Fall 2014, Vol. 2, Issue 5

Fall 2014
Volume Two | Issue
1 Five
Ministries in Africa
Missionaries | Go and Tell
Villages of HOPE | Mwangaza Choir
Kipepeo Project | Nursing
StikYard Drum Group
Seeks God in Growth
GirlDefined:
Sisters Relaunch Blog
1 Year
Anniversary
Issue
Creed of Gold:
God Behind the Scenes
Faith Family Clinic
Serves Texas Families
2
TOC
In this issue...
Feature: Ministries in Africa
15
Word
A missionary helping in a pregnancy care center,
digging wells and building self-sustaining communities, sharing the Gospel, encouraging and providing
for orphanages--how God is working through several ministries in Africa.
Sisters relaunch blog for girls and
women.
Heroic Media spreads awareness
and statistics in the pro-life movement.
Testify
7
Recent high school graduate, Roxanne Hanna,
shares about her experience in Uganda and the
calling she feels God has given her.
Jams
10
4
Southbound Fearing shares about their beginnings.
Stikyard follows God’s leading for the future.
Youngsters
31
Faith Family Clinic provides medical
care for families in Jesus’ name.
Flip to Grateful Acres for a delightful lesson and
coloring sheet for the kids, straight from the farm
and real life from Andy and Miss Kay.
Cover photo courtesty
of Villages of HOPE
Africa
5
33
Info
3
From the editor...
A Difficult Question to Answer
God posed a difficult question to me tonight: If no one read
Embolden, if no one volunteered, would I still be willing to
continue this ministry He has given me in faith?
It was a question that resulted from talking to my husband
about my expectations and discouragements. With the expected arrival of our first child in September, I contemplated not
having a winter issue, and instead taking some time off. My
husband and I prayed over this decision. After struggling to
get this issue together I was ready for a break regardless of the
fact that God revealed the winter cover to my husband (which
he has never done before) and regardless of the fact that I’m
pretty sure I heard ‘no’ when I asked for it.
So this question from the Lord may seem strange. Why
would someone continue publishing a magazine if no one is
reading it? Why would I continue to give my time, energy and
skills to a ministry that appears to be stagnant, going nowhere?
My husband reminded me of some facts we learned at youth
summer camp in June about a very common man and account
in Scripture. I must give credit to Afshin Ziafat for this, and
you should check him out, he is a great man of God with a
wonderful ministry.
Noah. He built a big ship. We read about God telling him
that this new thing called rain was coming and that it would
flood the whole earth with water. As Noah, in great faith, built
the ark his neighbors and friends thought he was crazy. I can
imagine they told him too. I can imagine the humiliation and
persecution Noah endured as he spent his resources and time
building this huge ark, all the while expecting water to fall
from the sky for the first time in history.
Did you know that Noah spent 100 years building the ark?
One hundred years.
One hundred years Noah took the brunt of his peers’ attack.
For 100 years Noah continued to build, in faith that God would
do what He said He would. For 100 years Noah continued a
ministry to his family, not only building an ark, but also building faith.
I’m going to be honest. I would have given up. I think I
would have anyway. Here I am struggling after just a year and
a half. I can’t imagine 100 years.
But this account gives me hope. This account reminds me of
truth. This account encourages me.
Maybe all this is for one ministry, one person, one missionary
or one reader. And that would be totally and completely OK
with me. Maybe Embolden never circulates past Texas or San
Antonio. That’s OK, as long as that is God’s perfect plan.
One thing is clear: my timing is not God’s. That’s OK too,
because the truth is that God’s timing is better, perfect and significant. Who knows why God waited 100 years to send the
floods. Maybe Noah’s family needed faith. Maybe it was all
about Noah’s faith. Maybe it was to encourage believers in
their faith throughout time as it does for me now. Regardless
of the reason, I know it was perfect.
So I’m here to say, keep building your ark. I don’t know
what it is, maybe you don’t quite yet know either. Maybe it is
witnessing to co-workers or families. Maybe it is beginning
a ministry or non-profit. Maybe it is something so crazy you
fear what others will think. Maybe it doesn’t make sense, but
you know God is asking you do it. Build it. Build your ark and
build your faith. Build the faith of those around you, watching
you obey the Lord.
There is an excitement when a believer hears of people being saved, healed and delivered. There is a passion that passes
from testimony-sharer to listener, a fire is ignited or reignited, power is transferred from Spirit to heart. I feel this every
time I interview someone for an article. I feel this every time I
proofread what my volunteers have written. It is near the end
of a long two months as I read through it all that I realize God
is big, God is at work and I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
I hope and I pray that we have readers who are blessed and
ignited. I hope and I pray that these testimonies reach those
God wants them to reach. I hope and I pray that when you are
discouraged in your ministry, whether a full time one or as a
disciple of Christ at work, school or the grocery store, you will
find His encouragement.
As always, Embolden is available to you the missionary,
to you the individual believer, to you the church, the pastor,
the teenager, the grandmother. Use our blog, use our pages,
use our Facebook to encourage and embolden the faith of the
church all around the world!
To send in your testimony, e-mail testify@emboldenzine.com.
In His glorious name,
April Lynn Newell
april@emboldenzine.com
Speaking of Noah’s Ark, check out the story on the
blog for more about a modern day
Ark in the Netherlands.
4
Word
Word
Heroic Media
5
Company Creates Awareness for Pro-Life
By Teresa Hall
Sisters Relaunch Blog for Girls
By Kristen Clark
We are a pair of sisters from the southern state
of Texas who are passionate about spreading
God’s truth. Being less than 2 years apart in
age, we have been best friends our entire lives.
As we grew older, our family grew larger in
number and we grew taller in height.
We truly are the land of the giants, with eight
out of the ten family members measuring over
six feet tall. Our parents are first generation
Christians and have done an amazing job of
teaching us God’s truth.
Once we hit adulthood, we both came to
the realization that being a girl in this modern
world can be a really confusing thing. Most
girls, even Christian girls, have no idea why
they were created, what their purpose is, what
it means to be a wife and mother, and the value
of sexual purity.
As a result, we felt called to launch a ministry geared toward encouraging young Christian women in all
of these areas. The name of our ministry is GirlDefined and
we are passionate about fighting feminism, embracing gender
distinctions and empowering girls to live out their God-defined
purpose.
We do this through publishing biblically grounded articles,
speaking at young women’s events and encouraging girls
through one-on-one mentoring relationships.
We originally launched the ministry in 2010, but recently
relaunched it with a new vision in the spring of 2014. Once relaunched, we quickly saw God at work in the lives of hundreds
of young women as they responded to our message. We receive
many e-mails each week from girls, moms, dads and even pastors expressing how needed this message is for young Christian
women.
Many churches, including several in Brazil, have reached out
to us about partnering to do conferences, retreats and ministry
events.
Our journey has not always been easy as we have faced opposition from groups who fiercely disagree with our message.
Many women who claim to be feminists, atheists, homosexuals,
etc. have made contact with us through our website expressing
how angry they are about our message. Our goal is to respond
in truth and love.
Our prayer is that God’s truth about biblical womanhood
would shine through and change the hearts of everyone we
meet. Regardless of a person’s background, we know God’s
Word has the power to change lives.
If you would like to help spread the message of GirlDefined
Ministries, please share our website information with the young
women you know. If you would like to partner with us for an
event, we would love to come speak at your church or girl’s
group. Please visit our website at: www.girldefined.com for
more info.
Prayer is the most powerful way to spread God’s truth, so
please pray for the hearts of young women around the world to
be turned back to God’s design for their lives.
Visit GirlDefined for more from Kristen and her sister, Bethany. Or
visit their Facebook page.
In a day and age where the voice of
abortion is everywhere and women are
taught to do what “feels right” to them,
the Lord is raising up men and women
with compassionate hearts to show a different way – a higher and better way.
Heroic Media, a nonprofit organization
reaching out to mothers with unplanned
pregnancies, uses the power of media to
build a culture of life. With
their national headquarters in
Austin, Texas, Heroic Media
spans across 15 states and
Latin America.
God is a God of hope – there
is no situation too desperate
for Him to intervene in and
create something beautiful.
Where there is life, there is
hope, and Heroic Media exists to broadcast that hope
to soon-to-be mothers struggling with fear and despair
and connect those mothers
to others in their community
who can help and encourage
them. Marissa Cope, Heroic
Media’s Director of Marketing, Research
and Communications, shared with Embolden how this vision is carried out.
decade.
Heroic Media brought that concept of
pro-life media to Austin, Texas and conducted a test, running research-based media including billboards, television and
radio commercials as well as Internet
advertising. Over a 4-year period from
2004-2008, Heroic Media ran $2 million
worth of media advertising in Austin,
Texas and over that same period, the state
of Texas reported a 20 percent decrease
kingdom-focused work is completely dependent upon God and His power.
It could easily be a daunting mission to
reach so many women in need, especially when we are competing with such
strong voices from a culture that does not
value life or offer hope in the midst of
an unplanned pregnancy. I love seeing
how God uses our work at Heroic Media to reach women who often feel alone
and afraid and connect them with loving, life-affirming resources.
Through our Internet advertising campaigns, women often
contact local pregnancy centers
directly through our helpline
websites. I get to see firsthand
the process of a woman searching for help, reaching out to a
center in a time of great need,
and being served and loved by
the pregnancy center staff. I’m
grateful to get to see God at
work so clearly in the lives of
women and families every day!
What could be a sad reminder
of the hurt in so many peoples’
lives is instead a view of God
working clearly to bring hope
and healing.
What could be a sad
reminder of the hurt in so
many peoples’ lives is
instead a view of God
working clearly to bring
hope and healing.
“
Embolden: When was Heroic Media
started and for what purpose/mission?
