Tag: Focus Forward Ministries

Focus Forward Ministries, Missions

The Safety of the Ship

A. Knight

Picture yourself standing on the deck of a cruise ship.  You are happy—and quite content. Well provided for, with all the meals you could want. 

There are medical facilities on the ship available 24/7.  There is even a chapel, a pastor and prayer team so that you are fed spiritually as well as physically.  

GREAT SHIP, RIGHT? 

Off in the distance, you spot several smaller boats, loaded with people.  

You see individuals treading water, crying out to get into someone’s boat.  

But their little boats are full.  besides, they have no food. No message of hope.  No prayer team… and no Captain.

Your heart longs to help them—but, how can you?  You are just one person, right?  

Then, others begin to join you at the handrail and suggestions are made to throw out the life preservers.  

The Captain of the ship gives everyone something with which to rescue the drowning.  

Some people just hold on to the life preserver in case they need it.  

But many people lean over and throw it as far as it will go.  You want to do the same, but you see that theirs didn’t go very far.

It was as if the Captain read your mind.  He points you to a lifeboat and gives you a nod.  The life preservers won’t reach them all, but if you can go to them, they stand a much better chance of being saved.

When we give to missions—

we are in essence doing more than just throwing out a life preserver.  We are equipping missionaries with a lifeboat. 

These lost souls cannot come to us—it is up to us to get to them.  

God has called us all to go into all the world to preach the Gospel—if God has not burdened your heart to go –there are other ways…

If we truly want to reach the lost, but don’t feel called to serve in a foreign country —we can GIVE.  

Giving to missions does far more than we could ever do—by simply staying on the ship. 

So—what do you want to do?  Go…or send?  

This is Chase Curti’s sponsored child. This is his sleeping quarters, supplied by the pig farmer he works for.

You may think –well, I don’t have $100 or even $50 a month to spare.  Do you have $20 or $10 a month?  Whatever you feel led give—God will multiply it in the hands of the missionary.  Trust me. We’ve been there.  We know firsthand what a $20 a month offering can do. 

Well, where can I give? Glad you asked! Our church (Evangel Church) and Focus Forward Ministries is playing a big part in building an orphanage in Uganda! (One of the hundreds of homeless children pictured here.) Partnering with COFAM (Children of Faith Ministries), it is our desire to give the homeless children a permanent roof over their heads. These children are homeless because they are parentless. Their parents either died or they just abandoned them. If you are local, you can give to any of the FFM team (Jeff, Chase or Floyd), drop it off at our church (Evangel Church, Marianna, FL) or mail it to Focus Forward Ministries, Inc., Post Office Box 573, Marianna, FL 32447.

Today, can I challenge you to consider joining us? Let’s leave the handrail watching, and get into action. Let’s head to the nearest LifeBoat and grab the life preserver with the longest rope…it is our desire to go to them, cast wide and save many!

With the exception of the last photo of the young child in Uganda, photos from this blog post are from pixabay.com, a website of free photos.

© Angie Knight 2023.  All rights reserved.

Missions

Why Are YOU Here? (by Jeff)

A. Knight

“Why are you here?”  I preached this sermon on a Sunday morning at our home church just a bit ago and when I arrived in Bolivia this past weekend, I was honored to be able to preach in two services and I referred to this question in both of them.  

Today, the LORD asked me, “Why are YOU here?”

I arrived in Santa Cruz on Saturday night and haven’t slowed down since I’ve been here.

My dear friend, Pastor Joel and I have been fast paced, trying to get everything accomplished that needed doing for this year.  All the preparations for what our teams will do when we arrive in the coming months.

Today began like all the rest, wide open, and hot, hot temps.  We arrived at one of the schools that Focus Forward Ministries have in the past years, helped with several projects—and some of you have been a vital part of that, through your giving to help us build bathrooms and purchase playground equipment to ministering to the kids in crusades in so many times.  

