Sometimes I wonder if we really get it...

Acts 2:36-41:

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him
both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

So the steps to get right with God:

1. Believe the gospel of Jesus.
2. Repent
3. Be Baptized (unless you die right after you repent (see: the thief on the cross)).

So step 1 is pretty easy. The Gospel of Jesus is this: God created man and established a way that he should live, man rebelled against that way. This rebellion broke man's relationship with God, the very thing man was created for. Since God is perfectly good and perfectly just he MUST punish man for this rebellion, but man cannot endure God's infinite punishment. Jesus is God's Son, perfect in every way, he was crucified. This was done as a punishment for your sin, in this way His righteousness became yours and allows you to now come into fellowship with God. On the 3rd day after his death on the cross Jesus rose from the grave, to show He in fact was who he said he was and to show that he has the power to conquer sin and death. When you come into fellowship with God you receive eternal life and his Holy Spirit, who is God, and a counselor, he guides you and helps you to live a righteous life, no priest necessary, you can now approach God as an individual. That's pretty much it, either you believe it or your don't. If you don't believe, you can stop reading now, however there is a cool video at the end.

Step 3 is really easy, it's just getting dunked under water. Getting dunked may seem kind of silly, but when you first believe and repent, you want to please God, and you have no idea how, so God made it easy...get dunked under water for Jesus...it makes Him happy, don't ask me why, it just does. Really it's an act of grace on God's part. He made this all so simple, we don't need to build any roadblocks, however we do need to follow through with it. If you're a Christian and you haven't been baptized then there's no way around the fact that your living in disobedience to God's word (which is sin by definition).

OK so what about step 2. What is repentance? Well it's identifying and turning away from sin. This video pretty much sums it all up:



Be sure to watch the whole video.

For my friends at Fresh Start: We're going to be baptizing more, so this Sunday (April 19, 2009), if you believe, if you've repented, show up in swim trunks...we might start keeping some handy for those who decide to repent on the spot.

For my friends NOT at Fresh Start: If you go to church, encourage people to believe, repent, and be baptized and then to love God, love others, and make disciples. If you don't go to church, well stop by sometime at Fresh Start, we preach the gospel and always have lunch.

and for everyone: Remember, Love God, Love Others, and Make Disciples.

In Christ,

Dax

Volunteers Needed

While doing some research today I came along a website that some of the women and children in our church might be interested in. It is a blanket ministry for the homeless. They are needing people to volunteer to crochet a blanket. I know that some people feel like there is nothing they can do for ministry, but I know a lot of women, men, and children who know how to crochet and could use this talent for good. The site is http://www.needlesfortheneedy.blogspot.com/

If you would rather keep ministry closer to home than maybe some could be made for the less fortunate in the area or even taken on the next Liberia trip. Ministry comes in all forms. Blessings!

How Big is YOUR God?

Most of us can state without hesitation or limitation that God is big, very big. We can describe God's attributes and character with many high sounding words. Infinite, creator, all powerful, all knowing, sovereign, all loving, pure, etc.

God is God. He said "I am". In other words, God is who God is simply because He is God. He is who He is, regardless of what we think He is.

The real question for us is "How big is your God?"

If we believe in the great I Am, then we must accept what He says about Himself. Sadly, the great I Am is not our God. Our actions show we really don't believe in that God. Our actions show we believe in a lesser God, a God who is not quite as big as the real one.

Our lives show that we really don't think God is all that big. We limit our God to what we can do. It is nonsense and deception to say on the one hand that God is big, then only do what we can do on the other. Our lives and actions really show how big we think God is.

So we go about our lives making no impact. How much impact have you had with those around you? Has that impact led people to Jesus or away? How much impact has your life made in the world? Or is your God limited to your community and your family and your church?

How big is your God?

He says that He can do more than we can ask or imagine. He can do more than we can think of or dream about. He can use you to make an eternal impact on this world. He can use you to do amazing things. Trouble is, we just don't think God is that big.

How big is God?

God is big enough to change nations. God is big enough to transform the lives of millions. Have you ever dreamed of being a part of changing a nation? Have your ever dreamed of seeing millions accept Jesus as savior? Have your ever dreamed of helping thousands overcome addiction? Have your ever dreamed of seeing your community turn to Christ?

Just how big is your God? Your life is the answer to that question.

