I arrived in Rwanda and met the most amazing American couple, Amanda and Bill Bennett. Amanda has selflessly poured her heart out for young girls–as young as eight years of age!–who have been brutally raped and often beaten or worse. Sometimes even girls who have mental and physical disabilities.
We are proud to call Amanda one of us, one who shares the Pure & Faultless vision of being the hands and feet of Jesus to a broken world. And she has seen a lot of brokenness in Rwanda.
That’s why, I now know, she wantedRead more

Dust and banana trees.
That’s all that was on the plot of land high on a hill on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda.  Then God spoke something into existence: Rahab’s Corner.  Place of safety.  Place of salvation.  Place of a second chance at a new life.
A beautiful roof caps off living quarters.  Just a few more buildings to go, and by this fall, beauty for ashes.  In more ways than one!

It will be a far cry from the slums from where many of the girls have come.  Modest by American standards, yet luxury to aRead more

Feet.
The funniest looking part of the human body.
A foot shoots out from the ankle at an angle. A stubby, bulbous part called the heel is just kinda there. On the other end are five scrawny, boney looking things, all of which hardly line up and sometimes even do twists and turns. On top of all of that, they sometimes smell. Did God make a mistake?
Hardly. He calls these things beautiful. BEAUTIFUL!
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, whoRead more

We are both so honored to begin our season of leading Pure & Faultless as its new executive directors!
Who isn’t in awe of what the Lord has done already in this short amount of time? So far, we have mobilized people and finances to be the hands and feet of Jesus to their broken world, however that looks.
As a couple that has lived on the mission field in two other continents and has adopted from three foreign countries, we have seen a facet of humanity that many Americans haven’t seen and perhaps never will.
Imagine a world whereRead more

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
Serving vulnerable people around the world may result in us Americans being placed in a position of power, righteousness, and superiority.  None of those adjectives are consistent with serving like Jesus did.  Jesus, who was sinless and yet became fully human to experience all of the sin, loss and pain of his people.  Jesus, who sat with the tax collectors and prostitutes and Samaritans and thieves and the so-called woman at the well.  Jesus, who died for me while yetRead more

Nine months ago, in March, Lynsay and I had just left Uganda when I learned about Mabel.  Dr. Craig Sable, who loved her and had cared for her for many years, called Lynsay and asked her to work a miracle:  find a U.S. family willing to adopt Mabel, who had lost both of her parents.  Without becoming a US Citizen, Mabel would die of a broken heart.  In the US, she stood a chance of receiving a hero heart and living, free from heart disease.  How could we not rise to that challenge?
Throughout the spring and into the summerRead more

The Bible is replete with commands about caring for the poor, concern for the least of these, and love for vulnerable people.  Our ministry, Pure & Faultless, is based on James 1:27 which specifically speaks to caring for two of the most overlooked groups of that time – widows and orphans.  As I have journeyed in faith, I have come to understand what caring for people in Jesus’ name might look like in my life.
When I first heard about Mabel in March, my heart leapt for her.  I was broken over her situation and drawn toRead more

We’ve lived in Austin a bit over a year. For a bit over a year we’ve talked about the homeless in Austin. We drive by them almost daily. My son has said repeatedly, “We should give them/him/her…” I nod my head and do nothing.
“What do you mean by crushing My people and grinding the face of the poor?” declares the Lord God of hosts. (Isaiah 3:13)
Once we volunteered with our small group at a ministry that serves the homeless. I loved doing the work, but I felt uncomfortable interacting with the people there. Honestly, my humanRead more

In February, Pure & Faultless posted the following photo on Facebook:

Shortly after we posted it, a friend raised her objection to the photo:  it depicts the somewhat sad looking, scarred face of a child who may, in fact, not feel all that loved by Jesus or anyone else, based on his life circumstances.  How could a God who claims to love him leave him in the situation he faces?
I read her text as I raced off to the train, and I had to agree.  As I run from my posh office to the cozy train onRead more

Little in life can prepare you for the stories of the women and girls of Rahab’s Corner.  While we sit in our safe homes, thousands of miles away, or perhaps just a few miles away , girls are being hurt.  Girls who do not know they have value; girls who have never known the meaning of true love. The Rahab’s Corner staff has spent significant time in the slums of Kampala, hearing life stories and getting to know the women and girls who are being prostituted.  Their hearts are broken. …