Where Are All the Orphans?

Recent estimates suggest that there are over 147,000,000 orphans living in our world.

But I don’t see any!

I am not sure I will ever be invited back to lunch with my office staff. I may have ruined our last lunch with some of my overzealous thoughts. If only I would have been content to enjoy the friendly innocuous conversation during the pleasant lunchtime atmosphere. If I didn’t ruin the atmosphere, I probably strained it. I hope they ask me back. I really do like them. And may I say right here that they are the most dedicated and praiseworthy group with which I have ever worked.

What happened was no one’s fault really. Well, actually it was probably my fault. Anyway, as we enjoyed our lunch they began asking me about some of the nuances of my role as the Global Team Builder for Horizon.  I explained to them my passion for developing and leading teams to the marginalized areas of the world where people and partners in our organization care for children who have been orphaned because their parents have died of HIV/AIDS. The pandemic of HIV/AIDS is comprised of many layers which in turn contribute to the whole syndrome of extreme poverty. We try to interface with and affect as many of those layers as possible in order to create a world of hope for the orphans in Africa.

For instance, I recently returned from a 5 country – 5 week trip with teams that accomplished the following:

1. One was a Medical education team to the rural areas of Lusaka Zambia where many people suffer greatly from HIV/AIDS because of the myths, misinformation and just plain wrong information about prevention and contraction of the dreaded virus. The fallout is the thousands of innocent children who watch their parents die and then are shuffled off to a relative for survival. None of the locations where we conducted the sessions have ever had this information presented before.
2. One team focused on making the days a little brighter for about 200 children, many of whom are orphans, in a village called Ramaroka in central Limpopo Province in South Africa. There are about 3,000 people in this area and no churches. The fallout from this, we soon discovered, was that most, if not all the children, were unaware of most of the central figures of the scriptural story including Moses, Daniel and even Jesus. God provided 150 bibles to distribute at the end of the week. Miraculous! Our next step is to plant a church in this village. Exhilarating!
3. One team was comprised of pastors and leaders and this group conducted a 3 day leadership seminar in Zambia and South Africa. About 25 leaders and pastors attended this seminar in each country. All remarked that it was the first and, of course by default, the best such teaching that they had ever received. Most of these pastors lead several churches and will be teaching the principles they learned for months. Their congregations will be forever impacted. Amazing!

Whenever I talk about these things I become somewhat (okay very) excited and exercised about what we do and about how I believe God has prioritized this kind of service and ministry to the marginalized in his word. I also become somewhat (okay very) frustrated and emphatic about how the Church all too often has…well let’s just say the Church has not placed the same value on these priorities as God’s word when it comes to serving the marginalized.

Too often I believe the church sees ministry to the marginalized as a kind of luxury item that can be engaged once other, more important things have been established. What would our churches and our world look like if ministry to the marginalized was a core value around which our congregations were created and formed? Hmmmm!

In fact I have begun to conclude that because of the rise of the religion of consumerism that has established itself in much of the western world, we have begun to redefine such values as “sacrifice” in one, if not all of the following ways:

1. After we have accumulated enough for ourselves we can begin sacrificing
2. Once we have more we can give more
3. We sacrifice for the things that are beneficial to us

All of these redefinitions have a seriously damaging impact on the churches ability to make true disciples of Jesus who are not affected and influenced by the present culture but who decide to challenged and change culture by their values and lifestyle.

These redefinitions also greatly impact how we view and interact with the world of the marginalized.

The Webster definition of sacrifice focuses on the “surrender of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim…priority.” Ie, to do without, to forgo something for the sake of a higher priority.

That is how Jesus changed the world. That is how his followers changed the world and that explains why the present church paradigm struggles to have much effect on the North American culture. That helps me understand why church culture is struggling to change its own community let alone the world.

Not your typical lunch time fodder for conversation… unless you eat with me, which many of our office staff may refuse to do in the future.

Bu that is what we were talking about when one of the staff asked another member to comment on these thoughts. The staff member who was asked to comment had been raised in Kenya as a missionary kid.  She offered several wonderful insights that sparked further conversation and eventually these thoughts you are reading now.

She commented that is was hard to stay motivated to help orphans in Kenya because orphans were everywhere. In other words, “The orphans became invisible because they were everywhere.” People missed seeing them because they become used to them!

She continued by saying it is hard in the US because we really don’t see orphans anywhere. She’s right!

And this is a perfect illustration of how we let culture influence and affect our conviction rather than us affecting and changing culture.

As Christ followers we can never let our experience, culture, surroundings, etc determine and form our convictions! We can never let what we see or don’t see in our world define our vision and strategy. That is called adaptation.

What would have been the result if Jesus would have looked around heaven and determined, “I don’t see any sinners?” He had a greater sense of awareness and calling and conviction which compelled him to leave heaven and to go and to seek and to save that which was lost.

And that is his command to his followers…to go; to be sent into the world as he was sent, to seek and to save that which is lost. If we see too many orphans or hungry or diseased or oppressed or if we don’t see them at all is immaterial to our conviction. We have a higher calling from God’s word to allow our vision and conviction to be formed by his word and his Spirit.

Actually, I see the orphans… the widows…the oppressed… the fatherless… the hungry… the marginalized every day. I saw them today in Psalm 146. Every day when I read God’s word I see them. Because of God’s word I know they exist and I know He calls and compels me to act on their behalf. I know they are there so now it is my responsibility to go and seek them out and offer God’s saving grace to them in all of its holistic forms.

