Team Member - Joe Bartucca

For this blog, we will go back in time, and be brought back to the present, all within the 10 minutes it takes you to read this.

In March of 2008, I was playing bass on worship team for Water of life. We were practicing for service and the worship leader, Chantel, had chosen the song “He Reigns” by The Newsboys. The very first line in the song reads: “It’s the sound of the redeemed, Rising from the African plains.” I had heard the song a thousand times, but actually playing it, and hearing the words sung in front of me, God started to work in my heart a love for Africa. Over the next year and a half I have been praying feverishly for an opportunity to go to Africa. A team would come up, and I would pray for God to open up doors, to no avail. I kept praying and hoping for a chance to go play with some African kids. I know its probably wrong of me to say this, but i have always had a heart for foreign kids. I just seem to like Chinese, African, & Indian kids more than white kids. I know, it sounds bad, but I think God has put a love for other nations kids in me for a reason.

Fast forward to September 22nd, 2009, My cell phone rings and its Santosh (another one of the worship leaders from Water of Life) on the other line. He asks if I am available to play on the following Sunday. It just so happens I have that morning off and would be absolutely delighted to. We start our set on Sunday morning, and Chantel was able to join us again, ironic as it turns out. Right before we are about to start our third service, the venue pastor walks up to us and says, “We are sending a team to Kenya, but are in desperate need of guys. They are leaving on October 16th through the 29th.” My heart started to race, and I pointed to myself. “Um, MEEEEE!!!!!!! I want to go! What do I have to do?” He advised me to hook up with Katie Mueller (Water of Life Outreach Assistant) to find out what needed to be done. I was excited, needless to say, but the possibility that I might be going to Africa still hadn't set in.

I found Katie in the hallway later that morning. She said I needed to have $500 in by 11:00 am Monday morning because she was going to buy the plane tickets that day. I didn’t have money for lunch, let alone $500 in 20 hours. I was disheartened but Katie reassured me if God wanted me to go he would make it happen. Right after she said that one of my friends came to me and asked what I was talking to Katie about. I explained the situation. Without hesitation he pulled out his check book and wrote me a check of support. I was reduced to tears. It was very apparent that God wanted me to go to Africa. In the next hour, I had received 4 text messages with people supporting me. In less than 70 minutes the $500 had been covered. Praise God!

There is a funny thing that happens when God begins to work in peoples lives like this. You don't really know quite how to react. Of course i was overwhelmed with joy and adrenaline still courses through my veins, but i had this strong sense to start hugging people and telling them Jesus was King! I found myself christianizing everything! Needless to say, i am so excited to see how God works over the next two weeks, and the two weeks that we are there. Pray for us!

-Joe