A note from the Heart...

Dear Friends,

We want to start this update by saying THANK YOU! We never take for granted your kindness, your financial support and your continued prayers for us, for our young disciples and for our ministry. This is the second version of this update. In the first version I wrote about all the challenges and hardships of living the missionary life in a third world country. I wanted to give you a glimpse into the not so glamorous, not so easy, not so fun sufferings we deal with regularly. A strange thing happened as I wrote about “our sufferings”. I was overcome with conviction that what I thought were sufferings were truly blessings.

We were without power for a week. We have a generator that we could run several times a day to run lights and keep the refrigerator cold. It does not run the oven or heating element in the shower. Feeling bad that we weren’t able to take a hot shower in a week seemed like suffering. Truly the blessing is we have a generator, we can afford the fuel to run it, and we have a refrigerator that needs to be kept cold because it was full of food. Not suffering, but a blessing. Many of our neighbors do not have electricity. Most of our community do not have a refrigerator and food shopping is a daily event, if there is money to shop.

We live deep into the village off the paved road. When it rains hard or for extended periods the dirt roads become muddy and slick and sometimes not accessible. We cannot go to town, which is an hour’s drive for supplies. The blessing is we have a vehicle. The blessing is we will be able to go to town another day. Not suffering, but a blessing. Very few of our neighbors own a vehicle. Some have never made the hours drive to town, ever!

Our Wi-Fi is satellite and is affected by rain or a cloudy sky. Sometimes it takes an hour to do a job that should only take 5 minutes. Not a struggle, but a blessing. We have Wi-Fi! We can stay connected to family and friends in other parts of the world. We can stay current with world news and events, and we can watch our church online.

We are foreigners in a foreign land. Not everyone appreciates us or even likes us. Our ministry was threatened, and we are hated by some. We are attacked on social media and conspired against in the community. Not suffering but a blessing. This one takes more explanation. It truly felt like suffering. It was hurtful and caused stress. How could people we have served and who have benefited from the ministry be so hateful? How could people not want to see their neighbors’ lives touched and improved? How could people be so jealous of someone else’s blessing? The blessing is that through the Holy Spirit in us we found the strength to stand strong against the enemy. That the hatred and attack is not directed at us but at Jesus in us. We are blessed to be a light that cannot be ignored.

Once again, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for standing with us in prayer, encouragement, and generosity. Every step forward in this ministry has only been possible because of God’s faithfulness working through friends like you. As we look ahead, one of our greatest needs is the purchase of land for He Is the Remedy. This land will allow us to establish a permanent base for discipleship, outreach, and community transformation. We invite you to prayerfully consider joining us in this land campaign—whether through a one-time gift, a monthly pledge, or by sharing our vision with others who may want to partner with us. Together, we can see this ministry firmly planted and bearing fruit for generations to come