It’s Your Move

Drafat. It is a board game we saw played in Zambia. But what we’ll consider here is no game…

I just read another incredible story of great need in Africa. Another solid Christian organization is doing good work to meet the need among young people in Nigeria. Another worthy cause.

Bombarded with so many requests for help can seem overwhelming – and assuming you are moved to respond – the question often arises – which one?

The Bible College? The Hospital? The orphans? The AIDS educator? The doctor? The nurse? The maintenance man? Do I go myself? Do I pitch in to send someone else? And where?

Maybe this will help.

A number of years ago after starting to write our children’s book series – we decided we wanted to give back to something or someone with a portion of the profits.
I had heard about World Hope International’s ‘Hope for Children’ and so we decided to support a child somewhere in the world. Opening the brochure, it read like a menu and listed different areas of the globe: Asia – Africa – Caribbean – South Pacific – Central America – Where Needed Most

Where do you begin? “Lord," we said, "which one?”

We discovered a special program where it was possible to sponsor the children of national pastors. That resonated.
“Which area is this being offered?” Africa. “Okay, Africa it is.” We decided to sponsor 3 children – all from the same pastoral family.

Fast-forward nearly a decade.

Through a series of circumstances, some of which can be found on our earlier blog entries, Carol and I were led to fulfill an identified need as correspondents for Global Partners, the missionary arm of the Wesleyan denomination.
“Where do you need us to photograph?” Africa. “Okay, Africa it is.” “Which country?” Zambia. “Okay, Zambia it is.”
“Hey, World Hope – the children we have been supporting are from Zambia. Do you think we might be able to meet them?”

Long story short. In a country the size of Texas, we just happened to be placed by Global Partners with an assignment 30 minutes from our family and with missionaries who knew them!
And so we met Billy and Brian and Fidess, who now aspire to be a doctor, an engineer and a teacher.
We were emotionally overwhelmed at the meeting with the family. I could not remember the exact year we began the support. The children's father knew the exact date.

What were the chances? Of all the continents in the world – of all the nations – of all the families and individual children – what were the chances?
With God? 100 percent.

Try not to listen to who has the loudest megaphone – rather listen for the still small voice of the Spirit. Then make your move.

Global Partners: http://www.wesleyan.org/gp/
Hope for Children: https://www.worldhope.org/

The Face of Christianity

David Livermore challenges us to picture the typical Christian and asks, “What do you see?”
Then he lets us in on it.
“The vast number of Christians [in the world] are young, nonwhite, poor, theologically conservative, and female.” *
Would it surprise you to know, “The western church is no longer the trendsetter and center of Christianity…?”*
Would it surprise you to know, “The largest Christian communities today are NOT in the U.S. Bible Belt but in Africa and Latin America – and that none of the fifty largest churches in the world are found in North America?”*
Spending time at a Bible College in Jembo, Africa, we learned that the dedicated students there spend their holidays and time between semesters - doing ministry. A district superintendent we met has a great number of churches over a vast area he serves – mainly on foot. We saw home-made instruments and heard a lot of worship singing that was ‘a cappella’. A banner we read in a Pilgrim Wesleyan Church in Livingstone that has grown from some 200 to 600 in two years has a banner hanging in the sanctuary that dares to read, “Bringing Thousands into God’s Kingdom” with the motto: “Arise & Be Involved” – Matthew 28:1
Selah.

* From Serving with Eyes Wide Open by David Livermore, pages 31-33.
For more information on Global Partners – to support missionaries or perhaps - become one. See http://www.wesleyan.org/gp/

Photo: Student at BibleCollege’s Married Housing © 2010 Gary VanRiper

How Far Do We Reach?

Question: Should we reach out to Jerusalem? Or Samaria? Or the uttermost parts of the earth?

Answer: Yes.

I love these quotes from David Livermore: "Don't go running overseas to do something you aren't already doing in your own neighborhood." AND "Short-term missions is just another opportunity for us to live out what we need to be doing 24/7 wherever we are." (from Serving with Eyes Wide Open, page 173)

We are blessed to be part of a missions-minded church. To me that means we are part of an obey the Great Commandment & Great Commission church. We serve at home - we serve the region - we serve the globe.

My good friend and phenomenal photographer Emmanuel captured this shot of Carol and me this afternoon while we were reflecting on our recent time in Zambia. This Sunday at our home Camden Wesleyan Church (Camden, NY) we will share highlights of our experience with God's people and neighbors in need on the other side of the world.

"He who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be heard. " - Psalm 21:13

One of the quotes I committed to heart before traveling to Zambia from David Livermore's book, "Serving with Eyes Wide Open", was this one: “Here is what some African church leaders said when asked what they wanted most to say to American churches: 'Please raise our dignity before the Christians and citizens of North America. We are not naïve, backward, and ignorant black people. Instead, we are your brothers and sisters in the family of God who are seeking to be faithful to his calling on our lives.' (Serving with Eyes Wide Open, Page 169)
One of the promises I made to the Lord was that I would watch for stories and images that would do just this - raise the dignity of the Zambian people before the Christians and citizens of North America within our sphere. Such stories and images were not hard to find - in fact, they were everywhere. We are hardly experts after being guests for just 9 days. And we did see great need. Particularly at the hospitals and clinics. But it did not take long at all to realize that the people of Zambia do not need more of what we in the west have in terms of material wealth. We need less of what we have.

"A Costly Sacrifice"

That is what Pastor Morningstar from the Pilgrim Wesleyan Church in Livingstone called a series of sermons he delivered to his growing congregation when the decision was made by the church family to enlarge their sanctuary. 80 volunteers from the congregation of nearly 600 met Saturdays for several months to begin digging the new foundation for the new building which is being built around and over the old one! Once the new shell is constructed, the old building will be removed from within. For now, tarps are draped over the old and new walls to provide shelter for the overflowing congregation on Sunday mornings. Much more to come on this blog about this project when we return home! Pictured with me as I interview Pastor Morningstar between the old and new walls is Global Partners missionary Jerry Manwaring.

Touchdown in Zambia

Not easy to e-mail from Zambia. While still in Livingstone with internet - here is the plane Carol and I arrived in safely at the Livingstone Airport in Zambia early Wednesday morning. We did not know others from Sierra Leone attending the Global Partners Missions Retreat were on board with us until we arrived at the conference site, Amazing story to tell about the Ashers and a couple we all met from Los Angeles.