2014 Mission Romania

Pastor Charles Moore and Tom Unici made it safely to Romania for a busy week of preaching and ministry. Click the link below to read more!


http://www.mooretolife.org/pacea-domnului-isus/

Mission: Williamsburg

Our mission team arrived safely in East Kentucky yesterday afternoon.  Please pray for each member by name throughout the week.

2014 Williamsburg Mission Team

Buddy Griggs
Bill Hatcher
Russell Hobbs
Ramona Milles
Daniel Milles
John Will
Jackie Will
Russ Wilson
Ty Wilson
Sharon Wilson
Larry Wright

Journey Home

Our team is back in the States, waiting on a layover in Detroit.  God is good!

Pray for the Team to finish strong, even in these final hours of travel.  Stay tuned for reflections from a few members, as well as a date for a Mission report at First Baptist.

UPDATE (From Eileen Moore):

The journey is almost over for the Uganda Team.  Charles and Joshua Moore switched their flights and flew from Detroit directly to Memphis so that they could arrive a few hours earlier.  They have landed safely in Memphis and as I am writing this, they are being driven home by a wonderful gentleman from our church.  When he and his wife heard that Charles intended to drive from Memphis to Paducah, they drove to Memphis to drive our car home to avoid Charles falling asleep at the wheel!  Charles changed the flight because he desperately wanted to preach tomorrow.

The flight that the rest of the Team is on arrived safely in Minneapolis.  They have one last flight from Minneapolis to Memphis which is scheduled to leave Minneapolis at 7:06pm and arrive in Memphis at 9:11pm.  After that they will have the final leg of their trip-the drive home to Paducah.  Please continue to pray for the Team as they travel the rest of the way home tonight.  Please pray for their protection and that God will bring them all safely home. 

Thursday Recap: Ugandan Safari Part 2

(From Eileen Moore's Thursday Email to the Prayer Team)

My text today from Charles started out, "Another day of God's faithfulness."  The Team started out in three vans for today's safari trek.  In the middle of the safari one of the vans broke down.  The team crowded into two vans, but were soon invited to share a van ride with three woman from three different countries who were sharing a vehicle.  Isn't God good?  Some of the women were believers.  One was in Uganda to provide AIDS medications to some of the many children who need them.  The Team experienced many more animal sightings today adding giraffes, baboons, and lion cubs to their list.  A member of the team, who will remain nameless until she gets home to tell the story herself, was "attacked" by a baboon, but it appears he only wanted her crackers and she went unharmed!!  I am sure this made for a few scary moments!  When the team returned back to Kumbamitwe they played with the neighborhood kids and then moved on to repacking for tomorrow's trip home to Paducah.

Tomorrow(Friday) morning the Team will attend the chapel service at the Legacy Academy.  Brad Gholson will be teaching at the chapel service.  After chapel service the Team will leave for the bumpy ride back to Kampala and an opportunity to do some shopping.  Charles said it will be hard for them to leave Olivia and all of the new friends they have made.

According to the information provided to me before the Team left, their long journey home begins from Kampala tomorrow night at 11:40pm.  This first leg of their trip will take them to Amsterdam and will last approximately 7 hours.

Please pray that everyone will sleep well tonight.  Please pray for Brad as he teaches tomorrow morning at chapel.  Continue to pray for health and safety.  Pray that the farewells with old and new friends will be sweet and encouraging.  Please pray that the vehicles that the Team takes to Kampala will not have any problems and that they will arrive safely.  Please pray that they will have the opportunity and boldness to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with people they will meet tomorrow in their travels and that people will come to faith.  Please pray for their stamina.  Pray that God will bring them all the way back to Paducah safely.  Pray as the Holy Spirit leads you.

Wednesday Recap: Ugandan Safari

(From Eileen Moore's Wednesday Night Email to the Prayer Team)

I think the safari has been a wonderful adventure thus far.  The Uganda Team's day started out in open air buses and then proceeded on to boats on the Nile River!  Amazing!  The Nile River cruise lasted about 3.5 hours.  According to Charles, they had an exceptional number of sightings: birds; hippos; crocodiles; and even elephants.  The accommodations for the night are cabins rather than tents.  The cabins are "not the Hilton by any stretch, but include good food and a nice view."  The Team will rise early again (Thursday) to catch a ferry across the Nile.  The plan is to spend several hours in wildlife territory before leaving for the five-hour drive back to Kumbamitwe.  I for one can't wait to see all of the pictures they will bring back.

