Vessels of Mercy

I am SO excited about the next two weeks. I am going back to were it all started for me here on the island, back to the Vessels of Mercy Community Hospital. The hospital that i worked to help build for almost two months is finally opening its doors for its first clinic. This is a very excited time but also a very sad one. As some of you may know Bob Philips, the man behind this project passed away several week ago, So as you can see it is great to open it but sad because he is not here to see his hard work finished. As i have spent the last few days putting the finishing touches on the building i have been thinking about how much Brother Bob taught me and how much he taught everyone he came in contact with. Everyone who knew Brother Bob that enters the building and walks through it has a little story to tell about him. Mine is a little different than most, Brother Bob taught me how to be a hard working missionary (i haven't mastered it yet like him but i am working on it) and he also taught me that no matter how many buildings we build it all means nothing if we don't serve the Lord and lead the unsaved to him. That is the entire message behind the Vessels of Mercy Community Hospital, bring the sick people in and help them with there physical need then help them with there spiritual needs. Brother Bob never pushed his own agenda or the church on people, He just wanted them to know Jesus. So as the next two week progress i hope that we are able to have the clinic and meet the physical need of everyone that walks through the door but more than that i hope we can do what Brother Bob wanted us to do and meet every spiritual need that walks through the door.

The First Month is Over

Well it’s been a month, and it’s been great, rough at some times but all around great. As I look back at my “first month” as a missionary, I try to think of the most important thing that I have learned while being here, so here we go. I read the other day in my little devotional something that really hit home for me. It said “God has graciously allowed some of my fears to come true so I would discover I would not disintegrate.” I think that this phrase was one of the biggest revelations that I have discovered while I was here.
My mom bought me this devotional that i am speaking of before I left; we both have one so that way we can read the exact same thing every day. I read it when I wake up and then I read the same page again before I go to bed. When I first read this particular entry in the devotional I immediately equated the word fear with something scary, like someone hurting me, or something bad happening to me physically, so at first I dismissed the phrase and devotion all together. As I sat down that night and read it I look at it more in-depth. The second time I read it I was thinking of fear in a different way. The fear of being alone. Now I realize that I have many people praying for me and keeping in contact with me, but when I say alone I mean being physically alone, by myself in another country, where I don’t know many people.
In that moment a light bulb turned on in my head. I started thinking about how God was showing me a fear of mine that I never really realized I had. Then in the same moment he made me realize that that fear would not break me at all, that it could not destroy or disintegrate me. As I sit back and think about all of things God has blessed me with over this past month I just sit here at my computer in utter amazement. He has kept me heathly, safe, full of food, and kept a roof over my head. All I can do is praise him for his mighty power and works. Now I once again ask anyone who reads this to continue praying daily for this island, the people of this island and myself. More to come

God Bless
Ross Jeffords