Expect Great Things. Attempt Great Things.
“Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” This quote by William Carey, known as the father of modern missions, was made some 200+ years ago and has been very influential in my life in recent years.
In this past year the 25 Project team has looked to God with great expectation as we have taken the first steps of attempting great things for God. He has opened doors of ministry in Sierra Leone, the Dominican Republic, and Bolivia, and we have stepped forward in faith to attempt to make much of Jesus among the least of these, almost all of who live in desperate situations.
Recently we have been privileged to begin “Name Changers”, a Gospel centered child sponsorship program that aims to address the physical, educational, and medical needs of children while pointing them to a relationship with Jesus. With God’s favor and blessing, our expectation is that hundreds of children one day will know Jesus because someone cared enough to provide for their most basic needs.
God has continued to open doors for the 25 Project to bring Hope and Healing to the least of these. Just outside the capital city of Freetown, Sierra Leone, there is the community of Waterloo, home to hundreds of street children with backgrounds and stories almost too difficult to imagine. The high majority of these children sleep on market tables and spend their days with one purpose…find something to eat. Our desire and expectation since learning about these children has been that God would one day give an opportunity to work with these children on a continual basis. And, in the last month, God has done exactly what had been prayed for and expected!
Beginning this month, God has blessed in such a way that the 25 Project was able to enter into a lease for a ministry drop-in center for the street kids of Waterloo. This ministry center will serve as a safe place where these precious children can come just as they are and find a place to be fed, be loved, and be discipled on what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Every child who walks through the door of the ministry center will clearly see that Jesus is the reason a place like this exists in Waterloo.
Along with this exciting news, the Lord has been so good to provide a full-time staff member who will serve on site at the ministry center. Our friend, Charles Yimbo (pictured below), will oversee the ministry in Waterloo and will be a tangible expression of the hands and feet of Jesus.
Then the first week of February, we are planning to host a camp, with hopes of encouraging, loving, and investing in the lives of street children. Two teams (one from the U.S. and one from Sierra Leone) will work together to organize and conduct the camp. While most of the children know nothing of what it is to be loved or valued, they will be loved, encouraged, and they will hear of a God who desires a relationship with each one of them.
This camp will be five days at a wonderful facility (Hope Centre) not far from Waterloo. While this is a pilot project, our plan is to conduct a similar camp later in the fall. Our long-range plan is that we could see these camps happen several times a year with hundreds of street kids being impacted in coming years.
As you can imagine, in order to take on a project of this magnitude is a step of faith for us, and one that will require resources we currently do not have. In faith, the 25 Project has committed to make these camps a reality. The quote from William Carey again comes to mind…“Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God”.
To ensure that two camps are completed in 2013, the total cost to the 25 Project, including all expenses is estimated to be $10,000. As you think and pray about your year-end giving, would you consider investing in the 25 Project and help make these two weeks of camps for Waterloo street children a reality? In fact, on a per child basis, the cost to allow one child to attend the camp is only $96.
If you feel led to invest in this project, possibly making camp a reality for one child, or by making some other special gift amount, please click here. Thank you in advance for partnering with us as we seek to make much of Jesus among the least of these!
Kent Jones