God has been so gracious and kind to allow everyone to remain healthy and safe.  Please continue to pray for their health and safety, and that they will not have any mishaps. 

I think the other prayer requests included in yesterdays email would be appropriate for today also.  So... Pray that the vehicles the Team will travel in will run properly.  Pray that the Team will have a restful time on this trip and that they enjoy the beauty God has created and placed in Uganda.  Please pray that the Lord will continue to work mightily in and through them, and that they will boldly proclaim the Gospel to everyone God places in their path!

As always, pray how God leads you!  Thank you so much for being a part of this prayer team.

Tuesday Recap

(Eileen Moore's Tuesday Night Email to the Prayer Team)

My text from Charles this afternoon started out, "Another great day."  Charles and Jason taught at a youth pastors' conference all day.  The men who attended the conference were gracious and appreciative.  The rest of the Uganda Team went to four schools and gave evangelistic presentations.  There were several Muslim children in attendance who heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Today (Wednesday), the Team got up at 6am to leave for a Ugandan national park where they are going on a safari.  When they were planning the trip to Uganda, they all voted to make the trip a bit longer so that they could go on this safari.  They will travel in three open-air buses for the four-hour journey.  I believe they will be sleeping in tents tonight and  will travel back to SOS Ministries tomorrow.

Please continue to pray for their health and safety, and that they will not have any mishaps.  Pray that the vehicles they travel in run properly.  Pray that the Team will have a restful time on this trip and that they enjoy the beauty God has created and placed in Uganda.  Please pray that the Lord will continue to work mightily in and through them, and that they will boldly proclaim the Gospel to everyone God places in their path!

Monday Recap

(Eileen Moore's Monday Night Email to the Prayer Team)

The Uganda Team built 10 kitchen shelters today for people who live in huts and cook outside on the ground.  These people now have an enclosed but vented place to prepare meals.  It was a long hot day, but when the Team returned to their home at SOS Ministries they had a "delicious chicken dinner followed by dessert."  Tomorrow (Tuesday) the whole Team, except Charles and Jason, will be going to three different government schools where they will put on evangelistic programs.  Please pray that the children will be attentive to the message, that the Gospel will be shared clearly, and that people will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 

Charles and Jason will spend the day teaching youth pastors who have traveled from all over Uganda to attend a Regional Baptist Youth Leaders Conference.  Please pray that Charles and Jason will be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, that their teaching will be clear and understood by those in attendance, and that they will be an encouragement to all of the youth pastors at the conference.

For all of the Team, please continue to pray for their strength and health.  Pray that they will be an encouragement to the people they will encounter tomorrow and to each other.  Pray that the Team will see a mighty moving of the Holy Spirit. 

Once again, here are some of the other things the Team asked us to pray for:

1.  That they would be useful, and that God would be gracious to show them how He is using them; 

2.  That they would have opportunities and boldness to share Christ; 

3.  That they would truly be changed more into the image of Christ through this trip and that they would come home with hearts that look more like the heart of our Savior;

 4.  That there would be complete unity among the team members.  That they would have supernatural grace, forgiveness, understanding and love for one another; 

5.  For protection against sickness.  That everyone would be healthy throughout the trip.  That there would be no accidents or mishaps.  That God would keep all of them safe; 

6.  That God would strengthen Jason as he leads the team, and that the Lord would give him wisdom, discernment, energy, and peace; 

7.  For strength, protection, and safety for the team members' families who will be without their loved ones, and 

8.  That the Team members would be able to sleep.

Again, thank you so much for your faithfulness to pray!

Sunday Recap / Blessed Be Your Name

(Monday Afternoon from Rusty Banks)

Talked with Kelley today and she said everything is going well. They were building kitchens today. Yesterday was church service and Olivia led "Blessed Be Your Name" while Weslan played guitar and Ethan played the African drums. The whole team came together on the platform with them and sang.

The team has one more full day of ministry with S.O.S. before they go on their overnight safari. They were able to have a traditional African meal Sunday night in one of the villages, prepared on an open fire by the women of the village.  The team has been so blessed by the response they have received form the people of Uganda.

