One Way Ministries

Hello everyone! Autumn here, hoping everyone had an exciting and safe 4th of July celebration yesterday. As we are wrapping up things here in Arizona I wanted to post some thoughts on the blog. The past week we saw God doing amazing things in villages and all we had to do was look around to see what He was up to and join Him in His work! As Christians, we (you included) are so blessed that He chooses to involve us in what He is doing. I had several conversations throughout the week that all seemed to be saying the same thing...people are hungry for something. In a lost world, people are desperately seeking something to believe in, to hope for, to take hold of, and to give them purpose in life. There is no greater joy than knowing that Jesus Christ has the power to redeem this fallen world we live in and desires intimate relationships with us. That is SO amazing! Being able to share Christ's love and hope with others gives me joy and encouragement. The reason we do what we do is because He has saved us and we want others to know the power of that salvation in their lives as well.

It is monsoon season in the desert, and a massive storm came on Friday afternoon resulting in a power outage that lasted for a few hours. It was actually a blessing to me because it allowed us to have (in my opinion) one of the most intimate worship services we have had all summer. We all sat under the ramada outside the church and worshiped God in the blackness of the night. It was pure and passionate worship that seemed to allow us to just freely express ourselves to the Lord without worrying about what others were thinking about when they looked at us. It was dark and difficult to see anyone's faces...it was just "you and God." As we cried out in song and worshiped through reading Scripture and sharing about the week, I couldn't help but think about how great a testimony that was to the surrounding neighbors. Some of the children we had already taken home a little earlier made their way back over and weren't acting up or being distracting, but sat and listened. What a great glimpse at the potential the new ramada has for reaching out to the area outside the church once it is completed and they begin to have church gatherings outside from time to time. A couple of people from one of the villages, who are very dear to my heart, were there Friday night and it was a blessing for us to collectively pray over them before they returned home. I believe that if they will allow Him to work through them they will be key leaders in something major the Lord is going to do in that village.

We celebrated Independence Day yesterday by watching fireworks in Tucson and enjoying spending time together as a team before we head home to see our families for a few days prior to the Africa trip. Before signing off, I want to mention a few random things that don't really seem to fit with the rest of my post, but I just can't leave them out! :) When it poured rain (and flooded) on Friday we had a great time playing in it until some of us were met with flying pieces of cow poo. Okay, so mainly it was Holly & Michael doing the throwing & Brittney & I doing the running from it! LOL. Actually we had a really great time & laughed until we had tears pouring down our faces. Once the power went out we decided to shower outside so we shampooed our heads & cleaned up under the water spicket. Some of us agree that was the best "shower" we have had all summer!

This week was great and I have been so blessed to have spent the past month out here living with and learning from the rest of the One Way team. God has really shown Himself to me in so many ways and I am learning more each day about what it means to seek after Him and follow His ways. Going through Experiencing God has really challenged me and deepened my understanding of who God is and how I am to relate to Him. I am so thankful that JT called for us to do that study together this summer. The Africa trip is coming up soon and we are looking forward to growing more as a team, in our walk with God, and in our knowledge of who He is as we see Him working in Uganda! Thank you for your continuing prayers for us!