It was the early 2000s and I was living in inner city Chicago. I was very excited about my faith and had a strong desire to enroll at Chicago's Moody Bible Institute. I didn't have much money and Moody was going to be expensive so I needed to find the cheapest possible place in Chicago to live while I worked and saved money. I ended up moving into a single room occupancy near Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood. I remember when they showed me my room I put one hand on this wall and I reached over and I could almost touch the other wall. There was a small cot in one corner that reeked of urine. I felt something scurry across my chest that evening. I woke up and grabbed it. It was a cockroach! I lived next to a drug addict on one side and a drug dealer on the other side. I was there for almost 2 years and there were many challenges. Something amazing happened while I was there among the roughly 90 residents. There were a handful of Believers and we found each other, we sharpened each other through prayer and devotion and for no less than 10 to 15 hours per week. We would hit the streets of Chicago together on mission to do two things: good works and evangelism. God used those two years to shape me perhaps more than at any other point in my walk with him. So in 2015 God laid on my heart to duplicate my experience for others. I founded Phokos to provide free housing to a passionate team of Godly single men who would give a portion of their time back to the ministry each week through good works and evangelism in their own local context. Guys like John who grew up in the slums of Nairobi or Dominic who was born in Northern Kenya near the Somalian border to a Muslim family or Joshua Alex and the many others that God has brought to Phokos to live together, grow together, and serve together. Our unique model for missions focuses on two out of the big three and is more effective than other traditional missionary models because our missionaries are indigenous. They already know the city, the culture, and speak the language fluently. Phokos is also more cost effective because the housing we provide is the primary means of compensation in exchange for a portion of their time each week in good works and evangelism. It's a win-win! Phokos provides free housing to a passionate team of Godly single men who need it and in exchange they let their light shine to a world that needs it. Check out some of the ways Phokos missionaries let their light shine in 2023 alone. Phokos led 107 gospel centered events throughout Kenya, India, and Pakistan. Nearly 10,000 people heard the gospel directly from a Phokos missionary with hundreds making a profession of faith. 152 Church Partners have been formed to receive those new converts. 3,544 people receive food and other basic needs in Jesus' name. We are now 8 years old with three successful locations and a credible plan to scale and impact the global missions movement and our dynamic and well-defined team is excited and ready to take on the next mission. We would like to boost our efforts in Kenya, India, and Pakistan and start a new Phokos location in Manila, Philippines. Thank you so much for your time and your consideration, take care and God bless you all.