I just recently got back from two months in Cuba. I was blessed with an opportunity to serve the Lord in Patria on the Isle of Youth working with the United Methodist Church of Patria and its ministries. I experienced the Holy Spirit movein ways that I never had before. I learned more about what the love of God looks like within his family of believers. I received more blessings than I can count. My Spanish improved a lot. I learned more about their culture and way of life. God showed me ways that I am weak and just how much I need him as well as ways in which he has given me strengths to bring glory to his name. God showed me his goodness and faithfulness in many different ways. I learned how to farm tomatoes and how to navigate the guagua (public bus). I ate more sweet potatoes, cucumbers, and ice cream than I ever had before in a span of two months. And I became part of a family that will forever be on my heart because when people seek after the Lord with all they have, the Holy Spirit connects them in special ways.
It wasn’t easy to leave, but the story is not over.
Now that I am back in Auburn though, I have the awesome opportunity to start working with Third Lens Ministries as a project manager. Third Lens provides design and construction management services to other ministries across the world. I will be overseeing the construction and design of medical clinics, orphanages, schools, and churches, including the one I was working with in Cuba. God so sovereignly intertwined my time serving in Cuba with this new opportunity in ministry with Third Lens. I am thankful that my time serving in Cuba is not over.
While I was there I got to know their stories and what their hearts long to see God do. God has put big dreams and visions in their hearts, one of those being that new church building. They are invested. They are excited. They are trusting in God every step of the way and are ready to see him move in big ways through the new construction. Getting to spend so much time with them and see how passionate they are and to see how Third Lens can be a part of God’s plan unfolding in Patria was a special blessing. It gave a deeper meaning to the cement and rebar waiting to be used. I got to know the faces and names and hearts that will fill the building and shine out of the building when it is complete. It is a blessing to have the opportunity to work for a ministry that is following the Lord, partnering with his Church throughout the world, and seeking to further his kingdom. It is about far more than just the cement and block. It is about empowering God’s Church.
My heart is in God’s mission. God has given me a heart for serving his people around the world. He has also given me a passion for construction, design, and development. God led me into this ministry with Third Lens and, in his infinite goodness, combined many of the things I love to provide a position that allows me to use my degree and my passions to glorify his name.
I would love for you all to be a part of this next chapter for me. I want you to be a part of making the dreams and goals of ministries around the world reality. Most importantly, I want you to be praying. God has called me to this much like he called me to spend the last two months in Cuba. I want all I do to point to him. And I know that the best way to approach anything is by first going to God and giving it all to him. My prayer every day is for my life to reflect him and to bring him all of the glory. I don’t want to start any day of ministry without him being the center, the guide, and the power.
Another way you can be involved is by sharing about what God is doing in and through the ministry. Follow us on social media. Check out our projects, keep up with God’s work, and share it with your friends and followers. Connect with us at https://third-lens.org.
I am excited to see what God has ahead. He never fails to blow my expectations out of the water. He never disappoints. He has big plans for his Kingdom’s work all over the world. If you would like to help support me further in this opportunity, please prayerfully consider a monthly or one-time donation at https://coinapp.org/Third-Lens-Ministries/Campaigns/View/caroline-garner-support. Your support will go towards impacting the lives of so many in need of God’s love.
Many blessings,
Caroline
