Joplin Tornado

Rock Chairman Dan Vick emailed me: “I am thinking about leaving later this week and driving to Joplin, MO for a couple of days. I would probably take a load of water and chain saws … and I wanted to check with you to see if you could make it.“

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God has blessed Dan and me with a great friendship and ministry partnership. Although I had felt no leading to go to Joplin, I had no hesitation because I knew God had put it on his heart.

Off we went, along with his son-in-law Westin. We were overwhelmed with what we saw and glad to be foot soldiers for Jesus. We were privates in an army to respond to overwhelming need. Dan and Westin used their chainsaws to clear debris from salvageable homes; I answered phone calls on the volunteer hotline.


We were amazed at the outpouring of help and humbled by those serving in Jesus' name. We met one guy from Denver whose ministry is sharpening chain saws in disasters. He was returning from the devastation in Alabama when he heard the news about Joplin. As he sharpened Dan’s chainsaws, he said, “Take something from the bucket of life.” A plastic bucket held tracts and new testaments.

When I started a conversation, he shared, “I got one salvation yesterday.”

God used the experience to reinforce a few truths to me. First, Jesus is our only Rock. Everything else can disappear in the bat of an eye.


Second, even though the devastation was beyond anything I had seen firsthand, it was limited to what really amounted to a tiny geographic area in the scope of the world. I could not help but think of what the end times will be like when the whole world is convulsed. I’m glad to know I (and all fellow believers in Jesus) won’t be around for that.


Finally, we serve an awesome God. There is no way we can pretend to understand what happened in Joplin from a worldly perspective. God is sovereign. We trust Him. Our only hope is in Him. Without Him and the knowledge that through faith in His Son Jesus we are promised eternal bliss, we are just victims in a tragic crap shoot.



-- Mark

New Thing

See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:19)

God continues to amaze. He is doing a new thing at The Rock.

Recently, we shared that our university scholarship program to make leaders and disciples in Uganda was in financial jeopardy. We foresaw a potential dilemma when tuition came due May 1 between paying fees now or having students sit out a term or two while we launch a dairy project that could sustain students for generations to come.

We resolved to trust the Lord and seek His perfect will. We invited supporters like you to be a part of the process. God moved and many of you responded through prayer and generosity.

The result is The Rock now has 10 dairy cows and all of our college students are continuing class uninterrupted! And we can see how God used the financial challenges to strengthen our faith and improve our ministry.

Margaret is in Uganda now helping to launch the dairy operations conducted in partnership between The Rock and Uganda Christian University. All of our students now are contributing to their educations and gaining valuable experience by working on the farm. Margaret also is helping the students set up housekeeping. The financial squeeze prompted us to consolidate our students’ housing from various hostel accommodations to putting the men together in one housing unit and the women in another – both in the same compound.

Not only does this save money, but it promotes more teamwork, fellowship and basic life and relationship skills among our scholarship students.
It is a good example of one of our favorite Bible verses.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the Lord.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Also, it is proof of another favorite:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

To Him be the glory!