I saw this on a friends (JR) blog, and was kindof surprised, and definitely saddened by some of the numbers. Two things specifically jumped out at me, the fact that only a third of the world is followers of Christ, and half of the world is malnourished. But check it out for yourself HERE.

If the World Were a Village of 100 People

If we could reduce the world’s population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, the demographics would look something like this:

The village would have 60 Asians, 14 Africans, 12 Europeans, 8 Latin Americans, 5 from the USA and Canada, and 1 from the South Pacific

51 would be male, 49 would be female

82 would be non-white; 18 white

67 would be non-Christian; 33 would be Christian

80 would live in substandard housing

67 would be unable to read

50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation

33 would be without access to a safe water supply

39 would lack access to improved sanitation

24 would not have any electricity (And of the 76 that do
have electricity, most would only use it for light at night.)

7 people would have access to the Internet

1 would have a college education

1 would have HIV

2 would be near birth; 1 near death

5 would control 32% of the entire world’s wealth; all 5 would be US citizens

33 would be receiving –and attempting to live on– only 3% of the income of “the village”

My initial reaction was, am I a part of this problem; what am I doing to be a part of the solution? What’s your reaction?

(for additional information and/or the data for these stats visit this website: http://www.familycare.org/news/if_the_world.htm)

Pamela.
That’s the name of another girl that has broken my heart.
She’s a beautiful kindergartner I met Monday at the Douglas children’s home. Through another series of *cough* random (i.e., God) events, I was able to connect with a group of Americans who go weekly to a childrens home to feed them lunch. I hesitated at first, because it didn’t seem like enough. Their plan was explained to me by someone at met at church: they go there once a week and feed the kindergartners lunch. Then they go home. They are only there about an hour. After hearing this plan I hesitated. It didn’t seem like enough. Then I remembered this poem. Also, after one of the ladies explained to me that the kids aren’t starving, but are barely getting enough food to get by; and aren’t really getting much fruit. And after seeing all the smiling faces and hugs the kids had for these ladies, I am sure they are making a difference.
Anyways, let’s get back to Pamela. Stephanie and she were the first two kids to notice there was a new American in the crew this week. They looked to the women to make sure it was ok, and once they figured out I was with them, and spoke Spanish and everything; it was like the happiest day of their lives. Stephanie grabbed my face and carefully studied my eyes. She then told me they were very blue and very pretty. I told her thank you and hers were brown and even prettier. She smiled from ear to ear. At one point I was playing with 5 or 6 of them, and 5 more were screaming my name to play with them too. I don’t know who had more fun, them or me! I don’t know if it was because they don’t get much interaction with positive male role models, or they just really wanted to attention and to be loved. Either way, I was loving on them as best I could. But then came time to leave. Other than the sweat on my brow, it felt like I had just gotten there. But we (me and the kids) clearly weren’t ready to go. Pamela latched on to my neck with all the strength a 5 year old girl can muster. It was a hug I won’t soon forget. Now, I don’t yet know her story, but I couldn’t help but want to take her home. I would have done (and will do) anything for this little girl to know Jesus and be happy. The rest of the afternoon I was in a daze as different thoughts and analogies rolled through my mind. I thought of how Jesus loved the little children. I thought of how we should love Christ and cling to him with all the strength we can muster. I thought of how much of a difference a little love can make in a persons life. I thought of that starfish poem again. And then, I tried to escape it all and go see a movie to get my mind off it. It didn’t work. I cried in the theater. Yes, I am man enough to admit it. I cried like a little girl. Even as I write this today, I am a little choked up. I don’t know why I am sharing this with you, I guess I just needed to get it off my chest. I don’t know what I am going to do next. Currently I am working out some ideas, of how I can serve there more or at the other orphanage I volunteer at on occasion. I am praying for God to work out the details of what I can do. At present there are several things I need to consider before jumping onboard with one or both of these orphanages. First, they both are located quite far away. It requires an expensive cab ride, or nearly 2 hours in a bus and a mediocre cab ride. I also don’t want to let this interfere with my current obligations in the church.
I don’t know what else to say. But that’s what’s on my heart right now.

