We run a business called Cayman Kayaks. Or I should say, we ran that business. The pandemic has shut down the tourism sector in the Cayman Islands and so we're living off our savings. We didn’t want to just feel sorry for ourselves so we vowed to help others with all this extra time. We started volunteering with an organization on the island that delivers food to families in need. We did this twice each week for several months, and really formed relationships with these families. We had the opportunity to be a living example of Christ and we made extra time to pray with them before the deliveries. One day, a single mom living in a shed with two kids confided in me that she was pregnant. This woman had nothing for her expectant baby and couldn't afford to buy a thing. My heart went out to her, so I made a post on a Facebook group I'm part of, asking if anyone had any baby clothes or items for this expectant mom. We were overwhelmed with over 50 individual responses. We were able to abundantly meet her needs. We thought we could bless others with some items that we'd received from this outpouring of kindness. So we did. And word started to spread. Even more people started calling us, wanting to donate clothing items for all ages for us to distribute to people in need. At the same time, we heard about more people that were struggling on the island. We were inundated with clothes and toys, far more than we… Read More
How Everyday People Live Out Their Christian Faith
Illustrating how men and women display their love for Jesus in their day-to-day lives.
Little things that may have an eternal impact. Might these stories motivate you to use your talents?
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I just started a new job when I met him, the man God wanted to reach. At the time, my job was to work on radio towers and he soon became my climbing partner which meant we were now climbing up radio towers together. You get to know someone really well when you are stuck with them 9-12 hours a day 5-6 days a week with literally nowhere to go. I never wanted to push God on him, but I also wasn’t going to hide who I was from him. I would share with him how every morning as I drove to work, I turned on worship music and had a list of people that I would pray for. He responded, "you don’t pray for me, do you?" It turns out he hated God. Still, I continued to pray for him and kept telling him I was praying; I wanted him to know someone cared. After a while, his response softened and he told me, “well, if you’re going to pray, pray for my daughter but not for me.” He later moved away, but we stayed in touch as I saw his heart continue to soften. He fell off the wagon one night and became suicidal. He came to me that night, and as my dad and I sat with him for two hours, all we knew to say to him was he had purpose, that God had a plan for him. Later, we found out that simple truth saved his life. He ended up in jail that night, but… Read More
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In 1998, the Lord placed a dream in the heart of two men: to see the world come to Christ in their lifetime. That year, Dr. Steve Wilkes and I decided to follow the Lord's command and start a new type of missions organization. Through our ministry, World-Wide Church Planters, we work in harvest areas around the world to not only see people come to Christ, but to also see new churches started. We train local church planters to evangelize within their communities and start Bible studies which lead to new churches. These new churches are then challenged to start other churches. The ministry and reach of WWCP has been tremendous. In the years since we first began, WWCP has done ministry in 25 nations, has seen over 600 new churches planted, and has seen thousands of professions of faith. However, He was not done with us. In 2004, we began working with indigenous pastors in areas where there were no missionaries, and this has become our current method of ministry. We do projects all around the world, but our two biggest areas of work are in Burundi, Africa and the Amazon Basin of Brazil. In the small, war torn country of Burundi, we have found a remarkable mission field. Our first major project here was in 2004 to train 23 church planters. From this class, we saw 72 churches planted. Since then, we know of over 300 new churches that have begun in Burundi alone. God is good! We also began work in the Amazon Basin. Our best understanding is… Read More
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I started Support Someone Saturday last year to highlight the great things people are doing to serve others during the pandemic. I had an idea about doing a video interview series back in February. Then in April, I went through some major dental issues. I was in significant pain with an ice pack on my face for about ten days. I had eight dentist appointments over two months. During that painful time, I would pray while icing my face. It was then that God really impressed upon me to start the Support Someone Saturday interview series. My goal is to get the word out about all the positive things people are doing through charities, foundations, ministries and nonprofits to help those in need, especially during the pandemic. Support Someone Saturdays is an interview that lasts about 30 minutes. I have talked to founders, directors and leaders of organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Administer Justice, Team World Vision and more. The purpose is to inform the viewers about the founding of the organization, the mission and what they are doing to help those in need. Those I interview usually share some real-life stories of people that have been helped. They also share ways that people can get on board, donate, or volunteer. They talk about how the pandemic has affected their organization. I hope to interview more organizations not only in Illinois but around the United States. I want to inspire Christians and others that watch the interviews to start giving back, to do more to tangibly step out and meet the needs of… Read More
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Even amidst a global pandemic, the Lord’s work is still being done. I serve with Urban Impact Foundation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This incredible ministry does holistic community outreach through programs in athletics, education, and arts, focusing on building relationships and discipling students. After working as a camp counselor in the program’s education department, I fell in love with the students and the deep relationships I cultivated with them. So I decided to go on staff as a full-time urban missionary! I get to pray with families, coach graduating high schoolers about their next steps, and give out meals to those in need. Covid does not have to deter us from sharing Jesus with others or seeking out ministry opportunities. I assist students with their online classes through the learning lab education program. I even get to share the Gospel with them during lunch or recess breaks! Urban Impact also leads small socially-distanced Bible studies. Technology has thankfully come a long way, and I am in the process of setting up a Bible study group to lead virtually with the fourth and fifth grade girls that I disciple. It’s amazing to pour into youth who are hungry to dive deeper into their faith. Combining my background in social work with a passion for my city fulfills my call to minister to kids, especially during this hard time in history. There is such a great need in my city of Pittsburgh, and so I enjoy being able to help and give back! In an urban city filled with gun violence, poverty, death,… Read More
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It's amazing to see the way God uses everyday people to carry out His will. Who would've thought something as simple as cookies would be the vessel that He would use with us. We have been friends for 15 years and, like everyone, were quarantined at home with our families for a couple months. We decided to learn some new things during that time. It turns out we both took on making homemade cookies. A competitive spirit entered into our discussion, and we challenged each other to a bake off. We decided to let our mayor and the frontline workers at our local hospital be the judges. So we delivered our cookies, and we instantly saw the joy it brought these frontline workers. We decided to make more cookies and give them to workers at other hospitals, grocery stores, fire departments and police precincts. And we couldn't believe the reaction. Friends wanted to help and they started making cookies for us to deliver. We were overrun with cookies! Each cookie results in multiple smiles: to the people receiving the cookies, the people making them and even those delivering them. After all, when you try to bless others, it’s usually you that receives the bigger blessing. This idea became a way for parents to do something wonderful with their kids and teach them the value of giving. We are all a bit dinged up during this pandemic and looking for a way to reach out to show some love. We found it with these cookies. We are trying to live out the Christian principles… Read More