Two Thirds Down!!!

I am very excited to announce that I have raised over 60% of my required funds! It has been truly amazing to see your gifts come in from all over the country and to know that there are so many people praying for me and believing in this ministry.

Lately, I have been even more convinced of my calling into video ministry as I have been working on a project here in Michigan. Back in the early spring my former pastor connected me with Chaplain Kurt Glover. Kurt has been working hard since the fall of 2007 to start a ministry designed to reach out to men and women who have recently been released from prison. Kurt’s ministry, Certification for the Incarcerated (CFTI), helps to provide training and education to assist ex-offenders in getting decent jobs and turn their lives around. Over the past several months I have been producing a video that will help others understand the goals and intentions of the ministry and how it is already changing lives.

This project is quite similar to what I will be doing in Kenya, helping missionaries tell churches and supporters how God has been putting their gifts to good work. As I’ve been working on this project and fund raising at the same time, I’ve been thinking about my calling and what I can relate it to in the Bible. I’ve come to realize that my ministry is similar to two disciples of John the Baptist as mentioned in Luke 7:18-23. John’s disciples came and visited him in Prison and told him how Jesus was preaching and performing miracles. For an unspecified reason, John had a small moment of doubt and so sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask if He was the Christ. The names of these disciples are not given and we know almost nothing about them except that they were entrusted to carry messages between John the Baptist and Jesus. When these men asked if he was the Christ, Jesus had them observe Him for a time as He “cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind.” (Vs.21 NIV) Then rather than answering John’s question with a simple “yes” he told the disciples to go back and give their own testimony of what they had seen. The Bible keeps the focus of the story on Jesus after that point but I’m sure that the two disciples returned to John simply ecstatic about what they had seen and eager to share the news with him.

So how do John’s disciples relate to my life? Well let’s look at my most recent project, the CFTI video mentioned earlier. I have to admit that I had trouble getting a handle on how this was going to look until we fi nally began shooting, and I met some of Kurt’s students, and heard their stories. Having seen some of the fruits of Kurt’s labor, I was excited to share that knowledge with others. So, like John’s disciples, I see myself as merely a messenger who is privileged to witness the work of Christ and document it.

In closing, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your sacrifices and your gifts helping me come so far towards my goal for this trip. I am still planning to leave as soon as possible and am searching for additional supporters to help make this a reality. I need just twenty seven people or groups to pledge to support me with $20 a month and I’ll be on my way to Kenya. Will you pray that these twenty nine people will come forward soon and agree to support me? Or will you be one of these twenty seven to help me get on my way to Kenya to assist others in telling their stories?