Teaching young people to be givers instead of takers

What a blessing to have the rain and the wind stop so the Harvest Kids could crush some of the many cans that our friends have donated to help these young people help vulnerable and less fortunate children in Africa. Afterwards, we shared the news that we had sold over 6,000 ears of sweet corn and along with the money raised from the Fellowship Ministries garage sale and a donation from a friend in Tennessee, there is enough money to purchase the property for the new primary school they are helping build in Africa and to begin construction. They have $3,250 and are hoping to help with the $4,200 remaining to finish the school. Today they started filling the bullet and will not count it until it is full.

A big bullet but they know they serve a big God.

Last Harvest Kids, two pumpkins were chosen to be used to make pumpkin pies and pumpkin bread and the kids guessed how many would come out of each pumpkin and then they guessed how many total pumpkin seeds were in both. The answer – 8 pies and out of the other 23 loaves of pumpkin bread and a total of 783 seeds. Thanks to Gary for making the pumpkin bread and Linda for making the pies.

We had a great gluten-free lunch and celebrated the September birthdays. We talked about how important it is that we share about Jesus with all of our family and friends and let them know we love them and Jesus does too.

We talked about how the seed of faith that God puts in our heart when we repent and receive His forgiveness is always working to bring others to God’s love and eternal life. A great time of faith, fun and fellowship as we left pondering this question knowing that we counted 783 seeds in those two small pumpkins. How many pumpkins are in one seed?

Each family was blessed with pie and bread to take home. We are thankful that some of the kids are also filling up shoeboxes for the Samaritan’s Purse Christmas ministry.

Please let us know if you would like to help.

What a wonderful month of fellowship and encouragement as we have hosted the produce, including corn, and garage sale that have brought people together to give and help each other, including our brothers and sisters of faith in Africa.

Thanks to the people that helped plant and harvest the crops and plant and harvest the sweet corn that the Harvest Kids used to get donations that have been sent to Uganda to build a primary school for vulnerable, less fortunate children, many of whom are orphans. 

Thanks to Walker Motor Works in Marysville for making corn available at their car dealership, Fellowship Ministries that hosted a garage and produce sell in their community on the Samish River and our fellow co-laborers from Tennessee that donated to help with the school project in Africa. 

So many people donated items and many donated money for items they were going to give to other people. Corn was taken to be used in their homes and to give to their friends. Over and over through each day we were blessed to share our faith and have others share their faith and why they wanted to reach out to others as a blessing during these uncertain times where so many are faced with difficult and confusing circumstances.

The building for the church fellowship in Kayunga in central Africa is completed and we have sent $3,550 of the $5,520 needed to finish the building for the church fellowship in Iganga where many of the Muslims are coming to faith in Jesus Christ every day.

We were blessed to receive over $2,000 for the 6,000 ears of sweet corn we harvested. We have sent $3,250 that is enough to purchase the property and start construction and the kids are praying that others will help as they continue to collect their change to have the $4,510 to finish the Harvest Doves Primary School in Kayunga.

“This is how we know what love is:

Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.

And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

1 John 3:16-18

Gypsy Smith says that when he was converted, he immediately became anxious for the conversion of his uncle. The gypsy boy just prayed without speaking to the uncle. One day the uncle said, “Rodney, how is it that you have worn the knees of your pants so much faster than the rest of them?” The boy replied, pointing to the holes in the knees of the trousers, “Uncle, I have worn them out praying for you, that God would make you a Christian.” Nothing more was said, but the uncle yielded to the Savior.

Prayer changes things, yes, everything.

Excerpts from “Answered prayers and soul-winning incidents – published in 1940

Dr. C. E. Cornell says:

“A woman dropped a tract or a little book in the way of Richard Baxter. He picked it up and read it and was thus led to Christ.

He wrote a book entitled, ‘A Call to the Unconverted,’ which brought many persons to the Savior, among whom was Philip Doddridge.

This man in turn wrote ‘The Rise and Progress of Religion,’ which led among others the great Wilberforce to God.

Wilberforce wrote ‘A Practical View of Christianity,’ which was the means of the salvation of multitudes; among them was Leigh Richmond.

