Greetings,

The snow has melted. Providence Downtown Church has begun its third year of ministry. The Idaho Falls Rescue Mission has seen a lot of new faces.  And yet in the middle of this month, to the surprise of us all, the governor of Idaho ordered all residents to stay at home to prevent any Covid-19 spread. I am thankful that the Shepherd of the Falls family in American Falls is tucked in a safe rural place where the sun shines in every window.  I am thankful for God’s mercies. And I am thankful for your ongoing prayers, support, and encouragement.

Here are some of the highlights from March:

• March 1: Providence Downtown Church started meeting on Sundays at the New Destiny Ministries Hub downtown.
• March 4: EIPC Luncheon at the downtown IFRM Men’s Shelter (16 pastors).
• March 5: Gathered with pastors for prayer at Grace Lutheran Church in Pocatello (8 pastors).
• March 6: World Day of Prayer at First Baptist Church in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Tour of the Good Samaritan Mission;
• March 10: Pastors Prayer meeting at Berean Baptist Church in Idaho Falls.
• March 11: Marks the second-year anniversary of Providence Downtown Church.
• March 12: IFRM Staff Breakfast with Pastor Jack Harwell (14 people) – An introductory briefing about Covid-19.
• March 13: Upper Valley Pastors Appreciation Banquet hosted by EIPC at Eagle Rock Baptist Church.
• March 15: Providence baptismal service – in a small gathering, two were baptized downtown in the Snake River.
• March 20-21: The IFRM “A Walk in the Cold” event was canceled. I did a solo walk of 7 miles on Friday and then a solo walk of 17.1 miles around the perimeter of the city on Saturday. A big thanks to those who contributed $1250 in my fundraiser for the Rescue Mission.
• March 22: Met in small groups at Shepherd of the Falls and Providence.
• March 25: Our Idaho governor ordered shelter-in-place throughout the state.

Would you like to contribute financially on a monthly basis to my missionary work?  Here are a couple of ways: (1) Send the contribution to Emmaus Road Church and specifically mark it as “missionary fund for Todd Wood”, or (2) You are welcome to give directly to me.  Thank you so much!

On the home front:

Honestly, it has been chaos. Idaho State University closed its classrooms, sending my oldest boy home.  Bob Jones University shut its doors, sending home, my oldest girl, a senior nursing major.  The University of Idaho terminated in-class activity, bringing my youngest daughter home.  And Skyline High School ended all group study, and so my high school senior is stuck home, too.  This has not been the way that we intended to celebrate with our kids in the Class of 2020.  It is time to be creative. Hannah applied for a nursing job at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, but a notice came to her this past week that hiring new graduates has been put on hold. So much is in limbo.  We look to the heavens and wait upon God.  This season is teaching us all much about trust.

Prayer requests: 

1. Pray that I might be sensitive in how to share the gospel and spread Christ’s love in this season of Covid-19. What can I pray for you?
2. Please continue to pray for the brothers and sisters of Shepherd of the Falls Lutheran Church in American Falls and Providence Downtown Church in Idaho Falls. May God keep them all safe.
3. Pray for the men, women, and children who currently live in our shelters of the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission. During quarantine, they are stir-crazy with many job resource opportunities that have been closed down.
4. Pray for my kids as they all are adjusting to saying goodbye to friends and then trying to meet deadlines through online classes.
5. Pray for spiritual awakening and revival.

My four current ministry objectives:

1. Be a servant missionary-pastor with Providence Downtown Church that specifically ministers to the incarcerated, the addicted, the homeless, and impoverished.  It is a church ministering and bringing mercy to those in the margins.
2. Minister as a pastor with the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission.
3. Pulpit supply and pastoral encouragement to the Shepherd of the Falls Lutheran Church family in American Falls.
4. Be a blessing to the pastors in Idaho Falls and throughout the region through the Eastern Idaho Pastors Coalition (EIPC) and support the upcoming region-wide gospel event, Vision 2020, at the Sandy Downs Arena on Monday, July 20, 2020. We wait upon the Lord

May Jesus reign as King!

roots by the river,

Todd Wood (downtown missionary)