The Heart of the Father

There are times in our walk when we feel the Lord is taking us on a new path, but in a loving way, He is revealing new aspects of Himself by moving us in a different direction or even making us stay put. That is exactly what happened in the lives of the students in the Riverside Tree ministry through circumstances and their walk with the Lord. It was clear that He wanted to give them a clearer picture of who He was as a Father and to clear up any confusion they had about who God was.

In January, three members of the Riverside Tree staff team gathered with four students in Lima for a long waited reunion, filled with delicious meal, fun games, and a time of fellowship with God and each other. During the time of sharing our own testimonies, we realized the heart of our Father. For some of us, God was the beacon of light in our times of lostness. For others, He was the doctor, the healer of our souls and bodies. For some, we were overwhelmed with God’s love and joyfully shed our tears. The common theme through each shared testimony was that God had reminded us of His love by changing life plans we set ourselves.

You may remember that the theme verse for Riverside Tree is from Ezekiel 17:8. This theme is still the focus of this ministry, but through this gathering, God made it even more personal and clear to us. God had guided us individually to where we are now and through Him, had blessed us to bless many others. This great revelation is to be shared with others and to show others that they too can be joined together with God. As each student is about to start their new classes in March, God reminded us that their respective fields of study are not for a good job or paycheck and a comfortable life, but to be used to bear fruits for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Please join us to pray for these young people that one day they will become ambassadors for Christ in each of their future careers, their families, friends, and communities. That is the heart of our awesome Father!