On October 14, I got the chance to hang out with over 200 people in Waxhaw, NC. This was not some random gathering, but it was an intentional call to action to help provide a medical facility in one of the 410 Bridge communities called Kandaria. Our staff is always honored to be a part of any gathering where people come together for a common purpose to serve others. But, this was a call to action that was originated by a 17 year old. Mariah had visited Kandaria and God created a tension in her that would not go away. The need for a medical facility is great but the amount needed to pay for the facility was as daunting as the current trek up the side of a cliff to get to the only medical care that is currently available. Mariah has been working for over a year, telling her story, getting others involved and pursuing her desire to make a huge difference in the lives of these people, not just for now, but in their future as well. Thursday night, Five Stones Church‘s team pastor Ralph Owen and Mariah led the evening with stories, pictures, testimonials, music and a challenge to everyone that had come out that night to make a difference. And everyone did respond. The early count that was raised was over $24,000, but what is more important, lives were changed… on that side of the bridge in Kenya most definitely but also on this side of the bridge – by what the people in NC saw and heard, by reaching out to change the lives of the community of Kandaria 8,000 miles away, by allowing God to move in them to serve others they may never meet. It was a beautiful night in Waxhaw, NC and in Kandaria, Kenya and I was honored to be a part.
To read more…Union County Weekly wrote about this event and about Project Kandaria here. You can also check out Project Kandaria’s website here.
