Big Plans... Bigger God

Subtitle: "COSAC Property"

So, the Gabonese national Alliance churches "get it". They realize the message of the Gospel is "holistic" (or "wholistic")- we must engage our world as Jesus' ambassadors outfitted with the words and the deeds that point to HIM.

LEGACY

This is the trans-formative power of the Holy Spirit in their lives spurred on from the legacy of faith planted in this country by some people willing to lay their lives on the line and move WAY out of their comfort zone. Yep- I'm talking about missionaries.

Now, before you start to get the wrong idea... this is not a self-gratifying post. Believe me, the missionaries I'm talking about were "cut from a different cloth" than myself. Without airlines, without roads, without helpful hints from "Lonely Planet" articles or other travel aids, they struck out into "the regions beyond".

Here, in Gabon, there have been many "beautiful feet" through the decades- Fairley, Lentz, Pierson, Klein, Cook, Shank, Ficke, Gerber, Corby, Schindler, and more. They "pushed back the darkness" as they brought the transformational message of Hope; of Life; of the Way. The message was contagious and the names of those impacting this region started looking a little different- Mbadinga, Ndoba, Divingou, Mboudi, Depinga, Boudiongo, Lebongo, and, more recently, Ndougou-Ndougou, Ynguemba, Batouboko, Tchoba, Bouassa, Sangoye, Opiangah, and so many more. I happen to live in Gabon and am blessed to see the DNA of this legacy playing out in front of me.

Building on the Legacy

One of those ways is in a new movement driven by the national churches called "COSAC"- the Center of the Social Works of the Alliance Church. This ambitious, "God-sized" project spans over 62 acres and will host a home for abandoned children (Hope House), an assisted living facility (Bon Samaritan), a middle school and high school, conference rooms, a medical clinic, a physical rehabilitation clinic, and more. Also, since these folks have strongly supported our aviation work and often have patients that need transport for us, we are looking at the possibility of an airstrip on the property as well.

Some would say that this work is too much. The plans are too big. However, I'm learning from my Gabonese brothers and sisters that, when you serve a BIG GOD, He leads you to BIG THINGS! I can't help to see that they get this from those that have gone before- missionaries who believed the same things. What has God done? Schools, seminaries, clinics, hospitals, and even aviation programs have developed out of those that have, by faith, walked through open doors that the Lord has set before them. What is God doing? He has provided the funds for the purchase of the property for COSAC already!

Possibilities

So, this leads to the next question. What names will be among the legacy for the future believers in Gabon to look back upon? Maybe your name. Maybe, Lord willing, my name. Gabon is exploding with possibilities for like-minded, Jesus-followers to join together, across borders and oceans, to do something special. Something with lasting impact. Something that touches people where they are in times of need in a practical way, in Jesus' name. Through it all, He is asking for PEOPLE to get involved. Will you be that people?

"If my PEOPLE, who are called by MY NAME,
will humble themselves and PRAY and SEEK my face
and turn from their wicked ways,
THEN I will hear from heaven
and I will for give their sin
and heal their land"

"Ordinary People serving an Extraordinary God". I ask you to consider getting out of the stands, and onto the field, either here in Gabon, or right in your neighborhood. Be part of the PEOPLE who point to God in action and word. Are you building YOUR legacy, or HIS legacy?

Want to get involved in Gabon? Check out this WEBSITE or drop me an email.

Want to see pictures of the COSAC property? See a few pictures HERE.