Read RAD's Heart

On the plane, that’s where you will find the Africa team today. First stop, New York’s JFK for about a four hour lay over and then it’s off to Paris! Once in Paris, sometime tomorrow morning, the team will be meeting up with Rob and Nicole Plaster, our missionaries there, who recently visited our church and spoke at Four-14, and will be spending our twelve-hour layover seeing the sites of Paris. We are hoping to be able to encourage the Plasters in the work that God has called them to.

Thanks in advance for your prayers for our team and the success of this, our first church partnership effort with the village of Pama.

On a more personal note, I wanted to share my heart about some news that I received this morning. While we were at the church loading up the luggage trunks I received a phone call that a homeless man that I had recently had a chance to minister to and with was killed this morning in a motorcycle accident. The man’s name is Billy Walker and if you haven’t heard his story, it’s a powerful one. Billy was living on the streets of New York for the last years and when the Lord led four14 to the city earlier this month, our paths crossed and my heart for this Vietnam Vet was born.

Long story short, we ended up bringing Billy back to Ohio with us from New York, in an effort to help him reconnect with his family out in Arizona. To my knowledge Billy was not a believer; however, in the long ride back to Ohio and the night he spent at my house, afforded me the opportunity to share with him about Christ and the hope He offers for those who have lost all hope. We spoke openly and I don’t know at this juncture if Billy knew Christ for sure or not, but he did call me just two days ago to let me know how much he had appreciated our ministry in his life and that he would be praying for me, as he knew I was leaving out for Africa today.

HOW can you pray? Simply put, that Billy would have a burial that is honoring for one of God’s children, something homeless people are unaccustomed to, and that our church would continue to be a church that values the lives of people regardless of their station in life. Pray that we will spare no effort to bring everyone to the knowledge of Jesus.

If you wouldn’t mind, I as well am feeling a bit on the broken hearted side with the loss of this man and yet leading out the four14 Africa team is where the Lord would have me be. Thanks again for taking the time to read our blog and for caring enough to tie your hearts to ours as we serve the world that God so dearly loves.

Until I wake up tomorrow in Paris,

RAD