Kris

God is moving in Liberia: from a pastor

I got this note from one of the pastors at Peace Island. I hope it brings joy to you this Easter.

dear Pst. Kris,

Thanks a million I received your mail. We are in prayer with you that God going to make your desire for the people of P Island to come to pass.

The Good Friday service was very great in the CAC, with lots of adults turning their lives to Jesus. As the seven powerful words lastly spoken by Jesus b/4 he gave out the ghost on the cross were been preached by kids under 12 years old ,many adults broke down in tears and many of them turned their lives to Christ. these people have almost make my home theirs because they want to keep hearing the message of the cross.

B/4 the kids started their preaching, one & a half huor of vedio show was displaced abuot all that Jesus went through b/4 his death on the cross.

We are so sorry that we do not have a camera to have taken some photos for your viewing.

Pst. Kris, I must be very frank with you that your encouragement abuot the message of the cross came at the best & most needed time in the hostory of Liberia, especially the P Island.Our people really need this message for transformation. Which is the only hope for their lives.

I know U are in prayer with us b/c God is doing wonders on the island.

Thank you
Pst. Othello

We hunt Easter eggs in America

We are nearing the end of a truly American seasonal phenomenon, Easter egg hunts. Every spring, we put baskets in our kids' hands, line them up, shout "go", and take great joy in the mad scramble for hidden Easter eggs. We do this as communities, as organizatons, and as families. Our kids quickly learn that it is every egg hunter for themselves. Gather those eggs up before the next kid get them.

Perhaps this is a metaphor of how American churches, American Christians, do things. Grab up all of the blessings from God you can before someone else gets them. Get a bigger basket so it can hold more eggs. Get that higher paying job so you can put that bigger house in your basket. Use your salary to put cars, big screen TV's, and iPods in your basket. Our baskets are full of fancy, colorful, expensive Easter eggs.

We even give tithes and offerings to God, then use them to fill our baskets at church. Coffee shops, waterfalls, beautiful fixtures, big staffs, banquets, all pretty Easter eggs to put in our basket. All just for us.

But worst of all, we gather up the gospel, put it in our basket, and believe just as that little kid, that it is just for us. So we will go to church on Easter celebrating Christ's death and resurrection, and take great joy that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. We will look into our Easter basket, see what God gave us, and be as thankful as we can for the gift he gave just for us.

So we keep the greatest gift that was ever given in our basket, gathering it just for ourselves. Just like the millions of kids frantically grabbing all the Easter eggs they can at the thousands of Easter egg hunts across America.

God so love the world, He sent His own Son. Christ died for the sins of everyone. Yet most Amercian Christians live a life that really shows Christ just died for them. That is the gospel we have shown the rest of America and the world. We have shown them Christ just died for us.

Little wonder we are ignored and ridiculed. If Christ is such a treasure, if salvation is such a great thing, if Christ died for everyone, why don't American Christians act like it. Instead, we put Jesus in our basket and keep him for ourselves.

Kris

What shall we do?

What shall we do?

Acts 17:30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

God is commanding Liberians everywhere to repent. Sin has filled their land with poverty, disease, rape, sexual immorality, corruption, stealing, greed, and murder. Just a few years ago sin brought civil war to their nation. There is an uneasy peace in Liberia. Churches pray for peace because they fear war will once again come. And without changed hearts, repentance, it could.

Sin has robbed this people of their hope. It has destroyed the family structure. People are afraid to walk the streets at night because there is no light and thieves and rapists prey on victims. Government officials and Non Government Agencies (NGO’s) use the money intended to help the people to enrich themselves. Everyone wants a little bribe to do the job they were hired to do.

Some UN official or NGO group decided to do something about rape. Women in Liberia are mostly second class citizens and are used by the men for sex, willing or unwilling. So some organization got funding to stop rape. It would be unusual if this organization didn’t get lots of money to help stop rape. And after buying the fancy Jeeps and cars, after renting the best housing, after paying the servants and the bar tab, they used a few dollars to put up silly billboards.

After all the money, after all the thought, after all the meetings, they decided that some cartoon billboards that asked men not to rape women would be just the program to stop rape. Tell that to the poor young girls we visited in JFK hospital.

The UN and most NGO’s believe Jesus is in our imagination. They see us as foolish. Praying and preaching can do nothing they think. So they try to stop the brutality of rape with cartoon billboards. They seem to believe that these evil men who see women as animals to be used and abused, will look at these cartoons and be changed.

