the Fountain of Life

In Nairobi, Kenya, a man takes his family out of the comfort of the city and moves into the slums. He clears an area in the trash and pitches a tent (literally). He builds a few tin structures and walks out into the garbage. The man reaches into the trash and pulls 33 orphaned boys out of the apocalyptic world of the Nairobi slums and brings them back into the compound. This place is known as the Fountain of Life. There he feeds them, clothes them, nurtures them and loves them. The man is not alone even though he has been abandoned by his former church and friends.

The man, a Pastor received a vision from the Lord. In this vision, the Lord instructed him to leave the words behind and to do God's work with his hands; the hands that pull orphan boys from the garbage pile known as the slums. The Pastor informs his church elders of his calling by the Spirit. He tells them that he is going to move the church into the slums and work with the abandoned and the forgotten and by doing so bring glory to God. The elders do not understand. They are quite happy in the comfort of their city church with their congregation, preaching the word of God. The Pastor leaves them all behind, obeying the Father, and moves into the slums with his wife and children

Now we go to minister to him, to his family, to the orphan boys (now 60 in number), to the forgotten and the abandoned souls amidst the trash: to the Fountain of Life. We leave tomorrow, we whom the Lord has asked, "will you feed me?" "Will you hold me?" What you do for the least of these, you do unto me. And so we go:

Shirley Sharp: An obedient, strong and faithful servant of the Lord who encourages others by living for Christ. She has an open ear to you Lord and you speak to her. You speak to her because you know her heart. You know that pearls will not be wasted on swine. Father, thank you for blessing us all with her, and most of all for the blessing she is to all the women and mothers on this trip. I love her her dearly;

Stephenie Sharp: Shirley's daughter, a college student, passionate, young and idealistic, with a heart for God. We parents lament, 'if only we were searching to know Him more when we were in college'. What an inspiration to us all seeing what the Lord can do in today's young people. Father I pray that you continue to show Stephenie your glory and to bless her for picking up her cross even though the world would laugh at her. Give her your strength to walk with you in Africa, doing your will so that you will be glorified;

Rob Melvin: Elijah, with a thunderous and bold Spirit which is truly a gift from God. Not even Rob could withstand the Father's unrelenting and never failing love. He is one of my two closest and best friends. Unrelenting, uninterrupted, and unafraid. He goes where we fear to go. He stands when we cower. Once of the world now shining brightly in it that others may see his good deeds and give all glory to You. I love him, I love his heart, and I love the Holy Spirit which is a never ending fire manifest in his soul;

Tracey Melvin: A sister in Christ, faithful, trusting, with a heart of gold. She is a mother, a freind, and a daughter of Zion. O' that we could all come so close to Christ and so quickly! Always willing, never afraid to sacrifice her needs so that others may have. She has such a heart for the children and so much love to give. Truly she has accepted the loved bestowed upon her by you our Father- for how else could such God fearing love come from anything not of You? I lover her dearly and I love her like a sister;

Shelly Carvan: Foundational, obedient, and more than a friend. A pillar of strength for all those around her. A rock in the storm. Truly edifying, trusting, and always seeking to know You more, to be like You. In how many ways and how many lives has this woman impacted for the kingdom of God? Lord continue to show her the breadth of that impact, the impact in the lives of those around her. She is the salft of the earth, the light shining in the darkenss. Not perfect Lord, but righteous. Made so by the blood of Your Son. Thank you. Thank you Lord for her presence in my life and the lives of so many;

Doug Carvan: A father to the fatherless. A freind to so many. A brother to the unworthy. Blessed with an honest and transparent heart which cannot be attained, only given through the sovereign grace and never ending love of the Father. He is what men aspire to be; as there Father in heaven made them to be. He is my closest friend along with Rob and my brother. Not only my brother in Christ but in many ways more of a brother than by birth. He will never know how he has and continues to impact my life both as a man and as a husband. Father, give me the words and the courage to tell him of thses things when my heart beckons me to do so. Praise to you Father for giving us Doug;

Trey Carvan: An obedient son; first to the Father and his parents as well. A role model for boys, carrying by the grace of God an enormous responsibility as the oldest; as a son and brother. With so much to look forward to, knowing that he is not alone in this world. He would make any father proud to call him son. I know how proud he makes his Father in heaven and his father on earth. He is looked up to and loved by so many;

Me and Trey with a few of the boys at Fountain of Life. I love this picture.

Taylor Carvan: Pure in heart, so gifted and so talented. She is youthful, wide-eyed, with a pure faith and clear understanding of God. A clarity that so many adults never attain. She is a big sister to many and like a daughter to us all. We love Taylor and are blessed to see her blossom into a woman of faith, charity, and compassion. Father guider her all of her days;

Tanner Carvan: Truly we must come to God like a child, and Tanner's heart reminds us daily of what Christ meant when he spoke those words. He is fearless, pure in heart, and such a precious treasure for all to see and hold. Father, thank you for blessing us all with such a tangible and daily illustration of your creation perfected in the bright eyes and soaring spirit of such a special boy. It is in him that we are reminded of your Joy;

Paul Myhill: The Englishman. His heart for the orphan humbles us all. We talk the talk, Paul walks the walk. His faith and friendship is a gift from God. He is a husband, a father, a friend, but most of all always conforming to the likeness of the one before us all- Christ Jesus. Thank you Father for placing him in our lives;

Herb Frost: We know Herb through brief corrospondence and the comments of those who know him. We do know this: Herb has obeyed God's call to join us on this journey. As a Pastor and a dear friend of Paul's we all welcome Herb to the team. We thank God for what the Lord will do through him while in our midst, that God would be glorified by Herb's presence in Africa;

Jodi Vinson: Wife, mother, and friend to so many with a faith that grows by leaps and bounds on a daily basis. What wonders and miracles the Lord has done in her life! I thank God every day for the blessing she is to me and our family. Mostly I thank you Father for giving me an eternity with her by my side; surely I am blessed. Truly I do not deserve this. Truly she is yours Lord; fulfill Your purposes in her life and by doing so fill her with your joy;

Max Vinson: The tenderhaerted boy. A boy who thinks of the parentless, abandoned orphan half way around the world and weeps. O' that we Christians would think of some one other than ourselves! God has blessed given my wife and me so much in him. I know that Max will share his heart in Africa and by doing so model the love for others the same way Christ did; selflessly. Father, continue to bless him. Give him Your strength, give him Your guiding hand and never let him lose the tenderness that lies within him. Thank you Father;

Veronica Vinson: An amazing heart for Christ at such a young age. Loving, nurtuing, full of life with a 'special' relationshiop with God. I pray that I will have such an uncluttered relationship with You- she brings me to my knees and lights up my heart. Truly the Spirit is in her heart and mind. Her faith, knowledge, courage to follow her desires, and many talents are an abundant blessing. Thank you God for her;

AJ Vinson: At four years old he told my wife that he is "...not ashamed of the Gospel". How this child humbles me. Me, who has denied our Lord in public, cowered in the eyes of the world. O' that I would have the courage of a 4 year old boy! The true missionary, without a shred of fear. Father, I thank you for the David you have placed in our midst, that we may all see his courage and draw nearer to you;

As for me, I am thankful for each and every one of these people. We go now to serve those who serve others. We go to be last instead of first. We go becuase God has purposed in our lieves to obey this calling and through obedience He is glorified. We serve a risen Lord, a Lord who does not need man but blesses man by fulfilling His purposes through us all.