This man wrote the book entitled ‘The Dairyman’s Daughter’ which has been instrumental in the salvation of many thousands.

Of this incident Dr. Jowett says,
“What a small thing the dropping of that tract was, but what a wonderful many-branched tree has sprung from it.”

(Excerpts from “Answered prayers and soul-winning incidents – published in 1940)

    The Apostle Paul wrote:

“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s Word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.”

2 Timothy 2:8-10

Recently, while crossing the ocean, a boy fell overboard from the deck. The ship’s surgeon did not know who he was, but he told the crew they had better go out and try to save the boy. One of the crew pulled him up. They took off his outer garments, turned him over a few times, worked his hands and feet, and when they had done all they knew to do they said, “Haven’t we done all we can?” “Yes,” replied the surgeon.

A sudden impulse told the doctor that he ought to go over to see what he could do. He went and found that the boy was his own son. Then he did not think that the last thing had been done. He jerked off his coat, bent over the boy, blew into his nostrils, and begged God to bring him back to life. For four long hours the lad hung between life and death. Finally, a flutter of breath told that he lived.

What a great difference it made when the doctor knew that it was his own son! We would possibly win more souls if we were actuated with this same love and enthusiasm for the unsaved that the doctor knew for his son.

(Excerpts from “Answered prayers and soul-winning incidents – published in 1940)

Jesus said,

“You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

(John 13:13-15)

Jesus said,

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then My Father will give you what ever you ask in My Name. This is My command: Love each other.”

(John 15:13-17)

In the army of the Lord we need more men with the spirit of the little flag boy of the Civil War. During one of the raging battles, while bullets were flying everywhere and men were falling by the hundreds, the little lad forgot everything but to keep the flag before the army. In his haste he forgot the army. Finally, he heard a shrill call saying, “Bring that flag back here!” He turned to see the army retreating and the commander beckoning for him to retreat with them.

The lad cried out, “Bring the army up to the flag, sir!” This one sentence stirred the soul of the commander until he ordered the men to advance against the enemy. It is said that out of the seeming defeat a great victory was won.

This reminds one of the little drummer boy who was with Napoleon in one of the battles. It seemed that the army of France could not overcome; thousands were falling. Napoleon said, “Lad, can you beat a retreat?” The boy replied, “Sir, I have never learned to beat a retreat, but I can beat a charge that will stir the last remains of the patriotism of the army.”

The Emperor cried, “Beat a charge then, lad.” And that charge beaten from the drum was the means of the victory being won that day.

That is the spirit we must have in the work of the Lord – that we shall never know how to retreat in the face of the enemy of the kingdom of Heaven, but that we shall be able to beat a charge that will cause others to take courage and fight on until the last foe is conquered. This is the spirit of God’s heroes.     

(Excerpts from “Answered prayers and soul-winning incidents – published in 1940)

(Excerpts from “Answered prayers and soul-winning incidents – published in 1940)

We just received this testimony this week from Pr. Charles that coordinates Harvest Vision Ministries in central Uganda.

“There was a magical tree in a certain village full of witches. The people told us that every evening at around 9pm a motor sound would come from it and village members would come and worship there bringing sacrifices asking for rain so they could have a good harvest during the season. But a certain family bought the land with the tree but they didn’t know the “do’s and don’t’s’. Their daughter went and burnt rubbish around the tree and then she fell into a deep coma. They used all kinds of charms but they all failed. Finally, they traveled a journey kilometers away to my home and I prayed in the name of Jesus and the child came back to normal condition. Immediately as they went back home, all the eight members got saved and they gave us the tree for free. We cut down the tree and everybody was amazed even the witch doctors that stood by trying to intimidate us. During the chaos, we got twenty-five more who got saved. We finally sold the tree for three hundred dollars and we put that money on the church building. The villagers are bringing chickens to our family to eat, praising God. I thank my Lord Jesus.  Pastor Charles.” 

Please visit the www.harvestvisionministries.org website under Africa Leadership Team and read Charles personal testimony.

Jesus said,

“Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father and Father is in Me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My Name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask Me for anything in My Name, and I will do it.”

(John 14:11-14)