p.s. i just found this link to their website its worth a look.

a special thanks to my friend Michelle who posted this poem on her blog

THE STARFISH POEM

Once upon a time there was a wise man
who used to go to the ocean
to do his writing.
He had a habit of walking
on the beach
before he began his work.
One day he was walking along
the shore.
As he looked down the beach,
he saw a human
figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself to think
of someone who would
dance to the day.
So he began to walk faster
to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw
that it was a young man
and the young man wasn’t dancing,
but instead he was reaching
down to the shore,
picking up something
and very gently throwing it
into the ocean.
As he got closer he called out,
“Good morning! What are you doing?”
The young man paused,
looked up and replied,
“Throwing starfish in the ocean.”
“I guess I should have asked,
why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?”
“The sun is up and the tide is going out.
And if I don’t throw them in they’ll die.”
“But, young man, don’t you realize that
there are miles and miles of beach
and starfish all along it.
“You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely.
Then bent down, picked up another starfish
and threw it into the sea,
past the breaking waves and said-
“It made a difference for that one.”

4 Months! In a couple weeks I will complete my fourth month here in Monterrey. It’s hard to believe that I have been here for almost a third of a year! Time is flying by! I feel like I have accomplished a lot, but there is so much more to do. I have already learned a lot, but I know there is much more to learn. Our church (God via our church) has made a big difference in the city of Monterrey, but its just a drop in the bucket. I feel like I have seen a lot, but there is so much more I want to see. I think you get the idea.
I was writing to a friend the other day, and it struck how much my mentality has changed in the past four months. When I first got here, I was all about going out and approaching all these strangers in the mall or in the park; to share the gospel with them. Many of them prayed with me right there, but thereafter were nowhere to be found. I get the feeling that people are just being nice, not wanting to offend this poor foreigner. I’m afraid that many of them haven’t truly accepted God. And that I cannot accept. So unconsciously, I switched things up a little. As hard as it is for me to hold back; I don’t share the gospel the first time I meet someone. I just try to get to know them. I just love on them. Most of them have grown up in a churchy/religious tradition type family. They believe in God; buts that about as far as it goes. He is not one of their priorities. This is something I feel this culture has very much in common with the USA. It’s a good thing we serve an all-powerful God! He can easily overcome any personal barriers. He never changes, and therefore is as important and relevant as He was 3,000 years ago.
please pray for me in this area. It is very hard for me to hold back from telling people why I am really here. The answer I started with was “I’m a missionary, let me tell you about Jesus…” and now its more like, “I volunteer with a couple different organizations and churches. God told me to come here, so I’m just hanging out, making the best of my time here; trying to meet new people and stuff”. It’s a struggle for me to deal with the reality that if I get percieved as coming on too strong, or too “Christiany” people will immediately set up barriers and close doors. I am doing my best to find the balance between standing firm in my faith, and without compromising; not coming across too strong. The last thing I want to do, is see a bunch people shoot up like “weeds” only to die out just as quickly because they lack roots. A friend also told me a comforting refrence from the Bible, [2 corinthians 2:16] that to some people we are the frangrance of life, and to others we are the stench of death.
What do you think?

How are people responding to the message that you are communicating?
I have experienced a variety of responses, and the majority has been very positive. Most people are very open and interested in our work. However, there are some people who are tied very strongly to the Catholic Church and are therefore skeptical, and closed off, to anything contrary to it. Traditions are very important and meaningful in this culture (and in most) and we must respect, but not necessarily condone them. Most people are very friendly, willing to listen, and willing to help. I am not a big fan of numbers (because I do not believe they indicate success) but this should help you better understand our situation: we started church services about 4 months ago, and last week we had approximately 75 locals attending our Sunday services. We have also seen a lot of positive growth throughout the various small groups, and several people being baptized.