This is one of, if not his highest priorities!

I cannot think that I will not be held responsible for helping them just because I don’t see them in this world. If I see them in God’s word I am responsible to seek them out and offer them help in God’s world.

And this is how God directs us to view all our life. When God’s word forms and fuels my convictions I affect and change culture. When adaptation to this world forms my convictions I will not affect change in my culture.  In fact if my strategy is adaptation I will lose myself in the culture.

Challenging!

May we have eyes to see and ears to hear and minds to comprehend and hearts that act courageously!

By the way I invite you to begin seeing and highliting all the verses in scripture that refer to the orphan, the fatherless, the widow, the poor, the hungry, the oppresses, the sick, the needy, the alien, the prisoner. Get back to me after you have done this for awhile. Thanks!

 

 

 

November 9, 2011

Zambia

The Restroom Wall Everyone Should Read.

There is a great little restaurant in a
town near where I live called Brunchie’s. I get inspired in their restroom…really!
Their restroom walls (I have been in the men’s and I assume the same is the
same for the women’s) are adorned with inspirational sayings by many famous
people such as John Wooten. I have included my personal favorite as a prelude
for a topic about which I spend considerable time ruminating and praying.

“Anyone
who thinks they are too small to make a difference has never been in a dark
room with a mosquito.”

Can we please stop telling students and
teenagers that they are too young, too inexperienced, too under resourced or
too whatever we think they are that will keep them from doing something
meaningful with their lives for the kingdom of God. And by
“meaningful” I do not mean that they can kick, hit, or throw a ball
farther than or more accurately than others. I do not mean that they can run
faster or farther than others; I do not mean that they can do more tricks or
flips on a four wheel device of any kind: I do not mean that they make straight
A’s and get university scholarships. All those things may be great hobbies or
means to better ends but they can never determine “meaning.”

And can we please start affirming and
supporting students who may not want to attend university immediately after
high school but may want to take a different approach to higher learning. Or
maybe want to take the approach of learning from Someone higher altogether

I had a dream. It was almost a vision in
that it was so real I woke up thinking it was real and to this day still can
feel, hear, see everything that happened in the dream. I have had a few dreams
very similar to this one. So far all but two have come to pass and I believe
this one is in process and coming to pass in this generation. The message of
the dream is not unique but it serves as a stark and definite reminder of
something very important.

In the dream I was standing in a small
room. Outside the room was gathered a large number of young people and
students; you know…teenagers. They all wanted to come into the room but there
was not enough space. I remember praying and suddenly the room expanded so that
all those outside could come into the room. But as soon as that group came in
and filled the room, another, larger group appeared outside this now larger
room. I prayed again and the room expanded again and this next group filed into
the room. This process repeated itself several more times until there was a
large auditorium that included a balcony filled with young people and students
waiting on a word from God.

At that moment in the dream I heard the
Lord say, “I am using young people to change the world.”

The dream occurred several years ago and
since that time I have focused my life on helping young people and students
recognize this call from God to do something significant that will contribute
to a change in our world. And since I have been focused on this goal I have met
many, many young people and students who can tell me without a doubt that God
has been calling them for years to do something for others who cannot do for
themselves and to be a voice for those who do not have a voice in this world.

For instance; two years ago I made a
presentation/invitation for a student mission trip to Africa at a high school
faith based morning club. At the end of the club several students came up to me
a said that God has been talking to them about serving in Africa since they
were small a children. Three of the students in that meeting decided to go on
the mission trip that year. (In fact I just received and email from
one of those students telling me that her parents have approved for her to go
on another GO Team next June to Capetown. Thanks mom and dad).

A year ago I was in Jinja, Uganda staying in a home for HIV positive orphan boys. I met a young man who was
living there with the boys for 6 months. He was between undergrad school and
medical school. He told me he wanted to take 6 months off from school and live
with these boys so that he wouldn’t forget why he was going to medical school.
He said that many of his friends started out with good intentions but then
because of the stress or the “financial opportunities” or the advice
of parents they lost or forgot their original intent and never went on to serve
the underserved. I told him he is one of the wisest young men I have met.

By the way, that home for those boys
(and one for HIV positive orphan girls) was started by a 21 year young woman
almost 5 years ago.

I just finished a book about another
young high school girl who gave her heart to Jesus and then to the suffering
children of Uganda. Her name is Katie Davis. The book is entitled, Kisses from
Katie. It chronicles the journey of this young girl as she serves in Uganda
after high school, then moves to Uganda and begins fostering, one by one, 14
children and starts a feeding program for over 400 other orphaned and suffering
children.  I highly recommend this book
for students and parents alike.

While many of us are sitting in our
living rooms watching reality shows these young prophets are showing us what
reality is all about. And I know there are thousands of others who are called,
ready and waiting.

I could list many reasons why God has
chosen to focus on this young generation and I could list many reasons why more
are not responding in positive ways but you parents may already be mad at me so
let’s just pray that we and our children will hear what the Spirit is saying in
these days. There is a world that can’t afford to wait for us to waste anymore
time.

Just a thought!

Recycling Has its Limits

When it comes to the environment there has to be shades of
being green.  I think I must be light green.

I do care about preserving the environment. It is the only
one we have. I try to do my part. I faithfully separate all my cans, bottles
and paper etc and regularly place them in the recycle bin. However, I do drive
an eight cylinder, full size, four wheel drive, gas guzzling truck; without
apology I might add. I won’t mention that I often fill the gas tank of said eight
cylinder, gas guzzling, four wheel drive anti-eco machine during peak hydrocarbon
emission hours.

