Rory has been a constant help with providing ministry for our teams that come through because of all the ideas he has come up with to meet the needs of people around him. Just outside of our city is the provincial hospital that treats hundreds of patients. Their families will actually travel with them from all over because most of the people that go there are in that hospital for pretty serious needs. During this time, only one family member can join them inside, so everyone else camps out across the streets. Since there’s no telling how long they’ll be in the hospital, families will camp out for weeks across the street. I first heard about Rory when he started taking meals to these families twice a week.
I was finally about to meet Rory a few weeks ago when we did our first outreach event with the high school. Today, I was finally able to spend some quality time with him and hear his other ideas and dreams for the future. On our break from the outreach to the high school, he took me to one of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever seen. As I looked out, it reminded me of a green Grand Canyon. He told me about some of his ideas to combine adventure and tourism to help provide some of the locals with jobs. Many of the locals hike down to the river to fish and work, so they know the terrain. We also talked about zip lines and paragliding and other adventures that could open up long term.
As I talked with Rory, I could hear and see his passion to help people. However, with his projects, they’re not just quick fixes, but potentially providing long term solutions. One of the biggest root problems here is unemployment. Sure drugs, gangs, and alcohol play a role, but they all play a role because there are so few jobs. So the big question comes, how do we create jobs? This past year, Rory ran for public office for his town and was voted in. Because of his position, he has freedom and access to help the people of his town and create the jobs that are much needed for this area.
It was very refreshing to work alongside Rory, his wife, and the rest of his team because they are meeting the spiritual AND physical needs of the people they are ministering to. I know that the Gospel is enough and God is a much better provider than I am, but he also told us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and give shelter to the homeless in addition to preaching the Gospel. I don’t believe we need to add anything to the Gospel, but God does provide for people and does that a lot through us. I’m energized working with Rory and his team and plan on doing a lot more of it in the time ahead.