How could people that live in the US help you in the ministry that you are doing?
There are generally 4 ways (but if you think of another I’ll listen) people can join our team. First, and most important, is through prayer. Second, is through volunteering of your time. That might mean coming down to visit, instead of a vacation. We occasionally have small teams that come down for short mission trips. We always welcome more visitors, and always have plenty of ways for you to help serve. Another way is through generous donations of your financial resources. Monterrey is a very expensive city, and as much as I wish it wasn’t, money is necessary to survive. And the fourth way to help is through spreading the word. Sharing this concern at a prayer meeting, with friends, at other churches, and anyone who is interested in hearing about the expansions of Gods kingdom!

How many people have you seen coming to the Lord since you got there?
This is a great question, and arguably the most important. It’s also difficult to answer. I can’t see what is truly in a person’s heart. It’s an answer that only God knows. While evangelizing to strangers in the mall, parks, and on some college campuses; I have seen numerous people pray with me to accept Christ. However, the majority of them are not keeping in contact with us. There are also a large number of people who “used to go to church.” A lot of people would go to church as a tradition, when they were younger, but then left for a while. So it’s hard to know if they were already saved when they were younger. But we know they are now. We have also had many people who have without a doubt, changed their entire life to follow Jesus. I don’t know for sure, but I would say at least 20 in the past 4 months. Also, we have baptized three people.

What are you doing to keep yourself focused on the task that God has placed in your heart?
Prayer. Lots and lots of Prayer. I take a day to fast and pray at least once a month. I am under close supervision and accountability by my pastors and friends (both here and back home). But for me, this is a passion that God has put on my heart; that I would not be able to ignore even if I tried. One thing that I have noticed is that it is difficult to say no to other good things. There are many other opportunities that I see, or have been invited to; but if I said yes to everything I would burn myself out, and wouldn’t be able to give 100% to the specific vision God has put before me. In order to do this, I follow the advice of proverbs 15:22 and seek wise counsel.

How can we pray for you and your ministry?
Wisdom, patience, passion, humbleness, boldness, and faith. Also, financial stability and we will need to find a larger room soon (if we continue growing at our current pace) to rent for our weekend services.

What are the greatest challenges for you as a missionary?
The most obvious would be adjusting to the cultural differences. It is quite easy to fall into the trap of comparing cultures. This results in saying that one culture is better or worse than the other. I want to avoid criticizing something just because it is different. I also don’t want to alienate myself from my original culture. I also need to evaluate weather a certain aspect of culture is something I should accept and adapt to, or if it is not Biblical, and I need to have the courage to stand out against it. I don’t want to abandon all my personality and cultural traits and simply mimic what I see others doing here. However I don’t want to resist everything that is done here and hold on too tightly to irrelevant things of my past. Haven grown up in the church, I have a lot of experience with different programs, leadership styles, etc. A major challenge for me when I first arrived was to not be overly critical of this church. My gut reaction was to say, at my church, we did this; and it works a lot better than what you’re doing. I had to take a step back and convince myself that things work a lot differently here. And knowing when to chalk something up to a cultural difference and when to offer constructive criticism requires wisdom beyond my reach. Another challenge that is not as obvious (but is the number one reason why missionaries leave the field), is other missionaries. For me, it is even more difficult, because most missionaries go as a team with others from their home country. However, I am working with a team of missionaries from a different country. So I have to balance my culture with their culture and with the culture of the locals. It can get complicated and frustrating. I have only been here for about three months, so most things are still new and exciting. That makes it easy to overlook the frustrating parts. However, I imagine all those “little things” will start to add up in the future. One thing that was an unexpected challenge was the language barrier. Prior to my arrival I was very comfortable with my Spanish, and didn’t expect it to be much of an inhibitor. What surprised me were the accents of my host family and the leaders of the church. They are all from Honduras, and although they also speak Spanish; they have a very different dialect.
A missionary’s life is also full of many paradoxes. I am miss my family, friends, and church; but am so happy with my new friends, family, and church. When I’m in Mexico I feel like I fit in better in the USA, when I’m in the USA I feel like I fit in better in Mexico. I’m not a typical Mexican, but I’m not a typical American.
So basically the challenges are balance, and living with many paradoxes.

