Encouraging News from the Dordt Campus: Dea Lieu
October 7, 2008
The following is an article I wrote for the Dordt Diamond. I felt that it was worth posting to a wider audience as well, because I am really encouraged by the things it says about at least some of the Dordt student community.
Equipping the saints takes on a new meaning in former Dordt-student Dea Lieu’s ministry. Dea works on the Ivory Coast of West Africa to teach people both the gospel and also the skills they need to thrive in a world where they struggle to survive.
“Dea’s ministry model is better than anything I have ever heard of,” said Dordt student Justin Carruthers. He and two other students, Daniel Davis and Jay Holmes, are leading the Dordt community in a fundraiser to support Dea’s ministry.
Dea teaches poor farmers how to get better yields and improve their animal breeding. Once he has trained them, he provides them with livestock and a loan to begin their own farming operations.
Daniel said, “He sacrificed four years with his wife and children in order to obey the voice of God and come to the other side of the world so that he could become better trained to serve his people. If Dea’s willing to serve Christ with his life through sacrifice, the least I can do is support him by sacrificing.”
To that end, Daniel, Justin and Jay will run a 26.2 mile marathon on Oct. 18.
“One of the reasons we decided to do a marathon is because we thought it was important for other students to see that we were sacrificing for our cause and not just blowing out a lot of hot air,” said Jay Holmes.
Dea’s sacrificial ministry has equipped some to farm and some to serve. Several area churches and many Dordt students have contributed through donations and a Pizza Ranch tip night.
Justin said, “Please prayerfully consider sponsoring Dea or challenge yourself to spend 10 minutes every day for the next week to pray for Dea’s ministry.”
Jay explained the significance of this support: “Ultimately we are doing this for the people that Dea helps.”
To find out more about Dea’s ministry, you can visit his blog at http://dealieu.blogspot.com.
Justin said, “Dea is giving people the tools they need for a stable and sustainable future. Not only that, Dea has the opportunity to minister to these people and share the gospel message of Christ to everyone he encounters. The Lord has called Dea to this ministry, and we can support him!”
Posted in Dordt College, Missions, Worship
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October 8th, 2008 at 4:02 am
[...] Encouraging News from the Dordt Campus: Dea Lieu The following is an article I wrote for the Dordt Diamond. I felt that it was worth posting to a wider audience as well, because I am really encouraged by the things it says about at least some of the Dordt student community. Equipping the saints takes on a new meaning in former Dordt-student Dea Lieu’s ministry. Dea works on the Ivory Coast of West Africa to teach people both the gospel and also the skills they need to thrive in a world where they struggle to survive. “Dea’s ministry model [...]