Showers of Blessings

I feel the need to write today to all of you, my supporters and partners, to share a testimony of gratitude for what God has done recently in my life. Many of you may know that as a Pioneers missionary, I am depend on financial support from individuals and churches for my personal needs and ministry here in Sierra Leone. Raising support is not always easy, yet I have found in these last three years that the process has been such a blessing to me though hard work at the same time. Relationships have grown and new ones have been made, and I love the fact that I feel directly connected to you all and that you all are directly connected to the ministry here. I say all of this to say ‘thank you’ because without your monthly support, I could not be here. I know that it is a huge sacrifice for some of you, but I pray continually that an eternal perspective will be the constant in our hearts and minds as we serve together.

Yesterday, I received three wonderful surprises. The first two being anonymous donations to Pioneers for me and the ministry here. One covered the cost to purchase some form of transportation here. Our ministry is expanding, and up until now, I have relied on public transportation which is not always reliable or safe. Many of you have been praying that God would provide for this need, so today I am humbled and happy to announce that your prayers have been answered. Another generous donation also was given to my general account to be used for ministry and personal needs. All I can say is that God is faithful! The third surprise came in the form of an email from an organization called Medsend (www.medsend.org). This organization gives grants to pay for medical missionaries’ student loans while they serve abroad on the mission field. Medsend wrote to tell me that I was approved for the grant and for the next 4 years they will be making my monthly student loan payments. One word…HALLELUJAH!

Today in my journal they verse was from Colossians 3:15 which says, “As members of one body you are called to live in peace. And ALWAYS be thankful.” It is so easy to be thankful when blessings are overflowing, yet my prayer is that I will continue to be thankful even in those silent seasons where God is teaching me patience and utter dependence on Him. That is my challenge. Let us all be thankful for the blessings and gifts from God, yet let us even be more thankful for the Heavenly Giver.

I love you all and will write again soon. Please be in prayer for us this week as I will be meeting with several individuals concerning the beginning of a working moringa farm here in Sierra Leone. Love and blessings to you all. LG+LP

The Whole Truth…and Nothing but the Truth

Tree of Life began in October of 2012. I confess when I arrived in Sierra Leone that I never expected this to be my ministry. I am an ICU nurse. The adrenaline driven job is a stark contrast to my job now. How does one go from saving lives in the ICU to teaching about a tree in West Africa? I admit that my job is not as fast paced, yet still it is about saving lives. Many people still do not understand what I “do”. It is a common misunderstanding among churches and Christians. Many feel that missionaries walk around with their Bible, showing a film, asking for people to ‘make a decision’ by raising their hands, and then they dunk them and report of the masses who have now followed Jesus. I am not claiming that these venues are wrong. They truly have brought the Gospel to many areas of the world, but I long for the day that the Christian culture changes and sees missionaries in a different light and in a larger scope.

Some people do not quite understand exactly what our ministry is about here in Sierra Leone. Some may think I am a Johnny Appleseed just planting trees throughout West Africa. The truth is: I am a Johnny Appleseed church planter. ;-) Our classes teach about physical wellness and spiritual wellness. The first hour is dedicated to sharing Bible stores starting from Adam and Eve and ending with the Great Commission of Jesus to “go and teach all that I have commanded you”. The second hour teaches students how to prevent diseases that are prevalent in Sierra Leone and about the moringa tree. Our classes are predominantly non-believers and the questions and exchanges have proven to be powerful. It is rare you can have this kind of venue to openly share with people from all backgrounds the story of Jesus.

You may be wondering why I feel the need to write this. Well, simply because you are the ones who support me and you have the right to know. As people come into our class, they are with us for 6 weeks. It is during that time relationships begin. Trust develops and conversations begin. We have had over five conversions and one new house church emerge since October. My hope is quality, not quantity. It is exciting to me that people are learning how to live healthy lives, save children from dying from malnutrition by using moringa, and above all, they are receiving the Truth about Christ which is the ultimate healing.

This month I have a meeting with a man from Dallas Baptist University. This dialogue will be about beginning a working moringa farm that will teach people how to grow, process, sell and export moringa. It will give jobs and also be the base for our Tree of Life ministry. I also have had requests from Mali, Guinea, Morocco, Kenya and Rwanda expressing an interest in our curriculum and ministry. It is exciting to see the international potential this ministry has. Our goal – glorifying God and making Him known in all that we do and to the ends of the earth.

So for those who may not quite understand our ministry, feel free to inquire. But please know that our heart is to see the advancement of the Gospel and to see people living healthy lives all for the glory of God. I love you all and ask that you continue to pray for Tree of Life, our students, our future, our partners and our team. Pray we will ‘be’ much more than what ‘do’. LG+LP

Tears for the City

In Luke 19:41-44, Jesus laments for Jerusalem as he approached the city. The city that praised him and cried “Hosanna!”, Jesus preceded this glorious welcome with tears. As I meditate on this passage, I am challenged and convicted. I cannot imagine the pain Jesus felt being welcomed in such a glorious and majestic way only to be later falsely accused and crucified by the same praise givers. The twelve deserted him along with the city that welcomed him as the King of the Jews. This betrayal must have been a gut-wrenching experience for the God-man. And it was just the beginning of his isolation and lonely walk down the ‘way of suffering’. Even the closest of Jesus’ friends did not understand him and fled when their encouragement and defense was needed, yet Jesus knew this was the lot that had fallen to him. This was the cup that he submitted to drink from through sweat of blood and tears.

