Ten years ago I became a volunteer in a mentoring program called LAMP. It didn’t make a lot of sense, a 61-year-old retired Caucasian living in the affluent suburbs of Pittsburgh meeting weekly with a delinquent 11-year-old African-American youth from a blighted urban neighborhood. But I felt compelled by the King to do kingdom work – advance his Kingdom. It was costly and time consuming to drive 75 miles each week to take my mentee out for a bite to eat, and some form of entertainment, like bowling, movies, basketball games, and the like. It was scary. His family was involved in a gang in a neighborhood that averaged 15 homicides a year. Most of the time I felt like I was failing to make a difference in his life. This went on for seven years, until at age 18 he outgrew the program. But today I tasted some fruit from my investment; I helped my former mentee, now a 21-year-old adult, start his first “real’ job; what a reward!

Firstlight International is in partnership with the Lord to do incredible kingdom work in Thailand, 24/7. Over the years, Dan & Debbie, and their team, have faithfully listened to the Holy Spirit as He led them to plant a variety of ministry trees. Many of these ministries have been growing for years; now some are yielding 100-fold fruit, and others 50-fold, and 10-fold, but they are all producing tasty fruit of transformed lives and neighborhoods.

Nothing of lasting value happens quickly; everything requires a measure of patience. Spreading the gospel not only requires commitment and patience, but kingdom work is costly. It is you, the faithful givers, that help fuel this ministry. By doing so, you are not only blessing God, but in a way, you are going with the team into those “hard” places. ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good’.

Thank you for your faithful prayer and financial giving that helps to support the work of Firstlight each month.

~ Mac McCabe