July - 2018

Encountering Christ Helping Others

Update 13 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: 3.0

The last Sunday on this trip has come and gone. Certainly it will rank in the top few Sundays of my life. Before I get into that, I want to talk about brother Jared a bit. When God swung my arm around and pointed to the man, saying “There is the one, I was surprised.” I haven't officially met him yet, but I had heard him speak at the village church. In my spirit, I could sense a sincere born-again follower of Jesus that was sharing his heart. Most of the time when I feel impr

Update 13 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: 3.0

Update 12 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: 3.0

I was sitting in the parking lot today waiting for Tony and Heidi when a young man named Campbell came up to the vehicle. We began to talk, and eventually I asked him if he knew Jesus. He said in fact he did and he was a choir director at a local church. This Sunday we will be going to his church and seeing what it is like. We have been in grass huts or small church buildings most of the time. Rarely do they have electricity and it is considered a luxury if they have chairs.

Update 12 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: 3.0

Update 11 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: 3.0

We were able to go to the orphanage with the electrician. Now, we will be collecting all the supplies that we need to get the wiring in order. So far, it has been a few days since we mentioned that they would need to move the cars out. This needed to happen to build the cement wall and have access to repair the roof. So far, we have not had much success. Things are much different here in Malawi. Timetables and standards of work are much different than that of the US. You woul

Update 11 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: 3.0

Update 10 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

Jared is now back in Kenya. We have already experienced two situations when leadership has come against one another, so a fair mediator is necessary. God identified Jared because he is well suited for this type of thing, and more. One of the groups that we had met had four men. They were involved with an orphanage, school, and a church. God’s provision allowed them to get 400 Bibles. Upon receiving them, one in the leadership insisted on selling half of the Bibles to raise mo

Update 10 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

Update 9 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

The following morning, we meet for prayer time and fellowship. The realization of how God had given us an opportunity to be involved with an orphanage was beginning to sink in. We had engaged in fairly lengthy discussions on efficiency. Also, I made it quite clear that we are all working as servants for Jesus Christ. He is the leader of our organization. I found it amazing how quickly God gave us a chance to see if we would be people of our word. Anything that we do, should b

Update 9 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

Update 8 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

In just under two weeks, we will be back in the states, Lord willing. The need here is so great that we have not begun to scratch the surface. Just pick any road and walk or drive down it, and the need becomes quite obvious. The amazing thing is that most all of the people will smile and interact with you, all the while existing in severe poverty. In the United States, depression and suicide are on an alarming increase. The reality is that selfishness probably plays a major r

Update 8 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

Update 7 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

I must share this 100% miracle that took place. What makes this so unbelievable is that I saw it for myself and understand how impossible it is. Kelvin had taken the old van to the new location the previous night. He wanted to drop some food off to the night watchman, Daniel. The new mission house is about a 15 minute drive from the old one. On his way back, he heard a clunk. The van became impossible to drive. He prayed that God would bring him home on “wings of Eagles.” Sev

Update 7 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

Translating the Truth for God's Glory

Update 6 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

This was probably one of the most memorable Fourth of July’s I have had. Pastor Jared from Kenya arrived in Malawi today. He will be staying with us at the mission house for the next seven days. Every interaction we have with him continues to confirm that he was God’s pick. In fact, I was joking with Tony that we should call him “Tony Two.” He is a very kind-hearted gentleman, that demonstrates a deep love and respect for our Lord and Savior. He has never flown in an airplane

Update 6 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

Update 5 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

We have been in Malawi for a week now. A good share of our time has been at the new mission house. Structurally, everything seems to be in order, however, there are many details that need to be addressed. The main house is set up nicely for pastors’ training. There also is a small servants’ quarters that we are fixing up for us to stay in when we return. When Tony is not available, the language barrier is sometimes difficult to overcome, especially when I want to discuss elec

Update 5 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

Pastor Zechariah Testimonial

Update 4 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

Since Tony and I had spent several hours with these people the day before, we were very surprised at the turmoil that was brewing among them. The importance of understanding the nuances of the culture is critical. I failed in this area and will be much more careful in the future. After talking with the pastors inside and realizing that we needed to leave, it became increasingly difficult. The people would press in on us, making it almost impossible to move. We calmly pushed o

Update 4 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

Update 3 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

This is when things start to get a little bit dicey. Tony and I had spent several hours the day before with a slight degree of success in reuniting the church split. Hugs were passed around and forgiveness was requested and received. We were not prepared for what happened that evening or the next morning. When we got to the church, we were greeted with warm welcomes. The unfortunate thing was that Duke and many of the church members were not in attendance. As we sat there and

Update 3 - Understanding God's Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

Gods Hands in Honduras Pt1

June 11 - July 4 Adventure- that was what I said “yes” to when I decided to join Sparrow Missions for the summer of 2018. Even though I had come down for one week to serve in Honduras the summer of 2016, I had no idea what to expect with an intern-type role, let alone living with people that I had not previously known. Honestly, I had a negative perception of what these people would be like before meeting them, because by only knowing someone from their social media platforms

Gods Hands in Honduras Pt1

Update 2-Understanding God’s Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

Understanding God’s missions 2018 Report 2 Since my last report in March about Kenya, much has happened. God had identified someone I could trust, and someone I could not. The amount of corruption and deception among pastors seems to be great. My contact information has been passed around to several people, most likely by the one that God said not to trust. When someone successfully makes contact with an outsider, they are almost considered their property. Anyone that would c

Update 2-Understanding God’s Missions 2018: EchoMission 3.0

1

2