My friend Jeffrey D Woodard is on a mission to penetrate the darkness that he has seen in Sub-Saharan Africa with the light of love and hope and faith. Jeff is on a mission with a love for the people of Africa. Jeff has personally seen and experienced the injustice of hunger, violence, disease, brokenness, death, and hopelessness that is unfortunately alive and thriving in Africa.
Believe me when I say that once Jeff says that the Lord has opened his heart to this people… he means it… he lives it… be breathes it… he bleeds for it.
Jeffrey will be leaving for Africa with a team of people on July 24th. They will be assessing the needs of their focus region and beginning the plans to launch an orphanage from the ground-up that will provide an enduring beacon of love and hope and faith in this region. Jeff has been preparing for this trip for over eleven months… but the Lord has been preparing Jeff for this very moment for a lifetime.
Jeff posted the following on his facebook cause/group page recently. I re-read it this evening and was moved AGAIN to pray… and to reinforce my commitment to make Jeff’s mission to Africa one of the flagship international missions of Remedy Church. Here is what Jefferey said that effected me so deeply…
OK, so when I re-read this it was very angry and negative, but my goal is to be positive. After reading please come back to this sentence.
I am running up and down the road, coast to coast, city to city, bank to bank, hustling people for money, appealing to corporations, igniting individuals and challenging my family and friends to look beyond their own blessing to see how to help others who just want to love and care for their families too but lack basic human life necessities (like food, water, and meds). For a year now (actually since 1997) I have been seeking support to bring relief aid and WATER to people in a difficult African country, at the risk of my own life and safety. Small price to pay! Here is why:
Imagine getting up in the morning to a pan of hot, crystal clean water to wash your grungy face and hands… or a warm refreshing bath after days of not having one… Awesome huh? What about a life giving cup of hot tea to follow? Oh yeah, now you talking! Well that stuff is all good and fine until you find out that the 70 something year old mother of the village had to walk miles to get it from a well so you would be safe to drink/use it. ON HER HEAD! Oh You think that is something, what about when she comes and serves it to you on her hands and knees to honor you???! So you see why I am willing to starve to death and not ask anyone for a crumb, but I can go up to ANYONE and ask for money for this place where people are dying daily because of a lack of clean water! I know their names, their hopes, their potential… they aren’t people on a commercial.
THE FRUSTRATING PART:
How is it that there have been TWO, yes TWO water leaks on my street with clean, fresh, healthy water RUNNING DOWN THE STREET!!!! FOR WEEKS!!!! WHAT IN THE WORLD!!!!
Ya’ll pray for me, I am not doing well with that! I am trying to be calm… Really I am. Also, I won’t be near as mad if this email results in you supporting our cause!
Keeping Faith, and borderline calm,
JDW
If you are moved to any action by this blog… may it be prayer.
If you are motivated to help… click HERE and join the movement.
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.:rweaver:.
Ryan,
I have no words to describe what happens when I get nerve enough to think about how big of a deal this is! I shutter at the thought of not “reading on” see how the story ends. I am leaving Missouri now about the 8th state I have been to telling my simple story. I have ceased recording all the was I see God at work in regard to teaching me about responding to the existence of my fellowman… my “neighbor”. Each day I am seeing new Hope and many many new challenges to my Faith. I am exited to partner with you… and all my brothers in humanity to see where the story takes us, and who we become as we read along together.
My very best to you and all that are “Keeping Faith”,
JDW
PS.. The water leaks is bigger and I am trying to stay engaged to the learning opportunity rather than rant every time I turn into my driveway!