The Day After

The door on the loading dock closed late Sunday afternoon at the vacant Kroger Store in Liberty Township. As the last of the volunteers left, we locked the front door and then headed home. To be honest, it was hard to believe what happened these past few days. The Kids Against Hunger team started loading and preparing the “move in” on Thursday and did not stop until the “move out” on Sunday. No pay. No wonderful dinners served while working. No crowds cheering them on. No pictures on the front page of the Cincinnati Enquirer. But they understand the Treasure Principle well – their rest and rewards will come later. Here is what this team accomplished after many long hours of personal sacrifice:

Well over 1000 people of all ages came and packed Kids Against Hunger packets for the orphans and starving children of Haiti
14 tons of rice, 7 tons of soy, 1 ton of vitamins/minerals and over 50,000 cups of dried vegetables were used
There was nothing left to pack as of 7:30 PM Saturday night – the supplies were exhausted
Nearly 49 pallets of food were jammed into the shipping container – the goal was 40 pallets
As a result, the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission will receive 348,000 meals (the goal was 285,000)

As we planned the Haiti Pack-A-Thon, many people took me aside at various times, and remarked (well intentioned) Are we to go and spend that much? Their questions were valid as the expense for the supplies alone to feed the children of Haiti were great. And now the day after, our financing challenge has moved quite a bit higher than budgeted (at 25¢ a meal, do the math and see what I mean). And with that, this story comes to mind:

By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." But he answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages. Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?" (Mark 6:35-37)

I believe that the words of Jesus to His disciples are just as valid today as they were then when they faced a hungry crowd of people (about 20,000 men, women and children). You give them something to eat. The disciples must have looked at one another with eyes of disbelief at what He said. Back then, I would have reacted the same way I suppose. Are we to go and spend that much? They must have been thinking: We have plans for the money we do have and this project of yours was not one of those plans.

Admittedly, I could be wrong and I should not have planned the Haiti Pack-A-Thon until all of the funds were in hand. It may have been safer that way. But what is a child worth? For me and the Kids Against Hunger team, knowing that 1 child dies from hunger every 6 seconds creates a sense of urgency. Children are the image bearers of Christ for the next generation. There is only one entity that wants them to perish. Can you guess who that is?

I believe by faith that the Lord will provide what is needed – just in time – as He stirs the hearts of people and His church to give. Back then, the miracle was a small boy’s lunch providing food for 20,000 people. Today, it is just money that is needed. He has already provided the food!

348,000 life saving meals will leave today for Haiti – the day after He demonstrated another incredible miracle of multiplication – countless volunteers filling small bags with 22 tons of life saving food. If you were there, thank you. If you gave, thank you. If you prayed, thank you. If you sent a word of encouragement to the team, thank you. You were part of the miracle.

And thank you Lord for what you have done and will do over these next few days as we wait upon You.

Reality Check

A small team of us just returned from the northwest area of Haiti in preparation for the Haiti Pack-A-Thon this weekend. It is hard to describe the sheer magnitude of the poverty and brokenness of the people there. As a result of this trip, I am even more appreciative of the efforts of mission groups like the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission (and others) that are standing in the gap for these people. To be honest, their sacrifices humble me.

There are far too few relief groups on the ground and their challenges are greater than we can imagine because the needs are so great. How great? The attached story gives you a glimpse into the life a Haitian child. It is something we need to understand and grapple with. Children given away because their parents love them enough to suffer the pain of not seeing them again so that their children may live. The story is a reality check about what love means. Amy Carmichael once said that you can give without loving BUT you cannot love without giving.


As I read the Miami Herald article and held the children in Haiti, I wondered what the Lord must be thinking about the poverty, the magnitude of the suffering and the injustice. And I remembered that Isaiah 59 has a lot to say about justice. Worth reading and as you do, remember this. God the Father could not love without giving ~ and He did ~ He gave His Son away for us so that we may live.

God looked and saw evil looming on the horizon, so much evil and no sign of Justice. He couldn't believe what he saw: not a soul around to correct this awful situation. So he did it himself, took on the work of Salvation, fueled by his own Righteousness. He dressed in Righteousness, put it on like a suit of armor, with Salvation on his head like a helmet, Put on Judgment like an overcoat , and threw a cloak of Passion across his shoulders. Isaiah 59:15-16

The Haiti Pack-A-Thon starts this Friday. Saturday sessions are full but you can fill a session on Friday and help us achieve the goal of nearly 300,000 Kids Against Hunger meals for the children of Haiti. We are also very short of the needed funds to pay for these supplies and ask that you prayerfully consider what you or your church can do to help.

