Cindy's Plea for Sierra Leone Trip

Ever since we left Africa Danny has wanted to return. As you know Danny & I are co-pastoring a church in Wahkon and God has truly blessed us this past year, our congregation is small, it meets the bills of our building with a small stipend for us. God has used the generosity of other churches in our area for a modest support for us. This summer a temporary job opened up for Danny and by being frugal we have been able to save enough for his air fare to Sierra Leone, almost $2000. He has all the documents, shots and permission to go.

Before we left Sierra Leone we had discussed with some of the pastors a vision they had many years ago of starting a remote bible school. Pastors and students would do their course work in blocks as it fit into the planting and harvesting of crops. A qualified teacher, a pastor with biblical training, some of these men have or are working on their master’s degree in theology would go out to a centrally located city or village and they would hold bible school.

To help with this we are raising funds to purchase a motorcycle. They do have public transport but it would not be practical for this application. Our church has raised $800 toward the purchase of one of these 100cc motorbikes. The cost for one of these is roughly $1400 depending on the registration fees, and the rate of exchange.

We have stepped out and purchased the ticket to Sierra Leone, but Danny will need money for food, lodging, transportation etc. once he arrives. We left all of our equipment to hold the outdoor campaigns with the pastors and it has been used since we left. Danny plans to once again hold the Jesus Film Festivals we used to reach people for Jesus Christ when we lived there. We will need money for gas to power the generator and transport the gear. We sold our truck before we left Africa so we will need a vehicle to use too. As you can see we also are a bit short of purchasing a motorbike for the pastors to get back and forth to teach the classes.

Danny had given up on the idea of returning to Africa this year and then as God often does, He started opening doors and giving that gentle stirring. This is a huge step for Danny as his best friend Chief Daddy Bok went to heaven this year and Sierra Leone will not be the same without him. Sierra Leone is a scary place without the comfort of your best friend and guide. For me, Cindy, preaching three Sundays in a row is huge and leading our Tuesday night fellowship too. We both are stepping out in faith, but we know God will be with us, because it’s not about us it’s all about Jesus.

We are asking for your financial help to accomplish this outreach to a large amount of people who need to hear the gospel of Jesus before they slip into eternity. Danny will be leaving on January 4, 2012 and returning on January 27, 2012. Please pray for his health (He suffered with malaria for months after he returned last time.) Please pray for God’s divine appointments and direction. Pray that God would give him and the pastor’s wisdom as they set up this school. Most of all pray that the Holy Spirit would go before and prepare hearts for salvation.

Mille Lacs Living Water Church
P. O. Box 40
Wahkon, Minnesota 56386

Christmas Njai Town, Sierra Leone

2010 Christmas @ Njai Town in Sierra Leone.

Last Christmas Pastor Sulaiman Kpewa, his wife Jestina, and Trinity Assembly of God, Njai Town, S.L. sponsored a meal for the Musulim children in the area. Many for the first time heard the gospel, and experienced the love of Jesus in a tangible way.

This year Mille Lacs Living Water Assembly of God of Onamia, Minnesota USA, Pastors Danny & Cindy McCollor, will be partnering with the Kpewa's and Trinity A. G. We hope to reach even more Children for Jesus Christ.

Jesus called them and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdon of God as a little child will by no means enter it." Luke 18:16-17 new king james

Letter to the Un-Churched Part 1

“Your sins are forgiven, your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (From Luke 7:36-50) These are the words of Jesus to a woman who had led such a sinful life that her deeds were well known in her town. A woman with a bad reputation and was looked down on by her community. People were surprised that Jesus would have anything to do with her. This is the one who washed Jesus feet with her tears & poured perfume on them. Jesus recognized this as an act of faith and forgave her many sins.

In this story we see something of God’s character especially his willingness to forgive when we put our faith in Jesus. The fact is Jesus has been forgiving and breaking the power of sinful habits for over 2000 years now, the church today has many who can tell of how Jesus changed their lives and broke habits, addictions, and sinful lifestyles that they were powerless to change on their own.

