Sharing the Vision

By Alicia Jones

For the past four months I have enjoyed the privilege of sharing the vision of Love Help Teach with several churches and at a few special events around the state of North Carolina. The journey of preparation through sharing the vision has blessed me in two significant ways: (1) in seeing God at work across the state and (2) in remembering the biblical basis for why I am going to Ukraine.

I am convinced God is at work all across the state of North Carolina and around the world through the local church. I say such a statement because what I have seen in the past four months is God's spirit at work in small towns and big cities as well as a great number of people with a great love for God and for others in local churches.

Sometimes, in the humdrum of our own lives, we develop tunnel vision. The work we do individually or we see our church doing seems so small and never enough, but the work one individual body of believers does is not all God is doing. Your church and my church are not the only two bodies of believers laboring faithfully in the name of Christ Jesus! God has raised up a great army of diverse and spirit-filled redeemed people. The effort each one puts forth in obedience to God is multiplied over ten-thousand times all across the globe. In my visits to various churches I've begun to do some math, adding up what each one is doing and, wow, the state of North Carolina is not without bold witnesses and a righteous remnant. May we each faithfully continue in love and good deeds.

As I’ve shared with churches the vision of Love Help Teach I have not shared from one scripture, but instead God’s spirit has directed me to a different scripture for each opportunity. These scriptures I’ve shared from have been ones that God had used in my life previously to illuminate the path that has led me to move to Ukraine: Psalm 84, 1 John 3:16-23, Psalm 79, James 2:5-6, and Psalm 61. As I shared I reflected on exactly how I got to this point; I leave four weeks from today to go to Ukraine, and I have been stirred within with a desire to go in obedience and by faith in God Almighty.

Praise God that he cares for the poor and defends the fatherless as the Scripture testifies, and yet his redemption comes to anyone who puts full trust in Him no matter how rich or poor. My prayer is that God’s provision for the Roma of Western Ukraine will prove His faithfulness and sovereignty to all the people of Transcarpathia and that a great number will trust Christ.

These few pictures give a glimpse of the culture of Transcarpathia into which I am about to be immersed; they were taken by Anna when I shared at Green Springs Baptist Church.