They think that a ban on guns will stop murder. In Liberia, almost no policemen have guns, but most criminals do. So the people huddle in their dark shacks at night, afraid to venture out. They think a law will make these evil men give up their weapons.

The UN and NGO’s have convinced Liberians that they are their hope and their future. Many Liberians see America as their deliverer. They danced in the streets on our election night, believing a black US president would mean more money from America, believing one of their own had made it to the top. They saw hope in his election.

As hopeless, deceitful, and damaging as looking to the UN and the NGO’s programs for hope, they do not have anywhere close to the negative impact on Liberia as the importation of the American Church.

The American Church is mostly dead and ineffective, yet we have held it up in Liberia as the model for the country. We have come and built buildings when the people need food. We have come and brought a dress code when people live in dirt-brick shacks. Liberians outdress Americans on Sunday. We have brought our praise songs and dancing, that make happy at church, but bring no hope at home.

We have brought our Sunday religion that is dead the rest of the week. Liberia is a slave to sin, but the Liberian Church mostly stays inside the church, just like the American Church.

And worst of all, we have brought the prosperity gospel. If you want to be healed, give the pastor money as a seed and you will be healed. If you want to be rich, give the pastor money and it will be returned one hundred fold. If you don’t get these things it is your fault because you simply don’t have enough faith. So give more money and have more faith. Liberia is full of prosperity preachers who offer to fix the consequences of sin for a little seed money.

But what was Jesus’ message? Repent. Seek ye first His Kingdom and his righteousness, then all these things will be added unto you. Turn from your wicked ways and live righteous lives. Jesus came to save, not condemn. He came to save us from sin. He came to save Liberians from their sin. They live daily with the consequences of their sin and Jesus wants to help them, change them.

The only hope that Liberia has is Jesus. The only way they can have Jesus is to repent, seek forgiveness through the blood of the cross, and become new creations, a changed people. Liberians must choose between sin and righteousness.

They must quit looking to cartoon billboards, American money, and prosperity preachers for their hope of change. Peter confronted the crowd with their sin. They cried out “what shall we do?” Peter replied “"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Liberia is crying out “what shall we do?” We must tell them to repent and be baptized.

Kris

He couldn't stop crying

He couldn’t stop crying

Saturday, during the crusade, Calvin Burgess spoke about what could be done in Liberia to use the land and called them to repentance and to Christ. Dax then followed up with a call to repentance and asked them to go back to being Christopolis, Monrovia’s former name. An invitation was given for people to repent of sin. Hundreds responded and came forward to pray and repent.

Afterward, during some praise music, I walked into the crowd to visit with people. A man immediately caught my eye. He had his head in his hands and he was weeping. Not really knowing what was the matter, I simply sat beside him and put my arm around him. He could not stop crying.

He was a little dirty, wearing some old jeans and a black T shirt. His shoes were worn tennis shoes. It was clear this man was just a common Liberian. No fancy clothes or gold colored jewelry as many Liberians wear to impress.

I finally asked him what was wrong. It took him several minutes more before he could talk. As tears were still trickling down his cheeks, eyes red, he pulled out a yellow notepad with two pages full of handwritten notes.

“God told me some things months ago. I told other people but they said I was crazy. They wouldn’t believe me. Some said I would be killed if I said these things. Nobody would believe me.” He handed me the notes he had written months earlier.

I couldn’t believe it. What was written was almost word for word of what Dax had said. He could not have had time to write this down while Dax was speaking. God had told this man the same things He had told Dax.

And this thought overwhelmed the emotions of this man. God had spoken to him. God did want Monrovia to once again be called the City of Christ. People did need to repent. Liberia did need to stop looking to the white man to help them and begin looking to God. What he had written was true. This man knew he had talked with God and now it was confirmed by a big white American he had never met.

This was why the man couldn’t stop crying. So often we hear God’s voice but have doubts whether it was really God or just our imagination. So often we hear God’s voice but others scoff and ridicule us when we share it. Thank God that He seems to send us just the right encouragement and confirmation at just the right time.

Christopolis, the City of Christ, a vision of the future.

