WE WANT TO RUN A RESCUE SHOP WITHIN A YARD OF HELL

"My life on earth is so brief, so tell me what to do and I'll do it!", wrote David in Psalm 119:19. 

Another translation words it like this, "I am here on earth for just a little while, so make it clear to me what you need me to do!"  

David recognized that he was made to live exclusively for His GOD, that this world was not his home, but that he was put here to bring glory to The One who made it.    

He left all his money when he died to help build a temple for His God, he used his musical talent to write songs about the power, faithfulness and love of His God and he used his failures to point to His God's grace and mercy!!   
  
It is evident in every song David penned, that he was intentional in how he loved and served His God, and at the end of his life, there was no doubt who David called his King.  

On December 2, 1860, Charles Studd was born into a very wealthy family in England.  He gave his life to Jesus when he was a teenager, then shortly after enrolled at Cambridge University and became one of the most celebrated cricket players of his day, not only in Britain, but around the world!! Everyone assumed he would pursue this career, and were flabbergasted when he chose to leave it all behind!!  People just couldn't wrap their minds around why he would give up huge money, guaranteed fame and a comfortable life, to go to China to tell people about Jesus - but Charles couldn't be stopped!! 

He abandoned what he knew was temporary and fleeting - and chose to live his life in the light of eternity!!! 

Charles spent a decade in China working in a rehabilitation center for opium addicts, sharing the Gospel and seeing lives absolutely transformed by its power!!  While he was in China, his Dad died and left him a massive inheritance which he immediately gave away to one of our heroes, George Mueller, who was caring for thousands of orphans in Bristol.

From China, he and his wife, along with their four daughters, moved to India, where he shepherded a group of people for seven years.  Though he struggled with severe asthma, often having to sit up all night in a chair in order to breathe, he faithfully preached THE STORY OF ALL STORIES to anyone who would listen - and as a result, many, many souls in Southern India came to know his Jesus, The One he lived for!!!

After seven years in India, Jesus took him to the jungles of Africa!  He and his family settled in the Belgian Congo - and again it wasn't easy.  Bouts of malaria, close calls with poisonous snakes and continuous obstacles are woven all throughout the journey God wrote for the Studds - but despite the uphill battle they were able to establish a number of 'missionary stations' in the heart of Africa - which enabled The Gospel to be brought to tribes that had never ever heard the name of Jesus!  Throughout the twenty years they were in Africa, Charles also wrote over 200 hymns, translated the New Testament into the African tribes native languages - and had front row seats to thousands of African's coming to know JESUS!!!!

Someone once asked him...
 
"Charles, why did you give your life away?!" 

He smiled and said, "Some want to live within the sound of church or the chapel bell but I WANT TO RUN A RESCUE SHOP WITHIN A YARD OF HELL!!!!"  

AH YES!!!!  This is why we say goodbyes, this is why we leave comfortable behind, this is why we invest our treasure in heaven, this is why we are on this earth, this is why we get up every morning!!!!  

WE WANT TO RUN A RESCUE SHOP WITHIN A YARD OF HELL!!!!!!!!!!!

We want everyone to hear HIS Name and hear HIS Story!!!!!

Thanks so much for your continued prayers as we continue to wait to go to Haiti to set up that rescue shop!!!!  Our Sovereign God is connecting the dots!!  He is putting things in place and doing things HIS way, in HIS time, and proving to us every, single day that we can trust Him!!  When we have a departure date you'll be the first to know - but in the meantime - please don't stop praying!!  It's your prayers that are connecting those beautiful dots!!  

Until next time...may we all choose to live our lives in the light of eternity...and may all of of our homes and churches be rescue shops within a yard of hell....

Living to make Jesus famous,

Maurice and Sue