Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. Officer Bradley Gallup
Member Board of Directors, MWCC World Missions
Medal of Honor Recipient 2012
(see story below)
" Pastor, I have something I need to tell you!"
I knew by the tone in her voice that the "need to tell me" was not going to be a pleasurable confessional. This was one of the matriarchs of our young church; what possibly could she have done wrong?
A year earlier, in the spring of 1992; Marti Ward had asked me what I thought about her going to East Africa as a missionary. She shared with me how the Holy Spirit was calling her to go. I then recalled my hesitation in broaching the subject of her age. I timidly asked, "Marti, do you mind if I ask how old you are?" A smile lit her face and with a twinkle in her eye she said,, "I am 65 ."
I could not help but think that at an age when our culture is preoccupied with retirement, Marti was making the most important career move of her life. She was launching out into full-time ministry.
Her initial journey went well. She spent over 9 months in Kenya and Uganda, many times taking the gospel to people groups that had never heard the good news of Jesus Christ before. She possessed a pioneering spirit that pushed her ministry team members, who were half her age, beyond their own physical limitations.
It was not uncommon for her to walk over four hours to reach her destination in the remote arid bush country. She endured searing temperatures, malaria-laden mosquitoes, and many tribal, cultural, and language barriers. She overcame those obstacles by possessing an undaunted spirit and an undying love for the indigenous tribes. Literally hundreds of Kenyans made first time decisions for Christ during that inaugural year.
But here she was, back in my office, having trouble telling me what was bothering her.
"Pastor, I need to confess something to you." Tears welled up in her eyes. "I lied to you. Last year when you asked me how old I was, I wasn't honest with you. I was really 75! I had a birthday last month, I am now 76. I was afraid to tell you my real age in fear that you would worry too much about my safety and not allow me to go!"
The Lord used Marti extraordinarily during the next 6 years. --by Pastor Greg Massanari
Marti spent 6 months each year ( from 1992 to 1999) in Africa and averaged 15 crusades a year. During her time of rest back in the states she worked at Women's Resource Center counseling young girls. She died of malaria in December of 1999. Her daughter, Michelle and husband Jim Thompson have carried on her vision by working diligently to bring the gospel to those in rural areas in East Africa.
Marti Ward Communities for Christ (MWCC) currently has churches in Uganda, Kenya, and the Congo (DRC). There is a Bible College that trains up young pastors in the Holy Scriptures to eliminate traditional tribal beliefs from being interwoven into the teaching of God's Word within their churches. There are four Christian schools and plans to build an orphanage in the immediate future. ALL donations (100%) go directly to the work of the ministry there. Each summer new missionaries travel for a six week mission to our main base in Kenya before going out to the other areas. Each missionary pays 100% of their travel and incidental expenses.
Who was Marti Ward??
Pictured here in Kenya, East Africa
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. Officer Bradley Gallup
Member Board of Directors, MWCC World Missions
Medal of Honor Recipient 2012
The Medal of Honor is awarded to a Department member for a distinctive act which extends above and beyond the normal call of duty or service performed at a risk to personal safety or life in an effort to protect property or save human life.
You and officers Bobby Hoffman and Michelle Tavarez are being recognized for your swift action the night of July 22, 2011. While responding to a Domestic Violence call, you arrived to hear screams by the victim. Your team formed a plan to get the victim to safety. During Officer Hoffman's confrontation with the male suspect who was stabbing the victim you and Officer Tavarez quickly came into assist taking the suspect into custody. By placing all of your lives at risk and working as a team to quickly neutralize the suspect, you saved the life of the victim who survived the violent encounter of being stabbed 20 times.