Kris

Give them no rest

Give them no rest

Tuesday night we went to a displaced family area called Peace Island. It is a rock hill surrounded by swamp. It is worthless so families without anywhere else to go can build a house there. The homes have big holes next to the house where the family dug out dirt and made dirt bricks to build the house. Then they use old tin or tarps for a roof. Peace Island has thousands of people and many children. It also has many ex-soldiers who still have many psychological problems. There is no electricity or water. The schools are simply crude huts. The children must bring their own chairs if they want to sit. The schools have no books and old broken blackboards.

We rented a pickup with speakers and a sound system in the back. We made a circle through the area playing music. We set up in a dirt field they use to play soccer. We strung up lights and began to play music. Soon we had 300-400 people, maybe more, gathered six and seven deep in a big circle around us. We got the children togther to sing and play some games. Then we preached the gospel of repentance, forgiveness, new creations, and hope. Over 100 people responded to the gospel message and many more came to repent of their sin.

We then gathered the 10 pastors from Peace Island and presented them with NIV Study Bibles. You cannot imagine happier pastors. We were an answer to prayer. The gospel was preached in their community, God had let them know others cared about them, and now they had study Bibles to help them better teach their people.

Then “The Prophet” gave a prayer of commission to them. They call this man "The Prophet" because he speaks truth. I have never met anyone who had more of the Bible memorized. I, like many Bible belt Christians, get a little uneasy when I hear a man called a prophet. But at least in Liberia, this really just means that God speaks to this man and this man speaks the truth of what God says.

The Prophet gave one of the most moving and powerful prayers I have ever heard. He prayed that the Bibles would be coals of fire upon the pastor tongues and that they would teach their people everything in them. He prayed that God would bring the truth of His Word to life in the pastors. He prayed that the people would listen and obey what was taught.

Then The Prophet asked something of God that was so simple, but powerful. He asked God to do something I wish the American pastors and their congregations could hear. He asked God to do something that is overlooked and forgotten in the American Church.

He asked God to cause the people to trouble their pastors day and night to teach them the Word of God. He asked that the people give these pastors no rest.

Can you imagine such a thing? Can you imagine pastors getting calls day and night from their people, hungry to know more about God, eager to find out His commands? Can you imagine pastors having to give up watching television at night because their people wanted to find out how to live more righteous and holy lives? Can you imagine pastors giving up trying to have a quiet supper because their people keep knocking on their door wanting to know how to better explain the gospel to their lost friends?

Sadly, this would upset and irritate many American pastors. They feel they are entitled to their rest, they are entitled to their days off, and they are entitled personal time. God, I pray you would give them no rest.

God give those pastors at Peace Island no rest. May the people there hunger so much for Your Word that they seek it day and night. For I know God, that if God’s people seek first Your Kingdom, all these other things will be added unto them.

God give them no rest.

Kris

Worth more than a million dollars

Worth more than a million dollars

Merle Patzkowski and the people of Living Waters were led to give Bibles to Liberia. When I heard they were going to do this I was excited and pleased, but I must now admit I had no idea just what impact these Bibles would make, and the great need there is in Liberia for Bibles.

We agreed that the first Bibles purchased and sent would be NIV Study Bibles for the pastors. Many, probably most, pastors in Liberia have very small, poor churches. Purchasing a good study Bible, much less commentaries and books, is out of reach for many pastors. In fact, I met pastor after pastor that only had an old King James Bible. Some pastors just had the pocket New Testament with Psalms.

Keep in mind these pastors did not go to college or seminary. They are ordinary men who God called to lead a church. And they lead a congregation of poor, uneducated people that do not own a Bible. So the only source of Biblical teaching, the only source of God’s Word for these people is through their pastor.

There is no way better to describe the impact of the NIV Study Bibles than to quote a pastor of a small, rural church whose people live in absolute poverty. Tony and Mary Beth Outhier (they got married in Liberia) went to his church on Sunday and gave him a Bible. He hugged the Bible next to his heart and said "this is more valuable than a million dollars". He had been teaching his people from old Sunday School material, unable to afford a Bible.

Thank you Living Waters for listening to God speak and being obedient to his request. Your gift was worth more than a million dollars. I have no doubt your gift will bring eternal life to thousands and thousands of souls. Your gift will bring joy, peace, comfort, and hope to a people who are desperate for these things.

Living Waters, your gift is an answer to many cries to God from Liberian pastors that God would provide them with His Word so they can teach their people the way of righteousness and holiness.

May God bless you and may God pour out the power of His Word upon the people of Liberia.

