and families. In 1995 we attended a FamilyLife Weekend to Remember (marriage conference) where we heard on Friday night how a marriage falls apart, the steps to isolation. On Saturday we heard about the steps to Oneness and God’s blueprints and plans for marriage. The gospel message was shared and we began to wonder if this was a ministry to join. On Sunday we went to find out what it would mean to join staff with FamilyLife. When Laura heard, “raise your own support and move to Little Rock” she immediately tuned out. The seeds God had already planted however were sprouting in Tom’s heart. God was calling us to join staff as missionaries. We raised our support and moved to Little Rock in 1999.

The Story of the Family

Just like our family has a story, the family itself has a story. God created marriage and family. We were created to mirror His image, to have oneness, and to leave a godly legacy. But unfortunately what God had created for blessing, the devil tried to destroy in the garden. Through the temptation of Adam and Eve, sin entered the world and marriage and family, rather than being a blessing and a joy became a struggle.

Struggles

Families today face many difficulties:

Stress
Isolation
Financial Pressures
Busyness
Threat of Divorce
_______________ (I'm sure you can fill in the blank with other struggles too!)

Hope and Redemption

“But God…” In the midst of the difficulties God is there and He has a plan…it’s for redemption. In the times of greatest need people are open to the hope of the gospel…and God is using it to bring people to Him.

Changed Lives Stories

Here is just one example of a changed life story..."For every reason on God's earth we should not have come to this conference. We are divorced, our children have been shattered and our home destroyed. Satan had complete and total victory in our family. His destruction was thorough...or so he though. This conference has restored our relationship, our faith in God, and in His power to heal. We have given back to each other our heart, we have forgiven each other, we have set aside all the pain and the tumultuous history between us and we are moving ahead. We look forward to the joy of our family together, our hearts joined and to being married again. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!"

Impact

I love seeing the impact of 40 years of ministry for FamilyLife. Over 3 million people have attended the Weekend to Remember events and 100,000 people have indicated first time decisions for Christ. (And these are only the ones we know about from people filling out and turning in evaluations at the events...imagine how many more people have been reached through the internet, the radio and resources and small group events.)

Global Outreach

FamilyLife began in the United States as a way to help Cru staff marriages...and now it has a global impact. FamilyLife has a presence in over 100 different countries and resources have been translated into more than 40 languages, including Arabic and Chinese!

Partnership

As full time missionaries with Cru/FamilyLife we are responsible for raising 100% of our ongoing monthly support. After 20 years on staff we are in a season of change…we’ve had to step out of full-time ministry until June to focus in on full-time support raising. We have until June to raise $2000 in monthly support. We’d love your prayers during this time, and if you are interested in finding out how to partner with us, we would love to share with you! https://give.cru.org/0467491

Thank you so much & many blessings!

Tom & Laura
Missionaries with Cru/FamilyLife

Monday, January 23, 2017

Attend a Spring Event for Half Price

Today is the last day to "Buy One Get One Free"! If you register for a FamilyLife Event today using the code "Saddlerock" you will save 50% off the registration price.

Find a Weekend to Remember Event near you

Blessings,

Tom & Laura

https://give.cru.org/0467491

A Letter from Tom's Manager

A friend suggested we have Tom's manager share a little bit about Tom's role and the impact of ministry. This was the letter we received to share with you:

Hi, my name is Jim Holmquist and I am the Western Region Manager. I have the privilege of being Tom Clifton's manager. As a Field Ministry Representative, Tom's job is to discover, train, equip and encourage local volunteers in Alaska, Eastern Washington and Idaho. Tom is a valuable asset to my team and serves the Lord in this capacity with excellence!

This past year three of his volunteer teams were near the Top 20 teams in the country.

In Tom and Laura's over 20 years of ministry at FamilyLife, they have impacted countless couples with God's blueprint for marriage. In just last year they played a major part in seeing 1,138 couples (that's 2,276 people) attend a Getaway to invest in their marriage. At those Getaways, 70 made a decision for Christ for the first time and 469 people recommitted their lives and marriages to Christ.

