Check out the blog for all current articles, information and opportunities related to all things E4.
The Gift of Worship
God has gifted us all with unique talents and gifts. Marcus Bearrs is a very gifted musician and music teacher and he was able to connect relationally to the Gabonese on the trip this past March through music in such an amazing way. He could often be found playing drums with village kids, or hearing singing coming from nearby, such as the widows in the Bon Samaritan ministry, and picking up his drums to accompany their vocals. The following is a guest post from Marcus, a team member on our March medical team from Bridge Community Church.
Marcus is on the far right in this photo from Gabon
On March 1, 2013, I left the United States, met up with 12 other individuals from various parts of the country, and headed to Gabon to help serve as part of an E4 medical mission team. This was my second time traveling to Gabon. I went last year in June 2012. Ever since my return to the states I have felt a strong desire to return to these amazing people.
This trip was very special for me. I was able to share in worshipping God in so many new and exciting ways. Our first full day there was a Sunday. We were split into 5 groups to travel to 5 different churches. I was part of a group of 3 that was assigned to go to Pastor Jacob Mouele’s home church. Pastor Jacob had asked me if I wanted to play drums with his worship band Sunday, without hesitation I said, “Of course”. I was very excited to have the opportunity to be a part of this, but also a bit nervous.
During the service the Spirit of God was definitely present. Worshipping along with the Gabonese people is such an amazing experience. Seeing the pure joy and sincerity in the Gabonese worship is one reason I felt such a strong desire to return. Everyone is singing and dancing with no inhibitions or worry of what others may think. They have a passion that many of us desire to have, but in reality most of us probably lack. I had a sense of being able to experience God in my own way and also a camaraderie with brothers and sisters from what can feel like another world, yet also seems very familiar. The presence of God in the church transcended any cultural or social differences and helped me experience how the Gabonese truly are members of our family through our same redeemer, Jesus Christ.
When it was time for me to join the worship band, I left my seat and all feelings of nervousness left me. The musicians were excellent – I felt I was locking in with them pretty tight and this allowed me to concentrate on praising our Lord though music. Even though I could not understand most of the words, it didn’t really matter. It was about everything our worship should be, giving all thanks and praise to God! To me it’s like a version of speaking and understanding tongues. The Spirit lead worship coupled with the non-verbal communication in music spoke to me in a way that hit deeper than I have experienced. There was no doubt we were in the presence of God.
Photo of Marcus helping a young man into his first wheelchair at the Ceremony for Wheelchair Distribution with E4 Project & COSAC
Gabonese Engineer’s Perspective on PK27
This is a post from Antoinette, an engineer serving with our ministries and the development of PK27. We spoke with her on the phone over the weekend and she told us that the fact that the church owns 65 acres for development of the medical and social outreach campus is a truly a miracle. She said that no one in Gabon owns this much land and that it is only through God that this could happen. We agree completely and have seen God’s hand on this project since long before the purchase of the land. We are so thankful for what the Lord is doing through our partners in Gabon.
Antoinette Nyomba graduated from George Washington University with a B.S. and a Masters Degree in Environmental and Energy Management. She works for the Gabonese Government - National Commission Against Illegal Enrichment. She is currently a Deputy General Reporter. Anotoinette and Eric decided that she and I would be partners in the green development component of PK27 as my degree is in Environmental Planning (although it has been many years since I worked in this field). We both have the background, but are not currently working in these fields. We do plan to serve together as best we can to find sustainable building solutions and green energy opportunities for the development at PK27. She sent me an email about working together and included the following story about the initial day of land clearing, and we thought it was so good that it had to be shared…..
Antoinette speaking at the Wheelchair Distribution Ceremony in March, 2013
The day was cool, not hot at all. In fact, small drops of rain were falling over the land making the day very pleasant. As always, we started with a word of prayer. We prayed together, presented to the Lord all the aspects of the unknown and the known of the land clearing work. Former Pastor President Jean Marc Inguemba closed our words of prayer.
As you can imagine, the excitement was growing as we all climbed onto the bulldozer. It was very dangerous, but we felt that every entity involved must be represented. We felt like God the Father himself, Jesus Christ our marvelous brother, and the Holy Spirit our strengthener were watching over us.