Kris

Policeman Abraham

Policeman Abraham

He was a big man with an even bigger smile. His uniform told everyone he was a policeman. He was part of the security team during our stay in Monrovia. He was Policeman Abraham. We hit it off immediately. He wanted to go with me whenever he could. You could tell he was captivated by what we were doing.

He was with us when we went to the orphanage and watched the children being taken away. Some policemen were inciting the crowd against us and WACSN. They were passing along the lies that the kids were being held hostage and sold as slaves. Some of the policemen beat the security guard at the orphanage.

And the police stood in a line as the children were led out of the orphanage. But back away from them a uniform caught my eye. It was Policeman Abraham. His face was sad, his head hung low. He was not happy with these events.

I went over to him and put my arm around him. I told him it would be alright and that God was in control of this situation. I told him we loved him and that we didn’t blame him for what the police were doing.

He told me that being a policeman in Monrovia was hard. Very few of the police have a gun. So if you tried to stop a criminal or enforce the law, the bad guys would find out where you live and try to get even. Yet Monrovia and Liberia really need good, honest policemen to make it a safer place. Liberia needs more Policeman Abraham’s, who love their people and want to make them safe.

Pray for Policeman Abraham and others like him. They are all the safety that many Liberians have, and they need courage to do their job.

Kris

Bishop Zarway

Bishop Zarway

Without exaggerating one bit, I visited with hundreds of pastors on our trip, perhaps 250. As you could imagine, names could not be remembered. And with most, I had no idea whether they pastored a large church or a small one, and I really didn’t care. I just wanted to encourage them and let them know God had big plans for Liberia.

On Tuesday morning, after the crusade was over, I met a pastor with a big gapped tooth smile named Bishop Zarway. He is a person you just instantly like. We visited for a little while and I began my usual encouragement to pastors to get out into the communities, markets and streets to share the gospel.

He smiled and said he agreed. Just a few weeks ago his church had baptized 56 people. My heart jumped as I came to see this pastor “got it”. His church ran an elementary school for 800 children and a high school for 400. He took great satisfaction in telling me that he made certain every student heard the gospel at least once a week. What a powerful ministry this man leads.

His wife is a doctor. They had just completed a brand new clinic and he asked me to come visit. Later that afternoon, we made our way down the long, bumpy dirt road that led to the clinic. As we walked up to the gate, Bishop Zarway was walking out. We almost ran into each other. As soon as he recognized me that big, gapped tooth smile began to shine and he grabbed my hand and said “you came, you came”.

The clinic was first class with tiled floors and bathrooms, air conditioning, a lab, an ultrasound, a surgical room and a pharmacy. God has blessed the people of this community with a great medical facility and a highly trained doctor and staff. What a blessing they will be to many, many people.

We gathered together to pray with Bishop Zarway and ask that God bless this new clinic and his ministry. But I think we were a little late. This pastor “gets it” and God is already blessing his ministry greatly.

Thanks God for Bishop Zarway, his doctor wife, and his amazing ministry.

Kris

Revival at Peace Island

The revival at Peace Island

Peace Island is a large hill surrounded by swamp. The hill is made up of rock and rocky dirt. Not much grows there. Dust is everywhere. Since the place has no value, they let families with nowhere else to go set up home there. Peace Island is the place of last resort for those that have nothing.

And thousands and thousands of people live there. There is a big hole in front of almost every house where the residents dug out dirt to make crude bricks. They stack these bricks up to make walls. Then they use tin to make a roof. Some have doors, some don’t, none have windows.

Electricity is a dream, as is a car. Part of the duties of men in the church is to carry out sick people who need medical attention, as well as the dead. There are no bathrooms or sewers so the waste ends up in the swamp, leaving it polluted and mostly dead.

Yet they survive. Some get jobs, some get help. Among the families and children live former soldiers with drug addictions and psychological problems. They cause trouble and are hard to handle. The men band together to try to keep as much law and order as possible. Peace Island has to stick together, no one seems to care much about them.

One of the ten or so pastors there insisted I come with him to see his church. The sides were woven palm branches, the structure was made of small tree trunks, and the floors were of course dirt. They had some rough wooden benches and a few chairs up front.

The church also doubled as one of the schools at Peace Island. They had two old chalkboards that were barely standing. On them was an English lesson and some math problems. Students don’t have books, and the teachers have very few. If you want a chair, bring your own.

