Artist Spotlight: Katie

When Katie first arrived in Bobbio Pellice, Italy for OM's 2014 Incarnate event, she was exhausted - physically, mentally, and perhaps most of all, emotionally.

For the past four years, she had been serving with the OM ships ministry and the intense community and lifestyle had left her needing time to rest and recharge.

As the first few days passed, workers began to notice that Katie often pulled away from group activities to be alone. However, despite her hesitancy to interact, the Incarnate staff still saw an artist with incredible potential. 

It became increasingly obvious that something was troubling Katie, causing her to hold back from fully engaging. It wasn't until several weeks later that she finally approached one of the staff members with a concerned look on her face.

"I think I'm in trouble," she began, "I'm starting to fall in love with the people here and that scares me. I've done that so much during these past few years [on the ships], and then people leave."

Listening to Katie's fears, the team member was able to share the long-term vision of the Incarnate ministry. "We're not just people who come for 90 days and invade your life. We want to walk this journey with you, and continue serving and praying for you."

Finally something "clicked" for Katie, and she truly began to understand and feel a safety that she had never experienced before. As the staff continued to love and invest in her, they watched her open up in new and exciting ways.

Now, utilizing her musical gifts and talents, she hopes to join OM Costa Rica or OM Arts International as a resident artist. After many years of exposure to various cultures during her time on the ships, she truly possesses a heart for the people of the world. One of her strongest passions is to bring hope to the homeless children on the streets and restoration to those who have never heard the gospel.

Taking everything that she learned at Incarnate, Katie's deepest desire is to pour into others, refreshing them, just as she herself has been refreshed.

Artist Spotlight: Sophia

Bell in a Tower - acrylic on canvas

After serving in Morocco with her family for four years, Sophia finally had the opportunity to experience the impact of OM Arts through the Incarnate 2014 program. However, despite her initial excitement to attend, staff and other students began to notice that she was quiet and often kept to herself.

Wanting to ensure that she felt included, one of the workers approached Sophia voicing their complete support for her.

"I told her that if she needed time alone, or time to pull herself away that it was totally okay," the staff member shared.

However, as Sophia later explained, the experience was much more than she had ever anticipated. In fact, after having a lack of community for so many years, she found the entire program completely overwhelming.

This didn't stop the entire team from pouring into Sophia's life and watching her grow and flourish over the next three months.

"There's something about community, that when you really experience it you want to stay there. It was so amazing to see someone who is so young to be transformed so quickly," the worker said.

Beneath the Fig Tree - acrylic on canvas

Now, as Sophia returns home to Morocco, she has wrestled with the question of how to bring that sense of community back with her. Although this process may take time, she possesses a true heart to use her gifts for the Lord and to serve the Muslims and refugees.

Sophia was described as being a phenomenal visual artist with a deep desire to be responsive to God's calling in her life.

"She doesn't care what it looks like, where it is, or the timing...she just wants to be obedient," the staff member explained.

Bird on a Wire - acrylic on canvas

Despite the intense culture of Morocco, Sophia is truly excited about serving the Lord right where He has placed her. Although it will certainly not be easy, she is stepping out in faith and blooming where she has been planted.

Changing the World, One Artist at a Time

Art is a universal language. It transcends dialects, cultures, and lifestyles. It engages the imagination and speaks to each individual in a unique and personal way. It has the power to touch lives, to excite, and to impassion.

And, as Operation Mobilization has discovered, art has the potential to impact entire communities and reach people for Christ.

OM Arts, a branch of OM International, has sought to provide Christian artists with a channel to utilize their unique talents and gifts to communicate the gospel.

Their flagship program known as Incarnate, invites artists to spent three months in the Italian Alps, tucked away in the rural village of Bobbio Pellice. During this time, they are helped to develop their craft through training, art projects, and community engagement. They are also discipled and mentored on how to best utilize these talents for a future career serving through art ministry.

Bobbio Pellice, Italy

The vision of Incarnate is to prepare artists to use their skills as a tool for sharing the gospel globally. Touching lives all over the world, OM Arts has proved that God can use any medium to spread the message of salvation among the nations.

A Transformed Life: John's Story

It was a day just like any other.