Nonetheless, when I go to the grocery, rather than allowing
my purchases to be placed in those evil 50 year eco busting plastic bags I
always ask for paper bags, so I can recycle and reuse them. So I do believe in
helping to preserve the environment…partially… and I do believe in recycling.
But recycling has its limits. And there is a type of recycling I will never
accept.

Recently I wrote to you about a conversation I had with a friend who told me he felt unprepared to respond when he crossed paths with a homeless man in Chicago. I asked him what he would have done if that man was his son. That one comment gave him an entirely different perspective on just such opportunities. Others of you have
also let me know how helpful that question/comment/perspective has been to you.
You can read more about it on my blog at dougehrgott.wordpress.com. Read You
Don’t Have to be Like Me!

I’d like to tell you about another man’s son that I met in
Capetown South Africa while on my trip there last July. I don’t know who this
son’s father is and neither does he. I met the young man about which I am
writing at a trash can located near an ice cream stand at an outdoor area in
the middle of one of Africa’s most opulent malls; The Waterfront Mall in
Capetown South Africa. It boasts several levels of some of the world’s
trendiest stores and it is situated right the edge of the Capetown Harbor. The
views of the water and the ships and mountains are breath taking. But the
beauty of all the views dissipated for me as I suddenly eyed a young man about
18 or 19 reaching into a trash can to retrieve a partially eaten ice cream cone
and immediately begin to consume it. I guess even hungry kids don’t like melted
ice cream. I am sure he had positioned himself near the trash can intentionally
and had practiced this custom regularly of watching people discard their
leftovers so he could be the first person to snare the coveted “catch of the
day.” This was his form of recycling and I couldn’t accept it.

The irony for me now, as I review and write about what
happened, is that my friend Scott and I were scouting for food ourselves. The
team we had traveled with to Capetown was comprised of 8 ladies and two
men…Scott and me. Now, you can’t take a team of ladies to Capetown without
visiting The Waterfront Mall. And you can’t go to The Waterfront Mall without
dining at one of the many seafood specialty restaurants. In my mind the
restaurants were the only redeeming characteristic of the entire venture…so
far. You see, I don’t really enjoy shopping anywhere but I do enjoy eating
everywhere. So while the ladies shopped, Scott and I scouted for the perfect
seafood experience; which for me would include immediate seating and entrées
under $10. Dockside seating was optional.

As we walked the length and breadth of the area where most
of the dining options were located we passed a small, somewhat isolated ice
cream and hotdog stand. I didn’t enquire about their seafood offerings I just
randomly noticed it was there. Just after we passed the ice cream stand was
when the young man reaching into the trash can caught my attention. At first I
didn’t know what he was doing but in a nano second it became clear as I put the
pieces of the scene together. His clothes were somewhat worn and dirty, a group
of people had just walked by and deposited something into the trash can and
then he started to eat to eat the trash can treasure. This is always the moment
of truth isn’t it? This is where we chose to act or to turn the other way or
simply ignore or disbelieve what we are seeing. But this is always when I would
want someone to do something for my child if he were in this same situation.

Scott and I were just a few yards away from the young man at
this moment so I called out to him, “Hey, what are you doing?” Of course he
felt and looked ashamed and embarrassed…wouldn’t you if your only means of
sustenance was eating other people’s trash and then you were caught in the act.
I continued as if I didn’t know what was happening, “Why are you eating out of
that trash can?” He could only wait in silence as Scott and I approached. I am
not sure what he thought I was going to do but I gently assured him at this
point that he did not have to eat other people’s trash.  I asked him if I
could have the half eaten, by him and others, ice cream cone. He gave it to me
and I threw it back in the trash can. Then I asked him if he would like
something else to eat. Duh!!! I asked him if he would like a hot dog from the
nearby hot dog stand. He certainly did. So I ordered the largest hotdog they
could provide. I was told by the attendant they only had one size so I insisted
they give me the largest one they had. When I paid I gave the attendant enough
money for a large ice cream cone as well. Isn’t that what I would do for my own
son? Isn’t that what I would want someone else to do for my son in the same
situation? I gave the young man his hot dog and told him he had an ice cream
cone waiting for him after he finished is hotdog. He was speechless.

We sat with him while he ate his hot dog and I asked him to
tell us his story. He is 19 years old. He has a name. His name is Donavan. He
doesn’t know his parents. He has never known his parents. They both died before
he was old enough to know them. He has been living on the streets and in and
out of shelters and out of trash cans most of his life. We spent a little more
time talking about how he could get long term help through a local church. We
prayed with Donavan and then I realized he probably wanted to get that ice
cream cone…soon.

I came away from that encountered more determined than ever
to make a difference in the lives of the children in Africa. I will never forget
Donavan. I have just returned from Capetown with my son in law where we conducted a 4 day leadership summit in which we gave teenagers some tools to learn how to consistently grow in God’s grace and to change the direction of their own lives
and the lives of hundreds of others in the desperate townships and malls of
South Africa. Would you please agree with me that the seeds planted in these
students will produce a great harvest? And please pray for Donavan and the
suffering children of Africa the next time you enjoy an ice cream cone or when
you take out the trash.

For the hungry

Douge

July 25

You don’t have to be like me!

I returned recently from a trip to Uganda and from being
with a team in Capetown, South Africa. The time in Uganda was special because I
was able to spend some significant time with our children there in Fort Portal
and Jinga.

