God Has Been Faithful

Hello everyone,

Firstly I want to thank all of you for your many prayers and petitions in the Spirit for our safety and success in accomplishing the work of the ministry. Truly we were well covered by your prayers. I can happily say with the exception of some, how shall I say—"gastrointestinal irregularities" that resulted from eating lunch in the village of Iguilibi at a youth conference we put on—we have been in good health for the entire trip.

Truly this has been for us a time to use our gifts and abilities to encourage and strengthen the work God has been doing here for some time now. There was a lot more teaching to youths, adults and prisoners than I had anticipated. Personally I prepared and delivered at least seven 25-40 minute talks from the scriptures. But some of the best times were when I got a chance to share one-on-one. People here are genuinely hungry for change and for God. Since this was the case ministering was, though tiring, easy; their hearts were already prepared. We look forward to sharing with you more upon return.

There is something captivating looking into the eyes of this people. Maybe in part it is the strangeness of the sometimes brilliant white which is planted between the deep brown of their pupils and skin. But it was more than this, for the eyes are the lamp of the body. And in their eyes I could see the hope of the promises that had been made to them and the expectancy of their fulfillment. They seemed to ask me "will you be the one to help us?” Being here has made me realize the depth of the riches in America, not only of money but of talent, skilled labor and industrious mindsets. These are the things which truly propel our civilization forward and the very things which are lacking in such great capacity. The conditions in surrounding countries are so much better that people with training leave for a better life somewhere where the conditions permit. But it’s time for a new generation of leaders to rise up and the only thing that will make this possible is the power of Jesus and the willingness of His followers to sacrifice and move somewhere uncomfortable to help teach and raise up these leaders to change the face of an entire civilization.

Anyway, we ask for your prayers to cover our travels home. We leave tomorrow morning and have a 12 hour layover in Kenya. After this we fly to London where we have a 6 hour layover and then we head to Denver with a short layover before flying to Seattle. We will be picked up from the airport and expect to arrive in Corvallis around 1 or 2 in the morning on Wednesday.

Thank you again and bless you,

Lee