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Not To Us, But To Your
Name Be The Glory
September 8, 2008
Lately, there has been a word from the Lord that has been
constantly in my mind. It comes from Genesis where, after the
Great Flood, the people decided to build a tower called Babel.
The Scriptures tell us that they said, “Come, let us build
ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so
that we may make a name for ourselves…” Reflecting on those
words from the past, it seems that not so much has changed
through the years. In our lifetime, we spend a great deal of
time and energy ‘making a name for ourselves’.
 Here
at Eternity Minded Ministries, our desire is that the love of
God be seen through the message we share and the gifts that we
bring. As our ministry focus shifts to Rwanda we want to behave
in the way of the Psalmist who wrote, “Not to us, O Lord, not to
us, but to your name be the glory because of your love and
faithfulness.” Praise the Lord!
Just a few weeks ago I was in Punchana, Peru helping with the
follow-up of new believers from the festival we conducted this
past June. I was overwhelmed with joy
 when
over 1,000 people came to speak praises to the Lord for what He
had done for them! We gave out the Bibles that you helped
provide to these new believers and we heard many of their
testimonies.
During that evening rally, it was not only the testimonies of
the new believers that touched us but also the testimonies of
the pastors that were especially powerful. One pastor got up and
told us that he had 12 new believers in his church and he was so
excited. Another pastor stood and shared that, as a result of
the festival, he was ministering to 77 new believers in his
church. A very excited and tearful pastor stood at
the microphone and shouted that he had 371 new brothers and
sisters in his church and had them all stand. I could just sense
the angels of heaven sitting in the rafters of that building,
praising God along with us! God was truly glorified! That is the
purpose of Eternity Minded Ministries-- to bring glory to the
Lord and to defeat the Enemy who hates us.
Now the leaders of Rwamagana,
Rwanda need our ministry there. In a land where there was once
untold bloodshed, there is now a spirit of cooperation. The
Anglicans, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Baptists, Assemblies of
God, and even the Catholics are coming together to bring health
and healing to the city of Rwamagana. We are praying that the
Lord will truly touch this city of 70,000 people.
I
was to be in Rwanda this past week, meeting with the leaders and
praying through our plans; however, just days before I was to
leave, my dad was taken to the emergency room and then admitted
to the hospital. Because we did not know the extent of my Dad’s
illness at that time, I chose to remain in the states with my
family. Carl went along without me and had a meaningful time
with our new committee there.
As we have shared in previous letters, the leaders in Rwanda
have requested that we not only come and preach the Gospel of
Reconciliation but that we also share God’s love through medical
help. They have stressed how important it is for the people to
have medical insurance. Together, we have set a goal of being
able to insure 7,000 people. At only $2.00 a person or $14.00
for a family of seven this insurance will provide free doctor’s
visits, medicine, hospitalization, x-rays, and whatever surgery
they are able to provide. This is a huge gift to these people
and because there is such a great need for it, it will in fact,
open many doors for the Gospel.
Our team will organize the distribution of the insurance much
like we did the medicines in Peru. Working side by side with
government workers, we will have a number of registration tables
set up so we can register each person and give them their new
medical card. This card will insure that each individual has one
full year of medical care, which most of them have never had.
Praise the Lord!
We are also stepping out in faith to provide reading glasses for
4,000 people, as this is a great need, just as it was in Peru!
For only $1.00 per person, we can provide an individual with a
pair of reading glasses. This also includes all the supplies we
need to set up the vision clinics and distribute the glasses.
The joy of vision is a beautiful thing to give and with your
help we can enable 4,000 people to see and be able to read once
again!
Several friends of our ministry are opening their homes to their
friends so they can learn more about Eternity Minded Ministries
and the work we are doing in Rwanda. It is such a thrill for me
to share in these casual settings all that God is doing through
our ministry. If you would like to share this ministry with some
of your friends we would be pleased to help you in any way
possible.
Thank you for your continual prayers and support of Eternity
Minded Ministries. You are such a vital part of this ministry
and I praise God for you. Let us continue to build the Lord’s
name in all the world!
With Eternity in Mind
Dan Owens
P.S. I will be visiting Haiti later this fall to evaluate an
invitation for ministry there. Please pray as we make decisions
on ministry opportunities for 2009. |