The team in Capetown was wonderful for many reasons; a
couple of which were family members. Sandy, her sister Beverly and our sister
in law Dawn and her daughter Erika and another niece, Angela were all a part of
this team. They were all profoundly affected by the children and ministry that
took place in Langa. Langa is one of the oldest townships in the Capetown area.
We have about 80 children sponsored in our program there with many more
attending and waiting for sponsors.

Actually I led team to Nicaragua for Nicaragua Resource Network
before going to Africa so it was a busy June for me. I am glad to be home for a
few weeks. I leave again soon to lead a team back to the cities of Fort Portal
and Jinga in Uganda.

Soon after I returned from Africa I was invited to attend
the commissioning/prayer ceremony for some friends who have been deployed to Thailand where they will focus on
offering counseling services to fellow global servants in that country. When
the meeting ended I was standing around and reconnecting with a number of
people I haven’t seen for awhile. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a good friend
walked up and exclaimed loudly enough to be heard by others, “I wish I was more like you!”

He took me by surprise at first and I looked around to see who he
was talking too because honestly, I didn’t think it was me. There are a lot of
people that people would want to be like but I don’t have myself on that list.
When I recovered a few seconds later, I responded by asking, “Why would you say
something like that?” I meant it! I firmly believe the best people we can be is
not necessarily like someone else but just the person God fully intended us to
be. We should all want to be like the person God intended us to be as we grow
in his likeness. But he insisted and so I asked him to explain why he felt the
way he did. He told me that just a few days before that encounter with me, he
and his wife were in Chicago for some R&R. Not to be confused with R&B.
I heartily approve of both by the way.

Anyway, he continued with the story and explained that he
and his wife had encountered a homeless person on the street and he wasn’t sure
what to do. He said that at that moment “he wished he was more
like…well…me…Doug Ehrgott. He said that I would have known what to do. He said I always seem to be able to take a situation like that and turn it into a
divine or redemptive moment. So, I probed further and asked him what he did do.
He said he ended up giving the man some money but he felt like he had missed an
opportunity to do something more.

As an aside, there is a lot of frenzy and fad about doing
things for the suffering and hurting and homeless and forgotten. For most of
this energy and altruism I am grateful but one very important element of this idea has sadly been lost. You see many people like my friend think maybe they have to possess some special gift or know some technique or style for seeing and seizing these moments that God provides for us.

Nothing could be further from reality.

I want to let you know my secret…just in case there might be
others of you out there who might want to be like me.

I revealed my secret by asking my friend one question.

I asked “What would you have done if that person had been your son?

His eyes watered and he exclaimed again, “Oh, I would have done everything so much differently!”

And then he excitedly talked about all he would have done for his son.

The next, natural question that doesn’t need to be asked or answered because it is understood is, “Why?”

Why would he have done things differently if that person had been his son?

Does that question have to be anwered here?

You see there is no secret method or technique or style or trick to loving people. You just have to see people for who they are…they are your
brothers and sisters and sons and daughters and moms and dads and loved ones
and…maybe as Jesus.

Mother Theresa always claimed to see Jesus in the faceof the poor.

That changes everything.

And then there is the Golden Rule. You know…”do for others what you would want them to do for you…or your son.”

That man was somebody’s son. What would you want someone to do for your son in the same situation.

That then, is what you should do for him.

You see it is not that complex; it doesn’t require special progamming or organization. We don’t have to make a big deal out of it and call all kinds of attention to it.  Just love people! No strings attached! Daily as God provides the opportunities. One person at a time.

Over the next couple of weeks I want to write some stories
about the people God let me love like (as if they are) Jesus while I was in Africa.

Stay well and

Dance with God

A New Way to Look at Dieting

I have a confession to make. I have clicked on those
internet adds promoting weight loss and a happier healthier life in 10 days or
my money back… more than once.

Actually I just saw one that says I can lose 30 pounds without changing the way I eat.

All I have to do is sprinkle a special dietary additive on my regular intake of
calories and the pounds will melt away. I think it is called the Tinkerbell
Diet. The one that always gets my attention, for many reasons, is the one that combines colon cleansing with weight loss and dietary satisfaction. That really is too much information for me.

I know most dietary experts will advise people who are
interested in shedding a few extra pounds and living a healthier life to make
changes to both their diet and exercise habits. Just for the record; I am
committed to…exercise.

That is until now. Well, that is, until I went to Ft  Portal, Uganda. I am still committed to excercise but I have a new way of looking at dieting.

I was in Uganda for a week in July. While I was there I discovered a very effective diet plan that really works.

I came home from Africa on July 3rd and since that time I have been closely but not strictly following the diet model I observed while I was in Uganda. I have combined this new diet with my regular regimen of exercise and as of today I have lost 7 pounds in less than one week. Really!

I want to say right here that this is not an ad; it is not
an endorsement of any product. I am not trying to sell anything to anyone; in
fact there is nothing to buy. I am just compelled to share with you something I
have learned that has changed my life on a couple different levels.

I was in Ft Portal visiting our home for children there when
I discovered, quite by accident, the idea for my diet. In Ft Portal we have a
home where 45 orphan children stay. There are about equal number of boys and
girls. I love going there in the mornings as they eat breakfast and prepare for
school  and again in the evenings to hang out with them and tell them stories about God’s love and to occasionally share with them some special treats. I learned that they very seldom, if ever, have popcorn. So, one day I went to town and purchased all the ingredients to make tons of popcorn.

