Thankfulness

Below is an email that my friends Julie and Dan DeYoung and their Bible Study Group received from the young gal from Africa that they sponsor.  I think it tells her story very well!!!

“Hello Mum Julie and Dad Dan, I cannot stop thanking for all the good things you have done, you have rely made a big difference in my life with in these few days you have known me, am so grateful to God above who enabled me to see you, you have really brought back the smile that i had lost many years back, i cannot imagine that I eat food everyday ever since i got to know you, at times i feel like am dreaming yet it is a reality. i rely feel i belong somewhere and i have people who care. i told my grandmother about you and she is so grateful to you for all the help you are giving us. thank you so much mum and dad and the bible group members. you have rely brought me back to a normal life without being chased out of the house and spending days without food. May God bless you all for everything mum.”

This young gal grew up in an orphanage.  A woman, who became like a grandmother to her, has been  her guardian.  She picked her up off the streets when she was just nine years old. The grandmother is Masitula and is over 90 years old, sick a lot and cannot do much for herself, so this young gal looks after her, provides for her a place to live, supplies food, pays the rent, and attends school full time.  She is in her 2^nd semester in her 1^st year of college, majoring in business administration.  A woman by the name of Aunt Grace had been sponsoring this young gal, but unfortunately she passed away in December 2011, leaving our young friend in a desperate situation.  I met her when I was in Uganda on my mission trip last year and really felt a bond with her.  When I learned of her plight in May 2012, I felt like we needed to try to do something to help her.  I contacted Julie and Dan to see if they and their Bible Study Group or friends might be willing to help her and sponsor her. There has been much fruit born from it as it has changed Julie & Dan’s life in that they have gained a daughter and are helping make a difference, as well as changing the destiny and future of this young gal, who now calls them mum and dad!!!  Everyone is a winner in a situation like this!!!!!!!! 

As we can see from this testimony, all it takes is someone who willing and available to answer the call by stepping up to the plate and saying YES to the Lord by helping someone in need.  Won’t you reach out and make a difference today?  God is calling each and every one of us to lay down our lives for His sake and for the sake of the poor and needy!!!! 

If you would be willing to help someone in need, please feel free to contact me at fortheluvofafrica@gmail.com.  Please type the gmail address into your email browser.

His servant

Mary

Mission Medical Clinic

LET me share with us today about my experience in the medical missions that we do carry out every month in which we reach unto disadvantaged and hurting people in remote and unreached parts of Africa. This is done through giving free medical and dental treatment, sharing other charity gifts, and arranging for evangelism in different capacities. On average we always reach unto 350 to 500 people every month and GOD have been faithful in transforming them.

I felt like specifically I share about the recent one of this month which was last week. 12^th to 14^th July 2012. this took place in western part of UGANDA, Kibale district in a village called Kyabakadima . People traveled long distances of about 20 to 30 km and others from other districts coming for treatment. We managed to reach unto 550 patients with free medical, 80 dental patients, 70 people gave their lives to Christ and about 100 people received other charity supplies like clothes. 

We faced a young girl of 12 years named DENAVENSI, who presented with a perforated incision site with part of intestines out and also using a polythen bag as a waste collecting bag which was coming out of the stomach.  On history taking, we found out that she had an intestinal obstruction some time back and she was operated in the nearby hospital and the wound didn’t close properly. last month she got an accident when she was being taken by the father to the herbalist to get some herbal medicine the father died on spot and was buried.

We found out that this is an emergency. she needs an operation but it was hard for her to be taken to the hospital since their land was sold when she had the first operation and this time they had no even transport to the hospital. We were touched but we didn’t have an immediate solution.  Dr. Grace that is doing her internship, promised to help this girl and also make a quick appointment with the surgeon for an operation.

The cost can reach 400 dollars. please friends of Africa pray with us that God provides for this emergency and also pray for this girl that she may be healed by the LORD.

IF ANYONE FEELS LED TO GIVE TOWARDS HER SURGERY, PLEASE CONTACT US AT fortheluvofafrica@gmail.com

THANK YOU.

YOU CAN CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS BELOW OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS MISSION AND ALSO THE PHOTOS OF THIS GIRL.

Dr. Gilbert  Africa.

Commissioned to Make a Difference

                         
I felt like reminding  us that we are meant to make  a difference in some ones life or some people or some community,Christ commissioned us in the book of the gospels mark,Luke Mathew,to go into the whole world preaching the gospel ( making a difference) .their are many ways one can make a difference in this world.