The principal, who has become a good friend to our team, had prepared us a good breakfast when we arrived. After enjoying the breakfast, I began questioning the principal to catch up on what’s been going on.  School begins here next Monday, February 3rd, and I asked her what the school, the teachers or students might need.  One big thing I really wanted to know was, “How are the kids on school supplies”.  “What can we do to help the kids get started off right this school year?”

She replied to me that there would be 33 kids show up on Monday with no supplies.  Nothing in their hands, no uniforms, no books, not even a pencil.  That’s when the tears began flowing from my eyes.  

Thinking of all these kids who didn’t have anything.  As she was talking about the needs of these 33 kids, something came over me and I just had to assure her that these 33 kids would have what they needed before school began on Monday. 

 I don’t normally make any decision without first talking it over with Angie, Chase, Shelly, Floyd and Sandi, our Focus Forward Team.  But once she began telling me about this situation, those words came rushing back to my mind, “Why are YOU here?”  

As those four words made themselves at home in my mind, I knew I had to decide right then.  I asked her to meet us at the school supply store first thing in the morning.  Our friend, Geraldo, owns this store and always gives us a good discount.  (That’s why we asked for donation of money this year—it’s so less expensive to buy supplies here.)   

As we began to talk more, I asked if there was anything else that was needed.  She began to share with me the needs of two of the kids in this particular school.   There are sensitive details I am not at liberty to share on social media, but I will share it when I get home with our prayer partners.  But to get to the bottom line of these two children, we need to help them get back in school.  They had to drop out this past year.  The principal had been searching everywhere for answers on how to get these kids back in school.  As soon as she said that she couldn’t find a way, those four words came to me again, “Why are YOU here?”

This IS why we are here.  This is why we came.  

The LORD has blessed us insurmountably- to be able to bless these. Maybe we don’t always have cash on hand, but we always have prayer partners who will pray, and we serve a GOD who always supplies. 

Again, twice in one day, I made a decision without consulting with our Focus Forward Ministry Team. On faith, I committed us to support these two children, age 10 and 12, in school for this year.  Angie and I have had plenty of experience as God’s children, that when we ask believing, He supplies.  He does not withhold any good thing from His own.

  • Here’s what I know God will supply:  
  • the finances to keep these two in school;
  • funds for uniforms;
  • books; and
  • necessary supplies.

Even if I have to give up a few meals a week, or some of the conveniences that I have; even if I have to sell some of my prized possessions, whatever I need to do, the educational needs of these two will be met.  

I talked to a pastor yesterday, he shared that his wife became sick and had to be hospitalized and he didn’t have the money to pay the hospital.  He had to sell his car to pay the hospital bill and now he walks everywhere he goes.  So you see, when it comes to someone we love, we will do whatever it takes—and the LORD has put such a love in our hearts for these kids in Bolivia—and we will do whatever it takes, for we know, without doubt, our God will provide a way.

Some of our local church members may remember when I preached a message a few Wednesday nights back, I made the statement  “the people who work in the prisons really had my admiration”—and then I said, “that was one thing I didn’t want to ever do”—and then, “Lord I don’t want to do it, but if you say, if you open the door, then I will.”  Well, you guessed it.  The LORD opened the door today.

In our meeting today with the principal at Freedom School, he asked the question, “when your team comes back, would you like to go into the prison and minister to the kids there?”  He said the door had been opened to him to go in and minister to about 50 kids ranging in age from three to five who cannot come out to attend school, and he wanted to know if we would want to go with him.  And again, those four words rang in my mind again, “Why are YOU here”?

I think the best answer I have to that is “because I prayed: Lord here am I, send me”.

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And to top the day off, meet Dana (pronounced, Donna), age 12, her goal is to be a missionary—and hey, get this; to the USA.  You know I already feel a burden for Angie and myself to help make this happen.  After all the heartbreaking news of the morning, to hear this statement brought the tears once again, but this time, they were tears of joy.

We are incredibly grateful for each one of our supporters–those who have chosen to sponsor the school supply projects in Bolivia or to help keep a child in school. Your impact in these lives will be a ripple effect in the lives beyond the borders of all our lives. Thank you.