I was so proud to get up on the bulldozer on behalf of the engineers. As I sat down on something that I later found out was the battery container, a lot of smoke came up. I felt so bad and was saying to myself, “Will I be the only person in the group that damages the bulldozer?” While I was thinking that, Gauthier the driver said, “Do not worry, everything is fine”. He opened up the battery’s container, fixed the battery‘s elements, and told me, “Mama, you may sit down again”.
The significant first steps at PK27 – many of our ministry partners on the bulldozer as it started the land clearing
We did not know it, but the very first bush was on a hill . As Gauthier started clearing it we almost capsized. I said to the Lord, “Oh no, we just prayed”. Mama Jeanine said, “Oh no Lord, not that, my family is on that bulldozer”……
A lot of land was cleared that day. One of the next tasks is to level the land that has been cleared for the foundation of the medical building.
Oh Lord, thank you very much for that great day at PK27.
Faithful First Steps, The Land Clearing of PK27
Just a quick update on the amount of work that has been done at PK27 this week. We received the following photos from our partners in Gabon. Much of the property for Phase 1 has been cleared. There are additional meetings next week with engineers regarding the next steps which will include specific land preparation for the ground where the first building will go. The first building will become the home of the medical clinic and the rehabilitation center.
Continue to pray for the work that is happening and for the funding to come in through local and international channels. The progress at the property this week provides some momentum for garnering interests from the local church as well as the entire E4 network.
Pastor Jean Marc surveying the work at PK27.
Serving in Gabon
The following is a post by Sarah Lewan, founder of Project Sunset and team member on the March medical trip to Gabon.
I was blessed to have the opportunity to be part of the E4 medical trip to Gabon a couple of weeks ago. Before the trip, God was teaching me time and time again that Jesus made a mark on this world by loving the person that was right in front of Him, not by worrying about the thousands more that needed His attention. He was determined to reveal His Father to others by showing them His Father’s love in simple, but real ways. I went into this trip with the focus of serving the One and it made my trip so fulfilling. Each smile, each high five, each hug coupled with a loving “Bonjour” or “Bonsoir” made its way deep into my heart and filled me up to the very top. This was my second trip to Gabon and I learned even more than the last. Our job on short term mission trips is to learn. As we learn, we will also serve our brothers and sisters in Christ, but what we have to learn is worth so much because it will change how we approach the rest of our lives back at home; our long term missions field.
A huge part of this trip for me was going and delivering the mosquito nets raised through Project Sunset. I went knowing there were 200 nets waiting for me and I hoped to distribute at least half while I was there, but God blew away all my expectations yet again. On the first day we distributed 137 mosquito nets. During my last trip in June the most we distributed in one day was 28. After our first clinic we had to go and buy more nets which was a great problem to have! Throughout the week we distributed 288 mosquito nets and left 118 to be distributed at clinics after our team left. God will ALWAYS do immeasurably more, more than we can ask or imagine.
My favorite part of Project Sunset is when I get to watch the nets get distributed and when I get to hand them out myself. The best part by far is seeing the thankful look in their eye and I treasure it. They always thank me and I thank them because I am so thankful that God has blessed me so much that I have the opportunity to make this connection with my Gabonese brothers and sisters as I serve and learn from them. The Gabonese teach me more than I could ever teach them.
On Sunday we went to church and we met a lot people, but two would stand out the next day at our first clinic; these same two people came in to the clinic looking just miserable, and they both tested positive for malaria. The day before at church both people were happy and singing and dancing, and then the very next day they were sick with malaria. This very dramatic shift made what we are fighting against very real to me because I was able to see the drastic effect that malaria can have on someone in just 24 hours. I am so thankful that OSPAC (our mobile medical ministry partner) provides great care and medicine for people like the two that we saw. As we continue to distribute mosquito nets, we believe that OSPAC will see less and less of malaria. These two individuals were back to normal activities by the end of the week, after having received great care.
“ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” -Matthew 25:35 No matter where we are, whether in the United States, Gabon, or somewhere else, as long as all of us, the followers of Jesus, live out this verse and care for the person that is right in front of us, we are serving Jesus Himself.