Cope: Heroic Media was founded as a
faith-based nonprofit in 2004, with the
aim to use media advertising to reach
women with life-affirming messages and
connect them directly with local pregnancy resource centers to receive help.
Our founder, Brian Follett, had seen
the impact of prolife media in Wisconsin,
where our partners have consistently run
over $500,000 worth of pro-life media
each year and the abortion rate there has
been on a steady decline for more than a
in abortion in Austin.
”
E: What is your main goal in working
for HM?
C: My goal in working at Heroic Media
is to use the gifts and experience God has
given me to glorify Him. It’s a privilege
for me to see how God is using my professional experience as well as my unique
life experience as a child of adoption in
my work. It’s humbling to know that He’s
called me to this particular ministry and
prepared good works in advance for me
to do.
E: How have you experienced God as
you have worked with HM?
C: I am constantly reminded that all
E: How can the church and individuals
get involved?
C: We need partners in prayer and in financial support. We have ongoing prayer
needs for wisdom in using the resources
God provides for us, as well as for opportunities to partner with more local
pregnancy centers. Individuals can help
us by hosting small events to introduce
friends and family to our mission so that
they might support us in prayer and with
financial support. Every gift enables us to
serve more women who might be considering abortion by connecting them with
cont. on page 6
6
life-affirming alternatives.
E: How can the church better support
HM?
C: Join us in prayer - “like” us on Facebook to keep updated on prayer needs
and consider financially supporting Heroic Media’s life-saving work.
E: Is there anything else you would like
to share?
C: We focus on three things that really
embody our mission - Research, Partnership and Measurement. Research: We
seek to produce and place media messages that speak to women in crisis and invite
them to call a local pregnancy medical
clinic. That means our messages need to
speak to the actual needs and emotions a
woman facing an unexpected pregnancy
Word
is experiencing. We conduct focus groups
and other research to test messages.
Partnership: We seek to partner with local
pregnancy centers and organizations that
are life affirming, loving and professional.
Measurement: We constantly measure the
direct response to all media campaigns in
order to track the number of contacts to a
pregnancy center in response to our campaigns.
So we use unique phone numbers and
web addresses on each type of media
within a campaign to measure responses
and track which types of ads are most effective in a particular area.
We do all of this because we are committed to working with excellence in all we
do, for the glory of God.
For more information or to get involved
with Heroic Media, you can visit their
website. Also, “like” their Facebook
page to be updated on prayer requests
and success stories!
Testify
Testify! Roxanne Hanna
7
Developing a Heart for Missions and Uganda
My trips to Uganda, Africa have had a big impact on my life
as a growing teenager in America. We as Americans are so very
blessed to have running water, shelter and food on the table. We
have the advantage of using resources, such as education, to
help build ourselves into successful individuals if we have the
interest to do so.
On both my trips to Uganda, it was as if God was telling
me to wake up and see how blessed I am with all that I have
back in America. Uganda’s people don’t have a lot, but I will
say this—I love the people there very much. We visited children from several schools and villages, and also a boy’s home
founded by an organization called African Hearts, and all of the
people were very upbeat and friendly.
Just walking down the streets of Kampala, I found people
were welcoming and kind. In America, I can walk through a
park, grocery store or mall and everyone is so caught up in materialism. But in Uganda, most people value meeting new people, talking about interesting topics and seem thirsty for knowledge and individuality. To see so many people thirsting after the
same things was so wonderful and was one of the main reasons
I fell so deeply in love with the people.
My first trip to Uganda, in 2012, I went with a team from
my home church in Boerne, Texas. A woman of God, Christina
McAllen, had been to Uganda with her daughter, Taylor, and
son, Justin, several times before and felt called by God to lead
a mission trip to Uganda that July. I’ve always wanted to do
something with missions work. To have an opportunity to go
overseas was very exciting and not something that comes along
very often.
I asked for my mother’s advice and help on the topic of going
to Uganda. At first she let me know how nervous she would
be if I were to go and the dangers that come with traveling to
foreign countries. But her concerns just made me more excited
about going to Uganda.
My mother and I agreed that the right thing to do was to pray
about it before making a final decision. The answer became a
‘yes’ in about a week and I was so thrilled and excited to be
going. My main struggle in preparing for the trip was financial,
but my mother and I worked very hard to earn the money I
needed to go. Time was not on our side, but God came through
and blessed me with all of the money.
I was set to go to Uganda for the first time in my life that
July of 2012. It turned out to be the best and most wonderful
experience that has ever happened to me. God was leading my
heart to reach out to the children and to give them hope. This
is exactly what I felt I did. Returning home was definitely the
hardest part. Heading home, I cried the whole first eight-hour
flight. I knew that leaving would be hard, but I believed that
God was telling me Uganda is where I belong, and that I would
come back again.
I did return to Uganda that next summer, in 2013, and I look
forward to hopefully returning in the summer of 2015.
To other teens who are interested in the mission field—don’t
be scared. God has plans for you and if you don’t know where
to go yet, pray about it. My preacher, Pastor Jeremy, always
says the mission field is right outside the front doors and walls
of our church. So who knows, maybe God is calling you to
reach out and help people in your own country?
Missions are exciting, adventurous and full of beautiful experiences that will be treasured for the rest of your life. Be open
and aware of the opportunities God puts around you. Pray and
let God lead you to the places He has in store for you. He will
give you the desire to reach out and give people more of yourself. Telling people about Christ is a wonderful thing, so don’t
be afraid—God will help you—financially and emotionally.
Your part is to just work hard and pray about it.
I look forward to returning to Uganda soon and hope to live
there one day to continue serving the people there. My church
was such a blessing, sending up prayers and helping with our
fund raisers, showing pictures to the church and giving them
updates throughout our time in Uganda. Our team couldn’t have
done it without them, and we are very thankful for their support.
I’m also thankful I am able to share my heart for Uganda, and I
can’t wait to one day return!
8
Flicks
Flicks
9
Creed of Gold: How God Worked Behind the Scenes
By Penne Jaster
An economic thriller of power players manipulating the market and free trade that side-swipes prosperity in the name of entitlement, new film Creed of Gold asks the questions, “Is there
a group at the top of the economic markets or government that
is manipulating the financial world,” “Do we need more transparency in the Federal Reserve,” and “Who, truly, controls the
money supply?”
Born out of a historical reflection of a meltdown on Wall
Street and the foreign economic collapse in the former Soviet
Union, Crystal Creek Media presents a film that asks riveting
questions about transparency in the banking industry and government policy.
Do we have the transparency and accountability in our economy that promotes success in the free market? Or does it reward
those who can use their financial power to manipulate it into
personal gain? What becomes of a society whose economy
is based on entitlement? What is the end result of the lack of
motivation to work hard for a living? Does the government
have an adequate system of accountability to maintain a true
free market? Is there place for and value in absolute truth? And
what is the cost to the individual who stands up for what is
right?
Father-son duo, Mark and Daniel Knudsen, have produced a
full feature-length film to honor and glorify God. Each scene
began with prayer as they directed the cast and crew. A menagerie of registered historical landmarks and over 100 people,
primarily college students, participated in this production to
bring together a work of history and art that asks core societal
questions.
Visual effects specialist, Gabriel Everson, describes the film
as taking in “all the different arts and bringing them all together
for one comprehensive experience.”
The experience in making Creed of Gold was described by
cast and crew as a life-changing, hard but worthy endeavor.
The number and diversity of the cast and crew are testimonies
of how God moved them into participating in this film.
Lorraine Knox, actress, recalls, “The variety and efficiency
in which the cast and crew worked together was an amazing
experience.”
Mark A. Knudsen, executive producer, describes, “One thing
in life that involves teamwork more than anything else is making a feature length film.”
Director Daniel Knudsen, describes the process as, “capture[ing] simple, complex, beautiful moments all together.”
The resounding sound of a scene well done was his “Cut,
Print, Perfect!” The cast describes the experience as encouraging and uplifting.
“Making a film is like running a marathon,” Daniel Knudsen
says. “It is a very intense race but there is also a long distance
traveled. The relationships that are built and memories made
are there for a long time afterwards.”
Daniel Knudsen expresses the theme woven through Creed of
Gold in quoting G.K. Chesterton, “Fairytales do not just teach
us that dragons are real but that dragons can be defeated.”
The film challenges the viewer to summon the moral courage
to overcome the walls that are in their society and government
with a theme encouraging viewers to fight for what is right, no
matter what sphere they are in.
“There is real value in truth; it makes us stronger and better as
people,” says one crew member.
Creed of Gold is centered on the need for absolute standards
and absolute truths. In the war against success and God, do you
have the courage to fight?
Creed of Gold released in limited theaters on Aug. 1, 2014 and
to DVD on Aug. 12, 2014.
Opposite page: Shooting scenes in the studio. Above: Ellen Lawrence
during a scene. Above right: Director Daniel Knudsen and actor Jason
McCray. Right: Actor Taylor Lindsey.
For more information visit Creed of Gold on Facebook and Twitter.
10
Jams
Southbound Fearing
11
Jams
Q&A
One Church’s Christmas Program
Becomes Full Show by God’s Will
By Leanna Foreman
It is hard to find good Christian rock. Either the rockers do not
sound great, or they are afraid to utter the name of Jesus. Southbound Fearing is not one of those bands. With songs titled after
Scripture verses and deep, lyrical roots, they deliver heartfelt
truths to which we can all relate. We sat down with their lead
singer, Brady Leonard, to find out a little more about the group
and how they got where they are.
Embolden: Who is in the band, and what are their roles?
Brady Leonard: I’m Brady Leonard, and I sing and play guitar.
On lead guitar, we’ve got Eric Ade; on drums, we’ve got “The
Baller” Nathan Ball, and on bass we have Nelson Wheatley.
