What the World Doesn't Do

I'v been chewing on this from the beginning of my journey as a Christian missionary. I've always wondered how the Non-christian portion of American society sees Christian missions. Does the American "world" see God's power because the American church is missional internationally? Does the church testify to Grace and validity of Jesus because of the American missional outreach to the world? If it's not clear what I am asking, let me clarify by starting with an equal comparison. 

AAH: Action Against Hunger; www.aah-usa.org

ADRA: Adventist Development and Relief Agency International: www.adra.org

Air Serv International: www.airserv.org

AFSC: American Friends Service Committee: www.afsc.org

American Jewish World Service: www.ajws.org

American Red Cross: www.redcross.org

ARC: American Refugee Committee; www.archq.org

AmeriCares:www.americares.org

CARE: www.care.org

Catholic Relief Services; www.catholicrelief.org

Childreach/Plan International USA: www.childreach.org

Christian Children’s Fund: www.ChristianChildrensFund.org

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee: www.crwrc.org

CWS: Church World Service; the service agency for the National Council of Churches (USA); www.churchworldservice.org

Concern Worldwide US: www.concernusa.org

Direct Relief International: www.directrelief.org

Doctors of the World: www.doctorsoftheworld.org

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Food for the Hungry, Inc.: www.fh.org

International Aid: www.internationalaid.org, www.gospelcom.net/ia

International Catholic Migration Commission: www.icmc.net

IMC: International Medical Corps: www.imc-la.com

IRC: International Rescue Committee: www.irc.org, www.theIRC.org

Latter-Day Saint Charities:             800-240-1201 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            800-240-1201      end_of_the_skype_highlighting      

Lutheran World Relief: www.lwr.org

MAP International: www.map.org

MCI: Mercy Corps International: www.mercycorps.org

NMIT: Northwest Medical Team International: www.nwmedicalteams.org

Operation USA: www.opusa.org

Oxfam America: www.oxfamamerica.org

Refugees International: www.refugeesinternational.org

Relief International: www.ri.org

Salvation Army World Service Office: www.salvationarmyusa.org

SC/US (SCF/US): Save the Children/US: www.savethechildren.org

United Methodist Committee on Relief: http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor

USA for UNHCR: www.usaforunhcr.org

United States Fund for UNICEF: www.unicefusa.org

United Way International: www.uwint.org

Women’s EDGE: www.womensedge.org

World Concern; www.worldconcern.org 

World Relief: www.worldrelief.org

World Vision: www.wvi.org

This is a list of google searched, "Humanitarian Organizations." I left the Christian organizations

mixed in with the secular organizations on purpose. It all sounds the same. "Action Against

Hunger" and "Food for the Hungry" really sound like the same thing despite the fact that one is

gospel centric and one is a secular humanitarian organization. You can slip the word "Christian"

or "Catholic" in the name, but I really don't think in changes much. 

The only real way to tell the difference is to actually go on a trip with these organizations. In our

case, if you come on a trip with Casas, we communicate that the main goal is the gospel and

not necessarily to end poverty. In light of this, It's obvious to us that the Non-Christian portion of
the US doesn't go on a trip with a Christian mission organization. From our experience, church
groups go on trips with Christian organizations. My opinion is that America's Non-Christian
portion of society will not see the power of the gospel through American based international
missions. It may be revealed by those who went on the trip sharing their experience with their
neighbor, but left alone, the Non-Christian America populous will not see God's work, fingerprint,
or power because they are not there to experience it or see how it differentiates from
Humanitarian organizations. 

I am not saying that those ministered to by American based missions don't see Christ, on the

contrary, I think that they absolutely do. So what is the point of me writing this?

My point is, international missions isn't the light that America needs. I have tended to think that
what I am doing will be a light to the world. It is, just not to those whom I came from. America is a
unique place. No one is sending missionaries to the US because, generally speaking, the global
church sees America as the most Christian centric country. We have been sending the most
missionaries to other countries than any other country. I think South Korea may have just
overtook us but don't quote me on that. Because missionaries aren't sent by outside sources, it
is up to Christian here in the US to be the missionaries to its own people. In light of that, its only
going to get done by those who aren't paid clergymen. Pastors and priests generally don't leave
their Christian bubble. 


Missions organization and missionaries may blend in to humanitarianism, but if you would go
love your neighbor, you can bet that you won't blend in. Our society is not out loving and being
intentional with their neighbor. They are comfortable inside their homes, enjoying there kingdom,
staying out of everybody's business. Go stand out. Go be missional to your neighborhood and
the people you work with. Be your communties missionary. Jose in his shack need Jesus just as
much as your neighbor Bob does. May the power of God be seen through your passion and
transformed heart. Give the United States what it is lacking most. Missionaries. 

Looking Forward to the Future

For awhile, it felt very unstable around here. Since 2007, the number of volunteer groups coming to Mexico has been on the decline. One word has stood out the most to the groups that used to come. That word is "Liability." The truth is, if a church organizes a trip to Mexico and something happens, somebody is going to be liable. Pastors, elders, deacons, church leadership, and parents are having a hard time letting there congregation or children participate in missions where the risk is so great and liability stands in the way.

I'm not going to go in to the specifics or whether I think this is right or wrong, but I wanted to say that because we haven't posted a blog entry for a year. The reason we haven't written anything or celebrated ministry the way we should have is because when you write a blog, you want to describe how well ministry is going. You want to say you are supporting something that is succeeded. You want to write that God is good and everything is grand. Truth is, Julie and I were swimming in a sea of uncertainty and inevitable failure. That sounds crazy, and in hindsight isn't really true, but right or wrong that's how we felt.

News hit last April that the ministry was going to have to lay off five missionaries. My initial thought was we were on the way out because I am the newest hire and the youngest missionary here. I contacted several people about jobs that may be open and prayed for internal peace. April and May were tough. We waited and prayed. It was hard to see something that we had given ourselves so completely to reveal the first real tangible signs of failure and closure. Casas por Cristo has been used by God to do so much in the communities that we build in. To see such a beautiful thing in jeopardy of going out of business is a tough pill to swallow and causes one to ask "God, why?"

The instability that we found ourselves in was enough to blind us to the good that was happening. We were still building. In fact, we still led twenty builds in 2011. That's twenty families whose lives were changed and hearts opened to the gospel message. We saw several families put their faith in Jesus. It is frustrating that the excitement of that passed us by because we were to busy looking at the raging waves of the sea rather than focusing on the beauty of Jesus.

It just so happens that we weren't laid off. We had to say goodbye to five friends, but God kept us here. It just so happens that we ended the year financially stable as a ministry. It also just so happens that we planted our ministry in Guatemala and already have 20 houses scheduled there for 2012. The question is, why do we doubt God and despair when failure seems inevitable. We need to remember this ministry is God's and it is in His hands. Success or fail, it's God's.

After an unstable 2011, we feel that our feet are planted firmly on the ground for 2012. These Guatemala registrations can't help but make us feel like we have a good foot hold. God was good in 2011 even though it didn't seem like it most of the time. Like David in that Psalms, we look back and see God's goodness and know that it will be there for the future.