So what’s your excuse? What’s keeping you from trusting Jesus for forgiveness and the power to change? Is it shame or imbursement, fear of what people will think; do you feel hopeless or powerless to change who you have become? Then there’s the one “The church is full of hypocrites,” ever used that excuse? I encourage you to put all the excuses aside and give Jesus a chance to prove what he can do when you put your faith in him. That’s what I did 36 years ago and I’ve never been sorry about that decision. My life was empty and I was without hope before I received Jesus Christ’s gift of forgiveness, he gave me the power to turn from my destructive lifestyle (sins), and I have hope and direction in my life today.

Now this is my challenge to you; this Sunday get up early, get to church on time, find a seat sit down and quietly tell God you want to trust Jesus to forgive your sins and give you the power to change, habits, addictions, and anything that isn’t good about your behavior. Then watch what God can do when you put your faith in him. I guarantee you will never regret that decision.

May God grant you the faith to believe in the power that is in the love of Jesus Christ,

Pastor Danny

In Loving Memory of Chief Daddy Boc

Chief Daddy Boc

with neighborhood children

Chief Daddy Boc, Cindy & Pastor Alex

Bokarie & Sela Bokarie & Santos

Remembering a great Man, Chief Daddy Boc

In Loving Memory of Chief Daddy Boc

True friends are rare and hard to find, I think sometimes they find you, and sometimes in the strangest situations and places; this was the case with my friend Chief Daddy Boc (Bokarie Momoh). I had certainly bit off more than I could chew with my decision to move for a year to Sierra Leone, West Africa but God is faithful in providing just what we need just when we need it. What I needed was a friend like Chief Daddy Boc, he wasn’t a chief when I met him but from the first It was apparent that he was destined for greatness and he was a man of understanding beyond his peers.

If you’ve been a follower of this blog especially during the time Cindy & I were living in Africa you have heard of how God blessed us and worked in us and through us in Africa. I made a point to try and report the events in our lives as they happened and not exaggerate what was happening or how we felt in our time there. There is one thing that was unintentionally understated in every report we made to the blog and in our email to friends back home and that was how important to our work, sanity and safety was Chief Daddy Boc. Every film showing, Bokarie arranged for the equipment to be loaded and guarded when necessary. Every time we traveled he was our security, he found the people to keep our vehicle working, our electric working, water supplied, and every need met.

Bokarie was a follower of Jesus Christ who served God with a servant’s heart and with all his strength. Sometimes after Cindy & I returned to the USA I would talk to Boc on the phone and he would tell me about our neighbors and friends in Sierra Leone, I always wanted to return if only for a few weeks to relive the adventures with Chief Daddy Boc and our brothers & sisters there, but this week I learned Chief Daddy Boc has gone on to be with Jesus. He had a tooth removed and his mouth was infected, after suffering for a while in Bo and the pain and swelling getting worse, he was taken to the hospital in Freetown where he died. What a tragedy, over and over in Sierra Leone I’ve heard similar stories where someone dies from something that people just don’t die from any more in my world (USA) where medical treatment is readily available.

I will miss you Chief Daddy Boc, thank you for being the best friend a man could ask for.

Rev. D

Danny & Cindy (old pic from Bo, Sierra Leone)

Take the High Road

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it”. Words of Jesus, Matthew 7:13-14 NIV

I have been thinking lately about revival, and about what it really means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Although the bible is filled with examples of a life of devotion led by the Holy Spirit I can’t get away from these 2 simple verses in Matthew, enter in through the narrow gate. In life we have many choices some are of the utmost importance and life changing, while others are of little consequence. Some of the more important choices might be who to marry, what will be my personal value system, moral code or world view. The first and foremost decision in anyone’s life becomes obvious in the bible, do you believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God and Savior of the world? And will you obey him? If you can honestly answer yes to these 2 questions you have made the initial step through the narrow gate, but the journey doesn’t end there.

Many times throughout our lives we are faced with moral and ethical choices that bring us back to the narrow & wide gates and we again must choose the high road, the narrow gate that leads to life. We will not be moving the way of the crowd, and many times it will not be an easy choice. When we choose to follow Jesus it may be that our friends & family will not understand. Some have been ridiculed, cast out, and suffered dearly for their choice to be a true follower of Jesus Christ, or choose the high road.

