Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Providence

God is a boundless provider. I tend easily to forget this, and maybe even you do too, which quickly reveals the identity of the limited party in the relationship between humanity and its omnipotent Creator.

Much has happened since I last posted two weeks ago and reported a remaining need of $282 to meet the key $4,500 threshold to cover the start-up costs for the Anslay Church of God Child Survival Program. It began on the morning after my blog entry posted, when a good friend knocked on our front door to deliver a check for $100 towards that remaining balance. He and his wife were also monthly sponsors but after reading the blog he felt compelled to commit additional funds to provide for the mothers and infants in Mbulu. It was an enormous blessing, but as I would soon find out, there would be more to come.

That following Saturday morning I received an unexpected call from my good friend Steve, explaining that he and his “Bible Club” were hosting a car wash that day and that 100 percent of the proceeds would be donated to the CSP. I was dumbfounded. Steve, who is a teacher in the Fairborn, Ohio public school system, hosts a Bible study for several of his students, and they had elected to focus on the Anslay CSP for their annual service project. He was previously unfamiliar with this blog, and knew nothing of the immediate need which made it that much more special.
I quickly explained the situation to him, and then drove the family up to see Steve and his crew at work. Steve had directed us to the Minute Lane Car Wash which had graciously agreed to donate 20 percent of every car being washed that afternoon towards the Child Survival Program. It was such a blessing to see these kids so hard at work: beckoning passing vehicles, toweling off windows and wheel hubs as cars exited, and asking for additional donations for those willing to give.

Later that day, I received a second call from Steve, explaining that it would be a few days before the receipts were tallied from the car wash itself, but that they had made more than $200 that day in tips alone! Just like that, a milestone was reached, and I was humbly reminded once again that these Tanzanian mothers and their children belong to God, and that He can accomplish whatever He wills far beyond any human effort and ingenuity. It’s all His, in case we’ve (more than occasionally) forgotten, and it’s because of His inspiration and grace that we’re able to come to this understanding in the first place.

The need continues and the opportunities abound for individuals or groups to partner with us on a monthly or one-time basis. Praise the Lord who gives each of us the opportunity to serve Him and seek first a kingdom that will never end.

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.
Psalm 127:1

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Falling Forward

I apologize that it’s been so long since my last post, but I’m hoping to make up for it now with some truly encouraging news. As I’ve already reported, we were able to raise over $2000 at the September rummage sale at Concordia Lutheran Church, putting us within striking distance of the foundational $4,500 needed for the initial costs to set up the CSP. Additional donations have continued to come in, putting us a mere $282 from hitting this milestone! Would you be willing to help us meet this key goal by the end of this week?

At this point we still need a total of 92 monthly sponsors (at only $20 a month!!) to fully fund the Anslay Church of God CSP. We are hoping to reach this milestone by April 1, 2011, which will mark the one year anniversary since we kicked off this campaign. That’s a total of 15 new sponsors by the end of each month. We are excited about some wonderful opportunities we’ll have in the upcoming weeks to share the CSP story, but we will definitely need your help to meet this goal.

What can you do? The most important thing we would ask you to do is pray. One thing we are learning is that God is providing for the project in ways we would not have traditionally imagined. These Tanzanian mothers and babies belong to Him, and many gifts have arrived from unexpected sources in spite of our human efforts to “market” this message. This causes us to once again realize that He is the provider and sustainer of all!

As we work to reach out to individuals, groups and churches, we would ask that you join with us as we share with others about the ongoing needs of these African families. Do you belong to a small group or church body that you would like to be a part of this effort? Please feel free to e-mail us and we would be glad to come and share about the needs of this project and invite others to participate. As always, word of mouth is also greatly appreciated, so we would be grateful if any of our readers would be willing to spread the word through the various social media outlets such as Facebook or MySpace.

More to come soon!