A Pastor’s Prayer Journey
Two Preachers Sharing Prayers & ScriptureArchive for Africa
How a small Church can make a big difference
Many churches live in a state of defeat. We mumble and grumble about our size about what we can and cannot do. Sadly we miss out on opportunities to make an impact for the kingdom. We have believed the lie that we can do effective ministry when we get to a certain point or size. Yet God calls us to simply be faithful where we are at with what we have. So with that said let me share with you how God is moving in an incredible way in our missions program.
Last year myself along with several other members from our church went to Liberia Africa. At the time this was my third trip to Liberia. On this trip we visited with Danny Buegar who was the pastor of the United Christian Church of Monrovia. This is a church of 200 members. Their church building was simply made of some bamboo and thatched roof. During the rainy season the members would get wet during the service. But really to know more about this church you need to know more about Liberia.
Liberia ended a 14 year civil war just a few years ago. The war devastated the country. Unemployment is a staggering 85%. And even those who work do not make much. A doctor makes about 5 dollars a day. To say there is a health crisis would be an understatement. Nearly the whole population struggles with Malaria. Children under 5 have a 50/50 chance of survival. To compound health issues most Liberians do not have access to clean drinking water. Could things be worse? The answer is yes. Besides all the health problems, Liberia is a society of uneducated people. Nearly 3/4 of the children do not attend school. Spiritually Liberia has great needs. In a country where brutality has been the norm there is a great need for the peace that can only come from Christ. So that is some of the bad, but let me share some good.
For several years our church has helped out with some teaching and training teams and also have sent some supplies to Liberia to help the Liberian people. A year ago God was calling us to do more. And so we went to prayer and asked God to use us. And this is how He used us.
Our children had a VBS program in which they raised $8,000 to purchase three water systems to help clean water for Liberians. Shortly after this event we decided that we wanted to send a team to Liberia that would be more than a few teachers. We had been told by the Liberians that churches would send money to help them but very rarely would they send people. And of those people who came they only sent a few men. So we put together a team of 26 people. Half of that group was women. Knowing that the needs were great we decided first that we wanted to make sure that the Monrovia church would have a place where they could worship without getting wet. We also wanted to build a building that could be used as a school for children and we wanted this building to be a place where training could take place for other churches throughout Liberia. Besides the building we wanted to do more to help the people of Liberia. We wanted to get more water systems that could go to different places around Liberia and bring a medical team to this desperate country.
So that is a little of what we wanted to do. Let me share in just a nutshell what God provided and what He continues to do. Over this last year God provided over $150,000 in money and supplies. 5 water systems were purchased. Over $15,000 worth of tools were donated to help in the construction part of the church. Literally thousands of dollars of medical supplies were given to help towards a medical clinic. $30,000 was donated by individuals and churches to help towards the building project. Thousands of dollars worth of clothing, food, school books, VBS supplies, Bibles and Christian materials were donated and shipped to Liberia. A shipping container was purchased to send all these supplies.
Besides all of these funds and supplies going to Liberia the team of 26 people had to raise $3,000 each to make this trip. The team raised all their funds(some time when I have a chance I need to share how God provided in amazing ways.) But let me share with you what the team was able to accomplish. First we set up a medical clinic and saw in just 4 days over 600 Liberian people. We held a VBS which had 400 children attend. We held a woman’s conference that had over 100 women in attendance. During our visit we set up 5 water systems plus trained those who would be providing the water. Let me say that God was incredible. And we thank and praise him for all he has done.
So where does this leave us? Well we are still trying to finish the church/school building. We believe that with $45,000 more we will have this building up and serving the people of Monrovia. Right now all the foundation work is done. Our trip has also left us with a hunger to do more for the kingdom of God. We plan to send more medical teams in the future. We also want to help with the local churches to plant more churches and to provide more water systems. We believe that God has called us to be faithful and so we plan to dream big and see what God does. We would love for others to team up with us and do something incredible for the Lord. We would love to hear from you. Maybe God has you reading this post for the very reason of going to Liberia with us or helping us financially finish the building. Who knows but God has His plans. All we have to do is be faithful and He will do the rest.
