Hello all,
This is Caleb, and I am one of the leaders serving with LIFT. Along with this role comes the absolute pleasure of visiting a new site every day so that I can encourage and see all that the LIFT students get to see and experience. It is a unique opportunity because I get to see the various ways that Students International as a whole serves their community here in Magdalena. They see needs, and they will seek to meet those needs with the love of Christ.
Today, I visited the Trade School site, where Dan, Andrew, Shane, Gabe, and George have been joining in the ministry work being done. The site’s missionary leader, Samuel, has a wife, 3 beautiful kiddos, and a couple of dogs. Samuel teaches classes in welding, electrical work, and carpentry. He is literally a jack-of-all-trades. This ministry site allows men of all ages to come and get training and practice in hard skills that they will hopefully be able to master and take to their community. During each day, Samuel is building relationships, teaching technical classes, and talking about Jesus with all whom he can.
Samuel is just one of the many missionaries with SI who have been called to dedicate their life to serving God by loving those in their community. Samuel could be working any number of places and making plenty of money to never really have to worry about having material possessions. But he decided that the call of God on his life is more important than knowing exactly where each dollar of funding is going to come from.
In our classes at LIFT, we talk about those who are called to go— those like Samuel and the other SI missionaries. There are then those who send— that is the Church, we all get a chance to join in the work being done all over the globe for the Gospel, even when we aren’t the ones physically called to GO. We send through encouragement, prayer, and giving resources to ensure that the focus of these missionaries is on the great commission.
My heart has been touched by these people, but I want that affection to be stirred to action. I am being given the opportunity to be a part of SI’s legacy of disciple-making and love. While I cannot always be physically present for it, I can help take part of the monetary burden off of my brothers and sisters who serve here.
Many of these missionaries still need funding. If you would feel led, or if you have questions about who needs funding the most here at SI, please reach out to the team here at https://stint.com/country-donation/?locid=4. This is a way to play a part in sending, and I am excited to continue to see how the LORD multiplies the resources we share.
Grace & peace,
Caleb Harlan
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