That afternoon I announced we would be having popcorn as an
evening snack. All the children protested, almost simultaneously, the idea of
popcorn in the evening. They all insisted that I wait until the next morning
and serve the popcorn for breakfast.  I was a little shocked and disappointed because I wanted to make popcorn that evening, but I agreed to wait until the next morning. I also knew that this would mean I would have to get up very early and begin the popping procedure because all the meals are prepared in a small wooden hut over an open flame and I wasn’t sure how many tries it would take to fulfill my promise of serving the delicacy in the early morning.

I arrived early and the matrons had the fires stoked and
ready. I put half the ingredients (seeds, oil, and margarine) in a large pot
and set it over the flames. This lost but not forgotten method was very
nostalgic and brought back memories of camping and scouting. The smoky hut also reminded me why I like popping corn in a microwave now.

Fortunately, the method worked and all the kernels popped to
perfection. I could proudly serve the morning treat to the anxiously waiting
children. What happened next has inspired my new diet plan.

I took the popcorn into the dining room to be served. We had
poured the popped kernels into another cool pot and set it on the table from
where breakfast is normally served. On the table were two loaves of, not so
fresh, bread. There was also a large pot of African Tea which is a mixture of
tea bags boiled in water and then added in equal portions to warm milk.

Breakfast service went something like this. An average size
bowl was fairly filled with popcorn. A piece of dry bread was laid on top and
served with a cup of African Tea. That was it! When I asked about what else
they would receive I was shocked to discover that this is their regular
breakfast allotment…sans popcorn. I suddenly understood why they wanted the
popcorn for breakfast. It was yummy.

I also knew what I was going to do the next morning. But  that is another story.

The image of 45 children eating dry bread and drinking one
cup of tea every morning has stayed with me. Now I get up each day and think
about those children and their tea and crumbling bread.

That image is the genesis of what I call the Ibonde Diet. Our home
there is called Ibonde Children’s home. It is a wonderful alternative place for
the children who would otherwise be homeless and begging on the streets. They
are loved and cared for every day. They do receive three meals of some
substance everyday which is a blessing. More could be done for them but only 22
of the 45 children in the home are sponsored. You could make a difference if
you would be willing to sponsor a child at Ibonde. Email me for more info.

douge@horizoninterntionalinc.com

Those children have made a difference in me. They inspired
my new diet plan. Since I have been home from Africa I have started every day
with a piece of bread and American coffee.  Occasionally I will supplement with a small
yogurt. I also am reminded to pray for God’s children at Ibonde every morning. That
has had the biggest impact on me. It motivates me to join the children in their
struggle for the life God dreams for them.

The new way to look at dieting is really about a new motive to diet for me.

I am a little self conscious so I usually diet for … Me. Dieting is made necessary because I do a lot of eating for … Me.  In fact I am realizing that I do most of what I do for … you guessed it…Me.  This diet is working because I am doing it for the Ibonde Children.

I am reminded of a verse that says, “So then, whether you eat or not; whether you drink or not; do everything for the glory of God.”

I don’t know if you are interested in a diet plan but I know
you are probably interested in children. Would you join me in praying for the
children at Ibonde and consider sponsoring a child for $35 per month. I think
we would all be happier if our wallets were a little lighter as well.

May 30 2011

The Power of Doing Something Unplanned!

Recently I was driving down the road as I made my way to
work. I had just returned from Africa where, once again, my sense of social and
spiritual equilibrium had been rocked by a chance encounter with another world.
As I was driving I passed a bus that which was decorated with the title, “Two
Ladies and a Bus!”  My guess is that it  is a charter service but I suppose the slogan/title could represent other
business ventures; none safe to mention here.

I love catchy slogans and phrases! There are a lot of them
circulating out there in the “look at me, listen to me “world of marketing. I
think I first started noticing such things in the eighties when the Little Old
Wendy’s Lady asked, “Where’s the Beef?”
That slogan may have been singularly responsible for introducing the new
age of marketing targeting. Since then a cadre of commercial colloquialisms
have hit the scene. Make it funny, odd, unusual and people will look and
listen. For instance, the NFL Superbowl is as much, if not more, about the commercials
as it is about the game. All the commercials employ many kinds of odd, funny,
not so funny, and unusual tactics in order to leave us with a catchy new phrase
that will guide us into the next year of consuming habits.

Not all slogans make it to this level however and I doubt if Two Ladies and a Bus is going to make
it to the Superbowl. In fact it is the first and only time I have seen or heard
such a slogan or the bus for that matter.  The important thing here is that I
noticed.  The slogan worked. I doubt I would have noticed if the bus would have had the title Margaret and Emily and a
Bus. Then again maybe I would have. When I searched the title on the internet I
learned a great deal more about the innovative ladies who own “the bus.”

I think this particular slogan is a derivative of another local slogan/business title proffered
by a local moving company called “Two Men and a Truck.” I have seen this title
several times and almost immediately could make the connection between the
slogan and the intention. The ladies and the bus move people; the men and the
truck move things…I think. The irony of these two slogans/titles is that they
helped me process the equilibrium shattering moment I had recently experienced
in Africa.

On the last day with our Spring Break team to Limpopo province our team was asked by our regional coordinator if we could do
something…well…unplanned! Andries, our coordinator, has a network of caregivers
who live in the various villages and serve as the eyes and ears and hands and
feet of Horizon in those villages. They look after our orphan children staying
in touch with them and reporting to Andries any needs or other issues.

