Dear Folks – here’s an update letter from Steve Wright. He’s completed 5 months of his World Race Trip! He’s written some new blogs lately – check them out at www.stevewright.theworldrace.org I know he would appreciate a comment on his blog from you!
Here’s the letter if you can’t download the attachment…
Dear Family, friends and supporters: May, 2008
I wanted to give you an update on my World Race mission’s trip. It’s hard to believe I’ve already been gone for five months! I’ve seen things that I will never forget, and have made some great friendships. God has used our team to minister to hundreds of needy people – many have come to faith in Christ! In the process, we’ve also met the urgent physical needs of those we come into contact with.
Peru! When I left in January, we went straight to South America. We ministered for a month on the coast of Peru (the town of Chincha – very hot and desert-like) where the people had experienced a devastating earthquake (even larger than the one recently in China). They lost everything and many people died – and we provided both practical relief and spiritual ministry.
Amazon Jungle. The next month (Feb/March) we went to the Amazon Jungle (Iquitos, Peru) to help with church planting. This is where my computer was stolen (thankfully it was replaced by insurance!). We lived on a riverboat and helped a local missionary set up contacts for establishing churches along the river. Mosquitoes were EVERYWHERE! We also worked with children and teens. There was a strong demonic presence in the jungle that we had to deal with – but God was gracious and many people responded. While there, I was able to teach seminary level Bible classes to several pastors in the area. It was a real blessing to be a part of that. While I was in the Jungle, I contracted a nasty intestinal parasite and struggled with sickness (several of my teammates had them). It took awhile to get better.
Bolivia. In March/April, we travelled to the mountains (and rainforest) of Bolivia where we helped build and upgrade some orphanages for a ministry there. It was an amazing experience! It was quite a bit different from the previous ministries and provided for better living conditions for the 27 of us. For the most part, our team lives in individual tents and we share everything. It gets pretty tight sometimes! While in Bolivia, I was bitten by a poisonous spider and had to contact a local doctor for treatment. It’s taken a few weeks for the venom to get out of my system.
South Africa. We left South America April 16th and travelled across the Pacific Ocean to South Africa for three months of ministry there. Our large team has split into smaller groups of 5 – 6 for these months and will be going to different countries to do ministries with local churches. One of the places my team recently went to is a Compassion Site (Compassion Int’l) where the money many of you send (to “adopt” a child) is used to feed, clothe and teach African children. I was able to experience this ministry first-hand. It was amazing to see over 400 children being fed each day in the community we were in. We were also able to go to the nearby country of Mozambique and present the gospel (through the “Jesus Film” and a translator) for the First Time to a tribal group there. They had NEVER been visited by a missionary before! Over 200 people responded! The missionary we worked with will be taking another team back there next month to do follow-up work. Exciting!
Swaziland. This coming month my small team will be travelling to Swaziland to work with AIDS kids (almost half of the population in Swaziland has AIDS – many of the kids’ parents have already died). It will be a humbling and heart-breaking month, I think. Please pray for us!
Support Level. My support is currently at $9,600.00. I need $14,000 total to finish the trip. God has been graciously providing for me, and I am asking Him to encourage others to give the rest of what I need. Many of you have already given toward this ministry – THANKS! I’m asking if you would consider giving again. I really appreciate the large gifts that some of you have given ($1,000 or more!), and would like to challenge you to do that again. But I also would ask that you consider a gift of $200, $100, $50 or less (any amount helps!) so that I can continue the World Race to the end. My next deadline is July 1st, 2008. I’ll need at least $12,000 total by that time – or I will have to return home. Please help!
If you want to donate to my ministry on the World Race (it’s tax deductible), you can log on to the World Race site – (www.stevewright.theworldrace.org) and click on the “Support Me” tab and follow the directions. It’s really easy and takes only a minute. Or you can send a check to: Adventures in Missions, 6000 Wellspring Trail -- Gainesville, GA 30506. Or you can call - 1-800-881-2461 and pay with a credit card. They’ll notify me that you gave, so I’ll know you have participated with me financially in this amazing adventure! While you’re there, look around at my blog and read some of the things I (and my team) have been doing. Leave a message and let me know you visited!
Results! I wanted to give you a brief summary of some of the great things God has been doing so far…
· He has moved hundreds of people to make first-time decisions and re-commitments through our ministry in Peru, Bolivia and Africa!
· He has introduced me to people who have desperate physical (and spiritual) needs. He has opened my eyes to the very difficult living conditions that exist in the rest of the world.
· He has allowed me to disciple several guys in each place of ministry and make contacts with future partners in ministry.
· He has shown me more truth than I thought I could learn in such a short time, and has caused me to grow spiritually. He has been faithful in protecting me and taking care of me (with the exception of the parasite and poisonous spider J).
· He has given me great Christian friends that I am growing with in a close-community setting.
· He has shown me older, more spiritually mature men that I can look to for advice and guidance.
What’s Next?
We will be in Southern Africa through June (includes South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland and Botswana). We will be working with orphans, church planting and feeding /relief projects.
Next, we will head up to Asia (includes India, Napal, Vietnam, Thailand). Some of the ministry there involves rescuing young girls from the international sex/slave trade. That should be interesting!
The plan is to finish our Race in China. After that, I’m not sure what will happen. I am thinking of doing a ministry internship in England with a church there. I‘m also interested in spending some more time in Europe – I’ve been learning French and Spanish, and want to learn Italian and German. We’ll see what the Lord has for me when the time comes!
Thanks for taking the time for reading this letter! I will try to keep in touch with you as much as I can. Make sure to check my blog (www.stevewright.theworldrace.org) for updates. I miss all of you and can’t wait to share in person what it’s like to be here. I have LOTS of pictures and God-stories to share!
God Bless!
Steve Wright
P.S. Please be praying about supporting me. I am at $9,600 and need $14,000 total to finish. If you can help me raise the final $4,400, I’ll be truly thankful!
P.S.S. Enjoy the pictures!
P.S.S. Enjoy the pictures!
1 comment:
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