Groundbreaking at PK27
When I was in Gabon the first part of this month, I had the opportunity to meet with our Gabonese ministry leadership team (COSAC) to go over a number of items related to our partnership. One of the questions that I needed to ask them was related specifically to the future medical and social outreach campus – PK27. As I have discussed the development of PK27 with potential donors, I am often asked, “Why do they need a large campus for the ministries?”. I have my own opinion and understanding about why this is so important, but felt that it was best to have the Gabonese voice their own reasoning for the development of this 65-acre property. When I asked the question to the COSAC leadership, I was given the following seven reasons:
- The most important reason that our partners gave for the campus is that it will allow for them to evangelize to their community in a greater way than ever before. There are no Christian churches, schools or decent medical facilities in this region. Operating out of a central campus that serves peoples’ physical needs will allow the ministries to share the gospel with many more people in Gabon. In all, the ministries will provide medical facilities to the community (including eye care and rehabilitation as well as primary medical), family homes for orphaned and abandoned children, housing and employment for widows and marginalized women, churches, Christian schools from primary school through high school and a Christian book store where reading will be taught as well as books provided.
- Even though all of these ministries currently exist, they don’t have a home. The mobile clinic does not have its own facility. It is functioning out of the small rehabilitation center. Bon Samaritan, the ministry to the widows does not have a facility. Pastor Israel who runs Hope House rents and it is extremely expensive and hard to find homes large enough. The children need to be in one location, and it would work well to have them next to the widows ministry so that the women could help care for the children.
- The leadership believes all the care providers should be in one place – for efficiency. “How can we have an impact to people if we are all over and dispersed throughout the capital city (Libreville)?” The traffic in the Libreville is horrible and it takes an hour or more for ministry leaders to travel to serve at all together.
- The city center of Libreville is moving to the east, near where PK27 is located. Thousands of people will be moving this way, so we will have structures in place to support the population growth and the spiritual and physical needs of the community.
- The reason why the Christian Bookstore should be at PK27 is because it will be a large scale industrial zone, this is a way to attract educated people to read Christian books.
- Most ministries are not making any profit to help them grow – they are self sufficient for their basic ministry, but unable to grow. If they are centralized and have their own facilities built and paid for, they can focus on running operations for a profit, so they can grow the ministries and pay for all maintenance on the campus.
- In this part of Gabon, they do not have primary schools or high schools. There will be many people living in this area, but no place to educate them. The Christian School system will need to be developed here to provide the option of a Christ-centered education.
All of these goals are admirable. The most important part of their thinking is that this property will become a place where people are able to have all of their spiritual, physical and emotional needs cared for in a Biblical way. It is a very large sustainable community development plan. As with all major initiatives and undertakings, there is always a starting point. Since December, 2010 when the property was purchased, collaboratively, E4 and COSAC have worked to put corner posts around the property, multiple E4 partner teams have visited the campus to pray over it and cast a vision for what will be, engineering teams (courtesy of eMI) have worked on the property, and here in the States have developed the master plan for Pk27 and specific architectural plans for the first buildings. A road and bridge were built – in a miraculous way. As of March 23rd, we are so excited to announce that the initial ceremony and groundbreaking has happened!
When I received photos this weekend of this ceremony, my heart was filled with joy as I realized that the this vision is starting to become a reality. I knew that this ceremony was in the works, in fact, the original goal was that our team in March was going to be a part of the groundbreaking. However, due to delays with the bulldozer, this did not take place until this past weekend.
Groundbreaking ceremonies have been around for thousands of years. Early cultures associated religious or spiritual meaning with the breaking of ground. Today, we see that these ceremonies are symbolic of the hope for the future, celebration of what is to come and a realization of the vision that has been laid out for them. This weekend was a time for everyone to come together and celebrate new beginnings. A representation of moving forward with the plan God has placed on their hearts. When I saw these photos from this weekend, I was ecstatic to see the representation of the COSAC team on the bulldozer. Everyone from Pastor Jean Marc directing the driver where to go, to Nurse Aricain looking ahead holding onto the side, and many others from the leadership team all on the bulldozer – the symbolism runs deep.
This is a major accomplishment in the work at PK27. This is truly just the beginning. We are all looking forward to what God will do at PK27 and through our ministry partners. In reality, we are all on the bulldozer with our Gabonese friends. We all have the chance to be part of something grand. Something that will have significance in ‘defending the cause of the poor and needy’ of Gabon.
Are you in? If so, please get involved in this massive initiative. From here, the next steps will be to start construction on the first building of the property, this will be the future home of OSPAC, the mobile medical clinic and RBC, the Rehabilitation and eye clinic. The costs associated with building a facility of this size are large. We need more people who are willing to get involved financially with what God is doing in Gabon.
