As we love God and others he reveals a way for us to grow together. I have gotten to know the Mambures with COA, Pastor Thomas with TOLK, and other friends in Africa for over ten years now. More recently, I have had the opportunity to get to know Faith with Lily Kelly Ministries. I‘ve learned about each one of these ministry leaders' families and the calling in their hearts. I have also shared my hurts, heart, and life with them. Through this connection, we have learned to trust each other and explore creative ways to grow together. This is where we will update on how our story is unfolding together as we 'grow'!
Touch One Life Kenya
Chenga Ose Association
Chenga Ose Association
We've known and loved Pastor Thomas for over ten years. He is wise, humble and a faithful presence in his community. His vision is to offer education to all students, teach truth and meet real needs across East Africa. He has worked with the government for almost twenty years to educate children and young adults with disabilities through a school called Wizara. Pastor Thomas and his wife Pamela started their own private school which has grown to educate over 300 children. Thomas also started an organization with a group of youth called TOLK (Touch One Life Kenya). This group focuses on meeting real needs in their community through education, medical attention, and survival measures such as providing clean water. Previously, Pastor Thomas and Restore SB started a garden together in his community which is providing meals for students and in the future, income to the families he serves with.
Chenga Ose Association
Chenga Ose Association
Chenga Ose Association
The Mambure's have been dear friends since 2008. In addition to serving as missionaries through Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU), they are the founders of Chenga Ose Association (COA). COA is a growing network of over 500 families with disabilities in ten provinces of Zimbabwe. Davis and Lucia meet caregivers where they are, share God's love with them, and discuss ways to empower them and their children. The Mambure's are also spreading the gospel by teaching with pastors and other leaders across Zimbabwe. There's a group of us who get together regularly via WhatsApp to encourage and support Davis and Lucia as they find ways to grow their ministry and influence. Currently, they are making a way for families to generate income and education through farming and agriculture. We are also discussing the possibility of sharing the Made book & Dirt to Use teaching together.
Lily Kelly Ministries
As we drove through our neighborhood, we kept noticing these simple yet powerful signs which read, 'Jesus Loves You'. At first, there were just a few, but soon we were seeing them everywhere! Where were these signs coming from? Who's heart was behind this beautiful gift to our community? Well, one day a friend of mine told me... Lily Kelly Ministries.
Once we discovered the heart and story behind the signs we couldn't wait to get closer to the ministry and to meet Faith (Lily's Kelly's mom). The Chapel Project Vision for Murrieta is profound and we are so blessed to know Faith and serve with the Lily Kelly Ministry family!
If you live in or near Murrieta, CA, and have stuff you don't need, we can use it to restore something beautiful! Proceeds to Lily Kelly Ministries.
Just Relationships
Our relationship with God, self, and others is what matters most and leads us to grow something beautiful together.
One of the best ways to develop healthy relationships is to build trust. It's hard work, but if we try to share our hearts and truly listen without getting 'judgy' we can learn to accept each other's differences and imperfections. Letting go of worldly standards and unforgiveness gives us the freedom to explore our stories, hurts, and purpose together. Be aware, that this is a counter-cultural closeness that will be uncomfortable at times but almost always results in us growing together.
Check out the blog to see the story of how we get to be in beautiful relationships with amazing ministry leaders worldwide.
Learning
Education is necessary to seek justice (just relationships) on earth. Truth is always the best place to start! The leaders we work with teach truth to their communities by sharing God’s love and His vision for every person on earth. They do this through the unique ministry God put in their hearts. At Restore SB we also try to share God's truth in a creative way by offering the Dirt to Use message and Made book as a creative teaching tool. Check this resource out on the Teaching page.
Our friends in Kenya and Zimbabwe also focus on school-based learning and provide hands-on teaching with adults learning vocational skills to contribute to their families and communities.
Growing Together
Every person on earth has something in their heart to share or trade for the sake of others. We are not functioning as complete communities until we are all using what we have on the inside to grow together. The leaders we work with love the family as a whole and explore creative ways to serve together and employ each other's hearts. One example of this is how our friends in Africa empower families and communities by teaching simple business efforts such as farming.
Our family is using Restore SB to employ hearts as well. We love teaching others how much God loves them and wants to use their hearts and hurts. We also have a ton of fun working differently with our community by trading in our stuff for something beautiful. Visit the home page for more info on how we can trade in 'our stuff' to support the amazing ministries we work with.