It is encouragement to me that Christ, among all who have lived and breathed, experienced betrayal, rejection, false accusations, suffering and even death on a level that we will never know. During this season of my life, I have been faced with betrayals, physical harm, rejection and false accusations. I look to Jesus’ example in all of this and know that He knows and understands. Although these trials cannot be avoided, it is a comfort to know that He is with me. He cries with me. He hurts with me. He will even fight for me when necessary.

My challenge remains in the preliminary action of Jesus before his passion and suffering commenced. The challenge for me are the tears…the love. Knowing what awaited him, still Jesus wept for those that he knew would spit on him, strike him and place the crown of thorns on his head. This is my prayer. In the darkest parts of the world, Lord, give me tears and love for those who ‘do not know what they are doing’. May my life be a life that silently accepts the cup of suffering while still extending grace, love and forgiveness. God, let me weep for Sierra Leone and the rest of the world who desperately needs You.

TREE OF LIFE
Your prayers are being answered and classes are multiplying. Pastor Emmanuel is teaching two classes and I just finished my own class in Makeni. We have a group and our first church plant has emerged over the last couple of months. Please be in prayer concerning these things. We are also discussing a future partnership in expanding the Tree of Life ministry and working with an investor that longs to create working moringa farms throughout the country and the world. We are in the planning stages, but pray that God would guide us and give us wisdom in the decisions that are on the horizon.

I love you all and thank you for your support! Please drop me and email and let me know how I can pray for you. GTG

Bittersweet

Let us start with the ‘sweet’: The tree of Life ministry is going well and God is blessing and moving. From the beginning it has been my biblical hope to see and organic, spirit-led and sustainable ministry that will guide people to the Truth of the Gospel and also foster healing in their relationships to themselves, others and creation. I wish I could announce the thousands who have flocked to our classes, yet our numbers-driven culture needs a check-up, nor is it a fair assessment of God’s hand at work, and that is a sermon for another day. ;-) I was reminded by a friend of the prophet Jeremiah’s 25 year ministry: and the result was two believers that followed him. Many call him the “Weeping Prophet”. But I would like to call him the “Persevering Prophet”.

One who has followed his example is Pastor Emmanuel who is working with me as an instructor/church planter with Tree of Life. Despite obstacles, he is bent on serving God and pastoring the flock God gives him. He has now begun his 4th and 5th classes. The first class has 20 students who began this week. Please pray for them as they learn holistically what health really is: spirit, body and mind. His second class has been born out of a new convert we will call “A”. “A” lives in a village not far from pastor but is an area that is very staunch in other religious beliefs. He is meeting with three people at “A’s” house weekly. God has given him a vision that this will be the first church plant from the Tree of Life ministry. It is exciting and challenging at the same time. I ask you all to pray for pastor, the classes, and particularly “A” who has a growing hunger to know our Savior.

My class graduated a couple of weeks ago in Makeni, and I am praying now that a leader will emerge to continue the work here as Pastor Emmanuel is doing in Freetown. Please also pray for an unspoken request for me as I seek wisdom and guidance and several major decisions in the coming months.

There seems to be a universal law that couples opposites purposefully. James chapter 1 tells us to “Rejoice in your suffering…for it makes you mature and complete”. Often we are blinded to this truth and tend to look at our current circumstances and think, “What the heck is going on?” We fail to see from a Divine perspective and want answers and solutions now. ‘Lament’ is not a very nice word in Christendom, yet necessary in our faith to not only show our dependence upon a Sovereign God, but to reveal the honesty of a hurting soul. I confess I have been in a season of lament with the losses that have come into my life, the betrayals and just serving in a very difficult and dark place. Many of you have, through divine timing, sent so many encouraging emails that God has used. Thank you. Keep praying as I pray for you. Keep loving God and people.

First Fruits

Tree of Life Ministries launched in October of 2012 with our first official class graduating in January upon my return. Up until that point, the vision was transforming into a curriculum sharing about health prevention and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many still do not understand the ministry fully, or feel that it is just another para-NGO focused on health training. People have gotten glimpses and slivers of truth about our ministry, yet our purpose is ultimately to make the name of Jesus known among the unreached and to make disciples. Our foundation for this is relationships, just as Jesus modeled to us. Our medium is creative, holistic and truthful on all levels: spiritually, physically and emotionally.

I am happy to be writing today to tell you about a new disciple who I will call “A”. This new disciple emerged from a relationship Pastor Emmanuel (My co-teacher with TOL) has formed over the past weeks. I visited A’s community with Pastor Emmanuel and Mark this week. The area is predominately “M” with a very prominent “M” school in the community. As we walked the long road to A’s house, I must confess that my heart was distracted with other trials happening around me currently. Hope seemed distant and out of reach, yet when we reached A’s house God opened my eyes and turned my focus to a wonderful new work taking place in this small remote community.

Pastor has been discipling A and meeting with him weekly. Now A's friends and the community have asked for the Tree of Life class/Bible teaching in their area. Not only is there a physical need because of lack of safe water and an unclean environment, there is such a need for spiritual Truth. We sat for over an hour reading scriptures about salvation through Jesus Christ and the need of a blood sacrifice to atone the wrath and judgment of God against sin. After we prayer together, A offered a place for us to have the class behind his house. He even made the comment that we could have a church there.

As I walked that dusty road to A’s house, hope seemed out of reach, but after our time of church that Sunday, hope was restored. I realized that this is the first fruits of the work taking place here. All glory goes to God! Please pray for A, his family, neighbors, Pastor Emmanuel and the new class that will be starting in the Bessberry community. God will complete this new work he has begun!