The land will be cleared in the next few days for phase one. And then foundations need to be laid, walls constructed and roofs put up. This is all just bricks and mortar, but it represents the Church becoming a city on the hill as Christ described. I am blessed to be part of this journey. I encourage you all to jump in and be a part too. Feel free to email me directly if you would like to get involved (eric@e4project.org).
Free Wheelchair Mission in Gabon
The following post was written by Eric Schmidt, Co-founder of E4 Project. A huge thank you goes out to our March team who just returned from Gabon. The team was instrumental in helping our ministry partners unpack, assemble and distribute the first 30 wheelchairs so that the first distribution could happen within a couple days of opening the container.
Last Friday, we had the ceremony and the first distribution of wheelchairs. It was very impressive as Gabonese government officials and the leadership of the national church were present to for this ceremony and distribution. As we arrived, the people were beginning to gather around the clinic, people of all ages with disabilities had come to receive one of the free wheelchairs. The most poignant moment for me was when a man with no legs came down the hill using his hands to move him along the road. At that moment, I knew all that we had done collectively over the last year and a half was so worth it.
The ceremony began with introductions of all the key players from Jean Marc at RBC, to the Samuel the Vice President of the National Church, to E4 and Free Wheelchair Mission. Pastor Hipolyte shared a brief message about how Christ multiplied the bread and the fish to feed the 5000, and how much of a parallel we were seeing here today with the distribution of these chairs. That God himself cares for our physical needs as well as our spiritual needs.
I was asked to share a few thoughts on E4 as a whole and why we are here serving in Gabon. I introduced our team, spoke about how God has commanded us to love the Lord our God with all our hearts and minds and to love our neighbor as ourselves. I assured the people gathered that it was because of the work God has done in our lives, that we choose to express the love of God to our neighbors in this way. I also thanked the team and our ministry partners all for being there to be the faces for all the people around the world who were behind the funding of this container through their donations to Free Wheelchair Misison. I started to get choked up when I shared the story about my son, Ryan, who has been sick for over two years and how he bought one of these chairs for the people here today because he knows their struggle is harder than his, and he wanted to serve others who are hurting.
Then, after a formal hand-off of the chairs from E4 to the Gabonese government and the National Church, we all started the distribution. It was somewhat chaotic as we moved people from their chairs into their new wheelchairs. The look on some of their faces was priceless. One young girl in particular, was overwhelmed with the gift, and I will never forget that moment.
It amazes me to think of the power of a $72 donation to Free Wheelchair Mission. I would spend $72 every day of my life to be able to experience the look in these peoples’ eyes and on their faces as they received the ‘gift of mobility’ through free wheelchairs. A financial gift of $72 is a simple way to participate in this wonderful ministry. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to be here today to be a part of the initial wave of wheelchair distribution. This is the tip of the iceberg here in Gabon, as an additional 475 chairs await distribution in the capital city of Libreville, the villages and beyond.
Overall, I am beyond words at the impact we have experienced and participated in this past week. So much has happened and is being accomplished through our partners here on the ground. But what is also very apparent, is the overall value that E4 Project is providing in many ways to our ministry partners. I am humbled to be a part of this ministry and overwhelmed by the experience today. I encourage all of you to get involved with what God is doing through E4 Project in Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. I also encourage you all to check out Free Wheelchair Mission and the amazing ministry that they have serving those in need around the world.
Day Three in Gabon
Yesterday was another very full day for our team in Gabon. It started with the whole team gathering at Avea II, the clinic in Libreville where our Gabonese ministry partners serve. The medical professionals treated patients, while the non-medical team members worked on assembling some of the wheelchairs that were delivered the day before. The first distribution is planned for Wednesday. It was somewhat of a training session on how to assemble the chairs in the most efficient manner.
Our ministry partners had planned for an official presentation of the chairs for Wednesday, but they have pushed that out until Friday. Pastor Jean Marc has invited both the U.S. Ambassador and the First Lady of Gabon to attend. Pray that they may come to the presentation and see the amazing work that our partners are doing to serve their poor and needy.
In the afternoon, the team headed out to a village and school that is located about 2 km from our future campus site at PK27. The medical staff from OPSAC and RBC along with our medical team members saw around 45 people. They also saw some of the young kids in the village and passed out home made stuffed animals that had been brought over by a team member. The heat was oppressive, and a couple of team members came down with heat exhaustion. There are also a few team member struggling with GI issues. Please pray for the team as they have been serving about 12 hours a day and they are exhausted and fighting illness as well. Please pray for complete restoration of health for the team. Overall, the team is doing great and serving in such amazing ways.
