God Bless
Don
Showing posts with label WOEI Updates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WOEI Updates. Show all posts
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Article in the Local Paper
Below is a link to the article that ran in our local newspaper on 9/11/08
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Finally moved in
The move is complete. We now can call the new building home.All three ministries are now under one roof. WOW. That’s really the best way to describe the feeling we all have as we walk through and feel the presence of God among each office and up and down the halls.
What a testimony of his provision. When I think about it in the natural my mind goes tilt. We have learned that the best place is to keep our head stuck into the realm of FAITH. In this realm “All things are possible.” We don’t have fear, doubt, anxiety, and stress in this realm. We understand that we are simply servants of the most-high God. Where he calls us to go
he provides. It is his work, his kingdom we work in and for. It is really no different than if we lived in an earthly kingdom with a real King and Queen. Every job in the kingdom is done to advance that kingdom. It is the Kings responsibility to provide for his people. It’s no difference with God. He is in control. He does not want us worrying about life. He wants us to give it to him so he can help us live it and live our life to the fullness.Here are more pictures of the interior. It is a miracle we are here. God has many more things in store. We are just getting started.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Continuing the move process...
OK, so it is taking us longer to move than we thought. What a trial this has been. Have you ever noticed that everything cost money? Even with the great favor we have been shown, the volunteer help, and donations, we are living out of the hand of God.Which is really where we want to be, in fact we wouldn't have it any other way. I was reading in “My Utmost for his Highest” today and it spoke of “The compelling purpose of God.” Jesus had a purpose from God and pressed in and achieved that purpose. We on the other hand think we know what God wants for us and we press in to that av
ail. Only to find that this Christian life is really a series of test and trials, victories and defeats that ultimately bring us to the real goal of God for our lives. I say “COOL” bring it on. I have found that living day-to-day trusting God each step is way better than trying to see the end that may never come.Only when we make God our true source, do we really find the meaning of life. Happiness eludes the one who continually tries to work out the plan of God for their life. But great joy lies in the one who finds him or h
er self content on looking to God daily for Manna. Most would say that is too hard. I say worrying about tomorrow is harder than resting in the fact that God has it under control.Well enough of the preaching. These pictures are as of 8/4/08. We are moving the last of the Second Chance offices into the building. Today we move the training classes for Second Chance to the new building. We are still limping with the phone service; our T1 line should be hooked up within the next week or so.
Bill and Sherry Gibson will start with us today. They have been long term friends of Mariaelena and I and have years of experience working in outreach, and ministry. They are both ordained ministers and have a great heart to reach-out to the needy, do missions, and preach. The icing on the cake is they are great administrators. Bill is one of the hardest working men I have known. I had the privilege to work with him in California for many years before we moved to Lakeland.One of our first goals (there are many but remember not our will but HIS) is to expand the ministry of The Outreach Center of Central Florida and enhance the work of Wings of Eagles International by bringing in higher quality commodities to supply to the needy both here and abroad.
We have assembled a container load of items that will be shipped to India to North Indian Community Outreach NICO for short. www.nicoindia.org The items will be used to help furnish their new facility. Their ministry reaches the northern area of India where it is illegal to convert people from Hinduism. We are proud to support their work not only with this container but financially and with Pastor and Leadership seminars and marriage and women’s conferences. Mariaelena and I will travel there this November from the 2nd to the 16th.
We will also be in Turkey from September 14th to the 30th preaching, and holding leadership meetings. Mariaelena will hold a women’s conference in Spanish for a Spanish-speaking group that lives there.
Keep us in your prayers as we do all our partners. And remember keep the cards and letters coming…
Serving others
Don and Mariaelena Steiner
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Building Update
We are almost ready for the big move. As always it has taken us longer than we expected to get the building ready. On Monday we will be laying the carpet and the rest of the week finishing up the tile in the restrooms and kitchen. It has been a long process. It still amazes us to see how much God cares about the details that matter to you. We wanted the building right before we moved in. We have a friend in the floor covering business, Karen at warehouse flooring in Auburndale, FL who sold us everything at her cost then discounted that. We found installers who are working for about half the going rate just to help us out. It has been a real walk of faith.
