Crutches for Africa...currently in Kenya

Dave and Candice are currently in Kenya distributing mobility devices.  Dave writes:
This is my new friend John.

He weighs 45 lbs and is 49 years old.

He is a polio victim.

The only thing that will help him is a baby jogger.

We have arranged for one to come over to Kenya for him this summer.

David

Hand of the Carpenter Updates--Praise God!

2 cars donated that we were able to gift to single mothers in need!

76 repairs thus far, with 57 unique clients!  How amazing what God is doing to help single mothers and widows in need.

104 total jobs, including our Car Care Clinic Clients.

An update on Fatuma – she is the woman that shared last Fall after Dan taught in church one weekend.   The last step in the Visa process of getting her three other children to America from Saudi Arabia  is an “exit interview”  one child has had their interview!  The other two are scheduled to interview soon.  This process has taken years- Fatuma has trusted in God to bring them “home” to her – LOMCC provided the finances for the airplane tickets.    thank you – as soon as they get here, they want to come and thank you personally.

Hands of the Carpenter-Prayer Requests

*Please pray for our Service Manager Ray for reoccurring health issues

*We previously served Denver and Jefferson County – we have temporarily narrowed it to Jefferson, so that we may serve Jefferson well, and then when we are able again, to expand to Denver County.    Please pray for single mothers and widows in Denver County – many have been frustrated and sad that we are not currently serving them.  I have had quite a few difficult conversations.  Please pray that I may love them well over the phone, as well as trust that the Lord will care for their needs.

*Please pray for continued financial provision!

*Please pray for the success and business and wisdom of Hands Automotive – pray for customers!  and for our mechanical staff there.

*Please pray for the hope and encouragement and faith of our clients – that God will be visible through the love and action of Hands and others

*Please pray for employment for our clients

*Please pray for two specific single mothers who have been waiting months for a donated vehicle

*PRAISE – for a successful Bowl-A-Thon!  Thank you Jesus!

Amsterdam Mission Trip--Last Day

It's the end of our week in Amsterdam and we head home today. I am tired yet fulfilled in the work/ministry we did this week. Serve the City is a major undertaking and the coordinators do an incredible job juggling the many details of the projects.
       Here's a few personal reflections on the week:
1) Serving others is both incredibly simple and full of complexity at the same time. It does not take that much to push a wheelchair with an elderly person, but their needs and hurts are so far beyond that moment of bringing them to the park;
2) We could have done Serve the City projects in Amsterdam for weeks on end and there would still be many, many more needs. The goal is not to meet everyone's needs, but rather to show love through serving and thus point people to God in some way.
3) There are better mission project leaders than me! :o)  I have not led a mission team to Europe in many, many years. My team was flexible and gracious with me, which was a good thing because I needed grace!
4) Susy's and my worlds of Denver and Europe "met" for the first time this week, which was a lot of fun for us. It was like linking to important chapters of our lives together at last.
       I'm left with one more thing to ponder - I do not know what God will do with the work our team did this week. We were in many situations and interacted with a lot of people. We stay in the heart of Amsterdam and met servers in pubs to people on the street to someone asking for directions. We painted the apartment of a emotionally challenged guy and another apartment of a woman who is addicted to drugs. 
       Hopefully we left God's mark wherever we went, and I trust that He will use it for His purposes.

Amsterdam Mission Trip--Day 6

Yesterday was our last day of Serve the City. It started by going to worship services at Crossroads Church. It was a great reunion for Susy and me as we saw many friends from years ago.
       We did something unique at the beginning of my message. My good friend Nada Hussein - Lebanese from a Muslim background who follows Jesus - and I read three Scripture passages together on stage. I asked the question, "Where in the world could a Lebanese of Muslim background and a New York Jew stand together on stage and read Scripture?" Not too many places I suspect. The sermon was on Shalom and the People of God. Powerful morning of worship with a great community!

Nada (at left) and I speaking at Crossroads Church last Sunday (A bit blurry, sorry!)

Amsterdam Mission Trip Day 5

It is early Sunday morning in Amsterdam. Most of Serve the City is behind us now; it has been a full and fulfilling three days. Today we attend worship services at Crossroads Church and then have a party for kids in one of the parks of Amsterdam.
       Yesterday we spent the day with elderly folks who are in assisted care facilities. Some of them have forms of dementia, many need to be pushed in wheelchairs. They rarely get out of their group home, so we packed them up and brought them to a nearby park and had a picnic lunch together. Sounds simple, doesn't it? It is. It was also profound for all of us. It's often the little things of life which are most most poignant. It was a beautiful scene seeing our team pushing wheelchairs with elderly people into the park. (photos forthcoming in tomorrow's blog)
       I am up early to look over my sermon notes; I am preaching at Crossroads today. Very much like coming home for me. Looking forward to seeing many dear people to my family.

Amsterdam Mission: Day 4

TEAM: You never know how a group of people will gel and live together for a week on a mission trip. We are half way through the trip and this has been a great mix of people, talents, personalities. Just a wonderful time!

     There are 11 of us, and it has been a meeting of our family's worlds of Europe and America (Amsterdam and Denver). We have been privileged to have three people on the team - Joe, Betsy, and Gail - who we journeyed with us when we lived in Amsterdam. Joe and Betsy live in the US now, Gail still lives here. It has just felt so natural to have them as part of the team.
       The rest of us (8 people) are from our church in Denver. Relative newcomers to the church - Chris and Kelda - as well as old-timers (who will remain nameless!). Extroverts and introverts, life-of-the-party and wall-flowers.
       We have walked the streets of Amsterdam together, served people together, laughed and cried and prayed and pondered together. There have been some easy times and some harder times. We have enjoyed great meals together, slept in cramped quarters together in a hostel, been a bit overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of Amsterdam culture. We have done it together, and it is a great privilege for me. Thanks, team!