around the world with Jesus

Tori’s dad, J. Calaway, was my youth pastor in the mid-80’s.  I’ll spare you more photos from the era, but here’s Tori (with her youth pastor, Dale).

In ‘97, when I was youth pastor at Park Crest A/G, we went to work in J.’s church in Hammond, IN, on a missions trip.  One of our driver’s cancelled the night before, so I called the only youth sponsor I could bother the night before a 10 day trip…my sister.  After telling me the reasons she couldn’t go, she finally gave in and said she’d go.

In the church driveway as we arrived, J. and the former executive pastor, Alan Bixler, told/asked her, “We’ve got a husband, a house, and a job for you…when are you moving?”  A year later she arrived, and 6 months after that, she and Scott got married.  They’re still here (with 3 kids).

On Wednesday, I connected with Pastor Dale (who was in the youth group when I met him in ‘97) and rEVOLution, the youth group at Hammond 1st A/G.  I’m humbled at the thought that they’ve chosen the missions work I do with Convoy of Hope as the work they’ll sponsor in ‘09.  They’re praying for April and I and the interns every week, we’ll be keeping in touch when I’m on the field, and they made us a very meaningful gift…a coffee mug that they decorated with photos of them and of us, and a book of encouraging scriptures and thoughts they prepared especially for us.  It was cool…

I say all the time that missions work is a partnership, and this is a very good example of it.  I look forward to keeping in touch with some of the students and leaders from the crazy places our interns and I will serve in ‘09, and returning over Christmas break to say thanks again.

We’re humbled by the fact that so many pray for and financially support us.  I told the group that it’s like that Verizon commercial where there’s one guy on the phone, but an enormous network of people behind him that allows the phone call to happen.  That’s what missions work is like.  At times I get to be on the front line, and at times I get to be in a support role praying for others (like the youth of rEVOLution and other donors and prayer partners), but whatever it is…it’s teamwork and it’s for Him. 

So to rEVOLution…thanks for being a part of Convoy of Hope and our intern program…and it’s cool to be a part of what you’re doing.

Here’s Nate E., who preached his first sermon after I shared with the group.  He did a great job…

I’m at Hammond 1st A/G tonight sharing with Pastor Dale & Carmen and a very cool youth group. We’re partnering together to help people all over the world in Jesus name!

Hi Tori!!

Matt

The first time I really remember people asking me for money was on my second trip overseas.  It was 1994 and we were in Calcutta, India, one of the world’s poorest cities.  Everywhere we went people were begging…the children in front of our hotel (they would do cartwheels and pop up holding out their hands for $), people on virtually every street corner and in front of shops.  I won’t forget the man on the sidewalk leaning back in a makeshift seat with a tin cup around his neck.  He hand no arms and no legs.  He was in desperate need.

Since then, I’ve been approached in virtually every country I’ve visited…and in my own.  People around the world are poor.  What can be done to help them? 

Relevant Magazine just posted a great article on the problem.  It’s found here. 

I don’t think the proper response is to give money every time someone asks…have you seen Slumdog Millionaire?  Not all of that money will get to the people in need.  Even if it does, it’ll help create dependency and can in fact keep people from finding the right help. 

I wish I knew exactly how Jesus would’ve responded to that man I saw in Calcutta…or the children I see in Ecuador…or the family by the side of the road in Papua New Guinea.  All beautiful places with great churches, leaders and futures…but all places with people in need.  If Jesus helped one by handing out money, then he would be mobbed everywhere He went.  He was mobbed, but that’s not why.

I like what my friends Joe and Mishael do.  When they’re overseas, they always carry bags of fruit with them in their vehicles…they hand them out to all who ask until the bag is empty.  I like what my brother-in-law does when he goes to downtown Chicago…he likes to bring McDonald’s gift certificates knowing the money he’s giving will be spent on food and not something else.  I traveled with Chris who would regularly take his leftovers and give them to people in front of the restaurant asking for food.  My wife has handed out breakfast bars to the  vet on the corner when we exit the highway by our home.  I’ve had fun playing with kids and then taking them for an ice cream cone or “Magnum” bar (they’re really good) in plenty of countries overseas.

These things help…but just for a moment.  While that’s what some people need in that moment, there’s got to be a bigger/better response.

I love being a part of Convoy of Hope.  In all honestly, we ask that people don’t give money to those who ask from the side of the road in foreign countries (or our own).  However, we work with churches to help find long-term solutions.  Convoy of Hope has helped start a cafe in Eurasia, a bakery in Central America and other micro-enterprises in places where people are in need.  We provide seeds to families so they can grow food and even sell some to help make ends meet.  We help people build water filters…that they can build inexpensively with items from their own communities. Our interns are working with schools to help the children plant gardens and then use seeds from those gardens to give to others so the food can spread.  I could go on…

I don’t have many photos of people who ask for money.  It doesn’t seem right to take them.  However, I won’t forget those kids on the street in Calcutta.  They saw Allen, another friend and I get off the riksha and came over and asked us to take their “pic! pic! pic!”  They wanted their photo taken.  We took their photo.  They then looked at each other and each went for a different water bottle.  They stole water bottles from our hands and ran across the street laughing.  I suppose if  it made them smile, I was fine with losing that water bottle.  A fun moment…

God give you people wisdom about what to do to best help those in need!

What do you do?