People say , "i don't have enough money,am not able to do any thing,am poor,i don't have enough, "I am only one, nothing i can do'.
FOR me today i say i may be a  one ,i may not be having money but i can do something. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do. What I ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do."
One godly man or woman can make a dramatic difference, even in the darkest of circumstances. Jesus put it this way:

"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world-like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." (Matthew 5:13 NLT)

Our Lord is telling us that we, like salt, should make a difference in the situations we are in. Just as a little salt can either improve or worsen the flavor of something, a little influence can go a long way.

You might be the only man  in your family . . . or the only Christian in your workplace . . . or the only Christian in your classroom . . . or the only Christian  having a burden for africa,you might be a christian in africa their is some thing that you are meant to do ..please remember everything has its own time...,time to plant and time to harvest ,this is important for us to know that this is the right time for us to make a difference . In fact, you may be trying to get out of an uncomfortable situation in which you find yourself. But you may have been put there by the Lord to be an influence and, in a godly way, to move people in the right direction. God can do a lot with a little.

It is the power of one. Our lives can make a difference. In Ezekiel 22:30 God says, "I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one" (NLT).

God is looking for that one who can make his or her mark. You may be the only Christian whom some people will ever know. The fact is that God can do a lot with a little. If you don't believe me, just ask that boy who was willing to share his lunch one day and saw Jesus feed 5,000 people, plus women and children, with his little meal. Or spend some time in the book of 1kings where you find a widow of Zarephath who obeyed God  by giving in the small that she had for her self and the son to eat that day and die. when she gave out God multiplied every thing and they survived the days of great famine.He is still the same God.once you stand in your position.1Ki 17:13  And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 1Ki 17:14  For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. 1Ki 17:15  And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 1Ki 17:16  And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.
God is just looking for one-someone like you, someone like me. Will you be that one person?

Would you be willing to do what you can, where you are or in africa, with the influence that God has given you? Never underestimate the power of one.
once we join together we shall cause a big difference.

Dr. Gilbert AFRICA

I Have Been Blessed

I have asked my brother to share with us this testimony that has encouraged me so much.

I have been encouraged to give this testimony after reading the previous post by Mary Linnet. I felt I needed to tell some one how I feel just because some one stood in the gap to help me and my family to this point where we are now. I am now some body and I must confence that I able to look after my self and the family which I couldn’t before. I had all the potentials but I was lacking some one to encourage me and support me to see this potential in me. It was a tag of war for me to study since I was an orphan and my relative tried all they could till a point they could not support me any more. At the point they had taken me,I was not able to do any thing for my self. When I had lost all the hopes of ever making it in life, God connected me to a friend from U.S.A who stood with me in all ways to the point where I have been able to get a job and in position to support my self. I give God the glory for that Lady who listened to the voice of God and stood with me to this point where I am also looking for ways I can also help others. I studied Pharmacy and I am now working in a private pharmacy here in Uganda and also working with World Born Again Medical Ministries to offer free medical services to the disadvantaged. I have just made my testimony too short but God I got me from very far.

Byonanebye Michael

African-Uganda.

Blessed to be a Blessing

Most Africans live in extreme poverty!!!   99.999% of them do not have the amenities that you and I have been blessed with.  They do not live in air conditioned homes, have running water, indoor plumbing, electricity, or have a vehicle to drive, but instead live by meager means, hoping and praying that they will even have food for themselves and their families’ next meal and will live to see tomorrow. 

Many of us, including myself, have become spoiled in that we have become “consumer” minded.  We see the newest gadget on the market and think we “have to have it.”  May God deliver us from that consumer mentality!!!  We are driven by greed to always want and have more!  We need to face the fact that it is due to the sin of selfishness and self-centeredness within us!!!   We have become “consumed” by  what our neighbor has, driven by the TV and newspaper ads telling us of a great sale they have, and our thinking that we have to have it.  Because of our wants (what we “think” we need) and not living within our means, credit card debt has skyrocketed and has driven us into a lifetime of debt, which then becomes bondage to us.  (I like what I heard Dave Ramsey and the late Larry Burkett say about credit cards.  If you cannot pay off your credit card (in full) the following month after your purchase, you need to cut up the card (s) and throw them away.) We see that same problem even within our government spending!!!  It is out of control!!!  This is what the Bible calls the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).  Instead, we are to be content with the things we have (Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 4:11) and live within our means!!! MAY GOD DELIVER US FROM OURSELVES!!!

Instead of being “consumer minded”, God wants us to share what we have with those that are in need. When my Bible study group and I were doing a series on “Outlive Your Life” by Max Lucado (highly recommended), we decided to take the challenge to begin to give to the poor and needy the same amount of money that we spent on ourselves (our “wants”).  Most of us do not think about spending money on our selfish wants, but when we instead have to begin giving that same amount to the poor and needy, we balk. This really shows us our hearts!!!  So we have to ask ourselves these questions:  “Is this a need or a want?” There clearly is a difference!!!

