Friends and Family,

For the past fifteen months I have had the privilege and honor of traveling this country with my father. I have been given a greater appreciation for my Dad’s ministry and how the Lord has used him for 38 years to tell his story all across this nation. I am blessed to be apart of a ministry that God is using daily!

In the fall of 2007, I was a sophomore at Auburn University attending a Thursday night service, held by Grace Campus Ministries, called Encounter. I will never forget the feeling I had leaving a service on one cold December night. I called my father and told him that I felt called to serve in the ministry in some way. I was certain the Lord had begun a new work in my life, but I was not certain where He was going to lead me.

Fast forward to the summer of 2008, when I departed the United States for the east-African country of Uganda with a team of 35 college students. I quickly realized that the country of Uganda, known as the Pearl of Africa, would be a part of my life forever. As we returned home, I was confident that I was not saying goodbye to Uganda forever.  Instead, I felt I was saying hello to the people that the Lord has called me to serve in different ways for the rest of my life.

On May 18, 2011, I will return to Uganda leading a group of six young adults to serve this community once again. Reach Out and Touch Ministries has partnered with Africa Renewal Ministries (ARM) for this short-term mission trip. We will be staying at an ARM orphanage named Bethany Village. Our team will have a special opportunity to build a kitchen for the school at Bethany that will serve around 200 kids daily. During our stay, we will have the opportunity to invest in the lives of orphaned children that have come to mean so much to me. Other highlights of our trip will include serving at one of ARM’s newest projects, Loving Hearts baby home, a home that provides care for abandoned and orphaned babies, and volunteering at a local hospital. 

First, I would like to ask for your prayers for our trip! Pray that God prepares our hearts for what we will encounter. Pray that the Lord will use our team to see people get saved! Pray for protection from sickness. Pray that we will be a blessing to my dear friends there. Pray that God would radically stir our hearts to reach out and touch the Ugandan people with the love of Christ!

Secondly, I would like to ask for your financial support! Reach Out and Touch Ministries has committed to the building of the kitchen I mentioned above. The total cost of this project is $5,000. If you would like to write a check please make it payable to Reach Out and Touch Ministries! Please send checks to P.O. Box 3268 Brentwood, TN 37024. If you would prefer to donate online please do so at www.davidring.org! May the Lord Bless You!

In Him,

Nathan Ring 

End of Day 3 in Haiti

Middle of Day 3 in Haiti

Morning of Day 3 in Haiti

Night of Day 2 in Haiti

Day 1 in Haiti

Day 3 in Haiti

Today was incredible. Well after I was woke up on the roof to rain and carrying my mattress downstairs at like 2 AM and then sweating in the hot room until 6 AM. That was not so fun at all. Anyway, today we first started off by painting downstairs in the school where we painted 3 class rooms. That lasted for a few hours, then we ate lunch. 

After lunch, we headed to repraties which is another Haiti Outreach Ministries church and compound about 15 minutes away. They had a church here but it was completely leveled by the earthquake. The only thing left standing was the entrance. The about 10 foot wall to the compound was completely in rubble. It was an eery feeling to see God's house in rubble but somehow knowing in that rubble there was hope. There is a big tent city at this place so we filled 50 1 gallon jugs to pass out. They went really quick but it was so cool to see people sprinting to get this water. As they were running I had a vision come to me of people running to the father to receive living water and salvation. The kids smiles as they laughed at how big my feet looked with my boots on made me smile. So much good video footage from this. 

After passing out the water we had to go to the market but it was pretty much all the way through port au prince so today was the first day we saw a lot of earthquake damage. Just wow. The best way to describe it is imagine a stack of pancakes. I saw a 7 story building just stacked like pancakes. So many houses, school, churches, businesses etc. are just piles of rubble now. News cameras and pictures do not do it justice. It was a weird experience, but the thing is people are so hopeful for the future of Haiti. We went home after the market driving through a place we will be tomorrow where 300,000 people live in 2 square miles. It used to be a land fill but now it is one of the largest slums in the western hemisphere. In the midst of chaos there is peace. 

The Lord is doing a lot of work here. There is a team of doctors with us also as well as a couple construction guys. Continue to pray for us. 

So, everyday I am doing a video blog here in Haiti about three times a day. The internet is to slow to upload them. When I get back into the states I am going to give you all the blog updates. Its going to be crazy cool footage for everyone to see. Nathan (team lead from Macon, GA) has a tripod for a flip cam so using that some also. Its been cool. 

Sorry for the length of this one. Hope you enjoyed. God Bless. 

In Him, 

Nathan Ring