Monday in Uganda

(From Eileen Moore's Sunday Email to the Prayer Team)

The Uganda Team is scheduled to build kitchen shelters all day (Monday).  The Ugandan women cook outside over fires and during the rainy season it is extremely difficult.  The kitchen shelters will be a huge help and blessing to them.  This will be difficult work for our Team as they do a lot of physical labor in the hot and humid weather having had little rest over the past few days.  Please pray for their strength, physical health, and protection, and that they would not have any accidents or mishaps.  Also, please pray that they would quickly learn how to build the kitchen shelters and that the work would go smoothly so the Team can build as many shelters as possible to help the people in the village. 

As always, pray as the Spirit leads you.  Someone told me today that they were praying that God would do things through this Team that the Team had not even imagined or thought possible.  I thought that was a wonderful thing to pray, so I am passing it along to all of you!  Thank you for praying and standing together in this work that God is doing in Uganda this week.

Saturday Recap

(From Eileen Moore's Email to the Prayer Team)

Good Evening Uganda Prayer Team!

I received a long text from Charles today about the day's events.  It sounds like the Team had another full and wonderful day.  Today, they worked cleaning up rocks, debris, and sticks from the grounds of newly-built apartments for teachers at the Christian academy.  The men participated in "Men's Muscle Month"-an athletic outreach to the community.  They played handball and Jason spoke to the men on fathers loving and leading their children.  The women worked cleaning the church sanctuary.  Everyone is feeling well physically; however, Charles is experiencing some dizziness and a dull headache that he thinks may be due to the malaria medicine he is taking.  Please pray for him to feel better.

Tomorrow the team will be teaching Sunday School at the church.  Charles will be preaching at the church service in the morning.  Please pray that the Holy Spirit will empower the teaching and preaching and that people will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Tomorrow evening the Team will be having dinner at the homes or huts of the villagers.  Please pray for boldness and the opportunity to tell people about Jesus and for those who hear to have receptive hearts.  

As always, please pray as the Lord leads you to pray for the Team.  Again, here are the specific things they asked us to pray for:

1.  That they would be useful, and that God would be gracious to show them how He is using them; 

2.  That they would have opportunities and boldness to share Christ; 

3.  That they would truly be changed more into the image of Christ through this trip and that they would come home with hearts that look more like the heart of our Savior; 

4.  That there would be complete unity among the team members.  That they would have supernatural grace, forgiveness, understanding and love for one another; 

5.  For protection against sickness.  That everyone would be healthy throughout the trip.  That there would be no accidents or mishaps.  That God would keep all of them safe; 

6.  That God would strengthen Jason as he leads the team, and that the Lord would give him wisdom, discernment, energy, and peace; 

7.  For strength, protection, and safety for the team members' families who will be without their loved ones, and for Doug Truitt as he grieves the loss of his aunt while members of his family are away; and  

8.  That the team members would be able to sleep.

Have a wonderful day worshiping our Lord and Savior tomorrow!

Friday Recap From Pastor Charles

It was a great day.  Almost everyone has fallen into bed exhausted. I finally took a cold shower when given the chance to get clean. After less than three hours of sleep, some from our team led chapel at the school at 8:00 this morning, and we were all warmly welcomed by the children (with big hugs and ear-to-ear smiles). After that I was asked to address a group of pastors as S.O.S closed a two-day pastors' conference. I encouraged the men from Joshua 1.   

All day we visited classrooms and led activities or played with the kids at the academy. We hosted a field day with great games on the lawn. Squeals of delight all afternoon! Lunch was prepared by the school staff on an open fire (there is no kitchen). Beans, plantains, and something like grits were tasty and served with love.  Late afternoon took us into the villages for door-to-door outreach. 

Tomorrow (Saturday) holds athletic outreach for men and agricultural outreach for those from the surrounding area whom we personally invited today. There is much poverty, much family disintegration, and much sadness after AIDS has ravaged many of the husbands and fathers around here in recent history. But our great God is at work, and S.O.S. shines exceptionally brightly against such a spiritually dark backdrop.  

~Pastor Charles

Friday Chapel at Legacy Christian Academy

Praising God for an amazing first day here in Uganda! 

