Giving Like George Bailey: The Impact of Generosity

the Cuba funds will go to help fund evangelistic outreach efforts for the teamthat I'll be leading down there in about a month and so it'll be me it'll be Bill Brooke again it'll be Braden Sublitz going back again Lori Nichols and Jan Hagee so this will be the biggest trip or group we've taken we're providing our own funds for our own expenses to get there but everything that's collected will go to help for example with purchasing food for evangelistic outreach efforts because the churches we partner with they go to a lot of effort to invite friends and family who don't know Christ yet and one of thethings they do as an incentive is they offer food which listen when a lot of people are struggling to put food on the table that is an enticement to come and so here's just some pictures from more of the more recent trips and like here's a group of people that responded to the gospel that day when I was preaching been there four times in three years and this January will be the fifth time and in those four times there have been over 600 new professions of faithin Christ and that is marvelous right praise God so some of the money is going to be helping with those efforts [00:40:23] (73 seconds)  #OutreachFeedsFaith

we also always host pastors conferenceshere's Jan actually teaching kids and then here's some of the people that were baptized as a result of the efforts last time but we here's some pictures from the pastors conference I was actually just getting texts last night helping Joanna wrap a few gifts for our family and I'm getting texts from Cuba from Pastor Rudisil and they're planning on possibly up to 150 pastors their wives and even this time maybe some of their children coming and gathering and one of thethings we do is we encourage them with the word of God I bring a message that's relevant for them and then we break into men and women and women sometimes they work on an activity or they have a teaching as well and the pastors we have some back and forth about different things we also bring gifts to them right the needs the physical needs down there are great this is a [00:41:36] (58 seconds)  #EquipAndBlessPastors

``now that's Cuba in the Philippines we are partnering with one of our long-term church faithful members Rick Sharpless here's a picture of him and his family there he now lives been living and working there doing a lot of gospel work with his churchand a non-profit that they established and so the money that we send to them will go to help towards some repairs also for their church here's a picture of the outside of their church and then here's a picture from the inside they have several things that need [00:44:11] (31 seconds)  #CubaPhilippinesMission

repaired there and anything that we send them that's beyond doing those repairs for their church is going to go for their local outreach efforts as wellRick and the young youth ministry that he and his family help lead they do ministries where they help distribute food to people and use as opportunities to share the gospel and pray for people and here's some pictures of them doing thatand sometimes they have places where people come to them sometimes they go for example they go into hospitals here's an example of them having little bags of food that they they're getting ready to go and distribute within the hospital here's a team standing outside the hospital I forgot or lost a picture that had them actually praying with people there within the hospitals and they also give some help to the elderly and so thank you in advance for your generosity in giving this nextweek for our Christmas offering for the good work that will be done with those funds in both Cuba and the Philippines [00:44:42] (67 seconds)  #OutreachInAction

I will never forget one of the pastors that we support as a church Pastor Enrique Palma and here's a picture of him and his family and I'm there with him I'll never forget him looking me in the eye that first year because we had begun supporting them on a regular basis and with tears in his eyes telling me via the translator that oursupport for them was like oxygenthat's saying something the needs are great among the people there and our support for the pastors and the churches makes all the difference in them being able to minister the gospel there and I know our support will be a big help and encouragement to Rick's church and ministry as well now my purpose in sharing all that goes beyond expressing gratitude and encouraging our giving for the Christmas offering this next week because today as we continue in part two of our threeweek mini series it's a wonderful life in Christ we are going to focus our intention on the idea of giving and the impacts that that makes as we began the series [00:45:49] (73 seconds)  #ChurchSupportMatters