E: When and how did you come together?
BL: I started the band in early 2006 when I was still in high
school; started off playing shows on the weekends, and before
we knew it, we were traveling all around, recording records,
signing contracts, the whole nine yards.
E: Where is the group from?
BL: Toledo, OH.
E: How did you see God working as you began as a band?
BL: I started the band when I was 17, so I literally grew up in
this band. God was always using the band to teach me and help
me grow as a person.
E: Do you write your own music? Where do you draw inspiration or how do you choose songs?
BL: Yes. We write about everything, the good and bad in life,
not just the church-friendly stuff.
E: How have you seen God work through you recently?
BL: We have people come up to us a lot at shows and tell us
how our lyrics helped them through a tough time; that means
the world to us.
E: What advice would you give someone trying to make it
in music ministry?
BL: Work hard...seriously work hard. There are 24 hours in a
day and if you seriously want to succeed, you better be using
every one of them. Work your hands to the bone, and never ask
for a handout.
Clearly, hard work is not something Southbound Fearing has
shied away from. They have three completed albums and are
going on tour this fall. On May 27, they released their third
album, “Undefeated,” available on iTunes. If you are interested
in tour dates or learning more, check out Southbound Fearing
online and Facebook.
By April Lynn Newell
The way God decides to begin a ministry often uniquely points to His glory
and what only He can do. In 2001, when
Mark Miller, house drummer of Grace
Church in St. Louis, Missouri, was asked
to create an original 12-minute Christmas
performance of “Little Drummer Boy” he
had no idea just what God had in store.
Within five years, StikYard was born
and standing alone as a show and ministry under Mark, and the divine purposes
of God.
“It kind of organically started at Grace
Church in St. Louis. Each year the drums
would take a larger portion of the service
until 2009 when it became a full-fledged
show,” says Mark.
By 2011, the show had grown to 30,000
audience members. Mark, now director of the show, explains that if it were
not for the support of his church during
those beginning years, and even up to this
point, StikYard would not be what it is
today.
“God certainly used the support of the
church to be able to do this. I’d never
be able to creatively develop and do the
concepts without them,” Mark says. “He
certainly used the church to support us
and the wisdom of the people who were
there.”
Before StikYard began traveling, performances at Grace Church were more
like outreach events drawing in friends of
members and even ministering to longtime believers.
“What is really cool about the show
is that not only can you bring your unchurched friends but we have lifelong
Christians say, ‘This moved us in a way
that nothing has for a long time’,” recalls
Sharon Reilly, assistant to the director.
Not only have Mark and Sharon heard
numerous testimonies about how StikYard has worked in the lives of audience
members, but they have even experienced God working in themselves and in
the drummers.
“I was unmoved by things as well, as
a musician,” Mark says. “I tried to come
up with a program for what would inspire
me and it just kept developing. [StikYard]
is always evolving. I feel like we’re taking one step at a time, what God shows
us next.”
Sharon explains that what she sees in
StikYard are a number of talented young
men able to use their gifts outside the
church body.
“StikYard is also a story about how
God uses it, not just in the audience, but
also how He uses it in the lives of those
who are involved in it,” Sharon explains.
“In 2001, it was really a handful of people who were using their gifting. Every
year we’ve done the show, more people
have fallen into place in terms of using their gifting to help. Like for me, I
work behind the scenes which is so my
niche. Now we’ve got a drum builder in
his niche building these fantastic custom-made drums.”
cont. on page 12
12
Over the years StikYard has
matured into more than a performance and into a customizable show for churches and
even corporations. With unique
equipment like water drums and
the ability to adapt each show to
accommodate local church volunteers, StikYard provides an
experience unlike a normal concert. Even the performers themselves are unique.
“It is a small mold, you don’t
find many drummers that fit it.
You’ve got to come out of yourself,” Mark explains. “I would
say that singers are one brand
of personality and drummers are
another. It’s almost like we are
expected to be something else
and engaging the audience. Plus it takes
a lot of physical know-how to pull off the
choreography.”
God has worked through social media
and modern technology to grow StikYard
to what it is today—a newly stand-alone
show that Mark never saw coming, but
is blessed to be a part of and continue to
see grow.
Jams
“I’m seeing God work within StikYard
and taking it to another level, prepping
us to be able to be on tour, whether it is
maturing the infrastructure or myself to
figure out how to take it out to more people,” Mark says.
Sharon and Mark are both grateful for
and humbled by the support of Grace
Church over the years which has enabled
StikYard to be what it is today—
bigger than they foresaw and
growing still by God’s will.
Although a performance drum
group, StikYard is definitely a
ministry and Mark and his crew
seek the Lord in each step they
take. They have been offered
spots in renowned tours like
WinterJam, but, because of their
intricate set up and theatrical
necessities, have been unable to
figure out how to accommodate
for big tours.
“I’m praying to understand the
infrastructure and how it should
look in order to take the show
out, whether that’s going to be
tour or theater, praying for the
right contacts and for wisdom,”
Mark says.
To help further the ministry of StikYard,
contact Mark Miller at markmiller@StikYard.com to find out how you can partner
with this fascinating and unique ministry.
You can find videos of StikYard on YouTube and Facebook. Purchase DVDs of
live performances on their website.
Above: Mark Miller, director of Stikyard. Below: Stikyard crew performs.
Reads
The Infinite Gospel
13
By Greg Leininger
Truth versus lies—this is the greatest battle in the universe.
There are two main players in this war: God of the universe,
who is truth, and Satan, the father of lies. The battleground is
not up in Heaven or out in the distant cosmos. The battle is in
our mind. And the battle is for our mind. This is not a battle of
people, but a battle of ideas, thoughts and beliefs. Because what
we believe determines how we think and feel. How we think
and feel determines how we behave and make decisions. Ultimately, our beliefs and decisions have unavoidable consequences with eternal implications. So, the many deadly schemes and
deceptions of Satan war against the singular, life-giving truth of
God over our mind towards an end that leads to infinite death
or infinite life.
There is so much at stake!
Because lies are always changing and adapting, there are a lot
of ideas in the world about who God is, who we are, why we
exist, and how we are to behave. We must understand that every
idea outside of God’s absolute, unchanging truth is a destructive
lie. The truth always matters, because there is always a consequence for missing its mark. The truth lights up the answers for
life, bringing us the understanding and wisdom that fully equip
us for a joy-filled eternal life, starting where we are, here and
now.
If you pay attention to it, you can see this battle play itself
out in your own life and in the world all around you. If you
really consider the source of brokenness in our society, you can
clearly see the source of this devastation is belief in lies—many
compounding lies. On the other hand, the reason for those who
have abundant life is knowledge and obedience to the truth.
Truth has one path, and it leads to life. Lies can take us all over
the place—anywhere off the path of truth in any direction—and
they always rob us of the life of God. Satan’s purpose is to steal,
kill and destroy. He accomplishes his mission not by taking our
possessions or killing our flesh, but through cunning deception,
distracting us with false enticements, blurring the truth as much
as he can. He’s going for our eternal mind, not our temporal
body and belongings. We battle against these lies by standing
firm in the truth.
The core message of God’s amazing truth is the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. It is the most powerful message in the world. It is
the most important message to get right. The consequence of
receiving or rejecting this essential message is infinite life or
infinite death. So ask yourself, what is your understanding of
the Gospel? Really, what is the Gospel? Is it just that simple and
familiar story of the path to salvation? Something you mastered
long ago in Sunday School—already figured out?
Or is it something that always blows you away with its
mind-numbing infinite nature—its life-giving, life-directing
and illuminating knowledge and instruction? Is it the heart of
your attitude and decision making in everyday life, guiding and
directing where you go with your thoughts and behavior?
See, God is a God of infinite knowledge. And every bit of that
knowledge that we need for our lives is available and freely
accessible to us through His written word (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
I’ll tell you I am a man of very limited knowledge—just a micro
seed of understanding. Oh, but I’m glad to be in my position,
even knowing that my knowledge is limited. Yes, I sure couldn’t
get very far without knowing the truth of where I am. It’s the
fool who believes he has it all figured out as he wanders in a sea
cont. on page 14
14
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Feature
Two Worlds Embrace
15
Nursing and Medical Missions in Africa
By Penne Jaster
Author, Greg Leininger, with his wife, Kristin.
of lies. Before you can start growing into the infinite truth, you
have to know where you are. You need that “You Are Here” dot
on the map to properly orient yourself and head the right way.
As you read the Bible, ask many, many questions before the
God of infinite knowledge. Get the true meaning of the text.
Consider its implications in your life. Let your mind delight in
the treasure you have found in God’s Word. There is so much to
explore and discover! The more you grow, the more you develop an insatiable appetite for wisdom and knowledge. The Bible
is a portal to the one true perspective that completely contrasts
the views of this world and our own inclinations. It’s fascinating!
To diagnose our brokenness, we have to identify the lies that
brought us to that situation. We have to dig into the truth of God
in His written word and ask ourselves, “What lies am I believing right now that have led me here?” Let the truth expose and
destroy those lies. This is the heart of biblical counseling. The
more you know the truth, the easier it becomes to identify the
lies and correct the problem by aligning yourself with the truth.
Yes, we grow in life by learning and obeying the truth. Jesus
said it plainly when He said to the Father, “Sanctify them by the
truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17 ESV).
For this purpose, I have written a short book titled, The Infinite
Gospel: A Foundational Primer to the Truth. It was written
from the conviction that the Gospel has been tragically neglected in our lives as we, the church, are increasingly susceptible to
the lies this world has bought into, rather than focusing steadfastly on the Word of God—the source of His abundant life in
which we are invited to partake. The consequences are self-evident. The Infinite Gospel uses the power of God’s Word through
the heavy use of Scripture in footnotes to bring the light of the
knowledge of the fundamental truths of life. It is a thorough,
yet concise Gospel presentation in book format; far more substantial than a tract, yet still accessible and easy to understand.
