“I am not sure what the Lord is doing in my heart, but it is life changing.”
This is an excerpt from my journal in college. I wrote it during my first year at Columbia International University (CIU) right after one of the first chapel services of the semester. The speaker was Dr. George Murray, the president of the school and he had just preached a message called “The Lordship of Jesus Christ and the Great Commission” taken from the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20.
We didn’t know how missions minded CIU was before we arrived. Once we found out, I remember telling God that I would love to support missionaries and do the short-term thing, but I was NOT interested in moving overseas to serve full time.
But Dr. Murray’s message that day impacted me in a new way. I knew if I believed Jesus was who he said he was (I do) then I had to at least be open to going.
Something began to change in my heart.
At the end of Dr. Murray’s message he handed out a response card that said: “Anything, anytime, anywhere.” At the bottom, there was a spot to sign your name. I signed it. Luke did too.
Something in me knew it would be Haiti – and that if it was, something in me knew it would be great.
Fast forward 12 years…
This past month Dr. Murray came to speak at our church here in Dallas. I hadn’t seen him for 7 years and it was great to see him again. Guess what message he preached? Yup – that same Great Commission message!
How ironic that as he was preaching that message and handing out those same response cards, Luke and I were standing at our booth just a few feet away representing our ministry and raising support to go!
God had definitely changed my heart and I am so glad He did! I cannot wait to see what He has in store for us.
Busy March
We’ve had a very busy month this past month speaking in front of groups large and small about our ministry. We’re thankful for opportunities we’ve had to share both here in Texas and in New Hampshire and we’re excited about the opportunities we have coming up. We appreciate your prayers as we continue to seek opportunities to share.
We’re also thankful for the individuals who have joined our support team this past month! We’re happy to report that we are now at 25% of our support budget.
If you would like to join our team, you can find more information here: perkinsinhaiti.com/give.
If you’d like to keep tabs on our progress, keep checking the thermometer on the sidebar of the site.
Luke in South Carolina
This weekend, I (Luke) will be in Atlanta and Columbia for some DTS recruiting events. If you’re around, I would love to see you and grab coffee, dinner or even just a quick hug! Just reply to this email and let me know.
I’ll be in Atlanta this morning and then I head up to Columbia this afternoon where I’ll be until Tuesday morning.
Prayer Requests
Sharing
We have some great opportunities to share coming up this month. Would you pray that we will be able to present our mission clearly? Also, would you continue to pray for opportunities for us to connect with others who might be interested in learning more about our ministry?
Pregnancy
We’re thankful Becca’s pregnancy continues to go well. Would you continue to pray for her and the baby as she moves further into the third trimester? This is the fun part where tiredness and swelling are constant companions! J
Falonie
Last month we shared about Falonie’s store. We’re so excited to see how well her business has done! Would you pray for her over the next few weeks as she relocates the store to a more optimal location?
Is there something we can be praying about for you? Please let us know in the comments.