Last night, the team got back to the guest house on the earlier side (before 6 p.m.) and enjoyed a nice, relaxing and home made meal made by Alace Straw. We are so thankful for the Straws and their guest house – it has also provided air conditioning for the team in the extreme heat. That makes a huge difference for the team members as they are able to sleep well and regroup in a comfortable setting.
Amazing First Day of Service
Yesterday was a very significant day for E4 and our Gabonese ministry partners. We started the day with a meeting with the President of the National Church reviewing our time here in Gabon and our goals and objectives for the week. One of our goals was to participate in the distribution of the wheelchairs that arrived this past week in Libreville from Free Wheelchair Mission. As is often the case in Gabon, processing paperwork and running through the bureaucracies of customs and the ports proved to be a challenge. After much effort from Pastor Jean Marc, the container was delivered to the Bible Institute yesterday.
After our meeting with the President, he and I had the privilege of breaking the seal on the 40 foot container. It was stacked completely to the top with the boxes of wheels, materials and the white plastic chairs which have been modified to fit the the wheelchair assembly.
It was quite an honor to be part of so many individuals’ efforts to be a part of ’defending the cause of the poor and needy’ and giving the gift of mobility. As we were beginning to unload the chairs from the container to be stored in the warehouse, I was standing with the President, Victor. I was able to share with him the cost per wheelchair, $72/each. I explained that the way they were designed allowed for many to be distributed for a cheaper cost. I also was able to share with him the fact that my son, who is 13, was able to donate $72 of his own money to purchase a wheelchair. When he made this decision, he told me how he has been able to save his money because he has been so sick for so long (over 2 years), and he felt it is better to give someone the gift of mobility than for him to have the money sitting in his wallet. He felt such joy from God in making the donation and realizing that he had just changed someone’s life.
I share this story because this container represents hundreds of similar stories from around the globe – people who have been willing to sacrifice monetary gifts so that they too can give the gift of mobility to someone in the world. I am grateful for my son and all the other individuals who participated in this gift for the people of Gabon. I am so thankful for Free Wheelchair Mission and the work that they do. Today we will begin to assemble some of the chairs and then we are planning on having the first distribution event on Wednesday. It is a joy to be able to be a part of this process.
As part of the team was opening the container of wheelchairs, the rest of the team was working at a clinic in Libreville. When we arrived, there were already more than 100 individuals waiting to see the OSPAC and RBC medical team and the doctors/nurses that came with the E4 team. By the end of the day, 117 individuals had been seen by the combined teams and 137 mosquito nets were distributed through the Project Sunset program. The doctors and nurses that came from the states each had an assigned translator from the Gabonese team, which allowed them to see more patients. Patients ranged from malaria cases, to high blood pressure, diabetes, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, fibroids and to a small child that had pneumonia.
The beauty of the partnership between the E4 team and our Gabonese ministry partner team was impressive. So many individuals were seen yesterday and the core message of ‘defending the cause of the poor and needy’ was modeled the entire time.
Today we head out for another clinic in a village outside of Libreville, and we plan on having three more clinics the rest of the week.
Welcome, Wilkommen, Bienvenu
The following is a quick post from Eric Schmidt, Co-founder of E4 Project:
“When traveling internationally, the word “welcome” is seen everywhere – airplanes, airports, screens on the plane, and as you are greeted by your guests. The greeting we received at the airport last night was amazing. This is the first E4 Project trip that has been run entirely by our indigenous Gabonese partners. The team of 13 arrived last night at the airport and we were greeted by about 15-20 of our Gabonese friends and family. Most of the members of COSAC were present, as well as translators for each car. Each driver had a print out of names and photos of who they were responsible for transporting to the Straw’s guest house. As we waited for the whole team to come out from baggage claim, we reunited with our friends.
What is so encouraging to me is the level of responsibility that our partners are taking to ensure that our time here is utilized the most effectively. We came back to the guest house and quickly circled up with the translators and COSAC leadership to identify our plan for Sunday – who goes where, who is sharing, who is playing music, etc.
