This man I will write about today is a man I am very blessed to know. He has a heart and a burden for the youth of this country and will do anything to serve them. Rodney is a pastor and is actually the leader of all the pastors in this province. On top of that position, Rodney is also the spiritual advisor to the governor and helps make a lot of decisions for how the Christian church looks in this area. I was excited to get to know this man because of his position, but developed a true relationship with him because of his calling.
The first ministry I was invited to with Pastor Rodney was a college scholars organization that is for the future leaders coming from the local colleges. Most of these students will be in politics and holding higher up positions in the upcoming years. So many of these students are extremely driven and will achieve their goals in the near future. Unlike a typical gathering of future leaders, Rodney pushes these students in ways to serve and be transformed by the Gospel instead of the world. Most of these students would do anything to get ahead and they see Rodney’s positions and see him as a man to follow. Unfortunately for them, Rodney teaches more on servanthood than leadership.
This was the only ministry that I knew Rodney had a hand in until the last week or so. I found out that he also is the main supporter to Pastor Richard and the gang ministry. Also, each Saturday, he and his wife invite some of the poorest kids in this area to their home for a full day of reading, writing, and eating. The kids are making great progress because these two gives up their Saturdays for them. Another ministry is one that I always thought was needed, and he does a weekly Bible study with the guards and warden at the city jail. Also, Rodney took me up in the mountains the last few days to show me the literacy centers he is running and hikes to at least monthly. In the middle of the grueling hike, Rodney just looked at me and said, “You know, if it weren’t for God, there’s no reason I would be here.”
I don’t say all this to put Rodney on some pedestal, but I say it because he’s not abusing these positions he has. God is putting a calling on his heart to take care of and raise up a future generation that knows Jesus and that includes the affluent, poor, rich, needy, schooled, and unschooled. Rodney has been a great friend to make while being out here and I’m looking forward to future ministry alongside this man as he helps me learn more about this culture.
