” (I) do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him” Ephesians 1:16-17
Dear Friends,
As I have reflected on my ten year anniversary at LifeQuest this April 1 I’ve been overwhelmed by the grace of God. It’s been a wonderful ten years and an incredibly difficult ten years.
First and foremost please let me say a huge “THANK YOU” to each of you. LifeQuest exists only because of your prayers and your gifts. That’s simply a fact. Your prayers and your financial support of this organization is the gasoline that powers the engine that is LifeQuest. Without you there is no 4:13 Journey, no 4:14-The Continuing Journey, no parents group. There are no Bible studies or Character Development groups, no GED tutoring, and no Ready4Life seminars in the juvenile institutions. And there would be none of the hundreds of mentoring relationships that have happened and are still happening over the last ten years. You need to understand that every youth we speak with it’s as if spiritually you are standing right beside us. I believe that with all my heart.
Over the last ten years we have seen our budget increase from $80,000 a year to almost half a million dollars. That’s not because we have hired numerous staff people. Do you know that we do all that we do with two full-time, two part-time, and one contracted staff member? Our budget has increased dramatically because we are running so many different ministry programs both within the juvenile facilities and within the community. And we can do that because LifeQuest has, by far, the greatest group of volunteers, prayer partners, and donors on the planet!
It’s been a hard ten years though. I’ve seen FAR too many youth die over the last ten years to drugs and violence. I’ve undergone spiritual attack in ways I would never have dreamed of in my 25 plus years of doing this. New Mexico is HARD! I’m sure you’re more than aware of that but it just emphasizes how much more we need to do, how many more youth need to be reached.
LifeQuest, by God’s grace, continues to grow. In the Fall of this year we will have THREE 4:13 Journey groups running simultaneously. That means three new parenting groups and launching a second 4:14-The Continuing Journey group. More kids, more parents, and more relationships being built. So please pray, pray, pray that more volunteers might rise up and more funding comes.
Again, let me say “thank you” for the privilege of serving in this position for the last ten years. I still find it hard to believe some days that God allows a “wretch like me” to do this. What a blessing it has been serving you, my staff, my volunteers, and most importantly the youth of New Mexico. Thank you Jesus.
Serving Together,
John D. Jones
President/CEO
LifeQuest
505-341-9383 (O)
505-410-8988 (C)