We had visited the area earlier and got to visit and play with the children. They laughed and giggled at us. Not many white folk make their way to Peace Island. We were treated like royalty. They let out school just so the kids could talk with us and stare at us.

The pastors were so gracious, only wanting thank us for coming. But they just couldn’t keep from telling us their people were poor and had nothing. They asked for school books and supplies, Bibles, other real needs, and prayer. They need our prayers as they scratch survival on what some would call a God forsaken rock.

But God has not forsaken Peace Island. Pastors minister there and people worship. They give thanks to God for even the little they have. And they thanked God when we showed up, music blasting as our little caravan wound its way through their world.

We stopped at a dirt field they used to play soccer on. As the music played the people began to come. Soon they formed a big circle around us, five or six people deep. Three hundred, four hundred, maybe more. Come to think of it, there were well over 100 kids there. We got the kids together to sing, play, and go on a bear hunt. They could make some pretty mean, big old bears. I started out leading the singing but Trent soon got Sheila to take my place. I think I was embarrassing him. They loved it all.

Then we preached the gospel of repentance, forgiveness, new creations, and hope. Michael Frisbie, an Enid pastor and Dax did a tremendous job of explaining the gospel. We asked them to come forward to accept Jesus as their savior. And they came. Young men, old women, mothers, fathers, kids, all came expressing a desire to make Jesus their king. Well over a hundred came.

The pastors, Dax, Michael, Chris Zuniga, Keith and Lisa French, Tammy, and Trent were soon busy praying and encouraging the people who wanted Jesus. What a great picture I have in my mind as I continued to call for others to come forward while watching our people help lead lost people into the Kingdom. Arms around shoulders, hand in hand, there was no black and white, there was no Liberian and American, just new brothers and sisters in Christ together.

God is not done with Peace Island and neither are we. God is not done in Liberia and neither are we. The harvest is great and there is a great need for workers. The message of repentance is powerful in Liberia. Satan has had his way, but now God is convicting of sin and calling people to repentance. Liberia is hungry for the gospel. They are captivated by it. We can’t wait to go back and tell others about Jesus.

We can’t wait to go back to Peace Island. They captured our hearts, while God captured theirs. And there is much more to do on that rough, dusty old hill that God has not forsaken.

Kris

Her last breath

Her last breath

She was laying on the hospital bed dying. Her face was drawn, her eyes stared blankly into the room, and she labored to draw each breath. As I walked into the room with six patients, she was the first to catch my eye. It was clear that she was dying.

And while some were still in the room, she breathed her last breath on this earth. We had come to pray with her and others in the hospital. We had come to share the good news of Jesus. But we were too late for her. Maybe if we had come a few days earlier we could have told her. Maybe she had saving faith. Maybe she did not.

Yet we cannot escape the fact that this woman now faces Almighty God and she either stands before Him with Jesus as her Savior, or she faces eternity in torment and agony. We were too late.

This is why Jesus tells us that “today is the day of salvation”. And if today is the day of salvation, then today must be the day to share the gospel of salvation. For this woman is not alone. Thousands die each day in the hospitals and homes and streets of Liberia. They die each day in Fairview, in Oklahoma, and America. And they die without Jesus as their savior. They die without anyone bringing the hope of the Son of God.

We who are charged with sharing this gospel stand guilty of the sin of silence. We deceive ourselves and wash our hands by offering up the ingenuous argument that “they” had heard about Jesus and rejected him. “They” had their chance.

But have “they” heard about Jesus as savior? Had this women heard about Jesus as savior? Or have “they” simply heard that name used by church people who were really no different than “they” were? Why are we so hesitant to share about our savior with others? Why can’t we tell them what Jesus is doing in our lives? Do our lives keep them from listening?

She took her last breath while we were in the room. How many will breathe their last without hearing the true gospel and seeing it lived out?

Kris

The crab lady

The crab lady and her family

I remember her as the crab lady. Just a couple hundreds yards from the ocean, she sat on a short, crude bench in front of her family’s “home”, cooking rice and a small amount of oily mixture to give it flavor. She smiled at me as I approached. I smiled back, but could not keep from being overwhelmed by the absolute poverty of her situation.

Her family of least six lived in a cobbled up shack. The roof was old tin, probably taken off the roof of one of the many abandoned homes near the ocean. Once they were magnificent, luxury ocean front homes. The war brought destruction and death. I was told many of the owners of these homes were either killed or had fled.