Those are great numbers, but it is important to remember that those numbers reflect lives and legacies that will be impacted for generations to come.

These are just a few of the many reasons that Tom is needed back in full time ministry. As soon as he and Laura have their full ministry team in place he can return to active duty. I challenge you to join their team and to be a part of the impact they well have in the coming years.

Jim Holmquist
Western Regional Manager

Thank you for your continued prayer as we move forward with building our team and returning to full time ministry! We have about 20% of the support we need so far! Thanks for being a part of making an impact in families for Christ.

Tom & Laura
https://give.cru.org/0467491

Friday, January 6, 2017

Thank You

Wow! All I can say is "Thank you!" God has used you in an amazing way to bless us and get us ready for January with our focus on raising support in an amazing way. Thank you for your prayers, for reading our posts, and for contributing to our ministry with FamilyLife. You are a blessing!

We move forward with eager anticipation at the work God is going to do through this support raising process. We have until June to raise $2,000 in monthly support to stay in full time ministry. Would you pray that God would help us reach that goal quickly? Thank you for your love, prayers, and support!

Blessings,

Tom & Laura

Missionaries with Cru/FamilyLife
https://give.cru.org/0467491

Our Heart for Marriages and Families...

Early in our marriage God put a burden on our hearts for marriages and families.
We were elementary teachers and we saw first hand the effect of divorce on the children in our classrooms. Our hearts were broken.
We also had several close friends that were getting divorced and we wanted to help but we felt powerless.
In 1995 we attended our first FamilyLife Weekend to Remember Conference. As we sat there and listened to God's purpose and plan for marriage we thought, "This is it!"
On Sunday afternoon we had the chance to find out what it meant to join staff with FamilyLife. When Laura heard, "Raise your own support and move..." she immediately thought, "no way." Tom however knew this was God's call. Laura listed all the reasons why there was no way we could do this. God used her Bible study the next two weeks to show her this was His plan and He was calling...so we went.
It has been an incredible adventure to see lives transformed and marriages saved when people hear and apply the truth. You can see many quotes from the conferences we serve in our blog list.
As missionaries with FamilyLife, we are responsible to raise and maintain 100% of our support. If you would like to join us to make a difference in lives and families for eternity click on the link below. Thank you!

How So Many Families Today are Like a Sand Castle...

Have you ever built a sand castle on the beach?

The beach is one of our favorite places to go as a family. So for our daughter's fourth birthday, it was only natural to have a beach party theme.

Laura decided the perfect cake for the party was a sand castle cake. She found a similar cake in a cookbook and decided it would be easy. All was well until it was time to put the cake together. The cake acted just like a sand castle - it fell apart during the building process. Laura finally got the cake to hold together by using toothpicks and freezing it until the party. The cake lasted throughout the party and no one knew that it was literally crumbling from the inside out.

Unfortunatley, so many homes today are in the same condition as the sand castle birthday cake in this story. They are crumbling from the inside out. Families today need the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word! It is only by His strength and power that families can be changed, challenged and strengthened.

Here is an example of a marriage that was crumbling until it was transformed by the power of God...

"This conference has helped to open my eyes in many areas. I not only realized how much I was doing wrong, but I also realized how blind I've been. I opened my eyes and prayed for the first time. I accepted the Lord into my heart and into my life. We went from talking about divorce
already to actually sitting and talking for hours on end!! I strongly believe that we are going to thrive!"

This marriage had already ended in divorce. The couple came anyway and God worked a miracle...

"For every reason on God's earth we should not have come to this conference. We are divorced, our children have been shattered and our home
destroyed. Satan had complete and total victory in our family. His destruction was thourough...or so he though. This conference has restored
our relationship, our faith in God, and in His power to heal. We have given back to each other our heart, we have forgiven each other, we have set aside all the pain and the tumultuous history between us and we are moving ahead. We look forward to the joy of our family together, our hearts joined and to being married again. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!"