God is so amazing.  After about three hours of sleep, we hit the ground running with chapel at the legacy Christian academy, loving on kids in the classroom by helping with reading and writing and organizing the office and school supplies area. After enjoying an amazing Uganda lunch, we led a sports day for the school and canvas area villages promoting an outreach event tomorrow.  An amazing first day for the glory of God.  ~Jason

(Photo found online at SOS Ministry's site) http://sosministries.com/legacy-uganda

Safe Arrival

(From Eileen Moore's Email to the Prayer Team)
God has been so gracious to the Uganda Team.  They have arrived safely at SOS Ministries and with all of the luggage!   I have been told that they got some beautiful pictures as they flew over the Sahara Desert, the Nile River, and close to Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

They arrived at their final destination at around 2:30am (6:30pm CST).  It was an extremely long trip and some of the kids have gotten some mild upset stomachs just from the traveling.  The schedule has the Team getting up at 7:00am for breakfast and attending chapel at 8:00am.  Charles is scheduled to preach at the chapel service. 

Other things on their agenda tomorrow include:  an orientation to SOS ministries; ministry in the classrooms and offices of the ministry; helping with organizational tasks in the ministry office; and running a sports camp for children! 

I don't know how any of them will be able to function without God's supernatural strength.  So, please pray for supernatural strength and for God to protect them from getting sick.  Please pray for the kids who are already feeling a bit under the weather.  Please pray that they will all be able to sleep well. 

Thursday Travel Update: UGANDA

The team has landed in Uganda!  They've made it safely, and have a late night drive ahead of them (three hours).  Remember, they are eight hours ahead of Central Standard Time.

UPDATE: Everyone is loading up for the van drive.  All luggage and all the ministry supplies also made it there!  Everyone got their visas and the buses will be in transit to S.O.S. for the next few hours.

Stay tuned... we'll be eager to share stories from the team as we hear more information from them!

Thursday Travel Update: Rwanda

We've just received word that our mission team has landed safely in Africa!  They have another, shorter flight to Uganda that will depart after a quick layover.  Praise God for the safe travel so far!

MISSION: UGANDA

The 2014 Uganda Mission Team is on the move!  Here's the team in the Memphis Airport, ready for the long journey to Africa.  

(3PM UPDATE: the team made it to Detroit, next stop, Amsterdam)

The Uganda Team started its travel to Uganda last night, with a drive and short night's sleep in Memphis.  The trip includes approximately 27 hours flying time on four different planes.  Their route takes them from Memphis to Detroit, Detroit to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Kigali, Rwanda, and then Kigali to Kampala, Uganda.  Once in Uganda, they will travel by some type of motor vehicle to SOS Ministries in Kubamitwe.  This will be an extremely arduous trip.

Here are some things members of the Uganda Team have requested we pray for:

1.  That they would not have any fear about flying, but would be filled with an unbelievable and supernatural peace;

2.  That they would be useful, and that God would be gracious to show them how He is using them;

3.  That they would have opportunities and boldness to share Christ while traveling and while in Uganda;

4.  That they would truly be changed more into the image of Christ through this trip and that they would come home with hearts that look more like the heart of our Savior;

5.  That there would be complete unity among the team members.  That they would have supernatural grace, forgiveness, understanding and love for one another;

6.  For protection against sickness.  That everyone would be healthy throughout the trip.  That there would be no accidents or mishaps.  That God would keep all of them safe;

7.  That God would strengthen Jason as he leads the team, and that the Lord would give him wisdom, discernment, energy, and peace;

8.  For strength, protection, and safety for the team members' families who will be without their loved ones, and for Doug Truitt as he grieves the loss of his aunt while members of his family are away;

9.  That all of the luggage would arrive with the team and would be intact; and

10.  That the team members would be able to sleep.

Romania 2013, Day 1

Here's a beautiful glimpse of life and ministry in Romania!  Thank you, Curt Stewart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-W3jEfX9Ok&feature=youtu.be

El Salvador Reflections by Emily Carter

“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold I am making all things new.’ And he also said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”