Let The Infinite Gospel reframe your perspective of God and
man. Reset the foundation of your worldview on the core truths
of the Word of God. Discover the power that the Gospel offers
you every day to bring you life and bring it more abundantly!
The relevance of the Gospel in your mind determines how powerful it is in your life. To the degree you believe it, you will live
it. The Gospel then becomes an increasingly greater treasure in
your life, as you cling to and grow into its infinite truth. Read
and think. Search for wisdom. Share the Gospel. Share The Infinite Gospel.
The Infinite Gospel is available at LifeWay.com, Amazon.com,
Barnesandnoble.com and many other booksellers. For more information visit The Infinite Gospel website and Facebook.
Rhonda King recalls her plea to God
during a very difficult time when her life
was full of strain and sadness.
“Lord, whatever it is that You need from
me, you have my attention! You show me
and I will go,” Rhonda repeats.
Years ago, her heart heard His very call
to “go.” She was as certain as the sun
was light. Her spirit longed to see the
time when “go” transformed from calling
to action.
Oceans away, a similar cry was heard
in a language the Sovereign One knew
intimately. Someone needed to hear the
Gospel, someone needed medical care,
and someone needed dental work.
They all needed hope.
“Then I heard the
voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I
send, and who will go
for Us?’” (Isaiah 6:8).
Simultaneously, God,
in His great wisdom,
began to stir hearts in
Ethiopia and Texas. He
would begin the journey to bring them faceto-face.
Rhonda King, a paramedic/firefighter for
20 years, was disabled
from the work that she
loved. Her back injured, her family fractured, and material
provisions evaporating
like the morning dew,
she cried out to God.
Little did she know
that this place of desolation would be her
meeting place with the
enormous God of mercy.
“I knew changes were coming. Once I
was stripped of everything that had been
first in my life, my eyes were opened to
what the Word says, ‘Thou shall have
no graven images before me.’ All of this
stuff [money, material items] was my
graven images. Image was more important to me than Jesus. Jesus, who suffered
and sacrificed EVERYTHING,” Rhonda
confesses.
Her journey toward Him had just begun. God, rich in mercy and love, drew
Rhonda and her husband, Barry, to Texas.
God’s provision kept Barry in work and
provided for their needs through family and acquaintances. When she saw a
television show about missions, God began to tug on Rhonda’s heart to consider
serving on a mission trip. Haiti seemed
a place to start, and encouragement from
a sister in Christ affirmed God’s call to
serve on the mission field somewhere.
Haiti remained on her heart, but as
Rhonda submitted to the leadership of
God, He began to bring Ethiopia to her
mind.
Ethiopia, however, was not a logical decision. It was more expensive, especially
on Rhonda’s tight budget.
But He spoke, “Rhonda, you are going to Ethiopia.” God confirmed His
request to her in several ways, including
complete financing for the trip across the
world. Rhonda had committed to serving
God where He asked her to go.
Meanwhile, Marisa Barber, a nurse of
nine years, passionate about helping people, still wondered when it would be time
to complete her calling
of five years earlier to
go on a mission trip to
Africa. God had blessed her family with
three children, and for
the first time in years,
she was neither pregnant nor breastfeeding.
She and her husband,
Nate, lifted her request
to God about the opportunity for Marisa to
serve in Africa.
In less than a week,
an
announcement
called forth from the
pulpit at her church: A
medical mission trip to
Ethiopia!
Marisa’s eyes filled
with tears!
“A mission trip to
Ethiopia! I was in
shock, there were tears
and I knew this was
cont. on page 16
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God's answer to my prayers!” Marisa remembers. “It was Africa AND it was for medical missions! I would get to use my RN
training! My husband was very supportive and ready to take
time off work while I was away to care for our kids and continue homeschooling our new kindergartener while I was away.
God raised all funds for the trip very quickly.”
The time came to draw these two servants together with others to minister in Ethiopia. Two worlds would embrace through
Crossway International. Marisa and Rhonda prepared with a
team for weeks to meet the unknown.
Many questions were still unanswered even once they arrived. Even the placement of the clinics and who would be
working in them were fluid until God placed them.
Marisa was able to use her RN skills in two medical clinics
for children—one in Addis Ababa (the capital city of Ethiopia) and another in Meki (a small town about 130 kilometers
south of Addis). They worked with Melaku, a native Ethiopian
missionary of Crossway Ministries, his family and his church
while there. The missionaries were able to provide medical
care to hundreds of people that would otherwise have had none.
Rhonda, who volunteered to serve in any capacity, found
herself serving as a dental assistant.
“I knew that the Lord was in control, and my time with the
dentist, Dr. Aboush, was amazing,” Rhonda recalls. “I watched
this gentle man tell the Gospel to every single patient who
walked through our door. His mannerism, his charm, his passion about the Christ who has prepared a place for us all, was
more than I could take at times. It brought tears to my eyes
many times to see this man of God on his knees, sharing the
love of Christ time and time again, for hours each day to over
40 patients a day.”
Rhonda and Marisa’s willingness to serve God in a foreign
country touched hundreds of lives in Ethiopia. God used their
faith journeys to share the good news of the Gospel of Christ
with individuals in their clinics thousands of miles from home.
The church can reach out and impact the people of Ethiopia
by praying. Physically, there is very little clean water in Ethiopia and most standing water contains raw sewage. Spiritually,
there is a great need for Jesus—many of the individuals are
Muslim and under harsh government control.
“The church can pray for workers, both native Ethiopians and
those who can go there on long or short-term missions!” Marisa explains. “Like many places, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful,
but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest
to send out laborers into His harvest’ (Matthew 9:37-38).
“It is so easy for everyone, myself included, to get caught up
in our busy, comfortable, ‘important’ lives here and forget that
we are a very rich nation, full of resources and opportunities
that most people know nothing of. Let's use the resources and
opportunities that God has given us to bring Him glory and to
be a blessing to others, both locally and around the world! Pray Previous page: Rhonda King meets a little girl in Ethiopia. Above top:
for a spiritual awakening in Ethiopia, that all would come to
Teaching children. Above: Marisa Barber hands out goodies.
know Jesus.”
Photos courtesy of Marisa Barber.
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17
> > > Villages of HOPE Africa > > >
Villages of Hope Africa was founded by David and Dana
Mann after following God’s call and serving in Africa since
1992. After years of experience in the African culture, they
knew that they were being called to Northern Uganda. In 2009,
they founded Villages of Hope Africa, a 501(c) (3) non-profit
organization, based out of Gulu, Uganda.
David and Dana were raised in Texas and married in 1983.
They are typical middle class people who worked hard to build
a local homebuilding company in San Antonio, Texas. In 1992,
God led them to commit to follow His call. Within a year of
that prayer, the Manns met a young pastor from Eastern Uganda who was following his own vision, to share the story of his
people in the United States. Through this meeting, their vision
for service changed from provisionary to hands-on service in
Uganda.
Villages of Hope Africa (VOHA) is based on Isaiah 58:612, which has given us a clear vision: to Return, Rebuild, and
Restore the lives of the Acholi people of Gulu—a war-torn,
confused, harsh area in which two decades of Joseph Kony’s
rebel activity had destroyed the people, their land and their
spirits. VOHA exists to honor God by demonstrating love, just
as Christ loves us, to the most vulnerable people of Northern
Uganda. We seek to network with others by providing basic
elements to establish sustainable villages that will reflect a new
hope for the future.
Today, it is humbling to see individual villages restored as
they become self-sustaining. As we walk where God is leading, He has opened the door to many individuals who have the
desire to learn more about Christ and pastor their own villages. VOHA has started pastoral training that includes over 100
pastors in 74 different villages, which represents approximately
30,000 people.
Their spiritual growth has become the foundation, allowing
them to trust and rely on God in all facets of their lives. As
you visit the villages that VOHA partners with, you will see
hope displayed through new crops planted, children educated
and people learning about proper sanitation. We have now completed over 60 water wells, aiding in overall wellness of each
village.
cont. on page 18
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> > > > Villages of HOPE Africa cont. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
Testimony: Recent Team Member
Isaiah 61
I do not believe I will ever be able to articulate how remarkable my time spent in Uganda with VOHA and the Acholi people was. Every moment was saturated with God’s presence,
from the bus rides to once barren desolate villages, to the rice
and bean dinners filled with life and laughter... God was there.
When I was in Africa, there was an unfathomable recurrence
in me that could not keep from sharing the Gospel. I am not sure
if it was the infectious love that the Acholi people displayed or
the urgency I felt because my time there was so short, but I,
along with my team, was determined to make Christ famous.
There is something about being halfway around the world
where I felt so out of my comfort zone yet at peace, that I
stepped out in confidence and spoke of Christ so boldly. The
Acholi people have taken up residence in my heart forever.
-Ashley Jo
Get Involved:
Churches, groups and individuals can be involved with
VOHA in various ways. First and foremost, we need
prayer support. Please pray for the villagers—for restoration that only God can bring to their lives. In addition
to prayer, we welcome your financial gifts. We use these
gifts to equip local villagers to sustain themselves, their
families and the local economy. Supplies are purchased
directly in Uganda, which saves money and supports more
people. In addition, VOHA partners with local leadership
to access where funds are needed most. We encourage you
to contact VOHA to come speak/present a presentation
and share how you can become a voice for the people of
Uganda and possibly go and serve. VOHA feels that it is
an honor to train and lead teams to experience the people
of Gulu, Uganda.
For more information visit VOHA online. For recent updates visit their Facebook page.
Testimony: Our International Team Leader
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you” (John 15:16).