Now these abandoned homes were free housing to multiple families. These were the lucky ones. The crab lady and her family had to live in a makeshift home. The walls were woven palm leaves. The door was a piece of plywood. The floors were dirt and the roof was rusted tin full of holes. In all it was probably 12 feet by 12 feet.

This was the crab lady’s home, with no better one in sight. As she was cooking the rice on a fire outside her shack, I asked her how she bought food. She told me she went out every morning and picked up the small crabs that lived on the beach. She cooked them then took them to a market to sell.

Her husband told me of how we wanted a job, but could not find one. He told me of the despair, and how his children could not go to school. They invited me to eat with them. I was humbled at the generosity of these people who had so little.

I spent the next 15 minutes or so sitting with them on a short, dirty bench. I told them that Liberia was rich. That God had blessed their country with more than enough to live on. They agreed but they just couldn’t see how to get what God had given. So the crab lady continues to gather her crabs.

We must help Liberians see the riches God has provided. We must help them begin to use those riches. We must help them turn their hearts towards God and His Son, so their eyes will be opened. The war has devastated the country and broken their spirits. They have no vision. They are just surviving day to day. Satan has deceived them into believing they must beg from America and the UN for their lives to get better. They see the riches, but they don’t know how to get them.

So the crab lady hunts crabs to feed her family. Thank you God for supplying the crabs. Help them see they can have so much more.

Kris

Dorcas wanted prayer

Dorcas wanted prayer

Hundreds of people were responding to the gospel during the invitation. Many more came for prayer. One lady walked right up to me and asked if I would pray with her. Her name was Dorcas. She had a niece in the hospital that was very sick and she needed our prayers. I put my arm around her and we prayed for her little niece. We asked God to heal her and bring her family peace and comfort.

Dorcas gave me a hug, a big smile, and a thank you. Then off she went into the crowd.

Two days later we were visiting a hospital, going from room to room praying with sick people and their families. As I was walking to a room I heard “Pastor Kris, Pastor Kris”. It was Dorcas. I was standing right by the door of her niece’s room. She grabbed my arm and we went right to her niece’s bed so we could pray.

We finished our hospital visit and began visiting with people in the market nearby. I once again heard that voice say “Pastor Kris, Pastor Kris”. Dorcas was smiling as she brought the news her niece was sitting up and feeling much, much better.

All quite a coincidence some might say. God’s people know that is just God.

Kris

Why Calvin was a little late

Why Calvin was a little late

Calvin Burgess is a man who owns and operates a large farm in Kenya. He agreed to travel with us to Liberia to speak at the crusade and tour the country, looking for opportunities to build sustainable projects.

Saturday he once again left out in the morning to see the land and people. Calvin was scheduled to speak at 6 pm, so he wanted to get back by 5. The praise singers were leading the people in worship, so Dax and I went outside, in front of the stadium, to wait on Calvin. We sat on some steps and waited. Dax got up to go talk with someone. I stayed waiting on Calvin. He was late.

I was looking around at the people milling about outside the stadium when I felt a nudge. A young boy, who turned out to be 14, had slid up beside me. He wore a Texas Longhorn Tshirt. He said “I want to be your friend”.

This is common in Liberia for Americans. We are all viewed as rich and a good source of money. If you go to Liberia, most people you meet will want to be your friend in hopes of getting money. This little boy wanted to be my friend.

I asked him his name. It was Joseph. I began to tell him about a friend he could have that would be the best friend he ever had. I told him about Jesus. Soon I was surrounded by 8 or 10 young boys, all huddle around me, listening closely as I told them about Jesus. They couldn’t get enough. They stayed and stayed as I talked about God and His Son.

Then I asked them if they wanted to ask Jesus into their heart. I asked them if they believed that Jesus was God’s Son who came to earth, died on the cross for our sins, and was raised from the dead. I asked them to repent of their sins and ask Jesus to be the king of their lives. Five of them did. One of them was Joseph.

I believe they meant it. I am convinced that Joseph did. And he did become my friend, spending time the next two days with Brook and I. He told me he had gone home and told his family about Jesus. He went to church and told his pastor he had asked Jesus into his heart. He couldn’t keep from smiling.