-Revelation 21:5

This verse was repeating over and over again in my head today as I walked through Guirola, a special needs orphanage. This place is full of kids of all ages with various disabilities. Unlike most government run orphanages, this one was spotless. There was no stench in the air and the kids were clean. They were loved on by their caretakers and seen as human beings, not part of a job description that had to be tended to. This facility offers several different therapy programs to help the kids improve in their various conditions whether mental or physical. The programs and care these kids are experiencing is unbelievable in light of where they have come from. Due to a series of events in the El Salvadorian government, many of them have just been recently moved from other very poorly run government orphanages where their health was quickly declining to this new facility where their health is improving rapidly. For years, many of us who had seen the heartbreaking situation these kids were in had been praying that God would implement new authority and provide resources to improve the facilities. He answered. It was an answer far greater than anything we could’ve imagined. These kids have been moved to one central, clean location where they are finally receiving the proper care for their conditions. It was a breath of fresh air to see all the progress and the familiar smiles of those precious kids. God is making things new here in El Salvador. He is bringing newness to the staff and administration of these orphanages, He is renewing kids’ handicaps, and He is answering the prayers of many in a fresh, new way.

Thank you God that your words are trustworthy and true. I can’t wait until the day when ALL things are made new.

~Emily Carter

El Salvador Reflections by Olivia Harp

The last few days have been packed and full of blessing! The team arrived late on Saturday and hit the ground running on Sunday. We started Sunday off worshipping with a local church and then fed the congregation lunch. From there we headed to Cipi, a government intake center. Kids taken from their families or off of the streets are brought to Cipi and from there they are sent to a more permanent orphanage to live. Leading up to this trip I have strived to be intentional about praying for Gospel eyes. I want to be careful that I don’t walk in, meet a need, and leave without even getting to the core of the need- salvation.  I rejoice with Heaven over 7 teen girls that gave their life to Christ on Sunday at Cipi! But in the same breath, my heart is broken because I know that their stay at there will be very short, and discipleship for them once they leave is very uncertain. Some will be found back on the streets, back in abusive homes and relationships, or tossed around to different orphanages. But I know God holds their salvation and lives in His hands and just like any good father would do, He won’t let go. Please be praying for these girls and that the decision they made will continue to daily transform their lives into one that looks more like Christ.

Another section of Cipi is for special needs children. Unlike the rest of the orphanage, these special needs kids are there for much longer periods of time. One particular little girl named Maybeline captured my heart last year. One thing I looked forward to most about coming back was getting to spend some time with her. She is special needs but not as severe as the others. As a baby, her mom beat her and as a result damaged her brain, her back, and her arm was broken and never healed properly. Her caregivers will quickly tell you that she will never walk again due to brain damage, but I beg to differ! When I was here in October I worked with her quite a bit and really believed that she was capable of walking and even talking one day. The problem is that she doesn’t get adequate physical therapy and care at Cipi. I don’t know why, but I have just had this strangely strong desire to see her walk. Something in me wants those caregivers to see that God can heal and restore, and I whole heartedly believe that He will show His glory in that way through Maybeline. On Sunday I was able to spend some time playing with her and loving on her and I finally just decided that I was going to start teaching her to walk in the little time I had left. I held her and placed one foot in front of the other over and over again. Finally, she started to do it on her own! She isn’t strong enough to hold herself up yet, but she took some steps on her own. I wish I could relay to you how excited I am over the steps this little girl is taking! It is truly the beginning of a miracle and answered prayer. 

Our second day was spent building a house for an elderly couple. Their previous home was nothing more than a small roof made of scrap tin and sticks. The middle of the house was 5 feet at the tallest point and sloped down from there. Needless to say, the living space was next to nothing. The fire used for cooking was inside the house and had burnt most everything in it. In addition, the constant smoke caused this woman’s already poor health to become even worse. It was amazing what little time it took to clear out the house and tear it apart in order to rebuild a better one. Because we wanted this couple to have a roof over their heads that night, we all worked extremely hard to get this house done in one day.  And somehow we made it happen. When we went back the following morning, the first words out of the homeowner’s mouth were “It was great, I didn’t have water dripping on me all night!”. And let me tell you, the house we built was nothing fantastic or super fancy, but it was a hundred times better than the few feet of burnt tin they were living under. Typically, Starfish and Sus Hijos focus on building houses for families with children in order to keep them together and off the street. This elderly couple was an exception. There was a desperate need and we couldn’t turn a blind eye. As we were building, I was watching the way our team worked together, but also watching the way the village and this couple responded. Building this house was such a beautiful picture of salvation to me. It’s a free, undeserved gift. He takes our brokenness and makes it far more beautiful and functional than we ever could. It is my hope and prayer that in our time with this village that the light of Christ was shone so brightly and made an impact far beyond what we could’ve ever hoped or dreamed.