If you do not have the time to come or the funds to donate, please consider a word of encouragement. I will share your thoughts with the Kids Against Hunger team in Cincinnati and the missionaries on the field. They are an awesome group of servants giving of themselves for the children.

The Light Switch

Many of you know that I was not always a follower of Christ. Oh, I knew of Him from a young age but only from a distance. That changed back in 1990. Since then, my desire to follow Him has not changed although my sense of what that means surely has. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ can be very easy. Being a follower of Jesus Christ is not so easy.

• When you follow Him, you go to places that are hard and challenging
• When you follow Him, you give away things of value
• When you follow Him, you end up trusting in Him although you can’t see Him
• When you follow Him, you join a special forces unit like the Navy Seals, engaged in a battle for the hearts, minds and souls of the lost
• When you follow Him, your heart hurts more than you want it to - often
  

There is a big difference between being a disciple of Christ and a fully devoted, sold out follower of Christ. The former is easy and the latter is not.

As we get closer to the Haiti Pack-A-Thon, the magnitude of what must be done for the children of Haiti takes my breath away. Many that I approach for help are busy that weekend, some are not interested, others shrug their shoulders, some say that the poor are not their mission field. Some comment that the children need to learn to feed themselves (duh). So I go to the next door, the next contact and the next church asking for volunteers and donations. I confess that after the doors close, I wonder why I am doing this? Why am I asking our Kids Against Hunger leaders to keep giving and working so hard? Deep inside I know the answer. The light that we carry shines on the One we are following so others will see where to go.

The Lord reminded me why we started A Child's Hope International and why Kids Against Hunger exists in what Isaiah wrote long ago:

“…if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry, and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” (Isaiah 58:10)

There we go again. The difference between a casual disciple and a fully devoted follower. It costs something to be sold out for Jesus Christ. Add that one to the list

Many years after Isaiah, Jesus spoke these words:

You are like light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lamp stand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven
(Matthew 5:14-16)

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, with more than 50% of her population surviving on less than $1 a day and almost 45% of her people under 18 years of age. One child out of twelve dies before the age of five, from starvation, preventable diseases, and water-related illnesses.

Isaiah said that if we spend ourselves for the hungry our light will shine. Jesus said make your light shine. So here is the important question?

How is your light doing?

The Haiti Pack-A-Thon is Sept 26-27 http://www.achildshopeintl.org/Haiti.html Could this be the light switch you have been looking for?

Learn to do good

When leaders lead well, others are lifted up. When leaders lead poorly, others are held down.

One difference between good and bad leaders is this: bad leaders lack conviction, courage and concern for others. They are more concerned about protecting their ground (like position, power, and prestige) than in helping others get to higher ground. Know of any leaders like that?

This is a not a political message but there was something said last night by John McCain that stayed with me. Near the close of his speech he said:

Feed a hungry child…Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights of the oppressed. Our country will be the better, and you will be the happier, because nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.

I see parallels from Isaiah 1:17

… Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans…

Humble leaders lead by example and personal sacrifice– they have conviction, courage and concern for others – getting others to higher ground. Prideful leaders are more interested in what keeps them in power on their ground. The Lord had a lot to say about prideful, Pharisaical leaders (Isaiah 1:15-17 from the Message Paraphrase)

Quit your worship charades. I can't stand your trivial religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings - meetings, meetings, meetings- I can't stand one more!
Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You've worn me out! I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I'll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I'll not be listening. And do you know why? Because you've been tearing people to pieces… Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don't have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Isaiah 1:15-17

Look at that short phrase “learn to do good” carefully. To learn something requires repetition, practice. You don’t just read about doing good – you do good. Good leaders and those that follow them have conviction, courage and concern for others. As a result, others are lifted up. Isaiah’s message is profoundly simple.

The children in Haiti are malnourished and starving to death. You can help. Volunteer just 2 hours of your time to pack Kids Against Hunger meals at the Haiti Pack-A-Thon on Sept 26-27. You can register at http://achildshopeintl.org/Haiti.html . If you have funds, spend them. Each Kids Against Hunger meal is produced for 25¢ and the 285,000 we have planned for Haiti will need funds.

Learn to do good. Makes sense to me.