After he spoke, Calvin began to apologize for being a little late. I stopped him, smiled, then told him why he was a little late. God had planned that Joseph and his friends hear about Jesus. The stops to fix the car Calvin was using weren’t wasted time. It was just the time God needed to let some young Liberian boys hear about His Son.

Thank you God for making Calvin a little late.

Kris

"I'll take you to some people who need hope"

“I’ll take you to people who need hope”

Kennedy Hospital is a large hospital in Liberia. It was built in the early 60’s, so it is almost 50 years old and is showing its age. By our standards it is dirty and run down. It smells. Catheter tubes run into dishes on the floor. Sheets don’t get changed every day. Bedpans lay full next to beds. There is no air conditioning and the patients suffer in the heat. Much of the routine care is left to the family.

Yet it is all they have, and many cannot afford even this. The doctors and nurses work hard and do the best they can. But death is everywhere and uneventful. Pain is constant, even with many of the children. Their cries echo through the halls and pound upon your heart.

It is a place of heaviness. It is a place of worry and sorrow. And it is a place of healing and joy. As with the other hospitals we visited, it wears on you. Praying with mothers whose child lays sick, with men whose limbs are gone, or women who have just given birth drains you. Yet at the same time it brings a sense of satisfaction that you have brought some light and hope to a desperate people.

We came to Kennedy Hospital with Elder Ross, a Liberian who teaches at the orphanage. As we came to one of the wings of the complex, we were met by a well-dressed woman who wanted to know what we were doing. She was the assistant administrator for this entire wing. Elder Ross explained that we had come to pray for the sick.

The skepticism was evident on her face. At first, I thought she would turn us away. Then she looked right at me and said “I’ll take you to some people that need hope”. She turned and began to walk into the building as we followed.

We were led to an area that was home to 40 or so women, some girls as young as twelve. These women had been raped. Some by multiple men. They had been torn up inside, requiring surgery and care. Many were forced to sit on buckets because of the damage to their bodies. The assistant administrator told us that their families had abandoned and rejected them because they had been raped.

So for an extended time, this was their home, and each other was their family. And they had no hope. You could see it in their eyes. Their bodies were broken, they been brutally used for pleasure, their families condemned them, and they had no home, no future. Before us was the least among us.

And they were gathered together staring at us, looking at me as I stepped forward to speak with them. How do you prepare for such a moment? What words can give them even a bit of comfort? Am I capable of even praying for these poor young women? The overwhelming sense of utter helplessness overcomes you. All you can do is cry out to God for them.

I told them we loved them. I told them God loved them. I told them that God gathers his lambs in His arms and carries them close to his heart. And I told them that God had loved them so much he sent His Son for them and if they would ask Jesus, he would come into their hearts and never leave them. I told them that Jesus was preparing a place for them and that they would one day sit on the throne with Jesus. I told them there was hope and love and peace and comfort. I asked God to heal their broken bodies and their broken hearts.

Thank you God for being a God of love, mercy, and hope. Thank you Jesus for loving us enough to die for us. Thank you Holy Spirit for being our comforter and intercessor, for my words could not begin to express my heart. Please Holy Spirit, surround these dear young girls with your love and peace. Let them know they are not alone. Let them know they are loved. Let them know they have hope. They desperately need it.

We so often lead such easy lives we don’t pray desperate prayers. We don’t simply cry out to God with the overwhelming sense that we can do nothing, knowing only He can. But what a comfort and joy to realize anew that we serve a God who can heal any broken body and heal any broken heart.

Maybe God is asking you to go to Liberia, to Monrovia, to Kennedy Hospital, to this wing to simply give these dear young women a loving hug. I don’t believe I will ever forget those words “I’ll take you to some people who need hope”. Will you help bring them hope?

Kris

Team Members Will Tell All

Sunday April 5th the team will tell the Church on Sunday morning all about the trip. This is the one to come to since the memory and details will be fresh in their hearts and minds.
And the Fellowship said-
Garen

Headed west and home

I spoke with Kris and Dax at noon here (5 PM there), using the new internet connection, and they were headed to the airport for a 6 PM departure to Brussells, Belgium. Then they will go to Chicago and finally Oklahoma City. The flights out of Brussells are notoriously late in departing. The group should be in OKC late Thursday afternoon.
Garen

Video and Voice

Dax has the Skype internet calling system set up at the WACSN compound. It will be used by the Pastors Network from here to Monrovia.
Garen