I am off again to the great Tanzania! This time I will be gone for one month. We will be evangelizing in and around Mwanza, which is in the north right next to Lake Victoria. We will start there and possibly move around as needed to be the most effective in reaching people along the coast. Mwanza has a population of approximately 2.7 million people and according to some statistics around 40% of them are under the age 15. We will be working hard, Monday through Friday, to do as many Kids crusades as we can to meet this need. We are expecting to see thousands and thousands saved, just as in the past. We are in the midst of a great work of the Lord and so thankful for all that have prayed for us and sown into this call to reap God’s harvest.
It is amazing to think that less than a year ago everything we are now doing was all a dream, and now we are living in it. I have dreamt about the call on my family’s life to see a multitude reached for the Lord. I have found over time that it can be hard to hold on to the dream and believe it can still happen. Discouragement can set in and vision lost, but then, one day, you see an opportunity. I love the quote by Leonard Ravenhill that says, “The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized within the lifetime of the opportunity.” Now we are here as a family seizing an opportunity. Thank you for your prayers and support as we do so.
During this trip, we will have four teams pushing hard to share the Gospel. Besides our kid’s crusades during the week, my team members and I will look to encourage churches around the area on the weekends. We want to take time to do this while we are there, because when I was in Mbeya, we heard pastor after pastor say to our team that they were so encouraged by what they saw God do as we worked together. The harvest is truly plentiful, and it is so good to encourage each other with stories of what God has done and is continuing to do when we are humble and willing.
I have pondered many times words from Loren Cunningham in his book Making Jesus Lord, The Dynamic Power of Laying Down Your Rights. In this book he states that when speaking he often says, “Is anything too hard for God?” Everyone always shouts “NO!” but then he asks, “Is anything too hard for God to do through you?” And there is a totally different response in the room. I have pondered these words and realized that I have seen many victories and some defeats, but I have always seen defeat when I stopped believing God can do anything through me and decided to play it safe. God has a great harvest out there right now and we all have been called to reap the harvest.
I want to encourage you all as you read this. There may not be a call to Africa and mass evangelism on your life, but we are all called to reach the lost. We are all called to share the Gospel and make disciples. If you can’t go I would like to ask you to sow into the harvest. Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” My family is willing to spend time apart to send me out to preach the gospel and see thousands make a decision for Jesus, but we need provision to see the harvest come in.
We are not asking for support to further our kingdom, but to further the Lord’s and take back lives for God that the Devil is trying to take. I don’t know how it all works, but what I do know is that as you find ways to partner with the great commission, God rewards you, the giver. He has certainly done that for us! We as a family are just like the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:17, not that we desire your gifts; what we desire is that more be credited to your account.” We are fully confident in God as our source. He has called us to this and will see us through. He wants to see His harvest reaped more than we do and will supply for His workers. This is just an opportunity for you to partner in fulfilling the great commission. When you sow, every soul saved is also credited to you through Christ. God is able to bring everything we need in one go, but even if he did, I would still want to give you all an opportunity to give, because I know it will further the Gospel and allow you to be part of that and see God credit to your account as well.
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