Abandoned. Surrendered. Called. God broke my heart, turned my world upside down and saved my life when He first called me
to Uganda with VOHA in 2011.
Growing up with a heart for missions and having gone on multiple mission trips, I thought I knew what to expect as I traveled
to Africa. I knew that I wouldn’t just be serving the Acholi people in Uganda, but that I too would likely walk away having been
impacted. I just had no clue to what effect.
When my feet touched that orange dirt and I began to meet the Acholi people, it was different than any other trip I had been on,
and to be completely honest, my life has never been and will never be quite the same. I knew without question that I was tired of
the lip service and half-hearted commitment—it was time to completely surrender and fully abandon my life to Christ.
Even after returning home, God was using Uganda to work in and through me, and I began to change. I was ready to follow
wherever and however God called me, but I wasn’t quite sure what this looked like in my life. I turned to God in prayer knowing
that if I listen and trust in the Lord, He will direct my paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). Every ounce of my being desires to live a life that
glorifies God, and I feel so blessed and completely humbled that God called me to serve Him in Uganda as part of VOHA.
Today, I am honored to bring teams to Gulu, to not only experience the place I consider a home and meet the people that I consider family, but to also deepen their relationship with Christ as they see the amazing things that He is doing in the villages of
Uganda. I have learned that there is no greater place to be than to be walking in the will of God. The joyful hearts of the Acholi
people is something that has changed my heart and will always be a part of who I am today.
-Kacie Kripner
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Feature
Mwangaza Children’s Choir
The Fruit of Hope
By Penne Jaster
When is hope first learned? Is it taught?
Or is it experienced? Children remarkably show a resiliency and hope in life.
How is it that they come into contact with
hope in well-to-do and profoundly impoverished cultures? And how does the
one true source of hope, Jesus, reach the
individual grasping for help?
The Mwangaza Children’s Choir is a
vessel of hope for a hurting world. Twenty Ugandan children are chosen from
between 6000-7000 sponsored children
annually to participate in a six-month
tour to the United States and/or United
Kingdom to bring their musical talents
and share the heart of Africa Renewal
Minsitries (ARM).
ARM, the parent ministry of Mwangaza, is a sponsorship and leadership development program out of Uganda. A full
child sponsorship through ARM provides
for children from the time they are born
through college. ARM raises awareness
of the needs in churches, orphanages,
medical clinics and child sponsorship
programs in poverty-stricken Uganda.
The choir is an outreach of the ministry
for fundraising, increasing sponsorships
and sharing God’s work through the ministry.
The Mwangaza Children’s Choir began
in 2004 to increase awareness of the ministries of ARM to the western world. The
choir consists of 20 children ages 8-12
years old who have shown musical talent. The children represent the orphaned
and poverty-stricken youth of Uganda
and are chosen based on talent and leadership capabilities. The choir members
and volunteer leaders are hosted by local
churches for housing, meals and performances. Each child in the choir brings
an inspiring testimony of their life’s exchange with Jesus Christ and awareness
of the resources that are needed. Since its
beginning, ARM has sent out nine different choir tours. Each choir has a majority of newly chosen individuals with the
occasional return of one or two children
from a previous tour.
Neil Clements, current manager of the
choir, first became involved while partic-
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ipating in his “normal” daily business of
landscaping. He was approached by one
of his clients about becoming the manager of the choir and offered the opportunity through an ARM board member.
Clements states that one of the greatest
opportunities that the choir has is to share
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the
most memorable experiences he shared
in a recent interview with Embolden was
from a small church in Houston, Texas. During the service provided by the
Mwangaza Children’s Choir, there was a
Gospel presentation, and over 20 people
exchanged their lives for the life of Christ
in that one evening alone!
The children receive blessings for being
involved in the choir through consistent
meals, shelter, clothing and supervision
in a consistent culturally relevant environment for six months. When the children return from the choir tour, they are
provided with assistance for their families, clothing and reinstated into Ugandan
culture.
Each of the performers brings with them
a story of their culture and their family or
lack thereof. Each of them tells a story
of where they started and being found by
Jesus Christ. Their stories are inspiring.
From children left by tragedy without
parents, children abandoned or working
to bring some sort of financial support to
their family system, these children show
a hope and resiliency as their lives have
intersected with Jesus through ARM.
Their testimonies are profound and joyful. Their music captivating. The concert
is a mix of familiar and patriotic tunes as
well as tremendously energetic and inspiring worship Ugandan-style. The costumes bring the western world into the
colorful world of Ugandan native dress
and expression. The inspiring name of the
choir, Mwangaza (m-whan-GAH-zah), is
a Swahili word for “shining light”. The
contrast of beautifully dark skin, colorful native dress, the light they omit from
their eyes and the music and testimonies brings a moving experience to local
churches who host the touring group.
Ways that individuals and churches can
assist and support the ministry of the
Mwangaza Children’s Choir and Africa
Renewal Ministries are:
• Participate in Child Sponsorship
• Donate financially to the needs of the
Ugandan ministry in equipping churches,
orphanages and medical clinics
• Participate in internships in Uganda to
serve the local communities in their efforts to share the Gospel and provide basic needs to their families
Clements encourages local church
staff members to become more receptive
and open to hosting the choir into their
church. The blessings received by both
the church and the choir are of eternal
value. The reach of the local church extends exponentially through hosting and
sharing with the choir.
Clements shares of one girl’s choice to
help support the choir. She and her family
attended a choir concert and participated
in hosting a leader and a few of the choir
members. Several months after leaving
their home, Clements received testimony
about the young girl. For her sixth birth-
day, she asked to NOT receive any birthday presents for her party. Instead, she
requested her gifts to be money to send
to the Mwangaza Children’s Choir. She
raised over $200 for her celebration in
support of the ministry that impacted her.
Anyone can choose to give in a way that
the Holy Spirit moves them to do so.
Here’s to hope in Jesus in breaking
the cycle of poverty and abuse, in raising young leaders that will help impact
the world for Christ and speak for the
country of Uganda. Here’s to an inspiring
relationship between peoples of multiple
cultures in Africa, the United Kingdom
and the United States of America. Here’s
to hope for our hurting world through the
Gospel-based ministry of Africa Renewal
Ministries and the Mwangaza Children’s
Choir!
For more information visit Mwangaza
online or Facebook.
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The Kipepeo Project
A
s we walked through the blue, rusted gate of the orphanage we saw nothing
but dirt and grime. We heard children laughing and crying. We smelled smoke
mingled with trash and human waste. Then we saw her—a child about 6 years
old. She was grunting, sitting alone on a bench and hitting her head against a
brick wall. As we walked over to her, we could see that her clothes were covered
in filth and excrement and her head had healed scars and open sores that were
bleeding from hitting her head on the wall all day. All she wanted to do was play
with the beach balls we had brought. All she wanted to do was be held and helped
to move around. All she wanted was love. This was Lucy Abbas. She has Cerebral
Palsy and was left alone to sit all day; it was deplorable and it broke our hearts.
We heard about an infant who was found in a pit latrine in the slums of Nairobi.
We heard about others who were left for dead on the side of the road or near
train tracks. We heard of those whose parents abandoned them to pursue drugs,
drinking or prostitution. These children had no hope, they had no dignity and they
had no love. They were brought to this Rescue Facility, not a long-term solution;
however, it becomes home to many orphaned and abandoned children.
We saw eight cribs, four with no mattresses only slat boards, and the leaky roof.
We smelled the urine and filth and saw that there were not enough beds to accommodate their needs.
We also saw how beautiful their tiny faces were and how their eyes smiled through
the dirt and filth. We saw how they loved to play ball, throw Frisbees, jump rope,
laugh, run and play. We saw joy in the midst of suffering and we felt a desire to
give them hope.
So began The Kipepeo Project, from a small spark that God placed in our hearts
to provide better living conditions and bring hope and dignity to these beautiful
children. The Lord continues to bless The Kipepeo Project with generous donors,
benefactors, friends and those who wish to serve the least of these. We are only a
vessel; we have chosen to say, “Yes Lord” and words cannot describe how God
has used Kipepeo for His glory.
By Hannah Popp
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is
this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to
keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).
To say that God’s heart is for the orphaned and fatherless
would be an understatement.
Throughout Scripture, He is described as a defender of the
fatherless, one whose heart and eyes are inclined towards the
defenseless and innocent. Followers of Jesus Christ are called
to live in the exact same way, asked to see those who have been
overlooked and care for them as their Heavenly Father does.
After a 2009 trip to Murang’a, Kenya, Erika O’Connor and
Mojo Cornelius heard this call and decided to respond, marking the beginning of The Kipepeo Project. While visiting the
Murang'a Children's Rescue Center, they saw that many of the
facilities were unfit to meet the needs of the children who were
living there. Many of the children left abandoned and alone
seemed to have lost a sense of hope because of that.
They share this desire to help on their website stating, “Dignity is not being found abandoned in a pit latrine. Dignity is not
having cerebral palsy and sitting on a bench all day with open
sores unable to move around by yourself. Dignity is not living
in a rundown house that leaks when it rains.”
“Kipepeo is Swahili for butterfly. We desire our projects to
nurture a metamorphosis of dignity and hope in the lives of the
orphans that we work with,” Erika says. “We want to facilitate
a dramatic change in the lives of those who we reach like that
of a caterpillar changing to a beautiful butterfly.”
Erika and Mojo say the main inspiration behind their decision
to start The Kipepeo Project was “the smiles on the kids’ faces
– oh my goodness those smiles! And our hearts were broken
after seeing the deplorable conditions they live in. We saw the
desperate needs of the children, and we wanted to help them
any way we could; we wanted to bring them hope and dignity.
“When we came home in July 2009, we raised the money to
complete the first round of renovations, which included: a new
roof, re-plastering and painting the walls, repairing the ceilings
and floors, etc. We were able to return in the summer of 2011 to
check progress and see the renovations first hand.”