But this is just the beginning. We are believing God to help us set up the studio with the latest video, radio and internet equipment. We are now adventuring into our own uncharted territory. If you know of someone who can help us in this quest please contact us through the website or simply call us.
Back to the move. It seems we have one more week of preparation before we can officially move. So the new move date will be July 14th. Anyone who has a strong back and willing heart we can use you.
call us
Friday, June 27, 2008
New Building Purchase
We finally closed. The property is ours. (we just need to pay for it) April 30th, 2008 was the big day. What a day it was. One-year prior, we entered into a contract to purchase an 18,000 sq ft facility complete with 28 offices, a recording studio, and 10,000 sq ft of air-conditioned warehouse. The building is on 23 acres of raw land less than ½ mile off the I-4 corridor in Lakeland.
The contract was for six months. We put $30,000.00 down and were to raise a total of $500,000.00 as a down payment on a total cost of 2.5 million dollars. At the end of the six months we had the option to extend the contract for six months, one month at a time for an additional $10,000.00 per month. At the end of the year we had $100,000.00 in escrow which would be lost if we did not close on April 30th.
Throughout the year we fasted, prayed, called everyone we knew, (and some we didn’t) and began to raise the $500,000.00. It was not easy. I was told I should quit, that it is over my head (which I knew) even the local paper (Lakeland Ledger) said “bold yes, feasible???” Understandably, there were skeptics on every side. Now I am not saying I am some big man of faith. For the most part, everyone had every right to tell me these things. From the worlds’ point of view, they were right.
But we don’t live by the worlds’ point of view. We see things that are not, as though they were…(Heb 11). God had given me a word to move forward. I put out the call for help and many stood with us.
We by the last day of the contract we still needed $80,000.00. We had been notified that the seller’s attorney’s office would close at 5:00 pm and the deal would be off. I would lose $100,000.00 in escrow, and one year worth of work. WE PRAYED. At 2:30 pm I received a call from a custom new homebuilder, whom I had only met a few months earlier. He had already sown $10,000.00 towards the purchase but was returning my call from a few days prior. He asked me what he could do to help. I told him I needed $80,000.00. He said he would get back to me in a few days. Then I informed him I didn’t have a few days, I only had a few hours. By 5:00 pm I had a check for $80,000.00 in my hand and was sitting at the closing office ready to purchase the new building. GLORY TO GOD.
Because the odds of closing were against me, I had agreed with the sellers they could use the first month after closing to move out. (In case I did not close they would not have moved) So May was a waiting period.
The Month of June has been a month of renovations. We have moved a few walls, painted everything, and are now in the process as of 6/27/08 of laying tile in the halls. The offices will get new carpet. We plan to move in the week of July 7th.
We have a new direction from God for our ministry. We will utilize this property to the fullest. More on that latter.
I had put together a 5-year business plan so I could get a vision as to how we would work out the details after closing to pay the remaining balance. The owners are carrying the remaining $2,000,000.00 at a low interest rate. I have two interest only payments twice per year. The first is in November 08, of $61,000.00. The loan will balloon in 5 years.
My business plan for the first year was to change the zoning of the property from RVL (residential very low) to BP (business park). The building was built in 1992 and at that time was in the county. It was annexed into the city of Lakeland two years ago. The property all around it is being converted to commercial. I knew I needed to do the same thing to make the 23 acres more valuable.
The day I came home from our medical trip to Ucila Mexico (see photo gallery) I had a notice on my desk of a hearing on the property next to me to rezone it to the same zoning I desired. (it was raw land with no developments) I felt it would be good to go there and see how the city was going to handle my neighbor’s request. I was shocked when I saw on the agenda for the day the listing of OUR PROPERTY to be rezoned from RVL TO BP.
It seems that after the city annexed the property they determined it was not zoned properly. So in the best interest of the city they applied to themselves (they have to abide by the same process as everyone else) to change the zoning of my property. They did not have to notify anyone because it already had a commercial building on the property.
WOW. I spoke up and told them I was the new owner. They thought I was there to fight. It was a great day when we came into agreement to change the zoning.
God had this in the works for over 6 months before I purchased the property. It cost thousands of dollars and much time and effort to change zoning and God did it for me the first month we owned the property. GLORY TO GOD.
