From the mind of Jake Steedman

My guy Jake sent me this today. Simply beautiful thoughts just prior to re-entering life in America upon the close of a month in George, (insert country) Africa. (oops)

Last time in the hospital, last time at Kids Stop, last time on the streets. I see kids leaving from sick beds, people on the street able to light their own cigarettes and fend off people even when they have no hands or legs… life goes on in George without the righteous missionaries from Great America. People will be healed, protected and taken care of by God in one form of the other, by his will. The question is can the missionaries live without a George? Of course we can survive, even luxuriously, but can we truly live? We have lived right this last month, with the word of Mathew 25 at the heart of our worship. Can we continue to do so in our comfortable, secure, sheltered lives? Could I dare venture off to visit the sick, widowed, lame, destitute, hungry without the call of our coordinator? Have we not all been called by one mightier and with authority above all? “A short term mission fails when you think its over when you get on the plane home.” Let this journey not be in vain. Let this not be a fulfillment of our self-righteous endeavors to satisfy our guilty souls. May we find the radical call to reform our eyes, mind, ears and hearts to comfort the broken, bless the unblessed, and feed the hungry. Then may we see that truly we are being blessed by the unblessed, we will be comforted by the broken and fed the bread of life only given by our Lord, who was and claims to be disguised as one of the least of these. So after all, was it George who was blessed or who was in fact the blesser? “Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom?” Thank you father.



Strengthen our so very weak flesh. May we find how to truly love. We could feed the stomachs of many and heal the injuries of the masses. We can visit the lonely and be with the broken, but if we have not love, we do nothing. May love set fire to our souls that long to truly live…which means to truly die! May we find peace, joy, fulfillment, blessing and life in the footsteps of Christ our mentor of death and life, blood and water. Open our eyes open our hearts and let love flow.