If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, doesn’t have a swelled head, doesn’t force itself on others, isn’t always “me first,” doesn’t fly off the handle, doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, doesn’t revel when others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end. Love never dies.
Love restores
Noah attends the Arise Africa Secondary School. His father passed away years ago, and it is unclear where his mother is. His uncle encouraged him to attend school, noting his gift for math and science. He wants to be a doctor or a veterinarian. He says the school has changed his life, and is thankful for the sponsor who thought enough to help him.
Love heals
He couldn't walk. He couldn't talk. But now, through the tender love of caregivers at Arise Africa Baby Home, little Marvin is taking his first steps. He is a miracle dressed in plaid.
Love embraces
Damion witnessed atrocities no child should ever see. When he came to Arise Africa Baby Home, he was withdrawn, hurt, and angry. Now he smiles and says this is his home. He says he feels cared for, and he has so many friends. He laughs all the time.
Love responds
Joseph tells us about all the crops and livestock Arise Africa grows. Children are fed. The poor in neighboring villages are served. God has given them 5 square miles. It is their prayer that every square inch can be used for ministry.
Love protects
The mosquito nets in the dorms at the Arise Africa Secondary School are so much more than colorful. They save the lives of the children there. Sponsorships pay for more than books and school supplies - they also pay for beds, nets, and clothing.
Love gives
Martha Judith has never met her parents. She was told they practiced witchcraft and both died. And auntie found Arise Africa Secondary School. Martha Judith wants to be a nurse. She thanks her sponsor as she shares her story in a library full of donated books.
Love makes all things new
Esther is a bundle of life. She's so smart, with eyes that take in everything around her. When she was brought to the Baby Home, she was extremely malnourished.
Love fills all the empty spaces with its brilliant light. It is alive and active. It transforms. It warms the hearts of everyone it touches. And in Uganda, it has touched mine.
Thank you Africa. Thank you Arise Africa. Thank you, Austin Christian Fellowship.
