My Reason Why

The Community Crusade for Christ starts tomorrow - BE THERE!! I am very excited about this opportunity that God has presented for us, personally, as a church body, and as a community!

I am going to try and explain, briefly, why I am so passionate about this and why I think you should take time out of your busy life to come and hear what Pastor Steven has to say.

I told you here how I found Amazima Ministries and I have still been keeping up with Katie's blog detailing her faith and her ministries in Uganda. I have also begun following the lives of her partners here in the States that help with the administrative side of Amazima and are also adoptive parents of many children, some of which are from Uganda.

Because of this a deep passion began inside me for the children they minister to and their families. One day I had an urgency to do something to help them and I decided to sponsor a child. The big problem was I didn't have the $300 in which to do so. Unlike larger organizations like Compassion International, where you can sponsor a child by paying monthly, at Amazima you needed the whole $300 upfront. I decided to start a "change" jar which I labeled for my Amazima child; however, those of you who know me well know I never pay for anything with cash!! I'll even pay for things less than $1 with debit card so my jar was not filling up fast enough! And like I said I had an URGENCY to do this so I prayed for God to send me the money. And about 2.5 seconds after I finished my mind said "as if God just goes to the post office and mails you money!"

Well apparently my God is mighty enough that he does just that! Two days later I had a check in the mail that covered the amount I needed and I had not even told Ryan about my prayer - no one knew I needed the money but God! Nothing like that has EVER HAPPENED TO ME! But it definitely reaffirmed my commitment to sponsor the lovely child below, Brenda.

Look at that joyous smile for $300/year I have paid for her education, clothing, and two meals a day! That is such a small amount of money here in the US but it makes such a huge impact for the people of Uganda and they have such joy because of it.

That was kind of a long story to say that I'm excited about Community Crusade because Pastor Steven, who is not affiliated with Amazima, is from Uganda and I'm hoping his joy is contagious!!

I believe those people have greater faith then I know - they have to believe God will heal them because there is no other way. There are not hospitals there like we have here. They see people truly possessed and they have to have faith that God and His annointed ones can call out demons. All these things in the Bible which I say I know God can do, like miraculous healings, calling out demons, etc, but when I hear someone say "Pastor Who touched me and I am healed," I think to myself "whatever, you probably weren't sick to start with."

I want to become the kind of faith filled person who will carry my friend miles in the heat and dirt to see a glimpse of Jesus and when I can't get through I don't give up but I carve a hole in the roof and lower her down and then go on about my day seeking neither glory nor recognition and not even staying to see what happens because I know my Jesus, my God, my Savior is Mighty to Save.

I want to live simpler and take joy in the smaller things. I want to be a friend to people, not just have friends, and I want my children to do that as well. I want to leave a legacy that says more than just I went to church, I went to Sunday School, I was nice - I want it to be something more like Jesus changed her, made her different and not like everybody else, and as a result she changed other people . . .

So that is why I am excited about a REVIVAL in my soul, whether its by Pastor Steven from Uganda or Bro. John from down the road, I think we could all use a little change and stand to become a lot different.