Yesterday and today I had many more opportunities to hear from missionaries who are serving in the most visible…and yet invisible areas.
One gal who is in her 40s works in the desolate area between Death Valley and North of Reno. The closest town is 100 miles away. She serves kids and teens, people who are basically escaping their prior lives. She lives in a single-wide mobile home that is falling apart and yearly runs 7 Vacation Bible Schools and a Bible School. She houses 16 kids in her single-wide during her Bible School. Many of these kids have gone on to serve God once they’ve been able to leave this area.
She serves the nobodies. The hidden ones who no one else will drive to serve. In a desolate area.
I met a gal and her husband who serve on the reservation in Wyoming. She said that since she was 15 she knew God was leading her out of Switzerland to serve Native People in the US. What? It’s an amazing story and their ministry is hard. Their area has the 3rd highest crime rate in the US! Tons of addiction, domestic and sexual abuse, etc. They bring people into their home to serve them with basic needs.
James Flamm was our music minister when we attended Mesa Baptist Church 25 years ago. He felt an uneasiness and knew that God had something else for him to do when he felt more joy going to Costco for lunch and speaking with people outside of the church. After searching, having a mind, soul, and spiritual renewal, he now serves International Students through Campus Ambassadors at ASU. Mostly India and Asian students who of course are so smart that they have no need for Jesus. He has found that the impact this has had has changed lives. He totally changed careers in his 40s.
We had lunch today with a couple who run a church for addicts in the San Fernando Valley. They strongly adhere to working with individuals through the 12 step program while integrating them during recovery into
Meeting basic needs, counseling, etc. sponsoring, and moving forward through the things that sabotage their recovery like: 1. Idolatry 2. Secret Keeping 3. Line Wolves, 4. Depression. 5. Low Self-Esteem.
We also met an amazing former addict who has an incredible ministry in New York City. All of these people are supported in part by Missions Door, trying to raise support and raising up leaders, their replacements or those who want to open up their own centers for recovery.
Last night a Pastor from the Ukraine spoke. Wow! What a story. I don’t even know if I can remember the details other than the fact that he had a church of about 100 and when the Russians invaded his church, became home to 700 different people who are looking for food and a place to be safe. After a while, the Russian army closed it down and told him they could not be in that building anymore so all the people had to go back or to flee the country. At that point, the pastor had to make a decision whether to leave and go live with his brother in the United States or stay with his people in the Ukraine. He has three children and a wife. The rest of his family wanted to go, but he desperately wanted to stay and serve the people. So he stayed, and he served his community by having home churches with the rest of the people who stayed behind. However, they were robbed of all of their possessions. They had no food nothing that they never had before. His wife now is sick and cannot travel to the Dominican republic with him to share his story, and the fact that he was able to spread the love of God and have people receive Christ. He is concerned for her and one of his sons and ask for prayer. They have now united and live in another part of the Ukraine towards the west. He is beginning mission work there.
I am in awe of these people who have given their lives for the work of the kingdom. And I am in awe of so many different ways that people are serving and how creative they are, and how life-giving they are. They are completely sacrificial in what they do And it makes us want to help everybody and yet we know that we can’t personally do that. But what we can do is spread the word about how these few people that we’ve met out of the 240 people here have impacted others with the love of Jesus. Please pray for everybody that I’ve mentioned above.
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