T-Shirt Drive

Hey Everyone!

We have officially set the dates for the Open Arms T-Shirt Drive! We will begin collections on September 4th and continue through September 10th. We will be coming around to specific neighborhoods so if you have a neighborhood that you would like for us to collect at please e-mail us at: fiftyplusonenow@gmail.com . In previous blog posts we listed the colors we need, but here they are again: Burnt Orange, Red, Brown, Navy, Black, Grey, and Maroon. We are welcoming every color t-shirt, but these are the colors Open Arms told us they were in need of at the moment. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you so much for supporting our organization and Open Arms in this wonderful opportunity to provide refugees with an income for their families while they are here in America.

God Bless,

50plus(ONE)
“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:12

T-Shirt Drive Pre-Post

Hi 50plus(ONE) followers!

We are so grateful for the support of everyone and we want to step it up another notch! We have been in communication with Open Arms and we have decided to host a t-shirt drive. This is a heads up. We haven't finalized all the details but make sure to set a side all the t-shirts you no longer need from the summer months. Here are a few colors that Open Arms is in need of: Burnt Orange, Red, Brown, Navy, Black, Grey, and Maroon. Thanks so much! Keep looking back for more information about this unique opportunity to help our sisters in Christ!

Inspiring Verse

Today I was listening to one of my pastor's at my church and she had such an inspiring and uplifting verse that she talked about. The verse was Hebrews 13:5b "..I will never leave you, nor forsake you." This reminded me that God will always be with us no matter what we are going through. He knows the trials and tribulations we go through because Jesus went through even worse when he was on the cross. Our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted all over the world need the reminder that God will never leave them and will be with them forever. Not only do they need the reminder but so does the rest of the world when we are going through hardships.

50plus(ONE) challenges everyone who reads this to pray for the persecuted people in other nations that they will feel God around them every moment of their lives and for them not to give up on what He wants them to be doing, which is spreading and sharing His great Love and Word.

4th of July

As we celebrated the birth of our Nation (the United States of America) this past weekend, I was in constant awe of how amazing and blessed we are as a country. We sometimes forget how lucky we are to be able to pray, worship, and go to church whenever we want to. We can say the name of the Lord without being afraid of going to jail. People in other nations don't get the same opportunities we have here.

Next time you pray, say God's name, worship, or go to church remember to pray for the people in persecuted nations around the world. Not only do they need our help but they also need our prayers and thoughts.

“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.” Matthew 5:10 (MSG)

Persecution In Our Communities: Update #1

Persecution. When people hear this word the only thing they think of is international persecution. In places and coutnries such as, China, Egypt, Middle East, that literally throw people in prison for believing in Christ. The truth is that persecution not only occurs in countries arund the world but also in our own communities. It never occurs to most people that they are persecuted, but in a sermon I heard from my pastor this past week, I relized it happens. When people put you down or think less of you because you believe in God, God tells us that it is not our fight to fight, but His. He will win the fight for us if we let him fight for us.

Psalm 9:13 "O LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death."

Next time you hear, see, or are involved with persecution in your community and life, remember that God is with you and that He will fight your battles only if you ask Him to. Have a blessed week, and check back next week for another Persecuted Profile or Update

Persecuted Profile #2

This information is from Opendoorsusa.org and can be found in that website.

Elizabeth is a mother of 12 children at the age of 22 and was trained in Open Doors Training for pastor's wives. She and her husband pastor a church that is meeting under a tree during this point in time because of how terrible the persecution is in their country. She has asked for prayer for her church and for the homesickness that comes with training in America. Here is a picture of Elizabeth courtesy of opendoorsusa.org:






Please pray for Elizabeth when you take time out of your day to pray. Thank you and God bless.

Verses to inspire those who are persecuted

Whether you live in the United States or in North Korea, you are persecuted in some way for being a Christian. Praying and reading scripture is one way for us to help people in countries that can't read the Bible or pray out loud. For us in America we have the right of free religion and with that can pray for others in different areas around the world.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:10-12

Here is a list of the top persecuted countries, ways you can pray for the people, and what their statistics and information are for a specific country. It is one of Open Doors lists and it can be found at the website listed below:

http://www.opendoorsusa.org/persecution/world-watch-list