Well, ladies and gentlemen, it’s starting to hit
home - the reality and grandeur of the life to which Christ has called me. I
have taken my own initiative to see his purpose out and am currently in his
will. I had about 45% of my expected $4,500 raised. Half of that is
sponsor money which I don't touch. That amount stays current and
is at $1,100. Today I am about to create letters to hopeful sponsors. So I
anticipate that number to rise as the Lord puts his call on individuals. I,
this year, have earned $3,000 in labor with TAG contracting, but $1,000 has
gone to fix my car and another large sum has slipped into
the gas tank and gone for food and other necessities. I did buy a knife
from Dick's Sporting Goods for $70. This is the only superfluous purchase
I can recall. The rest has gone to pay for C.H.E training ($550) and
Water Pumping ($500) courses at Equip Intl. I now have $434 set aside for
my three month trip. So that's the financial side of
my endeavors.
Now let’s
talk current events. On May 13th I will take a week-long water pumping
tech class from Equip, the second part of preparing myself for a lifetime of
missions wherever I am. CHE, the first class I took, opened my eyes to a
greater worldview and taught me how to evangelize. It
gave me set models for community evangelism to use as a tool
for Christ. I'm hoping the second course will give me something to
bring to the table as a contributor. People have drilled wells all
over Africa, but when those wells break no one locally knows how to
fix them.
One day I was
praying that the Lord give me someone to share the gospel with and in
a few minutes after I had stopped at a store for a sandwich, I
met an old friend who currently works there. I have watched this
young man turn from a life of sin and drugs to a fervent pursuit of
God. He used to read the Bible constantly in class, to the dislike of
everyone, but the called. It is unusual and I don't know if he had a
walk with Christ or liked to present himself in that way for
attention. He is a most depressed youth then and now. Please keep him in your
prayers as he has rejected the Lord for himself and is depressed. I shared with
him until I felt the peace of the Holy Spirit. I
have returned to the store to follow up on his spirit. Would you take
a moment to pray for the enlightenment of this individual? It is a
deep concern for me that I may be used to proclaim liberty to the captives
and open the prison of those who are bound.
Isaiah 61:1-3
says
"The
Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord
has anointed me
To preach good
tidings to the poor;
He has sent me to
heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim
liberty to the captives,
And the opening of
the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of
vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who
mourn,
3 To console those
who mourn in Zion,
To give them
beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for
mourning,
The garment of
praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be
called trees of righteousness,
The planting of
the Lord, that He may be glorified." - NKJV
At TAG Contracting
I always took time to share some level of the gospel with the other
workers, asking if they knew Christ and having a time of prayer before
starting work in the morning. Now, however, due to cutbacks, my future with the
company seems unstable and I have applied elsewhere. I feel
I may be called to work somewhere else so that Christ may use me and
teach me other skills. This past week I have not been needed to work, so I’ve
put my time in the most useful places as possible. I have discovered MIT's
open course ware, or classes free online without a teacher or credit.
I have taken an interest in the foundation of America and have been reading the
Federalist Papers. I desire to get my hands on a copy of the New England
primer. I have been watching the Truth project with Dr. Del Tackett and Focus
on the Family, as well as fellowshipping with my church and Equip’s personnel.
I plan to plant in my perma-garden when it warms up and perhaps see
what other missionary projects I can learn. As well, I went on my
first date this Saturday, nothing serious though, but it
was a fun evening.
Isaiah 61: 1-3
In Christ,
David Greene
