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So this is my first post EVER! I anticipate there being MANY MANY more to come in the future. I wanted to get something up and going. I am new at this so please be patient with me. My hope is to be able to update this daily while I am in Africa...that way you all can be up to speed on the AMAZING things God is doing in Liberia. Please Continue to lift myself, my family and the people I am going to be encountering during my journey up in prayer. I am about 2 week into fundraising and I must say it is going GREAT! THANK YOU! Below is a copy of my support letter that went out last week. Please read it and consider how you can help be a part of this mission. Stay TUNED for updates and check back frequently! xoxo
*ps for those of you who don't know me......I am an AWFUL speller....so if you are ever reading this and you come across a misspelled word don't be alarmed. Just thought I would let you all know that it WILL happen. :)
*pss I bought my plane ticket I leave JUNE 10, 2008!!!! Liberia here i come
FOR HIS GLORY!
Jess
In Ephesians, Paul writes to his friends in Ephesus with a broad range of instructions for “Christ- Like” living. He addresses a great theme that pertains to the Christian’s position in Christ, as a member of the body of Christ. He covers great doctrine and duty, including our duty and call to love.
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Eph 5:1, 2 NIV)
Be imitators of God….Wow! What big shoes we have to fill. The Greek word Mimetes (from which originated the English word mimic) means imitate. If one wanted to mimic/imitate Christ what would that look like? Love and love unselfishly REGARDLESS.
The people of Liberia are calling out for people to mimic Christ to them. They are calling out to hear of a Father who loves them in their current conditions. In 2003 Liberia broke away from a 14 year civil war that left the country in ruins and devastated its infrastructure. This brutal war displaced thousands of Liberians from homes, crippled social services, and wiped out the health care system. It is recorded that 90% of all health care services are provided by faith based organization or international non-governmental organizations, with more than 75% of the population still without access to basic health care. With the population of Liberia living on as little as $1 a day, it is currently impossible for them to afford what little health care that is available.
That’s where I come in to play. In June I will be quitting my job, packing up my belongings, and heading to Liberia. I will be working with a Christian organization called Mercy Ships as their dental hygienist until mid Dec. I will be living on a retired rail ferry that has been converted to a state of the art hospital ship. During the day I will travel off the ship into the capital city of Monrovia to work and provide free dental care to the people of West Africa. I have been told that people wait in line for 3 days just for the chance to see the dental team. 3 days! Could you imagine! I am very excited about the opportunity not only to provide these children of God with relief from pain and provide them with much need dental care, but to also be able to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them.
Mimicking the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the forgotten poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide, and serving all people without regard for race, gender or religion. Volunteers from over 40 nations serve with Mercy Ships and all volunteers pay crew fees for the privilege of serving the poor.
This is where you come into play. Christ has called us all to GO and to tell the nations (Matt 28:16-20). That does not necessarily mean that all of us are called to pack up and head to Africa, or Asia, or even South America. Some are called to PRAY, some are called to financially support those who go, and some are called to encourage. I need all three. God will provide and I know that, but without the pray support, financial support, and encouragement of his people it makes it hard for the Goers to go. Please prayerfully consider your part in this mission, and then fill out the commitment card enclosed with this letter and return it to my forwarding agent in the envelope that I have provided.
I recently read, Unchristian - What a new generation really thinks about Christianity. The author (David Kinnaman) did extensive research on what young Americans think about Christianity. The research lead to the conclusion that the unchurched of today are not against the theology of Christianity. They are not against Jesus. Their number one complaint against our faith is that we don’t act like who we say we follow. Let’s take Christ up on his challenge and be people who MIMIC Jesus!
In the end it's really all about love. God’s love. His love for us. Our love for Him. And His love working its way through us to the world we live in, where ever that be. Thanks for loving God and making it possible for me to GO and MIMIC his love to the people of Liberia. I thank you, and the people of Liberia I can guarantee thank you!
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Eph 5:1, 2 NIV)
Be imitators of God….Wow! What big shoes we have to fill. The Greek word Mimetes (from which originated the English word mimic) means imitate. If one wanted to mimic/imitate Christ what would that look like? Love and love unselfishly REGARDLESS.
The people of Liberia are calling out for people to mimic Christ to them. They are calling out to hear of a Father who loves them in their current conditions. In 2003 Liberia broke away from a 14 year civil war that left the country in ruins and devastated its infrastructure. This brutal war displaced thousands of Liberians from homes, crippled social services, and wiped out the health care system. It is recorded that 90% of all health care services are provided by faith based organization or international non-governmental organizations, with more than 75% of the population still without access to basic health care. With the population of Liberia living on as little as $1 a day, it is currently impossible for them to afford what little health care that is available.
That’s where I come in to play. In June I will be quitting my job, packing up my belongings, and heading to Liberia. I will be working with a Christian organization called Mercy Ships as their dental hygienist until mid Dec. I will be living on a retired rail ferry that has been converted to a state of the art hospital ship. During the day I will travel off the ship into the capital city of Monrovia to work and provide free dental care to the people of West Africa. I have been told that people wait in line for 3 days just for the chance to see the dental team. 3 days! Could you imagine! I am very excited about the opportunity not only to provide these children of God with relief from pain and provide them with much need dental care, but to also be able to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them.
Mimicking the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the forgotten poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide, and serving all people without regard for race, gender or religion. Volunteers from over 40 nations serve with Mercy Ships and all volunteers pay crew fees for the privilege of serving the poor.
This is where you come into play. Christ has called us all to GO and to tell the nations (Matt 28:16-20). That does not necessarily mean that all of us are called to pack up and head to Africa, or Asia, or even South America. Some are called to PRAY, some are called to financially support those who go, and some are called to encourage. I need all three. God will provide and I know that, but without the pray support, financial support, and encouragement of his people it makes it hard for the Goers to go. Please prayerfully consider your part in this mission, and then fill out the commitment card enclosed with this letter and return it to my forwarding agent in the envelope that I have provided.
I recently read, Unchristian - What a new generation really thinks about Christianity. The author (David Kinnaman) did extensive research on what young Americans think about Christianity. The research lead to the conclusion that the unchurched of today are not against the theology of Christianity. They are not against Jesus. Their number one complaint against our faith is that we don’t act like who we say we follow. Let’s take Christ up on his challenge and be people who MIMIC Jesus!
In the end it's really all about love. God’s love. His love for us. Our love for Him. And His love working its way through us to the world we live in, where ever that be. Thanks for loving God and making it possible for me to GO and MIMIC his love to the people of Liberia. I thank you, and the people of Liberia I can guarantee thank you!