Most Africans, on the other hand, live day to day with no credit cards, no shopping sprees to the mall, no Star Bucks, but instead, barely even know what it is to have a piece of furniture in their home, live in a 8 x 8 shack or hut, and can barely make it through the day.  Many go days and days without even eating, get chased out of their little huts because they are so poor they cannot even afford the $40 per month rent, or get sent home from school because they could not pay their school fees. Most of them do not even get an opportunity to go to school, because they do not have money for the tuition and do not even know what a grant, scholarship, student loan, or free school lunch is.  BUT WHAT THEY DO HAVE IS HUMILITY, LOVE, AND A LOT OF RESPECT FOR OTHERS!!!!  THEY TRULY HAVE HEARTS OF GOLD!!!!  WE TRULY COULD LEARN A LOT OF THINGS FROM THEM!!!!

 By helping Africans dig out of the “poverty mode” they are stuck in, we can give them a future and a hope!!! They just need someone to come along side of them, believe in them and their need, and love them. As Max Lucado said, “We need to see past their eyes, and look way down deep into their need and their heart” (paraphrased).  It may be a simple thing as helping them pay for schooling, food, rent, or helping them with their medical needs.  WHEN WE COME ALONG-SIDE THEM, WE ARE LITERALLY POURING INTO THEIR FUTURE AND CHANGING THEIR DESTINY!!! 

Won’t you reach out and be a blessing?  IT TRULY IS IN GIVING THAT YOU RECEIVE!!!!  It may not be a financial blessing that you receive back!!!  Like Dan & Julie DeYoung, the blessing may come in unusual ways, such as sparking a new friendship or gaining a daughter or son of a different race and nationality!!!!!  Remember, I went to be a blessing on my mission trip last year to Uganda, but I was truly the one that got blessed and it has changed my life forever!!!  I have been blessed many times over with the additions to my new “family” of awesome Africans!!!

REMEMBER WE ARE BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING!!!!!

Forever changed,

Mary

Making a Difference

Since last year"s trip  to africa when Mary,Gloria, and Rene came ,we africans have not remained the same especially me ,we have been shown love and care.sometimes we could think that for us we were meant to remain down helpless but now its not the case ,we have found that somepeople love us so much and they want to see us coming from such a state of life .God has blessed me ,and lifted up the burden i was carrying by helping in sponsoring some children who are needy.whenever i go around in the bush where we did free medical treatment people are so happy and asking when are we going back , these orphans who are helped they feel loved and cared for.God bless all of you , for what you are doing is not in vain God will reward you mightily.
AM thanking every one who is doing something so far to bring  a difference in africa and also to you who are planning to make a difference in one way or the other.

2nd Sponsorship Letter from Africa

Sponsorship Letter from Africa

Sponsorshi​p Blessings

Hello,

Today i want to talk about our sponsorship of a young Christian woman in Uganda. She tragically lost her parents at a very young age. Nothing has come easy for her and was just starting her university education when her sponsor died and she was left with nothing, no food, and barely a roof over her head. So close, but so far away from what she needed.

Her needs came to my husband and me through a good friend of mine who has visited Uganda and will be returning to the area where she lives. We prayed over the situation and asked God for revelation. My heart always yearned to go somewhere like this, but since being diagnosed with an illness now many years ago, this dream would have to be fulfilled in another way.

We talked about all of our blessings and gifts from God. We thought about how our children needed so much help to finish their education and how God got us through each financial need in our lives. It also occurred to us how her needs were so much greater than some of the things we were doing this year.

So we committed to helping her and immediately it felt right because the blessings started to flow BOTH ways. She reminded us how basic needs can be taken for granted when you are given more than enough. Food, shelter, clothing, bedding, schooling are all things she needs to be successful in life, but most of all, she has expressed to us how she now has the feeling of belonging and that someone cares about her.  That taught us this relationship is personal, not just financial! It was priceless that we were immediately taught that everyone needs to feel they belong and is more basic than a lot of things, isn't it?

Helping someone like our African daughter, (who now calls us mum and dad :) ) runs way deeper than a financial commitment. God immediately filled our hearts with love for her.

Please do not miss this awesome opportunity God has waiting for all of you. Commit to just one person or even a family. We opened this opportunity to our small Bible study group that meets throughout the year, so this doesn't have to be something you would take on by yourself. Also, it could also be a wonderful experience for your whole family.

Start praying about what God would have you do for His people in Africa. Remember you can't help everyone all the time, BUT you can help someone some of the time.

Blessings,
Dan and Julie De Young
USA