"I have nothing more than all you offer me..."

Hello all!

These past couple of days our team has been learning a lot!! We went to King of Kings Baptist Church on Sunday and got to hear Pastor John Thomas (one of the founders of Living Hope) speak on fasting and seeking to understand God's plans. It was something great we all felt we could take away when we come back home and can start to evaluate the ways the Lord would have us act in response to the month we've had here! After a relaxing afternoon we explored more of the beauty of South Africa at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens at the base of Table Mountain and then got to go to the evening service at the Hillsong Church here in Cape Town.

As we've continued our construction work and serving at Kids' Club this week, something we've all seen God keep showing us through the people we interact with here is how, despite the poverty and broken situations, His love and His mercy shines through all the more. The children we spend time with at Capricorn and Overcome Heights are such a beautiful image of what it means to rely fully on Christ's strength. When the world tells them they are weak or are despised or mean nothing - they know that the cross of Christ is what gives them worth. An eight year-old was telling me today how she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up because she knows how much she can help others through it, while an older girl said she wanted to be a doctor. They have allowed the hope that comes from Christ to enter their hearts and their homes. Under Stacy, one of the LSE's, the young teen girls at Capricorn are continuing to meet together during Kids' Club to encourage one another as they encounter the struggles that will come when they strive against what the rest of society has told them they can be.

Last night our team discussed 2nd Corinthians 8 and reflected on what it means for us to give not out of abundance but out of poverty. It is easy for us to give when our pockets are full, but to think of another's needs before our own is completely opposite from what society teaches us. And yet, in the love and the joyfulness the children at Kids' Club show us every day, our team has seen what it looks like when you give beyond your ability. Rather than being controlled by our own motives and interests, realizing that the time and resources we have are not our own is very freeing. We are not anxious about where our money is going or if we have enough to get us where we want to go. Suddenly we see that having life abundantly only happens when we realize He has already given us all we need and now all we can do is be motivated by His love to give what we have to others.

One of our team's verses this week comes from 1st Corinthians 13:3 -

"If I give all I possess to the poor, and surrender my body to the flames, but have not LOVE, I gain nothing."

We thank you for all your prayers and support, and hope that this encourages you also to see what life can come from giving out of love! God Bless!!

The Miracle of Luke!

Hey there!!!

Just wanted to share with you an amazing story of God's power, mercy, and faithfulness and I pray that it will increase your faith in our great God!

Pastor John Thomas, the founder of Living Hope shared this with us over dinner and we want to share it with you!
One Tuesday afternoon four years ago, the police showed up at the door of King of Kings Baptist Church where John is the pastor. They knocked on the door holding a crying baby and said that they had just found the the infant in Masi, one of the townships in the area, and that they were on the way to taking the baby to the hospital. But, the police said that the felt that they had to come to the church because they just KNEW the church would be willing to take in the child. John asked where the child's parents were and the police proceeded to explain how they had found the child. They said that there were some young boys playing soccer in the dust road in Masi when one of the boys kicked the ball off the road and into the bushes. When he went to fetch the ball he heard whimpering and crying in the bushes in a field. He found a closed black bag and when he opened it, he saw a crying new born. The baby was still covered in blood and the umbilical cord was still attached to his naval. The boys ran and got the police. The police took the baby to the church. After hearing how this baby was neglected and left to die John's heart broke for this child and he shared the story with members of the church. A family from the church decided to adopt him that day and have him be a part of the family! The child was taken to the hospital and cared for and the doctors determined that the infant had been in the bag for over 24 hours!!!!! The only reason he survived was because he was still attached to the placenta! This all occured on a Tuesday. On Sunday, John brought the family who has adopted baby Luke before the congregation and shared Luke's story with them and prayed over the family. At the end of the service, a member of the church came to John and said, "You will not believe it. Please read Ezekiel 16:4-6!"

This is what it says, "On the day you were born your cord was not cut, not were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised. Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay ther in your blood I said to you , "LIVE!"

Wow! This was Luke's story- this scripture speaks to Luke's life. The scripture perfectly describes his situation and in the midst of the horror it says, LIVE! That is what God has declared for Luke who is now 4 years old, healthy and very active! What a God we serve! It is as if this scripture, written thousands of years ago, was fortelling Luke's story! To God be the glory! Praise God that those boys kicked the soccer ball too far. Praise God that the police felt that they could come to the church. Praise God that a family adopted Luke with no hesitation. Praise God for his protection and redeeming love!

I was in awe of God's mercy as John wept retelling this story! King of Kings Baptist Church now has a 24 hour baby safe drop off center to seek to spare other innocent lives like Luke. I ask that you would pray that mothers would be willing to take their babies to the church!

Might you be encouraged that He is Mighty to SAVE!
Molly