Spirit Life Church of Sopchoppy

"GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD..."

OUR MISSIONS PROJECTS ARE VERY MUCH A PART OF THE VISION

THE LORD REVEALED TO US SEVERAL YEARS AGO

     Our introduction to the mission field began in 1995, when I went on my first mission trip to Mexico. I thought I knew something about holiness and godly character before I went, however, when I witnessed the simple faith of the Mexican people and their total committment to godliness, I melted inside. This first mission trip totally revolutionized my western mode of thinking concerning what is really important in this life. I went back to Mexico in 1997, again on a mission trip. I was totally unprepared for what the Lord had in store for me. He, spirtually speaking, turned my life upside down. I fasted and prayed for four days while on the mission trip and felt inside of me that the Lord was stripping me of all that was not of Him. When I returned to Florida after the trip, I continued to fast for another 45 to 60 days. I wish now I had had the foresight to keep a journal during this time, but the Lord was dealing with me so heavily I could think of nothing else. At the end of this period of fasting, I felt I had become a totally renovated being inside ( I had also lost 45 pounds). And I also believe that much of my spiritual growth over these years, up to present, is attributed to these times and seasons which the Lord led me into.

     I will ever be grateful and appreciative to the Mexican believers that I shared bread and worshiped together with. We, as Americans, think too highly of status, material success and societal acceptance. These things are inbred in us as citizens of a superpower nation. Unfortunately, along with these standards comes a self-centeredness that hinders how much we are willing to submit to the Lord. When you live and minister along side people who have nothing to lose, because they have nothing to lose, and return to our society with all of its materialism and superficiality, there is created within, a hunger for the things that really matter in this life. Now, I know more clearly the depth of what the Lord meant when He said, 'Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these (material) things will be added unto you'.

The above Church was completed in 2004. The building is located in a small Mexican village called La Luz (the Light), and I was told that this church is the first evangelical church in this area in 45 years.

     The above picture is of Roy and Joy Cragg ( to the right). This couple is such a tremendous blessing to the Body of Christ. They minister extensively to the Mexican people and love them, and are loved by them, very deeply. The man on the far left is the pastor of the church we helped to build. He is a man of faith and I know, with his committment, the area surrounding the church will not be the same. The man to the left of the pastor is a member of his church and the one whose property the church is sitting on. The woman in the middle was our interpreter while we were there and a wonderful woman of God she is.