So what’s the benefit so many see in this chosen life style that is so contrary to the ways of the world we live in? The answer is simple to the one who has heard the whisper of God in the depths of their heart. The narrow road, the high road, the right choice, leads to life, to forgiveness, it leads to the one who calls to us from heaven, “come home, child of my love, I except you, I forgive you, I will never leave or forsake you”. We stand with the great Apostle Peter and say, “Lord where else would we go? What other choice would we make? You have the words of eternal life, and we know that you are the Holy One of God. John 6:69 paraphrased. “Take the high road” is a phrase taken from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association film, The Climb.

Pastor Danny

* FOOD * FUN * FRIENDS

MILLE LACS MOTORCYCLE RUN

Mille Lacs Living Water Assembly of God

Directions at http://millelacschurch.org

Carry That Load Sister

Good news from Sierra Leone!

Chief Bk & his wife Moyotu pictured, Moyotu one of the first to put her trust in Jesus at 1 of our Jesus Film Festivals is still regularly attending Trinity Assembly of God and hosting the local children's church.

I’m not a Muslim, Hindu, Humanist, or a Buddhist; and I’m certainly not a Universalist, I am a Christian. Though I have some understanding of the religions mentioned and a few others I’m surprised at how few understand my beliefs. One of the things I’ve been hearing a lot recently is the idea that we all have the same God and it doesn’t matter how we get to God there are many paths, frankly I couldn’t disagree more.

My faith in Christ has led me to sort out some core beliefs that are essential to the Christian faith, that answer questions like the true identity and purpose of Jesus Christ, what does he expect from his followers,

The simplest definition of Christianity is a follower of Jesus Christ, the Jesus I am following is the Jesus of the bible. I have decided to take the bible at face value and to believe it is God’s word, historically accurate and entirely morally relevant today just as it was at the time it was written. In the bible we read 4 accounts of Jesus Life and teaching and it is perfectly clear that Jesus was not vague about his origin, his position, or his purpose. Jesus stated clearly that he came from God, he is God’s Only Son equal to God the Father in position, power, and authority; and that he came to save all those who put their faith in him from sin. Jesus was also clear on the point that the only way to God was through faith in him, no other person, idea or religion.

So when someone says, “well you know many paths lead to God,” know this, that idea is not found in the bible, it’s not a Christian viewpoint, and not God’s viewpoint. I urge you to put your faith wholly in Jesus Christ who said “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

God's Promise for Uncertain Times

In the bible we read in Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus talks about the cure for anxiety, and that cure is our faith that our Heavenly Father will meet our needs as we seek first his kingdom, and seek his righteousness.

God is not giving us a formula to remove human suffering but rather the ability to cope with each day 1 day at a time. Jesus says just as God cares about the flowers & the birds and feeds and clothes them, he also cares for those who will seek him first. Christians are not promised a life free of trouble but are wisely instructed to not let tomorrows worries invade today's thoughts, after all each day has enough trouble of it's own. And surely with the problems of today it's comforting to know we have a loving Heavenly Father who cares for and provides for his people.

New Church Ad

MOVIES WITH A MESSAGE

No it doesn't look like your typical Movie Theater but on Saturday nights March 12 - April 16, 2011 our church is being transformed into the best deal in movies in the county. FREE SHOW every Saturday night, plus concessions priced for folks on a budget, popcorn, soda pop, and candy just $1 each. Come see films that will encourage and promote good news, and don't we all need a little good news today. Join us SATURDAYS @ 7 pm.

NEW DIRECTION

We have recieved a new assignment from our Lord Jesus and have excepted the call to pastor a church just out side of Wahkon, Minnesota. In this photo we are recieving bibles at the International Bible Givers meeting in Anoka, Minnesota for the new ministry near Mille Lacs Lake, the name of the church is Mille Lacs Living Water Assembly of God. You can find us on the web at millelacschurch.org