02/07/16
From Michael:
I’ve been putting of writing this post about Paradise
because we are SOOOOO close to being completely done! All of the “big” stuff is
done and now we have a bunch of small projects to get the building complete. (Side
note: We are looking for a sound system and projector to use here. If your family or church has an old one that isn’t being used, would you consider donating it to
Paradise Alliance Church? We will be in the US in April and may be able to
bring it back with us) I really want to show the amazing process from beginning
to end, but because we are not quite done and due to our guest speaker’s
schedule we are not holding our dedication service for a few weeks…I’ll have to
wait. The last few months have been the best because we saw the church really
take shape. It went from just construction to “Wow! There’s the stage! There’s
the bathroom! There’s the roof! This place has become more and more incredible
with every working light, coat of paint, chair, stair rail and we even have our
cross now! But the most amazing thing to see is the people filling those seats
every Sunday! I know we’ve only been in the building for a month, but it really
has unified our four different groups into one church body.
Today, during Sunday school, I walked up stairs and just
took everything in. It was amazing. I was kind of a state of shock thinking
about how far this church building and (even more so) the people have come. I
looked down, leaning on our newly installed railings and saw all these poor, bruised,
uneducated, shoeless kids listening to the word of God and was amazed. Then those
same kidos all came on stage and sang the welcome praise song and it made me
realize how extraordinary these moments are. Think about it! The almighty,
powerful, life-breathing, Creator of the universes is speaking to and through
His precious children in this building! It's Paradise on earth! And it was possible because a bunch of
people said YES to God. Pastor William and the FCAC team said YES to going into
a SUPER dangerous place to share the gospel. A mission group from France called
Isaiah 58 said YES to pay for the lot. World Family Missions said YES to raise
the funds to construct the building. You said YES to support this church with
prayer and finances! And most importantly, the people of Paradise Village are
saying YES to Jesus! They are saying YES to turning away from their drunken, violent
and sinful lifestyles! They are saying YES to working for an honest living! They
are saying YES to instilling the word of God into their children. They are saying
YES to holding on to Jesus even when there is nothing worth living for. 
The theme of our dedication Sunday is going to be “Old to
New”. 1 Corinthians 5:17 says “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new
creation. The old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Or as Christian singer Josh Wilson puts it “That was then, this is now. I’m
bought by the blood, saved by the one the saints all sing about. That was lost,
this is found. And it’s time to say goodbye to the old you now. Go ahead, put
the past in the past. Box it up like an old photograph. You don’t have to go
back, because that was then and this is now.”
God has blessed us with a church building and it proudly
stands as a glorious symbol of God taking our trash and
Thank you Lord for Paradise Alliance Church.
If you would like to learn more or sponsor any of the
small projects we have left, please message us on Facebook or email us at contact@worldfamilymissions.com,
mjworldfamilymissions@gmail.com
(Michael) or sehodgie@gmail.com
(Sarah).
Thank for all your prayers and support!
Michael, Sarah, Eden Jones.
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| Eden really likes spoons :) |
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ReplyDeleteThank you for updating this so that I could share it. :)
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