The Road Less Traveled
Last month I had the opportunity to take 26 people to Liberia Africa. Before we left for Liberia we went through a devotional guide. I wanted to share with you just the introduction to this devotional. If anyone is interested in seeing the full booklet please let me know I would love to e-mail it to you.
We are creatures of comfort. We prefer things which are common to us and which take us down predictable paths. When our comfort is unsettled we fight with a vengeance to recover it. This path that I speak of is a road that many will go down. We like it because we know what to expect on this route. But this is not the road that God has called us to. God never wants us to settle for what is easy or comfortable. God’s calling for every believer and especially for us who have a heart for the church in Liberia is to take the Road less traveled.
I must warn you at this point that the road less traveled is filled with pitfalls and dangerous curves. It is a costly road and one that cannot be navigated using our own experiences or abilities. Simply put the road less traveled is a road that relies completely and solely on the hands of our creator and Lord, Jesus. If you try to go down this road in your strength and in your wisdom you will be frustrated.
In the weeks to come you will need to prepare yourself for our trip to Liberia. Our trip will challenge us in every area of our life. We will be challenged physically as we ask our bodies to do things which they may not be ready or want to do. We will be challenged emotionally as we encounter people and situations that test us on all kinds of different fronts. Finally we will be challenged spiritually as the prince of darkness will seek to derail us from our mission at hand. I share these things not to scare us but to prepare us for the road we must take. The good news is that if we spend time now preparing for our journey along this road less traveled I believed we will be better off in the long run.
This devotional guide has been put together for the very purpose of preparing for our trip. I am convinced that what we put in to it is what we will get out of it. Use as much or as little of this booklet as you want over the next month. My prayer is that as we walk down this road less traveled together God will show us amazing things.
Time for the Church to Shine
Probably the greatest waste of time for most churches is their monthly board meeting. Yes many of you know what I am talking about. We get together with other luke-warm minded friends and we talk about things which really have no impact on the kingdom. Usually anyone with any spiritual thought or even a godly insight is pushed aside(or we table the matter, which means hopefully you will drop it) for more important matters like some of our older members are not happy with the new selection of songs. Usually the hi-light of any board meeting for someone who loves God is the closing prayer. At least at this point you can go home and finish watching American Idol and feel like you have done something remotely spiritual. Ok, my goal is not to rip on churches but encourage them. So I must move on. But I share what I have shared because most churches exist for themselves and their own preservation rather than simply being the hands and feet of Jesus.
Let me say this in the nicest way possible. It is time for dead churches to recognize they are dead and either receive life again in Jesus or die. I know that was not very nice but than again Jesus was never nice. His words in Matthew 25:31-46 seem to share the same message that I am trying to share with you right now. It is time for the church to shine. We have spent too much time and energy doing nothing for the kingdom. Now is the time to rise and take Jesus to the World.
It is not rocket science. Jesus says whatever you do for the least of these you have done for me. So let’s start doing for the least of these and see God do amazing things. I am convinced that if we will spend less time talking about the maintenance of a building and simply get our hands and feet dirty God will shine throughout our communities. We are living in the some of the greatest times ever. Despite what the evening news says about our day and age God is still in control. He wants to feed the hungry, He wants to heal the sick, He wants to visit those in prison, He wants you and I to do something. So what are you doing? If the most productive thing you do in your Christian walk is attend board meetings than you probably are a goat. Sorry for the name calling, but we are what we do according to Jesus. If we are serving people we are a sheep, if we are serving ourselves well than just get in the line that is going left.
I know that this all sounds harsh. Please believe me when I say that I really want to encourage. I believe that the church has so much potential. There is so much to be done and so much that we can be doing. Just recently I came back from Liberia Africa. God impressed upon me that the World is waiting for Him to touch lives. He is waiting for us to hold a sick baby. He is waiting for us to buy a water system that cleans up polluted water. He is waiting for us to do something. So what will you do? How will you spend your time and your money? The answer to this question will determine whether you are a sheep or a board member.(whoops, I am sorry, don’t mean to offend goats)
Why Africa?/Why Not Africa!
OK Jerry I am really sorry for my laziness on this site but now is the time to get started again.
