Greetings to all our Friends and Family,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! We Thank God continuously for all of you, as you continue to support this ministry with your time, prayers and finances.
In the past two months (October and November), we had a total of 397 drivers come in and signed our guest book. For the month of November we did an actual physical count of all drivers who came into the building, and the total was 308. Many positive comments were made about the place and how they never knew this place existed, but now that they know, they will be stopping in again. Several drivers donated food items (canned goods, a case of butter, 20# of chicken leg portions, cases of Pepsi, etc.) for us to share with the other drivers.
We had a female driver stop in, for her first time, for a weekend. She stayed with us until Monday morning. She attended the Sunday Chapel Service and while she was in there, she penned down her thoughts regarding the service. I have attached her thoughts (poem) to this newsletter. Please take time to open the attachment and read it. I believe it will show you how important this ministry is to the drivers who stop in. It is an “oasis”, a “get away” place for drivers to rest and find peace from their hectic days. Many have shared with us that they are glad we are not like the other truck stops. Our place is clean and quiet and they receive positive uplifting conversation instead of negative conversation. We have had several drivers open up and share with us regarding family situations, and we have agreed with them in prayer over the situations they are facing. It is really heartbreaking to hear what they are going thru, and we are grateful they feel comfortable enough to share their concerns with us. Many drivers have physical struggles as well. In the past few months we found out about drivers who have had heart attacks or strokes and can no longer drive. Please join with us in prayer over these drivers.
If you are dedicated to seeing people reached for Jesus and especially to truck drivers thru this ministry, we are once again offering memberships for an annual fee of $30.00. If this is something you are interested in, you can go onto our website, acti70.org, and click on the membership tab for more information and to pay, or you can fill out the paperwork the next time you stop in. For becoming a member, you will receive an ACT logo truckers’ cap and pen, as well as a certificate and a wallet card. If you have questions regarding membership, you can call me, Dock, at 618-427-3737 or Mark Hewett (Director of Development) at 507-271-6108. We currently have 45 members. I hope to see an additional 10-15 new memberships every month this next year.
Hey drivers, we have a small gift for all of you who stop in (until we run out). A peel-n-stick calendar for 2018 and a new ACT logo pen. There might even be homemade cookies to give you! We just want to say thank you for stopping in. I also want to let you know that we have a good supply of ACT logo T-shirts available for $15, polo shirts for $20. There is a good selection of colors and sizes. We can ship them to you for an additional $5 to cover the cost. We also sell ACT logo caps for $10.
I want to leave you with this thought: Joshua 24:14-15 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river and in Egypt. Serve the Lord. And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” In these verses, Joshua tells us that we need to put aside anything that would take us out of the hand of God. Put Him first above everything. The cry of Joshua’s heart that day was “Choose who you will serve”. I pray you will choose, as Joshua did that day, “as for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord.” Take time to be quiet and listen to His voice every day. My prayer for you is that you will make a fresh commitment to follow Jesus in 2018.
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. Isaiah 9: 6-7.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support of this ministry. Please pray daily for the truck drivers on our nation’s highways. Until next time, may God bless and keep you!
Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Stay Safe!
In HIS service,
Chaplain Dock Hinman