Andries had just learned the day before, from one of his caregivers, about a couple of young boys who are living in desperate conditions and he asked if our team could stop by to visit and assess their situation and
pray for them. It wasn’t on our schedule for the day but we sensed that it was
a “divine appointment” we couldn’t miss. When we arrived at the “house” of the
boys it didn’t take long to assess their situation. The oldest boy is 17 and
his younger brother is 13 years old. Their mother died 7 years ago. They are
living by themselves in a rundown shack at the bottom of a hill which allows
water to literally run through their “home” when it rains. When we went into
their home we noticed that what possessions they did have were elevated off of
the ground so as not to get wet. The house itself is made of old wood and tin and
allows rain to come in through the “roof.” There was little, if any, food in
their home.

These brave boys have been living by themselves in these
conditions for at least 7 years. Their mother died when they were 6 and 10
years old respectively.

That is what I was thinking about when I passed the bus
which had the slogan, “Two Ladies and a Bus” which reminded me of the title,
“Two Men and a Truck.” I was thinking about “Two Boys in a Shack.”

The irony is that they have very few possessions to move and
nowhere to go.

The good news is that after we visited and assessed and
prayed and encourage those 2 boys, members of our team donated money to rebuild
their home and also committed to become monthly sponsors so that they could
have food, clothing, and whatever other care they need. Thank you guys.

Sandy and I thank you for allowing us to be involved in
helping children such as these.

This story can be repeated thousands of times over. If you
would be willing to help make a difference for children like these please visit
our website and check out the Sponsor Me button.

Stay well and

Dance with God

April 20

Just Show Up!

Just returned from 3 weeks in Zambia and South Africa. Learned some more very important lessons. Here is one.  There is a link to a photo at the bottom.

I went to see the movie Soul Surfer last week with my mom and Sandy and our niece. It is the story of a young championship surfer named Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a violent attack by a large Tiger shark in Hawaii. I loved the movie and the message. But I have to admit that one of my favorite parts of the experience was during the scene that depicted the shark attack. My mom was sitting next to me and I could tell by the music and tenor of the movie that the shark attack was imminent. I was softly warning those sitting near me that it was about to happen. Didn’t matter! In a flash, via Hollywood’s finest gimmickry, the shark appeared and … well, took not only Bethany’s arm but also the breath and life out of my mom, who, did I mention, was sitting right next to me. I thought I was going to lose my arm as she jolted in her seat and grabbed for anything that could provide a sense of safety. Exhilarating!

I recommend the movie highly. The brief shark scene might be a little much for younger ones (and older ones) but the message is clear and inspiring.

One of my other favorite parts in the movie most may have missed. It was a very simple scene when, after Bethany had lost her arm and was attempting a comeback to surfing, a good friend is offering her encouragement. Bethany replies to her friend’s presence with a phrase which, when understood and lived out, can change the world. In fact I use it often with mission teams as a form of inspiration and encouragement. Bethany thanked her friend for, “Just showing up consistently in her life.”

It is amazing to learn what people think they have to do when they go on a Global Outreach team. Everyone has ideas of some grand and glorious work or task that must be accomplished. And while we never take our tasks or projects or objectives lightly, the most powerful message we bring and the most important thing we do is “show up!” When we “show up” in a community highly populated by orphans, it brings a sense of value and meaning and importance to an often “forgotten” caste of people.

Being “there” is better than being talented or being smart or being clever or rich or really anything else; because being “there” is what matters most. And being there regularly; consistently is what begins to change our worlds; theirs and ours. And being there is something anyone can do!

This was made very real to me last week in South Africa. I was there with two teams. One team had been in a village facilitating a Children’s VBS ministry for the first two days. The team I was with had been conducting a student retreat with African and North American students at the lodge where we stayed.

After the student retreat ended, I took the retreat team to the village where the other team was ministering. Because of some very heavy rains that week we had to park our bus a distance away from the VBS site and walk in. When we were about half way to the site some of the children who knew me from previous teams could see us coming. Immediately they all jumped up and began running towards us to welcome us, shouting, “Jambo is here! Jambo is here!” Jambo is one of the names the kids call me. That is another story. The kids swarmed us and escorted us all back to the ministry site as they jumped and sang excitedly. (See photo link below)

It was one of the most meaningful expressions of love I have ever experienced. Quite simply, it is the result of “just showing up” regularly and consistently.

I thank you for encouraging and empowering Sandy and I to take teams to places like that and change the world for children who desperately need someone to “show up in their lives.”

If you’re interested in “showing up” with us this summer in Capetown or Uganda check out our website at horizoninternationalinc.com/goteams and let me how I can help.

Dance with God

Douge’ (Jambo)

Link to photo

http://www.flickr.com/photos/northviewpics/5621958429/

I am leaving for Africa soon. It’s what I do! I’ll be leading three teams of really excited and envisioned people.

A few days ago I was talking with a pastor friend and he recounted to me a very disheartening email he had received from a member of his church.

This pastor has been to Africa with me several times in the last couple of years and as a result, his world; his family; his relationship to God has been “rocked” because of his experience there. Everything has changed for him, to the point that he speaks frequently in his faith community of Africa and the children of Africa and what God is doing in Africa and of how he thinks God wants to use the church in this county to engage in the battle for the soul of Africa. That is why he received the disheartening email.

