Pray, Go, Give Blog

I am speaking at a couple of youth groups in Seattle over the next couple of weeks during their mission emphasis. Here is my outline. With 55 years of life and 25+ years of missions experience I have plenty of illustrations to choose from. I am not sure how much I will get to or in what order but I thought this might make interesting discussion. I can use your help if you have anything to add…please do.

It is early in the morning and I am posting while on a week long trip with some friends building a home for a needy family in a remote village of Nayarit, Mexico. See this blog post for more photos and information about the build:  http://clicky.me/9uF   The village is made up of farmers that grow corn, chilis, tobacco and beans. Some of the fields are still plowed using horses or mules. People live simple lives and pray for things like the correct amount of rain so crops will grow but not to much worrying about if it coming in through their roof or walls as they try to get some sleep at night. This year times are tough as more than normal rainfall is taking place and crops are being lost which will mean less income than normal. Yesterday a few of us ate lunch in a families home that consisted of sticks for walls and palm leaves for a roof. We were treated like honored guests as they enthusiastically served chicken soup (I mean everything), beans, salad and juice. It is a meal they can rarely afford to eat. We paid for the food and hoped that they did not feed us all that they had prepared and saved some for themselves. In their simple hut with the wind blowing and rain running through it they had a t.v. which seems to be the only luxury they can afford. I asked if they had been watching the Olympics. They looked confused and said they did not know what the Olympics were.  That seemed wierd. After eating we asked them what we could pray about and they asked that the rain would stop so the beans did not rot and that they could find work, stay dry at night and warm up. I also prayed silently about God supplying a team to build them a home.

We (Alternative Missions) use and I recommend the resources provided by Ministry Insights for team building. In particular I recommend the "Leading From Your Strengths" profile. If you are looking for team buidling tools I think you would find this helpful.

to withdraw from illusion and pleasure, from worldly anxieties and desires, from the works that God does not want, from a glory that is only human display;

Before I get started let me point you to a worthy New Years Resolution (make that a life resolution).

Here are some books that share important concepts and have made a significant difference in my life. When I have the opportunity I encourage new missionaries and people looking to be involved in ministry to make these "must reads".

What an amazing time we live in! We have so many ways to keep in touch, encourage, and mobilize folks into being involved with us as we PRAY, GO, and GIVE.

This is a great time of year to remember and acknowledge the amazing things that God has done in our lives and ministries. With that in mind check out these short videos that the Cofradia team has put together.