Empower – one of our four E’s, was on display at its finest at the outset of our time here in Gabon. The Gabonese have been empowered to run and manage teams, just as they run their own ministries. It is encouraging to me to see how well we are being taken care of already. When we left the airport, before we loaded into our 5 different vehicles, we circled up to pray. The circle was nearly 45 feet in diameter with all the people who came to greet us and lead us through this week. We are blessed and we look forward to an amazing week of service.” - Eric
Quick Update: Our team arrived safely in Gabon last night and had a great first day. The 13 team members were split up and they all headed to 5 different churches this morning to share with the Gabonese people. Then they had time to all rest and nap before dinner, which was well needed after a couple of long days of travel. They are now having dinner at the home of one of our Gabonese partners, and will also go over the schedule more for the week of the ministries and places that they would like to have our team assist them.
Pursuing Biblical Justice
I had the opportunity to read the manuscript for a book that was just released by Ken Wytsma. The book is called Pursuing Justice and it is one of the best that I have read on Biblical justice. Ken does an excellent job connecting our faith to the issues of justice and uniting people towards this cause that is so central to the heart of God. Ken is the pastor and founder of Antioch Church in Bend, OR and is also the founder of The Justice Conference and Kilns College. He is a speaker, author, pastor and advocate.
I have read many books out there on faith and justice, but God really grabbed my attention with a section of this book. I serve on a daily basis to “defend the cause of the poor and needy” – it is our tagline for E4 Project from Jeremiah 22:16. I have spent the last several years pursuing justice as a way to serve God and worship Him in my own community and around the world. While this is so important for us as Christians to do, I realized as I read this book, that my heart often does not line up with God’s. I get overwhelmed by the figures and statistics of poverty, oppression and evil in the world and still fall into the easy rhythm of a life lived in ignorance – mainly by my choice to sometimes ignore what is going on around me in the world because it is too painful. God used this book to show me a simple, yet life-changing practice to stay in tune with His heart for the world. I read the following quotes in a short section of this book called, “Reconciling Prayer”.
As I read this, I started to really consider my own prayers and what I focus on as I pray. I spend a lot of time in prayer being thankful. This is a practice that has helped me get through the last two years of having a very sick child. I also pray for healing for my son, our family, for our ministry and our partners in Gabon and the DRC – all things that really do matter to God. However, I also realized that I don’t spend enough time praying for the oppressed, poor, sick and needy who I don’t know.
As I recently started to really look at my prayers, I realized that there is a lot missing. Again, I think this is sometimes due to the fact that I get so overwhelmed. I try to pray for the 27 million people who are enslaved, many of them children and young girls in brothels. I truly am at a loss for words. What I am realizing, however, is that the Holy Spirit steps in for me when I don’t even know how to pray. Romans 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” I have felt this in other areas of my life before, but as I really commit to praying for “the least of these”, I find that I have to let the Holy Spirit take over for me when I get too overwhelmed – God knows the prayers in my heart even when I cannot clearly articulate them.
Here is what I am learning – the more that I commit to pray for those suffering from injustice, oppression and poverty – the more I am connected with God’s heart. As I do this in prayer, it also flows over to my day to day life, reminding me to keep those who are suffering around the world in the front of my thoughts as I go throughout the day. It also keeps me alert to the needs that God places right in front of me.
Example – this morning I talked with a gal who I have gotten to know over the past year. She is functioning as a single mom. Her husband was deported almost 2 years ago and she is raising 4 kids alone, while working 6 full days each week. She is a recovered Meth Addict and has been sober for over 4 years. She has to have a painful medical procedure done this afternoon and she cannot take pain medication because she is an addict. She cannot stay home from work for one day to recover, because if she stays home, she does not get paid and cannot take care of her family. We have helped her before with groceries and travel to Mexico, and today I felt God telling me to help her get a day at home to recover. Her boss will give her the time off, it just would be unpaid – so our plan is to pay her for her work day while she stays at home to recover. Our ministry at E4 Project is clearly focused on defending the cause of the poor and needy in Gabon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but God continues to place people in our lives here at home as well who need someone to show them the love of Christ in tangible ways. We all have opportunities every day to take care of those suffering around us.
I believe that the more we are connected to God’s heart in prayer, the more we will live each day to serve others and focus on the injustices of our world. I have everything that I need in life, and so much more. While I still have important things in my own life to pray for, I also have the burden of our fallen world and those who suffer daily to pray for and give my life to serving. What better way for me to continue to grow closer to the heart of God.
I highly recommend the book, Pursuing Justice to everyone. The tagline reads, “The call to live and die for bigger things” – that is what God expects of us.
For more information, check out the Pursuing Justice website.
Recent Comments