I will continue to post new events as they unfold concerning the new property and the coming changes in our ministry. Check out the photo gallery to see our progress. Send us your email address and we will notify you when we post updated news.
God Bless you and thank you for your help. If you would like to give towards this our any project we are doing you can click on donate and give online. Just include an email to let us know how to apply your donation.
The contract was for six months. We put $30,000.00 down and were to raise a total of $500,000.00 as a down payment on a total cost of 2.5 million dollars. At the end of the six months we had the option to extend the contract for six months, one month at a time for an additional $10,000.00 per month. At the end of the year we had $100,000.00 in escrow which would be lost if we did not close on April 30th.
Throughout the year we fasted, prayed, called everyone we knew, (and some we didn’t) and began to raise the $500,000.00. It was not easy. I was told I should quit, that it is over my head (which I knew) even the local paper (Lakeland Ledger) said “bold yes, feasible???” Understandably, there were skeptics on every side. Now I am not saying I am some big man of faith. For the most part, everyone had every right to tell me these things. From the worlds’ point of view, they were right.
But we don’t live by the worlds’ point of view. We see things that are not, as though they were…(Heb 11). God had given me a word to move forward. I put out the call for help and many stood with us.
We by the last day of the contract we still needed $80,000.00. We had been notified that the seller’s attorney’s office would close at 5:00 pm and the deal would be off. I would lose $100,000.00 in escrow, and one year worth of work. WE PRAYED. At 2:30 pm I received a call from a custom new homebuilder, whom I had only met a few months earlier. He had already sown $10,000.00 towards the purchase but was returning my call from a few days prior. He asked me what he could do to help. I told him I needed $80,000.00. He said he would get back to me in a few days. Then I informed him I didn’t have a few days, I only had a few hours. By 5:00 pm I had a check for $80,000.00 in my hand and was sitting at the closing office ready to purchase the new building. GLORY TO GOD.
Because the odds of closing were against me, I had agreed with the sellers they could use the first month after closing to move out. (In case I did not close they would not have moved) So May was a waiting period.
The Month of June has been a month of renovations. We have moved a few walls, painted everything, and are now in the process as of 6/27/08 of laying tile in the halls. The offices will get new carpet. We plan to move in the week of July 7th.
We have a new direction from God for our ministry. We will utilize this property to the fullest. More on that latter.
I had put together a 5-year business plan so I could get a vision as to how we would work out the details after closing to pay the remaining balance. The owners are carrying the remaining $2,000,000.00 at a low interest rate. I have two interest only payments twice per year. The first is in November 08, of $61,000.00. The loan will balloon in 5 years.
My business plan for the first year was to change the zoning of the property from RVL (residential very low) to BP (business park). The building was built in 1992 and at that time was in the county. It was annexed into the city of Lakeland two years ago. The property all around it is being converted to commercial. I knew I needed to do the same thing to make the 23 acres more valuable.
The day I came home from our medical trip to Ucila Mexico (see photo gallery) I had a notice on my desk of a hearing on the property next to me to rezone it to the same zoning I desired. (it was raw land with no developments) I felt it would be good to go there and see how the city was going to handle my neighbor’s request. I was shocked when I saw on the agenda for the day the listing of OUR PROPERTY to be rezoned from RVL TO BP.
It seems that after the city annexed the property they determined it was not zoned properly. So in the best interest of the city they applied to themselves (they have to abide by the same process as everyone else) to change the zoning of my property. They did not have to notify anyone because it already had a commercial building on the property.
WOW. I spoke up and told them I was the new owner. They thought I was there to fight. It was a great day when we came into agreement to change the zoning.
God had this in the works for over 6 months before I purchased the property. It cost thousands of dollars and much time and effort to change zoning and God did it for me the first month we owned the property. GLORY TO GOD.
I will continue to post new events as they unfold concerning the new property and the coming changes in our ministry. Check out the photo gallery to see our progress. Send us your email address and we will notify you when we post updated news.
God Bless you and thank you for your help. If you would like to give towards this our any project we are doing you can click on donate and give online. Just include an email to let us know how to apply your donation.
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