around the world with Jesus

At Convoy of Hope, we’re thrilled with the friendship we’ve developed with Stars Go Dim. Here’s their latest music video…we like it a lot.

Our family just returned from a week in Seattle where we celebrated my grandmother, Ruby Wilkie’s life. Many kind things were said about her. The local (Duvall, WA) newspaper will soon run a story on the woman many called “The Mother Teresa of Duvall”.

I.D. Cards from 1940

She and Grandpa Wilkie served as missionaries in Latin America beginning in the early 40’s. I was moved while going through her things when I found these I.D. cards from some of their earliest travels.

These cards note they were traveling from Santa Ana, El Salvador, the city where their missions work began. They later served in Bolivia and Uruguay.

In 2008, I was riding through the mountains of El Salvador towards that same city, Santa Ana. I was with a Latin American Child Care (LACC) school director, and we were working with the Convoy of Hope Interns. After telling the director about Grandma, I thought I’d call her. In our conversation I learned more about their work in the country, and found out she had been sponsoring a “little” girl through LACC.

I learned her name and my friend made a few phone calls. Within a few moments, we had Silvia, who was then 16-years-old, on the phone.

April and I soon met Silvia and her family. It was fun seeing the photos of my grandmother that were in her bedroom.

Silvia holding pictures of my grandmother and cousins.

You can read about my first visit to Silvia here. We were devastated a few months later when he father was murdered. I believe Grandma’s prayers during that season were a big part of helping her family.

About a week before Grandma passed away, Silvia emailed me to let me know she would soon graduate from high school and start nursing school. She knows that she’ll be a key bread-winner for her mother and brother…and she wondered if the scholarship Grandma had been giving could go towards he collegiate work.

Normally, the scholarships end with graduation, but we’ve been given permission through LACC for donations to be made in memory of Grandma…and the funds can go towards helping Silvia through her 5-year nursing program.

To make a donation, you may mail a check with “In Memory of Ruby Wilkie” in the memo line to:

LACC

1445 N. Boonville Ave.

Springfield, MO 65802

The strongest emotion I feel as we celebrate her life isn’t sadness or despair or anything else negative, but instead it’s gratefulness. I’m thankful to have had her and her prayers in my life for these 39 years…and I know Silvia’s life is changed too. I’m hoping to work with you and others to help carry on her legacy…

Four generations...

Our spring Convoy of Hope intern team is currently in the Philippines. Jessica is on the team, and that makes us all happy. She’s bright, full of integrity, creative and loves Jesus a lot. You can see her blog, some of her photography and more at her website, jessicasievers.com .

Here, she shares a bit of her life, which doctors said she wouldn’t be able to live normally…

So glad Jessica is on this team… from mattwilkie on Vimeo.

So glad Jessica is on the team.

Everyone has a story…and learning stories about great people is one of my favorite things. Here’s a bit about Nik. He started the band Undying Allegiance 5 years ago, but stepped away for this season to help the poor around the world as a Convoy of Hope intern. His story includes way more than the 1 1/2 minutes you’ll see here, but I wanted you to get a glimpse of this great man who has a great perspective on life.

Here’s the first single from his band’s latest project. It’s ironically called, “The Story of Our Lives.”

What is a time or situation in your life that helped you gain perspective?

I get to meet some really, really good people. People like Andy. He and the rest of the Convoy of Hope Intern team members challenge me, encourage me, and help me keep life in perspective.

Here, he shares 2 minutes of his incredible life story. I’ll post about other team members in the future.

What gives you perspective?

When Amber asked if I’d write about some of our former Convoy of Hope interns for OnCourse Magazine, I got excited. The team members (past and present) make up an enormous part of my life…I love that God’s given me the opportunity to work with them.

Samantha & Brittany

You can read about Samantha and Brittany in OnCourse here (on page 24). Samantha was on our team to Bangladesh/Nepal/Mobile, AL, last year and is now in school. She’s preparing for full time work as a missionary in Tanzania. Brittany was on our Summer ‘08 team to Nicaragua and El Salvador, and has done a ton of other missions trips. She’s now working working with one of Convoy of Hope’s partners in Dallas, Buckner International…she helps provide shoes to kids around the world.