Confined to his wheelchair, John sat at the edge of the crowded street, begging in order to survive. Some took pity, and others walked by in disgust, not even daring to lay a finger on his wheelchair. As a disabled person, John had been an outcast for years, rejected by both his family and society.

As the people continued to rush by, many refusing to glance in his direction, one woman slowly approached the place where he was sitting. As he did every day, John called out to her, pleading for food or money. Little did he know that his life was about to change forever.

This woman, as it turned out, had previously worked with OM Zambia and Bethesda Ministries, an organization dedicated to reaching out to the disabled of Africa. After a long conversation, she was able to connect John with Peter Chila, the current leader of Bethesda.

John shares his story

Through the work of OM Zambia that John has now experienced true love and acceptance. As he shared his story, he glowed with a renewed hope and purpose, one that can only come from the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

John now leads a support group in his community, meeting each Friday and sharing encouragement and scripture to people like himself. The work of those at Bethesda has truly transformed his life, providing him with opportunities that are beyond even his wildest imaginations.

"One day during our meeting, Peter came to me and told me that I was included in the team to travel to America," John explained. "I never thought or dreamed that one day I would come to America...I am from a poor family and I am also disabled. I know now that my God is so great and so powerful."

Along with the OM Zambia leadership team, John will be traveling to Minnesota to attend a national wheelchair camp. Throughout his time, he will participate in activities, listen to speakers, and meet others who struggle with similar disabilities.

"I cannot wait to go back home and share with my fellow disabled, making them understand that it is only God who is capable of bringing change into our lives. I want to help others experience exactly what has happened to me."

John truly believes that God has used Bethesda to give him a second chance at life. His deepest desire is to spread the message of healing and compassion to everyone around him, impacting those who are despised and forgotten.

Spotlight: OM Zambia & Bethesda Ministries

Some limp, while others are pushed in wheelchairs, but there is no doubt that each person has a special connection to Bethesda Ministries. It has become a center of opportunity for the destitute and a place of joy for people who once had no hope.

Since it opened in 2009, Bethesda has provided a place of safety and opportunity for the disabled, sharing genuine love and acceptance that many have never experienced. The ministry has grown significantly in just a few years and now offers physical therapy, support groups, and even operations to those with treatable ailments.

OM Zambia started their first school for disabled children
in Kabwe in January 2013.

Their latest achievement has been the addition of a school for disabled children, the first of its kind in Central Zambia. Under the leadership of Peter and Brenda Chila, the ministry has flourished, bringing laughter, love, and freedom to so many.

They currently work daily with fifteen students who suffer from cerebral palsy, epilepsy, Down syndrome, or other unknown diseases. Peter described the desperate needs of the disabled in a culture that casts them aside.

"Bit by bit we are penetrating the community, persevering in prayer. Grace is coming from those people as they see the transformation and healing that is happening," he shared.

Each year, Bethesda holds a Community Disabled Day, inviting those from the area to join together to see and hear what is taking place. The goal of the event is to bring public awareness and a sense of acceptance among the people of Zambia.

Peter, of OM Zambia, helps a young
disabled boy draw

"For years, many parents would hide their disabled children in their homes," Brenda explained, "so for many of these people, it was their first time to fellowship with others."

In just a few years, Bethesda has brought unbelievable change into the community, and the vision continues with their current plans for expansion. Starting a computer-training program, building a physical therapy room, and updating facilities for the mothers are just several projects they anticipate in the future. Additionally, Peter and Brenda hope to build an integrated school where both disabled and able-bodied children can learn together in a encouraging environment.

However, even amidst their numerous responsibilities and daily demands, the Chilas have not lost sight of their true motivation for what they do

"The uniqueness of our ministry is not just about education or buildings, it is about the heart and the calling. You really have to know that you have been called by God," Brenda smiled.

Although every day is a sacrifice, Peter and Brenda have a true heart for those who cannot help themselves. Dismissing cultural expectations and barriers, they are reaching out to the lost and forgotten of Zambia and changing lives for eternity.

Pray for Zambia:

*People with disabilities to be accepted in their communities

*Funds to build the new integrated school

*Empowerment for the affected families

*Funds to pay the teachers' salaries

*Transport money to take the children to surgery

The OM Zambia team shares about what God
is doing at Bethesda.

For more information about OM's work in Zambia and how you can get involved, please click here.