By simply saying yes to what He was asking them to do, Erika
and Mojo have seen the Lord work in remarkable ways.
“We are constantly reminded of the miracle of loaves and
fishes and how resources have multiplied. Time and time again,
it was as if the money needed for the first round of renovations
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23
just kept coming. The Lord continues to place people in our
path to encourage us and stay focused and not lose hope for
the vision He had placed on our hearts,” Erika says.
The Kipepeo Project has been able to provide shoes,
clothing, toys and other necessary materials each time they
visit. Erika and Mojo find it remarkable that they have been
able to witness many of the infants grow and now attend
school. In fact, they have been able to witness many miracles and testimonies of God’s work over the years.
“One story of God working happened a few weeks ago,”
Erka says. “We were working on the kitchen/dining/dorm
construction. We wanted to give the facility a nice stove.
We found a place in Nairobi that custom makes industrial
stoves. The gentleman who makes the stoves came out to
the facility to measure the space and speak to the cooks. We
budgeted $3,500 for the stove; these stoves he described
and that he makes are so wonderful and we were concerned
that the quote was going to be way over budget, but God
worked through the gentleman and the quote was exactly
$3,500; that is what God does!”
Erika and Mojo hope to finish restoring the facilities at
Rescue within the next few years, but their vision does not
stop there. Erika explains the long-term goal of The Kipepeo Project is “to purchase land (or partner with someone
who already owns land) and build our own orphanage or
larger foster home. We would like to have our own or partner with another ministry to provide a transition and training for those children about to age out. This would include
a technical/trade school offering classes in welding, sewing
or some other type of training.”
As the opportunity to take on more care for these children
increases, so does the need for support for this ministry. In
order for others to get involved, Erika and Mojo suggest to
“first and foremost - pray! Help us spread the word. Financial donations or helping to organize a fundraiser would be
helpful. Occasionally, we need help gathering supplies and
extra suitcases. We also need financial sponsors for the extra suitcases (usually about $200 each). This amount may
seem high; however, it is more reliable and affordable than
mailing. If we are able to purchase needed items in Kenya,
then we request monies for such. If everyone did a little –
no one would have to do a lot.”
As followers of Jesus Christ, the mission is clear: love
people the same way that He has loved us. To live out the
calling to love the overlooked and abandoned, followers
should take every opportunity to pray for, financially support, or physically go serve in ministries like The Kipepeo
Project.
For more information about The Kipepeo Project, visit their website or join them on Facebook to learn more
about what is currently going on with their ministry.
24
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Go and Tell Ministries
By April Lynn Newell
Walking unharmed
through an angry mob,
feeding 850 people with
very little food, delivering a young girl from demon possession, saving a
Muslim man who came
to murder the very people
who led him to Christ,
healing a man from cancer and allowing him to
witness all these things—
God is at work.
God is at work in Go
and Tell Ministries and
has been since before the
ministry was ever established or thought of in
Greg Lewis’ mind. It began in 1982 when Greg, a
highly successful and influential building designer in San Antonio, Texas,
USA, accepted Christ at
a friend’s house. But it
wasn’t until years later, volunteering at a youth camp that his
relationship with the Lord became deep and real.
“My business was failing, I had a guy wanting to sue me and
I had always been able to handle things in my own strength, but
I could not solve this problem and all the other problems had
built up,” Greg recalls. “I remember during a student camp service, all the students were worshiping and I got caught up in the
music, and I say, ‘Lord, Lord I give up.’ And I’m just crying. I
open my eyes and my hands are raised and I don’t care because
I was talking to God and He was talking to me and His presence
was thick like never before. It was like a fountain flowing in
front of me and filling me up. People have all kinds of names
for this [feeling] but I call it the day I fell in love with Jesus. I
knew Him and He knew me and I was going to heaven, but this
was the day I fell in love with Jesus. I haven’t taken the smile
off my face since that day.”
In 2003, Greg was invited to Uganda on what would be his
very first mission trip. He immediately replied he would go and
God spoke to his wife, Amy, giving her peace in the calling for
Greg to go to Uganda as well.
On this first mission trip to a continent and country that Greg,
unbeknownst to him, would one day know very well, he was
sent out in a remote area to speak the Gospel door-to-door with
a translator. Each hut in
this area was spread far
from the previous one.
Nervous, with Gospel
script in-hand he walked
to knock on a door.
Inside this first hut
was a very sick man. His
family had laid him on a
pallet on the floor and the
illness was so dire it was
obvious they were merely awaiting his death.
Greg knelt beside the
dying man and began to
read his scripted Gospel
message.
When he finished,
Greg asked the man if he
would like prayer. The
man said yes but asked
if Greg would examine
him first—he thought the
white man who had entered his hut in the middle
of nowhere was a doctor.
Death is common in
this area and in homes, Greg explains, but nobody ever touches a dying person. However, Greg did not think about dos and
don’ts, he just did what he felt led to do and began to touch him
starting at his wrist. Power flowed through Greg to the man and
the Holy Spirit was evident to both men.
“God had me touch him and it wasn’t a healing touch it was
the love of Jesus,” Greg explained. “It was Jesus Christ touching the man and I got to be his hands and feet.”
The man accepted Christ and Greg saw a completely different
person than who he saw walking into the hut. His fear, Greg
says, had changed to a peaceful smile.
“Hut after hut people were coming to the Lord just through
the power of His living Word, simply reading parables from the
New Testament,” Greg recalls. “That’s when I knew I wanted
to do this for the rest of my life and now I do. I’ll go to the ends
of the world; I’ll go anywhere.”
After coming home from that first trip, Greg continued to dive
deep into Scripture and hear from God in prayer. A year after
his return, Greg was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. An operation was scheduled the day after he was diagnosed. However,
both Greg and Amy had peace and were able to testify to God’s
power and love to their doctor and friends when the Lord healed
Greg completely.
Feature
It soon became clear, to both Greg and Amy, that in order to
depend solely on God, He was calling them to give away all
they had.
“We sold our million-dollar home and now we live moment
by moment, month by month and see Him supply,” Greg says.
“I was in Africa [the first trip] and like Moses was tending sheep
and he saw a burning bush, I saw the dying man and I saw people coming to God. When I got home it was so profound, I was
so near to God that I overheard Him saying, ‘Who will go for
us? Whom shall I send?’ and I said, ‘Here I am Lord, send me.’
My wife was behind me 100 percent in that decision, knowing
we won’t be able to buy things the way we used to. But we are
so happy now because it is Him providing for us. He is the way,
the truth and the life.”
Today, Greg leads many teams to Africa, and occasionally
Asia, through Go and Tell Ministries. God has given a threefold mission to Go and Tell Ministries:
1) Take people and teams on mission trips and bring them back
as missionaries
2) Pour into missionaries and encourage them in their ministries
3) Teach pastors the truth from the Bible to dispel mixed religions
25
Greg loves to tell about the many villages they have visited
and the numerous miracles they have seen God perform. Testimony after testimony flows from him and with each one he becomes more and more excited, more and more on fire for what
God is doing around him.
One of Greg’s favorite testimonies to share is of a young girl
who was demon possessed. As Greg and his team were finishing up showing the Jesus Film to a village, screams issued from
a nearby hut. One of Greg’s translators told him to come quick.
What Greg saw as he walked into the hut was like nothing he
had seen or encountered before. The young girl was thrashing
and uncontrollable. At one point she flew across the room away
from the three people of God who had come to help her. As
they were finally able to hold onto her, Greg began rebuking the
spirit and telling the girl about Jesus. He asked her to say His
name, to accept Him explaining the peace she would know in
Jesus Christ.
Finally the girl was able to say the Lord’s name and the spirit
left her. Greg and the two other team members with him hugged
her and sang praises to the Lord for some time after. Recently,
three to four years later, Greg visited the village to find Miriam,
the same young girl, preaching to her peers, leading prayer and
cont. on page 26
26
Bible studies and desiring to be a pastor.
Greg knew God had caused his path to
cross with Miriam’s.
One clear thing about Go and Tell Ministries is that God is at work. Greg and
Amy are merely being obedient, and God
is working. God is saving lives. God is
providing for the Lewis’ to continue His
ministry. God is delivering men and women and children. God is inspiring Greg to
keep going.
There are several ways for the church to
support Go and Tell Ministries. Churches,
groups and ministries can invite Greg to
speak and share with them. This can be
for 15 minutes or an entire service where
you can see photos and videos from their
many trips. You can visit www.goandtellministries.net to make a monetary donation. You can even send a group on mission from your church or ministry.
However, the number one way Greg
asks for support is prayer. He rests in the
fact that God will provide everything else.
“Where I go is hard,” he explains. “Satan attacks my family. I can feel when
they [supporters] are praying for me.”
For more information visit the Go and
Tell Ministries website and Greg Lewis’
Facebook page.
Feature
Feature
From the Field:
27
Uganda
April Mulcahy’s
path was not always directed to
missions. Not until she dove into
the Experiencing
God Bible study
at the end of her
college years did
she realize the adventure God was
planning.
“It talked about
the kingdom of
God and that it includes the world,”
April recalls about
the study. “I noticed for the first
time it said ‘go
and disciple the
nations’ and that
it was plural. It
was a light bulb to
me—we’re supposed to be part of discipling the world.”
She started with short-term missions
and afterwards God led her to be a missionary in China for three years. Then
after some time in the U.S., God moved
her to live and serve in Jinja, Uganda full
time with Commission to Every Nation.
With a heart for discipleship, God made
this a perfect fit as she soon learned discipleship is something many Ugandans
desire.
After living in Uganda for two years
she has learned the importance for people
to know their identity in Christ, including
herself.
Psalm 63:3 is a verse that once struck
her, “Because Your love is better than
life, my lips will praise You.” She learned
through Bill Loveless’ teachings from
Christ is Life Ministries that God never
intended us to live the Christian life that
only Christ can live—our part is depen-
dence, and He will live His life through
us. He wants our heart, not our performance.
As God is transforming her, she invites others to journey along and be
transformed as well. She focuses on
these Christ is Life concepts in her small
groups, classes, counseling and one-onone sessions with Ugandans.
April explains that she “encourages
(others) to enjoy intimacy with Christ;
to love the Bible and to know the Bible;
and to equip them to be agents of change
in their own community, because the
best people to reach out to Ugandans are
Ugandans.”
April partners with several ministries in
Uganda including Jinja Pregnancy Crisis
Center, Heal Ministries and pastor conferences. She teaches life skills, facilitates small groups with young professional men and women and teenage moms,
spends time counseling and teaches at
ministry leadership trainings. In these
formal forums and
through
casual
conversations she
shares the principles of the Christ
is Life Ministries
curriculum. She is
amazed to see God
transform
people’s lives through
it. She loves to
partner alongside
Ugandan
brothers and sisters in
Christ who have
a fervent love for
the Lord, many of
whom she has had
the privilege to befriend and encourage.
“Uganda is not
new to the Gospel,” April says,
“but (there are still) many (who) don’t
really know what a relationship with
Christ is. It is very common for them to
say they are born again but don’t know
what Jesus is doing or what He has done
for them—that it’s not just about meeting
physical needs but about the eternal and
your whole heart.”
She loves to work in Uganda because,
as she explains, “there is a thirst and hunger for more and that is what is amazing—unlike other places that are familiar
with the Gospel, they’re not burnt out
on it or jaded. They want to know more.
They crave it actually.”
April points out that a performance-based teaching is often ingrained
in our upbringing. The same is in Uganda. Communities in Uganda also experience various hardships. For example,
50 percent of Uganda’s population of 37
cont. on page 28
28
million is under the age of 14. Many families suffer from the difficulties of corruption, domestic abuse, poverty, unemployment and sexually transmitted diseases.
Whether they are of high income/high
education status or low income and illiterate, the whole country feels the affects,
so they love to learn more about the power of the Living Word and Christ living
His abundant life through them.
Through the various activities she has
been involved in, April has seen her
friends become empowered and living
testimonies of God’s power. At Heal
Ministries, April met Abraham. Through
the ministry he has been empowered to
teach and is currently embracing God’s
ministry of leading Muslim women to the
saving power of Jesus. At the ministry
leadership training she hears leaders say,
“Ever since I’ve learned these things, my
life has changed, it has really changed.”
At the pregnancy center, April sees
more change take place as she meets with
young girls who have been cast out from
their families because of their unplanned
pregnancies. The center seeks to help
them in Christ-centered ways. “Auntie
April,” as the girls affectionately refer
to her, has recently seen God work in
mighty ways in two of her disciples’ lives
at the pregnancy center.
“Sandra wanted an abortion when she
came because she was kicked out
of school and her family shunned
her. Mary told her to come to
the care center and then Sandra wanted to learn more about
the Bible and about Jesus so we
started meeting Monday afternoons in a small group,” April
says. “Over time as they were
learning life skills they were being so active in the small group.
A month ago I saw them changing as they started counseling
the other girls and quoting back
Scripture that we studied. Mary’s
prayer request changed from ‘pray for
me’ to ‘pray for my community; they
need to know the Gospel’. She has no
doubt about God. Sandra had her baby
and is the gentlest mom and loves her
baby dearly. She counsels the other girls
with their problems. She invited me to a
Bible study group she started and there
were 15 women, all older than her. The
Spirit is working and they just absorb it
and immediately apply it.
“‘My life has transformed,’ I love hearing those words,” April says of the many
testimonies she hears through the various
small groups and classes. “I love my job,
because I don’t feel like I’m doing anything. I just feel like I’m there, and people are praying, and God is moving, and
Feature
Devo
Remote Control Issues
29
A Devotional
By Josie Barone
I have the privilege of just being there.”
April’s needs are the same as any other
missionary, both for financial support and
prayer.
“I believe in prayer,” April says. “I have
financial needs and I have things I need
for my ministry, but I think that we don’t
really get the power of prayer. A friend
of mine once said, ‘Bottom line, nothing
supernatural is going to happen unless we
pray.’ I hold onto that because as people
pray then people will be led to give and
come and visit. Everything will be taken
care of when we’re on our knees first.”
To connect with April about financially
and prayerfully partnering with God’s
work in Uganda, e-mail april.mulcahy@
gmail.com.
He enters the room a few steps before me, knowing if he doesn’t,
there is a possibility I will take hold of it before him—and the
results will be catastrophic. You see, if this item happens to end
up in my possession, the lineup will look entirely different than
he envisions. Home improvements, cooking contests and reality
TV, with perhaps a nice romance in between, will highlight the
evening. Instead of sports, sports, sports and did I say sports?
By now, you may have guessed I refer to the coveted item
known as the remote control. Whoever has possession of this
little, dark device ultimately rules the television world.
We all have our ways to manage the remote control. For me, I
usually like to land on one show and stay on it the entire duration,
with the exception of commercials. At that point, I will journey
a few stations away from the channel, making sure I do not travel
too far, or I’ll forget what I am watching.
Now hubby is more adventurous than me. Channels breeze by
with a blur, until—I am not sure how he notices—something will
catch his interest. Then, he will land there just long enough for
me to become emotionally attached, before quickly moving onto
another channel.
Let’s just say we have remote control issues.
On a serious note though, is it possible to have remote control
issues when it comes to my relationship with Jesus Christ?
To be honest, there are times I am remote with Him. Far-removed and detached, I keep a safe distance away from emotional
attachment. Never fully embracing Him, nor allowing Him complete access to the depth of my soul.
You see, it is because I desire control—I want to be the authority of my life. I want to watch what I want to watch, and do what
I want to do. I want the final say on my decisions, and ultimately,
my destiny.
The problem is, when I do this, I miss out on so much more than
I am experiencing. The story of my life becomes a low quality
‘B’ movie at best with me as the central character, instead of an
on-the-edge-of-your-seat epic saga it was destined to be with Jesus Christ as the central focus.
I have decided it is time to let go of the remote control once
and for all.
You can read more from Josie Barone on her blog, Yellow Brick
Identity and receive a free digital copy of her book “Stereotypical Hearing Loss”.
In the Word:
Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)
And without faith, it is impossible
to please him, for whoever would
draw near to God must believe that
he exists and that he rewards those
who seek him.
Notes:
30
POV
How to Hug a Vampire Pt. II
By Nigel Ruiz
Rejoice Always
We all have to engage in human interaction at some point
during the week. Whether you enjoy going out or staying
home—there will be a time when putting off grocery shopping
leaves you with butter and Taco Bell fire sauce in the fridge,
a movie you wanted to see comes out or you finally make the
decision to use that dusty old gym membership card that has
been sitting on the dresser. Whatever the reason, other humans
will attempt to communicate with you, some more hostile than
others.
So how do we show Jesus to the people we just want to go
away? Why do we even have to? Last time I said the first step
was identifying that we ourselves can be that most annoying
person to someone else, that we all need a Savior and understanding our own depravity will help us learn to see others as
simply needing Jesus, like the rest of us. This time, I will touch
on a more proactive attitude. If you like looking at problems
and doing something about them, then this might be helpful to
you.
If we look to 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we see it states a simple
charge –“pray without ceasing”. The verses before and after all
point to this command. Verse 15, “See that no one repays evil
for evil…”. How do we do that? Pray without ceasing. Verse 18,
“In everything give thanks…”. How do we do that? Pray without ceasing. Verse 16, “Rejoice always.” How do we do that? I
think it’s clear that Paul meant for us to fill our days with prayer
and when we do that, we will find strength renewed. A filling of
fight. A heart of humility.
Word
Grateful Acres
31
Always Looking for the Best in Others
Not long ago, I was talking to a man at my church about how
angry I get when I drive. Many can probably relate, however, not many drive as much as I do during a day. Putting close
to 4,000 miles a month on my car, I find myself sharing the
road with less-than-safe people often. Being “alone” in my car
gives me the “freedom” to express my frustrations a little more
openly. Lately, God has convicted me in this area, and what my
friend told me to do was immediately after someone cuts you
off or does something mean or dumb on the road, begin praying
for them. Pray their lives are blessed, that if circumstances are
dictating that they drive speedily, pray for safe driving.
This wasn’t what I wanted to do at all, but that day, someone
squeezed his little sports car in between me and a large truck in
front of me, and instead of thinking how many ways I could run
him off the road, I prayed for that person. I didn’t stop until we
parted ways and, before I realized it, my anger subsided, and I
was filled with a desire to love him.
Needless to say, we will all have these encounters, and more
often than not, it will be off the road where we will be given
the opportunity to make passive-aggressive protests or snide remarks in front of the offender. A prayer-filled life is a proactive
answer to the call to love our brothers and sisters.
I would even go as far as to say if you are praying BEFORE the
malevolence, it will be that much more natural to respond in the
Spirit with love.
To read Part I of this series visit www.emboldenzine.com/issues.
Part I can be found in the Summer issue.
Ms. Kay and I try to see the best in others and in situations.
One way that seems to work best is to think about how God
might see things. As an example, some people might see how
Zeke, our miniature donkey, handles the small flock of sheep
we have (see the previous issue for more about Zeke and the
sheep). Zeke leads the group to and from the fields in which
they feed. So if I open the gate to allow the group to move to the
front pasture, Zeke comes out first and waits at the gate until all
the others have passed through. She then pushes them in a tight
group down to the front to graze. If one from the group runs to
the right or left, Zeke chases after it. All the while biting and
kicking at the runaway until it rejoins the group. The behavior
might seem too much, but think about why Zeke might behave
in such a manner.