Proud of each of them.

It’s fun filling out reference forms (got to fill out 3 this week…) and seeing where God takes our former interns…who we see as still a part of the family.

Another

The latest? Here’s Andy…he just got hired with the development office of the Eastern Mennonite Missions in Pennsylvania. They’re lucky to have this guy….

The upcoming generation will do well…

I’m quite sure that the next generation of those who will serve and lead internationally will do so with passion and focus and a huge love for Jesus and people.

Do you agree?

They worked hard, loved well, and impacted a lot of people. Here’s an overview of our fall ‘10 Convoy of Hope Intern team. It’s a longer video where you meet each team member. Proud of each of them:

Grace has shoes

In the midst of one of the world’s most beautiful landscapes, I watched Grace get shoes.

In Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, we ventured to the heartland of the Masai people. The Masai are a proud tribe of beautiful people with a semi-nomadic culture about which many books have been written. There, our Convoy of Hope interns spent time with some big thinking pastors to partner with them and their churches to show compassion throughout the valley.

It was there we encountered Grace. I’m not sure of her age, but she’s a beautiful follower of Christ who was taking care of her younger siblings. Our team connected well with her, and noticed she didn’t have shoes. While Grace isn’t the only teenage Masai member with no shoes, she was the one with whom Shannon, a 18-year-old intern, was speaking. Shannon had more than one pair, so why should Grace have none?

That day, in a gesture that some might consider small…Grace got shoes.

There’s a lot of places grace needs shoes…amongst the hurting, ashamed, poor and wounded. I want to be like Shannon, ready with any small/medium/large gesture to make sure she has them.

Standing Grace, with her siblings

Over the last decade, I’ve seen more of the world than I dreamed possible. It’s opened my eyes to things for which I’m thankful…things I never considered until the “around the world with Jesus” life began…here are some real examples:

arsenic in water can cause sores

1. I’m thankful I don’t have sores on my legs because of arsenic in my water supply.

2. I’m thankful we have enough food on our table so we don’t have to consider whether or not to sell a family member to those who might hurt them in order to pay for food for others in the family.

3. I’m thankful that when I go home I don’t worry about anyone in my family threatening me because of my belief system.

4. I’m thankful that every single night of my 38-year-old life I’ve had adequate shelter…in the midst of snow/ice/intense heat/wind/crazy storms and more. Every night.

5. I’m thankful I’ve never had to look in trash piles for food.

6. I’m thankful the Bible is translated into the language in which I think, dream and speak.

7. I’m thankful for the Church and amazing people around the world who care about those in need so much it’s moved them to help those in their own communities…people like Pastor Jose, Sascha, Raul, Pastor Paul, Pastor Boris and my pastor,Rick.

8. I’m thankful for people who care about others so much they’ve left home to live in the midst of those in need to offer help and hope. This year alone I’ve worked with Jason & Kristi, Duane & Lori, Karl & Ann, Dustin & Natalie, Larry, Bryan & Kim and others.

9. I’m thankful for people who partner with us so we can do what we believe we’re supposed to be doing.

10. I’m thankful that in a few hours, I’ll sit with a family I love and enjoy a fabulous meal (and good coffee…)

I met Dustin years ago when with my friend Richard Ross in the boot heel of Missouri.  Dustin’s friends know him as someone who is funny, energetic, loves people, has traveled the world helping people, and is fun to be around. He was approved to be a part of our fall 2010 Convoy of Hope intern team.

Tragically, his car accident and the massive injuries he sustained changed his life and his plans. The wreck was in June, and he’s still in the hospital. You can keep up with his journey on the Facebook page dedicated to his journey.

Here he is standing front and center with Richard behind him and some great friends of his surrounding him.

In Kenya, our intern team prays for Dustin just about every day. As a random connection, we drove on a very, very, very “dusty” road and thought of him. Here’s that video: