The Fruit of His Labors...

Let me introduce you to my friend, a pastor named Patrick. He works in the slums of a large city in sub-Saharan Africa. He works with the poorest of the poor and as you can guess, he doesn't receive much in terms of compensation for his church work outside of the love and gratitude of his congregation. But that doesn't stop Patrick from preaching and ministering to those in need.

Patrick grows vegetables and raises chickens. The food and income generated from his projects help him to feed and support his family as well as be a blessing to those he ministers to. Patrick is a preacher who doesn't mind getting his hands dirty. He uses those hands to hold a Bible and share about God as well as teach others how to make a living from vegetable gardening and small animal raising.

Patrick is one of those unique individuals that loves God, loves people and loves working with his hands. And he is one of those unique individuals that cares about people - spiritually and physically. I have had the privilege of walking alongside Patrick and seeing how he has a passion for the souls of those in his community and a compassion for their physical needs - hunger, poverty, HIV/AIDS.

Patrick reminds me of Jesus who went about doing good (Acts 10:38) and how He went all over Galilee, "teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people." (Matthew 4:23)

Patrick is a talented farmer and a loving pastor. He is truly a man who enjoys the fruits of his labor...

Seven Words that Changed the World...

This past weekend, we celebrated Easter. On Friday, we celebrated the death of Christ (called Black Friday by some) and traditionally, the Christian faith remembers the seven last sayings of Jesus from the cross. These sayings reveal His humanity, divinity as well as his purpose for eternity.

While most of us are somewhat familiar with the the seven last sayings of Christ, we often overlook the seven words that were spoken on Easter which changed the world forever…

"He is not here; He is risen!"

The women who went to the tomb saw angels inside…

The two disciples who ran to the tomb (Peter and John) saw grave clothes…

When we go to the tomb, we see nothing because…

"He is not here; He is risen!"

That's why we sing…

"I serve a risen Saviour, He's in the world today.
I know that He is living, whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer.
And just the time I need Him, He's always near!
He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today.
He walks with me and talks with me, along life's narrow way.
He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart!"

Selah!

Jayne's Story...

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege along with several of my BGR teammates to visit some homes in the slum areas of Nairobi, Kenya. We were visiting homes of HIV patients and delivering BGR "hospice" buckets.

We visited one home where a fairly young lady lay wasting away due to full blown AIDS. Her elderly mother was caring for her and her two school-aged children. She barely had enough strength to sit up as we came into her home but greeted us with a weak smile. Her smile became even stronger and she even chuckled a bit with joy as one of our BGR team members began opening the bucket and showing her the things that were inside that could help with some of the problems that she was experiencing. The contents of the bucket couldn't change the fact that she was dying but it could give some hope and dignity to her as she struggled with her last days on earth.

Her name is Jayne. And her story if not uncommon. In fact, it is too common. Over 35 million people are living with HIV and to date, about that same number have died from AIDS.

It was obvious her life on earth was not going to be much longer. So as we shared the hospice kit with Jayne and her family, one of our team members asked her if she knew who Jesus was. That was when Jayne really smiled. She had smiled slightly when we came into her home. She smiled a bit more when she saw the bucket filled with hope, but when she heard the Name of her Savior, she literally beamed.

Jayne said, "I want to live to see my children grow up. But I am weak. I am weak but Jesus gives me strength."

We went to that place to minister to Jayne and her family. We came away feeling that we were the recipients of God's blessings.

I don't usually do this in my blog, but I would like to give you a challenge. If you are interested in helping people in need like Jayne, I encourage you to visit our BGR website. You will find more stories about people like Jayne who are in need and are being helped through our efforts at BGR. And you will find opportunities of ways you can help as well.

The weblink is…

www.gobgr.org