As I sit here in the comforts of my living room with the sun shining through the window and light snow falling I can't help but think about how different our lives will be in one year from now. Everyone we share the news with, about our trip, comments on how amazing it will be and how much our kids will benefit from the experiences. I have to agree but what will make it amazing for me? In my heart I know that in order for me to feel it was worth the effort to make this a reality will be how much of a difference we, or more specifically I will make. To do missions is great in theory, but what do I have to offer? I am doing a lot of soul searching at the moment and praying for God's guidance to reveal to me His plan for this trip. To quote from a book I am currently reading and may want to refer back to again (on our trip) here are some things worth remembering:
"The average North American enjoys a standard of living that has been unimaginable for most of human history. Meanwhile, 40 percent of the earth's inhabitants eke out an existence on less than two dollars per day. No single sector can alleviate poverty on its own. Like all human beings, poor people have a range of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. Hence, appropriate interventions for poor people include such diverse sectors as economic development, health, education, agriculture, spiritual formation, etc. While we all have a responsibility to help the poor, there is enormous diversity in the ways that each person is to fulfill this biblical mandate. Remember, the goal is for everyone involved to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever, not just to increase people's incomes. All of us have been heavily influenced by the modern worldview, which believes that human reason and effort are able to understand and control the material world without a need for understanding or relying upon God. As a result, we are very prone to putting our trust in ourselves and in technology to improve our lives, forgetting that it is God who is the Creator and Sustainer of us and of the laws that make the technology work."
What I am seeing is that all the money in the world will not solve a persons, community, village, or countries problems. Relying solely on ourselves will never work and we will never be satisfied. You just have to take a look at all the people in the world who are extremely wealthy yet still not happy. A person's worth or happiness is not based on their income, it is measured by the number of satisfying relationships in their life beginning with a relationship with our Creator.
"A helpful first step in thinking about working with the poor in any context is to discern whether the situation calls for relief, rehabilitation, or development. In fact, the failure to distinguish among these situations is one of the most common reasons that poverty-alleviation efforts often do harm. "Relief" can be defined as the urgent and temporary provision of emergency aid to reduce immediate suffering from a natural or man-made crisis. "Rehabilitation" begins as soon as the 'bleeding' stops; it seeks to restore people and their communities to the positive elements of their pre crisis conditions. "Development" is a process of ongoing change that moves all the people involved-both the "helpers" and the "helped" - closer to being in right relationship with God, self, others, and the rest of creation. Development is not done to people or for people but with people. One of the biggest mistakes that North Americans make-by far-is in applying relief in situations in which rehabilitation or development is the appropriate intervention."
Keeping the above in mind I will strive to build relationships with those I meet and apply the principle's I've learned so that my efforts do make a difference and their lives as well as my own will benefit.
Whew...... all for now!