Today, the Springfield News-Leader covered the story of one of our summer ‘08 interns.  Sara Perez worked hard in both El Salvador and Nicaragua.  Her father had dreams of playing basketball in El Salvador but was forced to make the decision to move to the USA during El Salvador’s civil war. 

On a missions trip with Convoy of Hope, Kenton Moody and Rick Ryan, from our staff, saw her skills and encouraged her to come to Evangel to play ball.  It worked out and she’s here with a scholarship.  She returned to do the summer internship and hopes to serve in El Salvador after college.   We were thrilled at the interpreting skills (and laughter and energy and love of coffee and more) she brought to the team.  Kudos to Rick Ryan and Kenton Moody for the impact they’ve  made in her life…

Check out the story here.

This photo of Sara hangs on our intern wall here at Convoy of Hope.

…that’s the conclusion in this article out of London.  Our Convoy of Hope interns are currently in Haiti where they’re seeing the water crisis up close.  I’ve read that today over 1.2 billion people lack access to a purified water source.  Populations are growing and the crisis is gaining momentum as clean water sources can’t keep up with the demand.

Getting water from wells, rivers and ponds is quite normal in many places around the world.  Here are some children whom we met in Ghana.

 As we know, people can’t live without water.  However, there are living people who don’t have access to a purified source so their life is full of disease, diarrhea, parasites and more.  Life could be so much fuller if only they had clean water.

 Too many times the water is dirty.  In all likelihood, this little guys legs are hurt because there is arsenic in his water.  Arsenic problems go away when a nail is put in whatever holds his water…just a nail and he wouldn’t have to deal with this…

Our interns are working hard to help.  Here’s Josh with some guys in Uganda where they built water filters that could clean the water of up to 98% of the contaminents.

There are solutions…and none of them are easy.  I pray the article is proven wrong…and that the water crisis is overcome by God’s people working to help “the least of these.”  Kudos too to our interns and others around the world who are helping.

At Convoy of Hope we talk often about meeting physical and spiritual needs.  Here’s a great example of how it works.  Our interns are in Haiti (I’ll soon join them in Cuba).  Here’s a portion of a note I got from Bethany this week…

“This morning, we will be doing a short Bible skit about the 4 soils and passing out seed kits to 50 students.  Those 50 students will be responsible for planting their seeds at home and caring for their garden.  After harvest time, the students will be required to bring back a certain number of seeds to give back to the program!!!!! The students will be learning about growing and sharing… being good stewards of their resources!!!  Also, we will be cultivating a garden for only the school’s use. ”

That’s how it can work…a good combination of meeting physical and spiritual needs.  Here’s Bethany with a couple of little guys in Haiti.

Not that gym…

I did the math the other night, and figured that I’d been to about 500 youth services over the years at Park Crest A/G.  About 1/2 of them as a teenager and the other 1/2 as a youth leader then youth pastor.  It was fun to be back sharing on Wednesday…my first time in 7 years.

They meet in the gym.  As I told the students, it’s the same gym where I…

• broke my foot
• got my first job (scorekeeper at basketball)
• preached my first sermon (March, 1991)
• have my first memory of April
• Set up/tore down, set up/tore down, (repeat a few thousand times)
• watched the Rams win the Superbowl
• about 1000 more memories

Now, my best friend from growing up, Jason, is youth pastor there.  He’s leading the group now…”Altered Reality”.  I shared there last Wednesday.  It was a special night.  He’s got a good thing going on.  The group is growing, they were passionate during worship, and committed a lot to Him at the end of it all.  I’m excited for their future.  They’ve also decorated the gym in ways I wish I would’ve imagined and tried to pull off…it looks great.

It was good to be in a place that seems like home as much as anywhere I’ve ever been  but a real home…

It’s important to have those places that mark times of growth in our lives.  Sometimes they’re physical places, and sometimes they’re just mental/emotional places.  Being able to go back can put the present and life’s direction in a good context.  

There’s a hunger crisis happening in the world. While this isn’t new, it seems like hunger issues are getting more severe while technology and communication of the problem increases.

While I’ve never worked with them, I love seeing groups like the people who work with this miracle food, Plumpynut.

Check this out…http://www.theywilldie.org/.  It’s a combination of locally grown peanut butter mixed with powdered milk and a vitamin pack.  Their website says a 3-week supply can literally save the life of a child.  Thinking not only with the head, but with the heart is such a good thing. 

We at Convoy of Hope have communictated with the PlumpyNut people, and who knows what partnerships could be ahead.

There are solutions still to be found, and I hope some of our interns find some of those solutions.

Here’s a good place to mention the moringa tree. Many of our interns, and Convoy of Hope family members have worked with this miracle tree. This site describes them well, http://tinyurl.com/3gcjs3.  Maybe I’ll talk more about them another time.

It was the top story for a few days, and spent many days on the front page…the Assemblies of God World Missions did a great story on our fall ‘09 interns.

Click here for the story. 

I had a recent conversation with Mark Entzminger, the DYD of South Dakoda.  He “called” to  chat about Convoy of Hope, our interns and more.  It’s to preview a bit of their Calibrate Conference this fall.  Here’s the conversation…

 
Calibrate Conference: Matt Wilkie from Mark on Vimeo.

Read more at Mark’s blog, www.sdyce.com.  The blog is full of resources and ideas…