Uganda.

Well it's only five days until my feet are on African soil!  I'm heading there for the first time and I must say I am nervously excited.  I don't really know what to expect. I mean I've read Lonely Planet's East Africa section on Uganda. I've watched movies like The Last King of Scotland, Hotel Rwanda, Invisible Children, and an Unconventional War. I've visited with people who have been to Uganda. I've looked at the area through Google Earth.  I've studied Joseph Kony, the LRA and Africa's longest standing war of 23 years in Northern Uganda.  I've read about the misplaced people of Uganda.  But it's all been intellectual and distant.  I don't know what to expect as I will be thrust into the mix of all that has been and is Uganda.  I look forward to seeing, smelling, hearing and tasting Uganda first hand!  I am told things like, "You'll never be the same", and "It will change you"; so I am anxious to get there.  My prayer is for a soft heart, an open mind and eyes that see the movement of God.

Churches Helping Churches: Haiti

Wow! Very powerful! Here Pastor Mark Driscoll is sharing about his recent trip to Haiti, and the new ministry of Churches Helping Churches. Watch and pray.

Mission Work

A breath of fresh air walked into my office this week in the form of someone I had never met. They have lived abroad most of their adult life and invested a lot in US missionaries, not as a profession, but just out of life circumstances that turned into a calling.  This person shared with me from the heart some simple yet profound observations related to missions.  Here's what was shared:

• We have to move forward in prayer.
• We are really just showing up, and God does the work.
• It's not about numbers, it's about obedience.
• Helping the marginalized is required, but it's messy and often unsuccessful.
• What you reward happens, what you tax or make difficult disappears.
• Missions is about giving not getting.
• It's about being not doing.

Three Cups of Tea

I just finished this book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson.
This is an inspiring story of how Greg is a champion for peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  The story gives first person insight into the muslim world, the Taliban, and education.  Greg was an avid mountain climber who after failing to peak out on K2 wandered into a village and saw children doing their school work outdoors on the ground using sticks to do write their math problems in the dirt.  The story follows his vision and commitment to build schools for these children and so many more especially targeting education to girls. Greg has built over 80 schools to date! You will enjoy the adventure, the frustrations and the endurance of Greg.

I was personally inspired by how Greg just did not give up in the midst of extreme adversity ranging from imprisonment, to war.  In  many muslim cultures they drink tea to do business.  The first cup of tea you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third you join the family; and for their families they are prepared to do anything-even die.  The part of this book that meant the most to me was when Greg talks about how Haji Ali taught him to share three cups of tea, to slow down and make building relationships as important as building projects.  He taught him that he had more to learn from the people he is working with than he could ever hope to teach them.
What a great concept as it relates to foreign missions!

The Poor Will Be Glad

Last month I finished the book The Poor Will Be Glad by Peter Greer & Phil Smith.  This was a great follow up book to When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert.
Peter Greer is the president of Hope International an exciting global faith-based microfinance organization that serves hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs in fourteen impoverished countries.

If you are the least bit interested in microfinace this book is a must read.  It is very educational, and chock full of resources.  I was so inspired after reading it I was ready to start my own microfinance organization.  As I head to Uganda next month I will be looking at need through the eyes of microfinance.
Microfinance is all about helping the poor regain their dignity!

Peter puts it this way and I can't help but agree, "If the Church in America wants to make a lasting difference on poverty in the most desperate places of the world, we need to reorient our thinking away from traditional charity to economic development...from hand-outs to hand-ups, from dependency to dignity, from short-term to long-term. And perhaps most importantly, we need to reorient our thinking from us coming in and "solving the problems of the poor".  We might be able to provide sustenance for today, but lasting change is only possible when we partner with the poor in addressing physical and spiritual poverty and equip them to become the change they hope to see."

I am personally making a shift in my thinking towards the poor.  How can I be a part and lead others in helping the poor discover the assets that they have and not just point out the obvious needs that they have.  I want to be about development and long-term solutions as opposed to relief and shot-term band-aids.

Friends of North Richmond Launches!

Today we had our official launch of the Friends of North Richmond initiative that our church is doing. This initiative is about mobilizing our church body to care for and serve a very impoverished neighborhood just five miles from our church's front door.

Today was an exciting day as we announced the amount of money we had raised in December, unveiled the new construction trailer we will be using and registered many new great volunteers.

This past December we had baskets at the rear of our worship center for three weeks where we challenged the River Pointe body to give over and above their normal giving to the Friends of North Richmond initiative. Internally we had a goal of $60k. In December of '08 we had raised $40k for a special project so our thought process of increasing the goal during a down economy was a big faith step! Little did we know, as we seldom do, what God was up to. This initiative has really captured the hearts of our church family who generously gave 3 times our goal. Over those three Sunday's in December we raised $208,000! To God be the glory!

Here are a couple pictures from today:

Where You go I go.

So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does". - John 5:19

This song "Where you go I go" sung here by Kim Walker really has been moving me lately.  Check it out:

Haiti.

Wow my heart is so heavy for Haiti!  Please pray for this nation, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.  Pray that God's spirit would move freely.  Pray that justice would reign freely.  Pray for the children and especially the girls who are being sold, right alongside cigarettes. Read more about that here. Pray that those caught up in human trafficking would be invaded by the love of Jesus Christ and turn from their wicked ways! In the midst of the unbelievable damage caused by the earthquake, money is needed for food, shelter, and medical supplies for thousands of people.  Obviously the needs in Haiti right now are very diverse but when third world countries like Haiti experience natural disasters, access to clean water is the top emergency need.  On a good day Haiti has major clean water issues, now with this disaster its incalculable what their water crisis is!  There are many reputable charities that are involved int he relief effort.  As you evaluate your options, please consider giving here to Living Water International.  This is what my family has decided to do.  I plan to lead a water well repair team here in the coming months.  Please pray.

Still here.

Wow, I can believe it's been a month since my last blog entry.  I got out of the habit over Christmas break, but so much has happened.  In the month of December we took up a second offering at our church for our Friends of North Richmond initiative.  God blew us away!  The church surpassed our internal goal by 3 and a half times!  God is so good!  This initiative has really struck a chord with our church body.  This Sunday is our official launch, it's going to be an exciting day.
I am prepping for my trip to Uganda which is just days away. I am heading there with a couple of other leaders across the US to build relationships with Ugandan leaders that will potentially become long-term partnerships to help with the spiritual, economic and community development of various villages.  I am very excited for this trip, my first to Africa!