Ranchers use donkeys to protect herds of goats and flocks
of sheep. The maternal and protective instincts of the donkey
serve the more docile animals well. If a coyote or bobcat approaches the group the donkeys instinctively start moving the
group away from danger as well as run in between the group
and the predator.
We have observed the same behavior with Zeke even when
friends bring their dogs over to play and swim. Have you ever
seen protective behavior in animals you have or live around? It
is kind of cool to think how well God made animals to protect
and depend on each other. When I see Zeke biting and kicking
at one of the others, I must remember that such behavior might
save a life one day. That is what I meant when I spoke about Ms.
Kay and myself always trying to see the best in others.
People are really the same, only smarter, right? Parents are
to protect and provide for children, as a direct command from
God. The Bible tells us that children are a blessing from God.
They are like arrows in a quiver. I am sure there have been
times when you thought your parents were a bit overprotective.
As parents and grandparents, Ms. Kay and I have made the mistake as well. But I plead with you to see the good in the action
of overprotection.
Yes, there are some parents that overprotect as the norm. Then
there are parents that do not seem to protect at all. As two people who try to please God the best we can, we suggest that children try and see the best in what their parents are doing and
cont. on page 32
32
be thankful there are people who care enough to protect them.
Such grace and goodness from the children to the parents is
very pleasing to God. Children need to remember and sometimes be told that parents are responsible to God for the manner
in which the children are raised. That is a heavy responsibility.
Now, I end with this bit of seeing the best in others. How
many of you have done something that you never thought you
could have done? I hope that includes most of you. Maybe you
learned a new song on the piano. Maybe you learned to ride a
horse. I do not know what it might be, but seeing the best in
others is a great encourager. If you ever have a chance to encourage someone please do. You might be the only ray of hope
and sunshine they encounter during the day.
Ms. Kay and I taught our granddaughter how to swim for
survival. You might be thinking, “Survival, what in the world is
he talking about?”
Follow me please.
Panic is a very bad behavior to practice when you find yourself
in deep water and no one around. The more you panic the more
chance you have of hurting yourself. So we taught our 6-yearold granddaughter to slow down her movements and trust her
ability to swim slowly and float when needed. When we started
the teaching she would scream and cry, but we knew she could
do it. We kept encouraging her and by the end of our time in the
pool she was swimming for survival without the initial panic.
And guess what else? She was smiling ear to ear. She was so
Word
proud of herself and we were just as proud for her.
In closing, I never thought Ms. Kay would be able to teach
Fairybell how to sit. I did not see the best in Ms. Kay’s training
abilities, nor did I see the best in Fairybell’s ability to learn
tricks. Well, they say pictures do not lie. After many apologies
to my wife and her fat little pig I give you the proof of their
training. Ms. Kay taught Fairybell to sit just like Max our overweight dog. I am not sure what they will try next. I do know
next time I will look for the best from both of them.
It is our prayer that God continues to work in your life and
give you the courage and hope to be and do more than you ever
thought or dream. And may I add, please be an encourager each
day. We have enough discouragement in the world. Your smile
might be the only smile someone sees today.
Until next time from Grateful Acres, this is Ms. Kay and Mr.
Andy saying adios.
33
Word
May God bless and keep you all,
Andy and Ms. Kay
PS: We thank you so much for hanging out with us and hearing about
our little corner of joy, we affectionately call Grateful Acres. May we
humbly ask a favor? If you have comments, good or bad, would you
please email us and let us know. We have fun living here and truly desire to share our land and animals with all. Our best e-mail address is
andy@leonsprings.org. Thank you so much and God bless.
Have fun coloring in Remie and Fairybell below! Print out this page and send your artwork to
submissions@emboldenzine.com or 6650 Prue Rd. #824, San Antonio, TX 78240.
Faith Family Clinic
By Gabriel Vaughan
Healing in Jesus’ Name
All over the country, healthcare facilities containing Christian
denominational monikers in their names testify to their foundation as places of spiritual and physical healing. Unfortunately,
despite the name, the care given by those facilities is now primarily focused on healing the body, with little regard to the
health of the soul.
Prayer and the name of Christ may be often heard in the
waiting rooms but rarely in the treatment rooms. There is a
non-profit organization in San Antonio, Texas, U.S. who has
heeded a call from God to change that paradigm.
Faith Family Clinic of San Antonio is working to reclaim
medicine as an outreach of the body of Christ by providing lowcost healthcare to working people who are uninsured or underinsured.
Jim Young, Faith Family Clinic CEO and founder, aims to
give Christ center stage as healer and Savior. He believes God’s
word and the biblical connection between health of the body
and prosperity of the soul (3 John 1:2). Based on that biblical
understanding, leaders from San Antonio healthcare organizations, led by Charles Martin, the CEO of Vanguard Health
System, approached Jim Young to investigate the possibility of
opening a new clinic on the west side of San Antonio. Their
goal was to provide health and wellness services to people who
fall into a gap in the healthcare system – a gap into which approximately 275,000 San Antonio citizens fall.
For those who are unemployed or earn less than 150 percent
of the poverty line, there are government and private programs
to cover health and wellness services. Unfortunately, that leaves
a significant population of working families with little to no
ability to afford health insurance.
For example, a working single mother of three who makes
$36,000 per year would pay over $1,000 per month in health
care insurance under the Affordable Health Care Act. More than
one-third of her income would go to pay for healthcare, leavcont. on page 34
34
ing less than $2,000 per month for rent, food, childcare, gas and other
expenses. This family is living in survival mode and health insurance
would be a luxury they could not afford.
People in this situation are most likely to use the hospital emergency
room for any medical care they need. Emergency rooms are required
by law to treat patients, regardless of their ability to pay, so low-income families with few other options use them as their family clinic.
They receive services, but cannot pay for the high-priced emergency
care, so the hospital takes a financial loss. Charlie Martin, Jim Young
and others saw an opportunity to alleviate the burden on the hospitals,
provide volunteer opportunities for Christians in the medical community and, more importantly, share the love of Christ to people in need.
The philosophy of the Faith Family Clinic leadership is manifold
but centers on the sharing of the Gospel of Christ by mobilizing the
children of God to address the physical and emotional needs of hurting
people. The clinic also provides a local place for believers with medical and administrative skills to invest them in the Kingdom of God and
live out their faith. Another goal of the clinic is to cultivate the faith of
the staff and volunteers as they work out their salvation in a practical
way (Phil 2:12).
The clinic leadership encourages prayer and testimony as an integral
part of the treatment plan. Mr. Young believes that the underlying causes of a large majority of medical problems are behavioral and therefore
influenced by the sin nature in all of us. By connecting the physical to
the spiritual, Faith Family Clinic desires to address the core issues in
a preventative manner, thus lessening the strain on the medical system
and reconciling the patient to God and His plan for their life. Therefore, Mr. Young who is a minister, not a doctor, sees the clinic as a mission outreach of the body of Christ. He hopes that more churches and
believers will come to see the Faith Family Clinic as such and invest
their time, talents and treasures there.
For any of our readers who are interested, there are many volunteer
opportunities for both medical and non-medical believers. The clinic
is in regular need of trained medical staff to assist in the day-to-day
practice of medicine. Doctors, nurses, students and others in the medical field are all needed to keep the clinics running and expand services
to other parts of the city. People with administrative or logistic skills
are also welcome to volunteer with the clinic. Another opportunity the
clinic provides is a live training environment for church groups who
are planning medical missions. It is even possible for such a group to
take over the entire operation of the clinic on a Saturday, providing
valuable, real world experience to sharpen or maintain their skills.
In October of 2009, Faith Family Clinic saw their first patient in a
building donated by Dr. Robert Rice with all donated equipment. Since
then God has expanded the ministry in a powerful way. The clinic has
seen thousands of patients, opened a second clinic and is working to
open two more within the next year. With this growth also comes a financial need. If you are interested in expressing your faith by giving of
your finances to Faith Family Clinic, their website has various options
to make it as convenient as possible.
Visit Faith Family Clinic online and Facebook for more information.
Word
Info
Who We Are
Consider this the church newsletter.
Not your church newsletter. Not my church
newsletter. Not their church newsletter. But the
church newsletter.
Find within these pages what God is doing
through His ministries in Europe, Asia, North
America and the rest of the globe. You know
there are missionaries in India, in Russia, in
Canada, in Peru and even in South Dakota, but
do you know what God is DOING? Do you
know that God is working? Healing? Providing?
Restoring? Do you know that He is not just doing these things through missionaries and pastors, but through believers like you?
We are the church. It is time to come together
in service, in prayer, in love, in Spirit. We are
one church, unified in one spirit, by one Savior,
symbolized by one baptism (Ephesians 4).
One.
Our hope is that this one magazine brings the
church together to share, to encourage, to edi-
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fy, to call to action! Our one world needs the
hope that is in us. Let these true stories, these
testimonies (written by volunteers given a gift
and passion for the written word) embolden you,
strengthen your faith and spur you to DO something for the Kingdom of God.
When (and we do say when) God works
through you and you see His miracles, let us
know; let the church know (Revelation 12:11),
so other believers can then be encouraged and
DO something for the Kingdom.
E-mail testimonies and/or contact information
to testify@emboldenzine.com.
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Testify!
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not
know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
(Romans 8:26)
Share about a time when
you prayed for something
only God could do.
Send testimonies to:
testify@emboldenzine.com
or tag us on Twitter
@EmboldenZine
YOU could be featured
in the next issue!
It’s time to be emboldened...
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And they overcame him because of the blood of the
Lamb and because of the word of their testimony...
Revelation 12:11