A Banner of Love, Faith and Hope
Guest Blogger Leah Lincoln, Abide and Seek
https://abideandseek.com/
What is hope? If you were asked what the word hope means to you what you say?
If you had asked me this very question just a few short years ago, my answer would have been to have confidence in my future and to know I would live out the dreams that I so desperately desired. But then I would have agreed that this wasn't all possible. So immediately following my previous notion about hope would be great doubt and hopelessness. Knowing this would have been my answer now greatly saddens my heart.
Jeremiah 29:11 reads. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” This is the very first verse I came to love. I instantly became so drawn to this verse because it gave me hope when I felt hopeless. When I read that the Lord declared these words, I knew where I could find hope and as I continued to read and learn from the very words of God, I found it. My hope was found in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior!
After coming to know and love Jesus, many other words come to mind that before were defined differently to me. Faith had new meaning as well as love.
I soon came to find that without knowing Jesus you cannot know love. “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13
So without love, you cannot have faith. And without faith, you cannot have hope. I picture these attributes of Jesus all strung together like a banner, with the string representing Jesus. Love, faith, and hope all representing their own flag. I picture it being hung directly over me now at all times because these virtues stand firmly in my heart and make me who I am in Christ.
As my husband and I both continue to grow together in Jesus, we have seen our mighty God move through us in so many ways! Connecting our lives with other believers and always standing true to His promises and continually giving us hope for the future.
My husband and I have prayed together about how we can contribute to the expansion of the Gospel. We have asked God to give us direction and call us to areas where we are needed in order to serve Him and to bring Him all the glory. We began by being called to create our first ministry, Abide and Seek.
Abide and Seek was placed on my heart after I befriended a Christian and started volunteering on a local farm, which was uniquely located on a private, Christian school campus. This school works with many displaced boys from middle school up to high school. Due to the impact of this experience, we have planned to develop a small farm where children can come, feel safe and get into God’s creation. We want to create a place that calls out to others, that submerges you in God’s creation where everyone can feel welcomed! Before obtaining the property to farm and living out this big dream, we began writing articles to tell our story and to be able to connect and bring together a community of followers from all over the world!
Since beginning Abide and Seek we have reached thousands of others worldwide! By continued prayer and obedience, God has not only blessed this ministry, but He has also just recently directed my husband and I to start a church right out of our own home! I again think back to the banner that is made up of love, faith, and hope that Jesus brings to our lives and how he has brought us to where we are now.
Throughout this journey, we have been touched by many other believers and ministries who have reached out to us. One ministry, in particular, has stood out to us because of its timing in response to specific prayers. We have been praying to work with a ministry that has an impact globally. Immediately after bringing these requests to the Lord, we received an email from Give Hope Ministries asking us if we would be interested in writing an article for their blog located on their website. We didn’t waste any time and looked into the ministry’s mission. My husband’s immediate response was, “ This is the answer to my prayers!”
Give Hope Ministries mission is written in their name, to give hope. This ministry is located in Uganda where HIV/AIDS is prevalent. Due to the high rate of this disease, there is a high number of orphans. Give Hope Ministries not only educates children for families that cannot afford to send their children to school which typically requires tuition, but they also take in and feed, house, clothe, and educate orphans.
As my husband and I read more about the ministry, we were blown away! They are not only physically providing for those who are in need but they are spiritually equipping them, raising these children to know our loving God. This is the very essence of giving hope!
Give Hope Ministries is showing these children the very words I read when I was hopeless. They have been unveiling the truth, to allow them to be free of doubt, to be able to put all their trust in God so they too can sense the banner of faith, love, and hope that only Jesus can provide! So each one can come to understand that God has a plan for them, to give each one of them hope and a future!
Give Hope Ministries has developed and accomplished so much in a very short period of time, showing how great and amazing our God truly is! They are looking to expand their orphan housing, provide more learning tools such as a computer lab and Bibles as well as constructing a multi-use building.
If you want to help spread the love of God, reach those in need, and bring hope to many, I strongly encourage you to help fund the current and future needs of Give Hope Ministries! Through your donations, you can bring hope and a future to all that come through Give Hope Ministries doors!