I have heard the comments. “Why go to Africa, Don’t we have plenty of needs right here in our country?” First let me say that most that ask this questions usually do not really even care for the people of their own country. Secondly many do not understand the word need. Yes there are many who have needs in this country. Matter of fact the needs in the U.S. are overwhelming to say the least. But let me now tackle this from another angle.
The reason why we must go to Africa is that those in Africa especially places like Liberia where I have been are a people without a voice. There is no one who is helping them. They have no medical clinics that you can walk in to. They do not receive food stamps or medicaid or any other government help or handout. The dying baby in Africa has no one. To say it again they have no voice in this World. Here in the U.S. we have a voice. And if we do not have one it is usually because we have burned that bridge on our own doing. Now please do not attack me just yet. There are those in our own culture who do not have a voice, but not in the numbers we see in places like Africa.
So why am I writing this piece. What has possessed me to speak up after being silent for so long on this blog. Well here is the answer.
I have been to Africa on 4 different visits but on my last visit God tugged at my heart and wanted me to see things that brought me to tears. He wanted me to see myriads of sick people who are harassed and helpless like a sheep without a shepherd. He wanted me to see dying babies who have no hope without quick intervention. He wanted me to see water that was so contaminated that it was literally killing a whole country. He wanted me to see people who felt like the World had forgotten them. Liberia is not the only forgotten place in the World but it is the one that God has sent me to. It is the place where God has called me to be a voice for the voiceless.
So I end this little thought not with a condemnation but with a plea. My plea is simply this. Will anyone join with me as I seek to be a voice for the voiceless? Is their a doctor who would give of himself for two weeks out of this year to go and provide medical help for the sick of Liberia? Are their people who will help me to find ways to bring fresh water to Liberia? Is their one who would provide the funds needed to finish a building that is going to be used as a school and medical clinic and a church? Please will someone help do something before it is too late.
It may sound like I am desperate. I am. But I believe like Esther we have been called for such a time as this. We can change the communities we live in and we can make a difference in other places as well. Please feel free to share ideas and thoughts with me and if you feel bold enough I will even take you to Africa so you can really make an impact on the Kingdom.
Pray For Liberia
I remember the first time I flew to Liberia Africa. I was amazed by the love of the people but astounded by the poverty. Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the World. It has been ravaged by 15 year civil war that ended just several years ago. Inflation an unemployment is high. Sometimes I wonder what can be done to help a nation like this. Than I am reminded that we can pray. If you are reading this and looking for something you can pray for would you pray for these things which I have listed below.
Pray for:
1 The message of Jesus Christ to penetrate the lives of the people of Liberia.(Even though many Liberians would call themselves I have learned from first hand experience that their Christianity is mixed with all kinds of tribal garbage that continues to keep them in bondage to Satan.
2 The Liberians need teachers of the word who would be willing to train nationals. The nationals who are completely sold out to Jesus and his word are few. They need more who are willing to partner with them.
3 Good clean drinking water. Jesus said when we give a cup of water in his name that we do it as if giving it to Jesus. Not only do the people of this country need water but they need clean water. You and I are so used to drinking good water that we do not even think about how it keeps us from getting sick. Yet many of the Liberians drink water that literally is killing them prematurely. They need filters and ways to clean their water.
4 Reconciliation is such a huge thing for the people of this small West African nation. They have killed one another for many years. Right now there are attempts to reconcile the different groups. It is a hard task because many have a hard time forgiving those who have killed their family members. This is why Jesus is so desperately needed in this African country. Only he can heal.
5 Pray for Tom, Jon, and myself(david) as we will be going to Liberia in February of 2008. We are going to do some preparation work for a team that will be going the following year. While we are their we will be training some locals how to operate a portable saw mill which has been donated by a church. We also will be assessing what we can do to help in their spiritual and physical needs. Finally pray for our group that we can raise the resources necessary for this trip.
God is so good. “Lord I want to thank you and praise you that you have not forgotten your people in Africa. Sometimes World events look to more popular places but you have loved all of us. Lord be fore we help anyone help us to be completely surrendered to you. Thank you Jesus that you died for me and gave me life I love you so much. your servant dave”
Here is a link of a recent trip to Africa Liberia Mission Trip 07