 You see, up until a decade ago the battle for Africa was primarily between capitalism and socialist communism. It was a battle of political power and placement for the purpose of wealth and resources. History teaches us that, unfortunately, the church was caught up in some of this politicizing and power playing which has left the African continent and governments in the shape it is in today.

Some of that continues today in many ways but the in other important ways the battle has shifted to a more overtly spiritual battle. Some think it has become a cosmic struggle between Christianity and Islam and other forms of new age isms. Some prominent political leaders in Africa would like to see a Pan African Continent flying the banner of Islam for all nations. In Uganda last year I was made aware of this fact every morning as I heard the Imams (Islamic leaders) calling their adherents to prayer at 6:00 am, over louder speakers that reverberated throughout the city where I was staying. This call to prayer was in itself a prayer that lasted for almost 30 minutes. I have experienced this in several African countries.

 Regardless what you think about this practice, (I personally took it as a challenge and reminder to pray for Muslims during this 30 minute period every day) the fact is: these people are serious about influencing the continent of Africa by their faith and way of life. My thought and question today for us is; “Who are the ones most influenced by all these forces and what are we doing to make a difference for them?”

 In that same city we have a home for children who were born to parents with AIDS. The parents eventually died, but as a result of their illness the children were born HIV positive and now are kept alive by the loving care of our project coordinators who daily administrate vitamins, anti retro-viral drugs and healthy doses of love in the name of Jesus. That’s what we do! Yes, we are taking care of deserving orphan children but just as importantly we are influencing a nation of children who might otherwise be taken captive by one of the many isms that exist on that continent.

So, you can imagine my shock and dismay when my pastor friend told me he had received and email in which a parishioner told him, “If I hear one more sermon about Africa, I am going to vomit.”

I wonder what this person would think if he awoke to the sounds of Imams calling him to prayer at 6:00 am every morning.   

 Just a thought

Stay well and

Dance with God

douge

March 9

Brody is my seven year old nephew.  For some reason he is fascinated by rope.  I don’t know if this is a passing fancy or a lifelong interest. Since he was old enough to grasp, his tiny hands always had to have something in them whether it was spoons (no forks or knives were allowed), rulers or paint sticks (his dad is a painter). He was always carrying something around. Now it is rope. The way I see it, this fascination could develop into one of many careers; some of which would be honorable; cowboy, rock or mountain climber, boy scout leader, just to name a few.

Last week while he was visiting me he asked me for a piece of blue and white rope that was in the back of my truck. See what I mean? I told him I had yellow rope in my truck but I didn’t think I had blue and white rope. He insisted, so did I. He persisted, but I was sure I didn’t have blue and white rope in the back of my truck. He continued asking me about every 5 minutes. He is very persistent when it comes to rope these days. Finally I looked at him and said, Brody, you are very persistent and I appreciate that virtue. It will help you accomplish your goals in life. You won’t have many friends but you will get what you want.”  Then I said, “Just because you are so persistent we are going to go look in the back of my truck for that blue and white rope.”  However, I was certain it did not exist.

Normally the back of my truck is fairly well organized, but it has been a long cold winter so there were a variety of items strewn about including sandbags, de-icing tools, shovels, plastic sleds, and the assortment of my regular cadre of tools. I opened the back of the truck and immediately, and somewhat victoriously, pointed to the yellow rope very near the back of the truck. Brody was not distracted at all by that or any of the other aforementioned contents. He jumped up into the truck and started sorting; pulling; moving everything he could to get to what he knew was there. I was amazed at how he instinctively knew the approximate location of his goal. After about two minutes of activity he found his prize. He turned with a big smile and showed me a coiled up piece of blue and white rope.

Brody’s story reminded me of something very important today. It reminded me that we can often lose track of things in our life that are very important as we pile on and accumulate the responsibilities and demands and stuff of this life. Sometimes the really important stuff gets buried by the urgent or the necessary or the easy.

Psalm 68 reminds me of something very important. It says that God is, “a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows. God sets the lonely in families and leads forth the prisoners with singing.”

Jesus said it this way. “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Just want to say “Thank you” for partnering with us to care for the little “blue and white ropes” of this world. Sometimes they are buried but I hope they are never forgotten.

Dance with God

Feb. 9

I Corinthians 12

Excellence!