What do you think your strengths are while you do ministry in Mexico?
Flexibility, openness, unbiased/new opinions, youthful energy, and just the fact that I am American (and therefore different) is a great outreach tool. It immediately gives me an excuse to talk to strangers, and always provides a topic for conversations (where are you from, why are you here, how do you like Mexico, etc).

What are your main weaknesses as you serve?
A lack of knowledge of cultural norms, leading to a spirit of timidity (things “everyone” just knows: like the appropriate/socially acceptable responses, mannerisms, and attitudes). I sometimes feel like more of an observer than a participant; and Satan attempts to use this foothold to plant seeds of depression.

One of my best friends is currently in graduate school at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. For one of his classes he has a project where he needs to interview a missionary. Naturally, he chose me. We chatted a little, and he sent me these 11 basic questions. Which I proceeded to answer at length (my answers are so long, I may actually make this a 3 part series). These probably give you a much better idea of missions work and some behind-the-scenes type stuff. As always I appreciate feedback and/or follow up questions. Enjoy
What is the reason you chose to go to Mexico?
The short answer is one word: obedience. The long answer is that I had a bunch of plans for my life after I graduated college; but God had a better plan. He specifically, and clearly, told me to drop everything and go to Monterrey, Mexico and serve a church called La Iglesia Gran Comisión Internacional. I briefly disagreed, citing personal problems with a specific sending agency/organization, and my own plan – which I thought was a good one (I was planning to go to seminary). But I knew that whatever I tried to do outside of the will of God would fail – even if my intentions were to honor God. So I spent the next year and a half raising the money and doing everything else necessary to get here.
I will also explain what the reason is not. It was not because I wanted a fun vacation, it was not because I was bored with my current city, it was not because I didn’t know what else to do, it was not because I like Mexicans (although I really, really do), and it was not a place that I chose. Because it was none of these reasons, and was only of God, I am all the more confident that God’s hand of blessing will be upon this journey.

What do you intend to accomplish while you are there?
God didn’t tell me exactly why he wanted me to come. I didn’t have a specific dream/plan/goal in mind. I just wanted to do what God told me and serve this church, and further Gods’ kingdom. Before I came I had never met anyone from this city or in this church. Therefore, we formulated a general job description. Some of the broad goals of my job description are: evangelism, volunteer at an orphanage, outreach to poor, help setup church (we rent a room in a banquet facility), teach English, help lead a youth group, and help lead a small group. However, it is a very loose description and subject to change if God leads in other directions. As in everything I do my goal is to honor God, grow closer to Him, and help others do the same. From a more practically/worldly standpoint, I am also learning quite a bit about church planting and church leadership (kind of like an internship). Both of these will be very helpful if God leads me to return to a church in the USA.

Who is helping you to accomplish those goals?
I am under the supervision of both my sending agency (Great Commission Ministries) and the pastors of this church. I have weekly goals that I share with the pastors and we also discuss which of those I accomplished from the previous week. I also have a monthly phone discussion with one of the department heads of International Missions from my sending agency.
In a much broader sense I have a team of several Chicago area churches and dozens of friends and family members that support me financially. In a global sense, I have hundreds of friends all around the world whom I maintain in contact with, that regularly lift me up in prayer. And without this teamwork I would be unable to accomplish anything. Apart from Christ we can do nothing.
[i linked several items above; but take a minute and check out some of more of the links to the right —> for more information or to meet some of my friends, supporters, churches, and fellow missionaries]