Ministry Update
Dear Friends,
Summer is here! And we have a couple of big announcements to make! First, we are thrilled to announce that United Encounter 2013 is just around the corner! You, your family and friends, are invited to join us for what is sure to be a powerful night of prayer & worship! United Encounter 2013 is something the Lord laid on our hearts about a year ago, and we are excited to see it come to pass! Our desire is to see the church body assemble as one (as Jesus prayed in John 17), for the purpose of unity, and encountering our awesome God! Please check out the attached event flyer for more details. We also encourage you to visit our event page on Facebook for additional details and updates.
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:23-24 NKJV
Liberia Mission Trip
August 19th thru 30th
Secondly, we are excited to announce that we will be leading a missions team to Gbarnga, Bong County, Liberia (West Africa) the last two weeks of August. We would LOVE to share with you how The Lord orchestrated a series of divine appointments (or we should say divine set-ups), that led us to meeting native Liberian, former refugee, now ministry leader, and Founder of Change Agent Network, Eric Wowoh. However, that testimony would take pages to write, so we will likely share that story on our blog. With that said, be sure to visit our website and click on the blog page for updates.
While in Liberia, our team will be working alongside Eric and his team, to share the love of Christ with the people of Liberia! Our mission will include the dedication of the new school, which was built in partnership with KE Andrews & Company (Toms employer), and all of the related activities. We will be working with, and loving on, 1500+ children and orphans registered for school. We will also conduct leadership training for the purpose of equipping and empowering ministry leaders. Lastly, we will dedicate a portion of our time to evangelism, sharing the gospel, praying for and ministering to the locals.
You may be wondering, why Liberia, and friends, we can tell you that these truly are the least of these. Liberia is the 2nd most poverty stricken country in the world, with nearly 50% of its population under 18 years of age. Liberia also has one of the highest illiteracy rates. With an estimated population of 3.5 million, this means that four out of five Liberians cannot read or write. The cost of education is expensive in Liberia, and due to the 85% unemployment rate, most parents or families, which learn less than $1 a day, cannot afford to send their children to school. Educational opportunity for every Liberian child is extremely important to the development of their future, and for the future of the country at large. This is simply because education plays a key role in fighting and reducing poverty as well as child labor out of our world. That’s the reason why Change Agent Network, eight years ago, decided to get involved with providing educational opportunities to the children of Liberia. To learn more about the ministry, please visit www.canintl.org.
Lastly, we would like to ask for your help in two areas. First and foremost, we ask you to pray for the success of this mission trip. Prayer is our most powerful weapon. There is no monetary value you can put on it, and we believe that not one word will return void, but accomplish what it was sent for. Please pray for our team’s travel, protection, and health. In addition, please be praying for the Lord to prepare the hearts of the men, women, and children we will be connecting with, ministering to, and simply loving as the Father loves us. Secondly, we ask that you prayerfully consider providing financial support. Every penny donated will go directly to this mission trip. We need to raise approximately $5,500 to cover both of our travel expenses (all costs associated with this trip). There are two ways you can give. You may make a donation directly to Kingdom Gravity (online or by mail), or you may ensure your gift is tax-deductible by making your checks out to Change Agent Network and mailing them to directly to us at PO Box 415, Rockwall, TX 75087. You may write Liberia Missions Team/August 2013 in the memo.
We thank you in advance for your support and prayers, and look forward to sharing our experience and photos with you upon our return!
In Him,
Tom & Lyly Ledbetter
And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:40 NKJV
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Thank You Very Much
We thank God for the work He has entrusted to us and thank you for your faithful support and prayers!