Luke 14 Outreach Run

Some of the guys after a recent 6 mile run

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,  and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:12-14

On June 30th a small group of youth from our church will be participating in an 11K race in San Salvador sponsored by INDES (Salvadoran sport association) with the goal of raising $3000.  Why?  Well, to fulfill exactly what Luke 14 says! To bless the poor, the crippled, and to also hold an official Luke 14 banquet.  Some of the projects that we would like to complete through this fundraiser are:

1.  Blanca's home.  Back in March we were blessed with the ability to build a partial security wall around the home of local woman, Blanca. Blanca was the mother of a youth who attended our church but was murdered 2 years ago.  We were able to build part of the wall, as well as put in a gate, and a new outdoor sink.

Blanca in front of her new door

The construction of this wall, as well as the door, have been such a huge blessing. However, we still need to build the other half of the wall on the other side of the house.  In addition, Blanca's home did not have any electric. Bobby worked diligently getting the home wired and all the approved inspections completed and the only thing lacking now is to pay the electric company a hefty fee to come out and officially connect the electric.  Blanca has shared with us that she often feels scared at night because she does not have any electricity and her home was poorly secured.  Although we know that our protection comes from the Lord, the addition of a security wall,  new door, and electricity, will undoubtedly help her to rest easier as well.

2. A new wheelchair for Marvin.

Marvin with Bobby at a recent church service 

 

We were first introduced to Marvin several months ago through a youth who attends our church.  Marvin is an amazing young man who was left a paraplegic several years ago as the result of gang violence. We have been so happy to have become a part of Marvin's life.  Bobby picks him up and brings him to the church services every Saturday as well as the guys accountability group on Wednesdays. Through God's provision, we have also been able to bring a therapist into his home three times a week to provide him with much needed physical therapy and were also able to bless him with a laptop computer that he uses all the time to connect with the outside world as he spends most of his time inside.  One major thing that Marvin needs right now, however, is a new wheelchair.  His current wheelchair is worn and the brakes are no longer working.  A new chair would not only provide increased safety (working brakes are important!) but also give him increased mobility and would make transfers easier for his caregiver (it is very hard for a small woman to transfer a non weight bearing paraplegic to a broken wheelchair with no brakes). 

3.  Calle Vieja community outreach.  There is a small community located just a few blocks below the church.  To be honest, the area is run down, gang-ridden, dangerous, and you must pay an extortion fee if you want to drive your car through  (that is, if you have a vehicle that can stand the bumpy dirt road). This area of town is considered the most dangerous area of Nejapa and is controlled by the 18th Street gang.  Over the past year and a half we have been entering Calle Vieja to bring food baskets to Blanca, and most recently to build the wall at her house.  We understand that it is only through God's grace that we have been able to enter and not have any problems. During this time we have felt an increased burden to reach out to the people in this area, particularly the youth.  We know that evangelism to this area will need to be different and that building trust within the community will be key.  We have several ideas for small projects and service that we can do in this community to increase our presence there and, hopefully, develop trust and relationships with those that live there.

4.  An official Luke 14 party.  Yes, that's right, we want to hold a real Luke 14 banquet!  We want to host an evening at our church where we hold a banquet and we invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind and just bless them with a fantastic evening that they will never forget...and I don't believe we would either.


The group of guys who will be participating in the race have already begun to train, and running in the Salvadoran heat has been anything but easy for them!  Now, besides cooler whether, the greatest things that the guys need are your prayers and financial partnership.  They need prayers that they will be able to physically complete the race and will be protected from all accident, injury, and have safety during training and on race day.  We also need prayer that the financial goal will not just be met, but would be passed and that we would experience God's guidance and wisdom as we carry out the projects. 

Secondly, they also need financial sponsorship. If you feel led to support the guys and help make this outreach a reality you can simply do so one of two ways: 
         1.  Through Paypal by clicking on the Paypal button at the top of this blog, or
         2.  By sending your donation to.

                                                    Ame International

                                                    PO Box 670631

                                                    Northfield, Ohio  44067

Please include a note with your donation stating that it is for the "Luke 14 Outreach run."  All donations will be tax deductible. 

Blessing those who can never bless you back sometimes goes against our human nature, but it is an act of complete love and selflessness...it is God's nature.