I prayed a very dangerous prayer recently. Then I went to the doctor. I really don’t like going to the doctor, for many reasons. First, in order to see the doctor you have to make an appointment. I am never quite sure how the appointment process works, because in 54 years of going to doctors I have never seen the doctor at the appointed time. So when the appointment is scheduled for, let’s say 8:30 in the morning, what does that mean, really? If I arrive at 8:30 I know it will be at least 8:45 before I see the doctor. But if wait until 8:45 before I arrive, will all the people scheduled between 8:30 and 8:45 be allowed to see him before I do?  Then it will be 9:00 or maybe even 9:30 before I see him. Unless of course everyone shows up 15 minutes after their appointed time, which means that we all see the doctor in the appointed order but he actually gets to start his day 15 minutes later. Maybe that is what this is all about. So the whole timing thing is a confusing start to my day. I can’t even imagine what it must be like by 4:00 pm. That is why it is always best to schedule appointments in the morning. After I arrive, whenever that might occur in the medical time line continuum, I sign in and am asked to proceed to the waiting room. The waiting room has to be one of them most intimidating places on earth. It is an environment filled with choices, coughing, crying, staring, wondering and of course, waiting. A myriad of choices have to be made in a few destiny determining seconds. Where do I sit? Everyone here is probably sick. I don’t want to sit next to someone with something I don’t want to catch. Who is here for a “check up’ and who is here with a life threatening viral contagion that may wipe out the planet? I have to choose. That is where the staring comes in. Everyone wants to know my reason for being here and where I will sit. Included in this decision of where to sit is, “what kind of magazine I will read?” Often times the location of the magazine determines where I sit. I have to read, otherwise I begin to stare around the room and wonder about things like, should I say something to the person who is staring at me; did the name the nurse just call belong to someone who signed in after me; when are they going to call my name so I can escape this world of the unknown? And I know that everyone in the room is watching to see which magazine I select in order to determine what kind of person I might be. I normally go for the guy stuff like Sports Illustrated or Popular Mechanics. Occasionally I will opt for the political science stuff like World News Report, but that is tricky because I am not really interested in that kind of reading. I just select those magazines to in order to appear informed of what is happening in the world such as, “What is the Latest World Wide Viral Contagion That May Wipe out the Planet?” This strategy usually backfires however, because I normally end up falling asleep after a few minutes of reading what I think will make me seem to be informed. There really is nothing worse than waking up to the sound of your name being called by a nurse for the fourth time realizing everyone in the room is staring at you as you wipe the drool from your chin. So I pick up the copy of World News Report that has fallen on the floor, place it back on the table and make my way toward freedom. That is when I remember another reason I don’t like going to the doctor. Scales! They have these really accurate scales on which the nurse asks me to stand fully clothed including coat, shoes and cell phone. I look at the number on the scale in front of me and I want to scream, “I don’t weigh that much!” I’m not sure what medical good this information could provide unless the nurse has some formula for deducting the average weight of clothing, a coat, a pair of shoes and a cell phone. What is really disconcerting though is trying to remember if I was wearing my coat and shoes and cell phone that last time I was weighed. I could easily appear 20 pounds over weight or under weight; both, I think I just read, are symptoms of the latest viral contagion that could wipe out the planet.

Finally, I am shown the way to the exam room, asked to take a seat and wait for the doctor. As the exam room door closes I remember the main reason I don’t like going to the doctor. For the next several minutes I sit and wonder what the doctor will discover. Am I alright; healthy; or am I the carrier of the latest………well, you know? It occurs to me that the main reason I don’t like going to the doctor is because I might find out that there is something wrong with me. I don’t like going to the doctor because I don’t want to know what is wrong with me, especially if I feel like there is nothing wrong with me. That was what was so difficult about discovering I had high blood pressure. I felt okay, but every time I saw a medical practitioner of some kind they would do the routine test and tell me I had high blood pressure. I didn’t want to believe it. I stayed in denial for a couple of years until I began having symptoms.

As the doctor walks in I start going into what is called “doctor’s office or white coat hypertension.” It causes even a healthy person’s blood pressure to rise at the thought that the doctor will discover that there is something wrong with them, which of course is validated by the “high” blood pressure reading which then causes what I call the “doctor’s office high blood pressure reading vicious cycle.” I think there is a placebo that can be prescribed for this condition. The good news regarding this visit is that, “doctor’s office hypertension” aside, the doctor give’s me a clean bill of health and renews my prescription for the placebo. As we exchange pleasantries at the end of my appointment, I turn to leave and I have a sense that I should invite him to attend a worship service at the church where I serve. I think I said something like, “Hey doc, why don’t you visit one of our church services and see where I work sometime?” I will never forget the stunned look on his face and the pause in his answer. He looked at me like I was the carrier of a viral contagion that could wipe out the planet and the hesitation in his answer spoke volumes. I could read between the lines and it suddenly occurred to me that he didn’t like going to church for all the same reasons that I don’t like going to the doctor’s office; All the unknowns. Not knowing how to navigate the unusual environment in the beginning; the strange people who might stare: the inconsistent scales; the waiting and wondering; but most of all the fear of discovering that there might be something wrong with him. I call it “infrequent church attendee hypertension.”  If you want to know how an infrequent church attendee feels when you invite them to church, just think about how it feels when you have to go to the doctor or to some other unfamiliar environment, such as a medical insurance meeting. After I went to the doctor’s office I needed to know how to pay his bill so I went to our company’s medical insurance policy meeting. After an hour of listening to all the people in the room who understand terms like predetermination qualification and supplemental co-insurance deductibles, I felt really confused and stupid. The same thought I had in the doctor’s office occurred to me again but in another way. That is how we must sound when we throw around all our faith lingo to people who are not necessarily on the same faith journey as we. I have arrived at three conclusions from all these experiences.

1. The medical community, including insurance companies, can make people like me feel afraid and confused and stupid.

2. The church world is sometimes a lot like the medical community.

3. There has to be a better way.

That brings me back to my prayer. I had just finished reading I Corinthians 12 before I went to the doctor. I Corinthians 12 is a chapter that was written to clear up a lot of confusion and stupidity that was occurring in the church world at that time. At the end of the chapter there is a very important one-line phrase. In light of all that I have just written I have made that phrase a daily prayer for my life. It simply says, “And now I will show you the most excellent way!” I invite you to read I Corinthians 13 and discover what he means. And then I invite you to pray that prayer with me every day, “Lord please show me the most excellent way.” And then I invite you to begin showing your family and your friends and those with whom you work and your doctors and insurance people what you learn. Then when you invite them to church they won’t look at you like you are the carrier of some viral contagion that could wipe out the planet.

Just a thought

I would love to hear yours.  

Gotta go cure world hunger.

Blessings