New Home constructed by Starfish Volunteers

I could tell you story after story of the things I’ve seen, experienced, and worked with this week that have broken my heart. A friend of mine once told me that “The Gospel is hard for a lost world to swallow, thats why love is the capsule we have to give it to them in”. Wrapping the Gospel in love looks different in every situation, and every day that means something new. This week, we have learned to identify with Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:22 “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

~Olivia Harp

The last few days have been packed and full of blessing! The team arrived late on Saturday and hit the ground running on Sunday. We started Sunday off worshipping with a local church and then fed the congregation lunch. From there we headed to Cipi, a government intake center. Kids taken from their families or off of the streets are brought to Cipi and from there they are sent to a more permanent orphanage to live. Leading up to this trip I have strived to be intentional about praying for Gospel eyes. I want to be careful that I don’t walk in, meet a need, and leave without even getting to the core of the need- salvation.  I rejoice with Heaven over 7 teen girls that gave their life to Christ on Sunday at Cipi! But in the same breath, my heart is broken because I know that their stay at there will be very short, and discipleship for them once they leave is very uncertain. Some will be found back on the streets, back in abusive homes and relationships, or tossed around to different orphanages. But I know God holds their salvation and lives in His hands and just like any good father would do, He won’t let go. Please be praying for these girls and that the decision they made will continue to daily transform their lives into one that looks more like Christ. 

Another section of Cipi is for special needs children. Unlike the rest of the orphanage, these special needs kids are there for much longer periods of time. One particular little girl named Maybeline captured my heart last year. One thing I looked forward to most about coming back was getting to spend some time with her. She is special needs but not as severe as the others. As a baby, her mom beat her and as a result damaged her brain, her back, and her arm was broken and never healed properly. Her caregivers will quickly tell you that she will never walk again due to brain damage, but I beg to differ! When I was here in October I worked with her quite a bit and really believed that she was capable of walking and even talking one day. The problem is that she doesn’t get adequate physical therapy and care at Cipi. I don’t know why, but I have just had this strangely strong desire to see her walk. Something in me wants those caregivers to see that God can heal and restore, and I whole heartedly believe that He will show His glory in that way through Maybeline. On Sunday I was able to spend some time playing with her and loving on her and I finally just decided that I was going to start teaching her to walk in the little time I had left. I held her and placed one foot in front of the other over and over again. Finally, she started to do it on her own! She isn’t strong enough to hold herself up yet, but she took some steps on her own. I wish I could relay to you how excited I am over the steps this little girl is taking! It is truly the beginning of a miracle and answered prayer.  

Our second day was spent building a house for an elderly couple. Their previous home was nothing more than a small roof made of scrap tin and sticks. The middle of the house was 5 feet at the tallest point and sloped down from there. Needless to say, the living space was next to nothing. The fire used for cooking was inside the house and had burnt most everything in it. In addition, the constant smoke caused this woman’s already poor health to become even worse. It was amazing what little time it took to clear out the house and tear it apart in order to rebuild a better one. Because we wanted this couple to have a roof over their heads that night, we all worked extremely hard to get this house done in one day.  And somehow we made it happen. When we went back the following morning, the first words out of the homeowner’s mouth were “It was great, I didn’t have water dripping on me all night!”. And let me tell you, the house we built was nothing fantastic or super fancy, but it was a hundred times better than the few feet of burnt tin they were living under. Typically, Starfish and Sus Hijos focus on building houses for families with children in order to keep them together and off the street. This elderly couple was an exception. There was a desperate need and we couldn’t turn a blind eye. As we were building, I was watching the way our team worked together, but also watching the way the village and this couple responded. Building this house was such a beautiful picture of salvation to me. It’s a free, undeserved gift. He takes our brokenness and makes it far more beautiful and functional than we ever could. It is my hope and prayer that in our time with this village that the light of Christ was shone so brightly and made an impact far beyond what we could’ve ever hoped or dreamed.

I could tell you story after story of the things I’ve seen, experienced, and worked with this week that have broken my heart. A friend of mine once told me that “The Gospel is hard for a lost world to swallow, thats why love is the capsule we have to give it to them in”. Wrapping the Gospel in love looks different in every situation, and every day that means something new. This week, we have learned to identify with Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:22 “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

~Olivia Harp