Dear Friends & Intercessors,

Yesterday, Nita Johnson spoke at Bethel Chapel, from what I was told by attendees, it was life-hanging. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, it was not broadcast through our YouTube channel. We will upload the file to the Prophetic and Intercessor’s Ground page on our website in the next day or two. We are having Revival Services every Sunday at 6PM PT. We are entering His courts with praise, He is transforming people through the message of His Word, and He is healing people both physically and emotionally.

What an exciting time to be alive! When the world seems to be crumbling around us, God decides to send in His mighty breath to refresh, heal, and restore His people! He is so faithful!

If you are in the area, I encourage you to attend our Revival Meetings at Bethel Chapel in Mountlake Terrace. God is moving in our midst, let us run to the place of His visitation and be emersed in Him!

Today is CedarWood’s 10th Anniversary! To celebrate, Adam Shephard, our CW Director wrote a letter which I am privileged to share with you!

Blessings & love,

Ricci Johnson-Wilson

Hi! This is Adam Shephard and I have had the privilege and honor of being CedarWood’s Director for the past 5 years. I wanted to celebrate CedarWood’s 10th Anniversary by sharing my CedarWood journey. In many ways I feel like CedarWood is one of my children (I have 6 actual children of my own). I have been part of the leadership of CedarWood since it was first born—being part of the original team under Nita Johnson, that set its foundation, raised its organizational frame, and helped shape its identity, mission statement, and core values. I have watched CW grow, develop, expand, and restructure. We added infrastructure, added staff members, and developed leaders—both staff members and our wonderful volunteers.

The early days were a bit wild! None of us had ever done this before. We didn’t know how to run a foodbank! We researched and read and looked for online resources. And most of all we prayed and asked God for wisdom and direction. We just walked into stores and started talking to their owners or managers, sharing our vision with anyone who would listen! We started connecting with other foodbanks and went to see how they operated and were run—looking for tips and tricks of the trade. We found that the foodbanks whose leaders had open hearts also opened their doors to us, and that the opposite was also true. Many viewed us as immature, naïve, or simply as competition for the limited resources that were out there in the community. We were told that we couldn’t do it, that we shouldn’t do it, that we wouldn’t last, or wouldn’t make a difference if we tried. One group straight up told us to give them all our resources and our list of volunteers and that we weren’t needed anymore!

BUT WE KNEW WE HAD A COMMISSION FROM GOD AND WE PERSEVERED! We felt his intimate presence and experienced His favor. Doors opened for us and the resources came, hearts opened to us and helpers came to labor side by side! Our food pantry was different than others because we were heavily invested in the lives of our clients and our volunteers. Friendships and relationships were forged that still last today! We heard over and over again from our clients that we “weren’t like the other places” because we seemed to care about them personally and that we were “nice” and we were “friendly”. The love of God was evident to those who came. And we grew! We started with 3 paid staff members and grew to 8! We started with half a closet to save dry goods during the week and use of the gym. We now have the whole original closet, 5 dedicated rooms, the entire gymnasium, 2 storage units, 3 dedicated vehicles, a commercialized kitchen for homeless meal preparations as well as dedicated storage and sorting space for clothing and supplies to serve them!

We adapted our processes and changed our programs as many times as required to keep up with the growth of the Pantry, but we never took our eyes off of Jesus or lost sight of our identity as a ministry to the WHOLE person—body, mind, and spirit. The Lord spoke to me in the early days, before I was the director, and said, “I want room to put my own table in the food pantry!” I knew immediately He meant that CedarWood was to always make room for the work of God in peoples’ lives—where salvation and healing, deliverance and blessing, hope and support would always be available and offered to those who come to here. We can put food on as many tables as we’d like, but without the Lord’s table we are only offering calories and temporary support. Our identity and purpose at CedarWood will always be found at the Lord’s table where we can serve that which will make an eternal difference—Christ Himself. John 6:35, 40 says, “And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst…And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.’” I like to express our dual approach as sharing the practical love of Jesus (food, clothing, etc.) and the personal love of Jesus (salvation, healing, deliverance, etc.). Both of which are seen over and over again in the Bible, especially in the ministry of Jesus Himself.

We are 10 years into our journey and have helped thousands of individuals with clothing needs and provided hundreds of thousands of meals through our Pantry, our BackPack Kids outreach, and our Homeless Outreach. And we have only just begun! Your support and prayers and the grace of God have seen us this far and we wouldn’t want to do this without your partnership. We thank all of those who have blessed us through the years and those currently partnering with their time, prayers, and financial support. May the Lord richly bless you!

Adam Shephard

Director, CedarWood International