Show Me the Money

I love being a Missions Pastor. One of the coolest parts of my job is spending time and teaching young people with hearts lit up with passion for missions. That's the kind of young people I hung out with last week in the Bahamas at Patmos. Nineteen students have enrolled themselves in a discipleship program that will change them forever. The group was assigned a project to complete as a team. They were to create a missions plan that would rescue Columbian street children from the drug trade.

I assigned them to write me, the missions pastor at Calvary Chapel Jupiter, a letter asking for money. I let them know that churches receive hundreds of letters a week asking for church funds for a zillion different kinds of projects. The reality is that unless you're someone our church already partners with, most letters don't get read. It's your job, students, to get me to read the letter.

1. Say what you need to say in 200 words or less.
2. Don't give me a bunch of Bible verses; I already had my quiet time today. If Bible verses are going to be used, they have to flow with the rest of the letter.
3. Tell me who, what, and why as early in the letter as possible.
4. Give me a vision.
5. Make me feel like I get to help.
6. Ask me to pray, but I'm even more likely to pray if I write the check.
   
7. Hook me with first sentence. Compell me to read the whole letter.

Here's the winning letter written by Heather Rotundi:

Dear Pastor Bryon:

Do you have children? Picture for a moment your son or daughter sentenced to a life on the streets, subject to violence, drugs, prostitution and likelihood of prison. This is the reality of many children in the city of Medellin, Columbia, who continue to be exploited by a country that supplies 75% of the world's cocaine.

James 1:27 states, "pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and keep one's self unspotted from the world." We at Project Vindicated Youth (PVY) have a vision to transform the lives of these kids by opening a discipleship orphanage. The love of Christ can redeem the lives of forgotten children through a Christian education and the day to day reality discipleship of applying God's Word.

We are priviledged to be Christians and as ambassadors for Jesus we endeavor to utilize the resources and opportunities that God has given us as Americans to make a difference in the world. Will you consider partnering with us as we commit to transform the next generation of Columbia for Christ?

We would love the opportunity to meet with you to discuss our five year development plan. God willing we will be fully functioning in 2010. We are excited about the opportunity to involve your church and others through mission trips to Medellin to visit the construction of our property and serve our kids. Thank you for your prayers and consideration.

In His Service,
Heather Rotundi

The last phase of the Patmos training is a mission trip to Morocco. Heather just earned a $250 prize from our church's missions budget for her trip. A second place prize of $150 was awarded to Nathan Grosso, and $100 went toward Nick Stavos' fundraising.

Good job, guys.

A Field Report from CC San Luis Obispo in El Salvador

The following are a couple of posts from a short-term trip that the Calvary Chapel San Luis Obispo team is on. Calvary Chapel San Luis Obispo is pastored by Bryan Stupar. Check out his blog here.

Monday, March 26, 2007

a few words from El Salvador

Hola, this has to be a little brief due to time. Unfortunately, I've not been able to update you as to what has been happening down here until now, due to horrible Internet connections. Here is an abbreviation of what we've gone through up to this point.

1. Had an extra 2.5 hour delay in our flight from LAX to San Salvador, which added extra redness to the "red eye" (our flight left at 2:45 am)
2. We got shut down on our "early check in" at our hotel, and instead were forced to drown the redness of our eyes in a highly chlorinated pool, until our rooms were available.
3. Synchronized our team with what was happening in the evening at the church in San Salvador. They have something in the evening for everyone (couples, married, men, women & kids)
4. On Sat AM we went to a children's festival at the Church in San Salvador. Jenn Delin, Alli, Ashley, April, Jannelle did skits, and games while the men played soccer.
5. We had a little free time to go to the beach and swim for an hour and a half in 80 degree water....ahhhh refreshing! all the while thinking that Steve, Jon and Sean had drown as they had gotten a little overzealous in their swim out into the ocean
6. In the evening, we went to the Sat, evening service
7. Many stayed up til the we hours of the morning as there was a VERY loud wedding going on at the hotel (til about 5am)
8. We started our Sunday am at 6:30 by feeding the orphans prior to the church services.
9. At about 8:30am we did an evangelical outreach in which we broke up into teams and went to several apartment complexes, went door to door and invited the children to come with us to a basketball court in which we sang songs with them, and taught them bible stories....this was amazing!!
10. We went to the church in Zacatecoluca to join in their worship service and rejoice in what the Lord is doing in that city.

I'll update some more later...

peace
-bryan

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

today's venture

Today, we started off our day by going to the orphanage in San Martin where 11 boys live. We got a chance to play soccer with these guys and have have fun with them. Its amazing to me to see how much they have changed in their ability to receive love from others just since October. They wanted to be hugged, wrestled and messed around with. Its great to see what the love of Jesus can do in such a short period of time. after the boys went off to school (around 12 noon) i gave everyone a tour of the property.

After this we went back into San Salvador to a children's hospital. It is the largest in the whole country. Allison, the gal from our church who has been living in the country, has been going there regularly now for several weeks and invited us to join her on this visit. First off, it was deeply troubling to have to watch how deeply suffering and pain are so interwoven into our frail and fallen existence. We prayed for everyone in each of their individual rooms. This was very moving as the mothers would just release themselves in streams of tears in our arms. It was hard to watch as there children would lay there in filthy conditions with not much hope. One lady told us her child (the one in the pic) had hemophilia and was not able to be released from the hospital because she could not afford the pills he needed to aide in his condition...they cost $70. Upon hearing that (even as i write now) i started to weep. $70 dollars is all that keeping this child in this hospital? Upon returning to our car we made the need known and we raised the $70 in an instant and gave it to the lady who took us to the hospital and she wept too....with tears of joy! So today this lady will be able to purchase the needed pills for her son in order to bring him home!

Robin & Tracy Shelley

Robin & Tracy Shelley are missionaries to Peru sent out from Calvary Chapel Boynton Beach. As they prepare to launch into the field in June, they, along with their two kids, are trekking across the Eastern US casting their vision for ministry at partner churches. Their adventures are posted on their blog.

In three weeks, they'll be back in South Florida before heading off to Shepherd's Staff Missions Training School in La Gloria, Mexico.

Missions Seminar

I attended a fantastic missions seminar yesterday given by Christian workers serving in a part of the world where missionaries are not legally welcome. The following are some facts shared that I scribbled down in my note pad:

World C = the 35% of he world that claims Christ as Lord
World B = the 42% of the world that has heard the Gospel but rejected it
World A = the 25% of the world that has never heard the Gospel

The 10/40 Window is in "World A." The major religions in that region of the world are Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

91% of all international missionaries are sent to World C.
8% of all international missionaries are sent to World B.
1% of all international missionaries are sent to World A.

75% of all Bible translations are distributed in World C languages.
24% of all Bible translations are distributed in World B languages.
3% of all Bible translations are distributed in World A languages.

Isaiah 55:11 "...so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

75% of our missions budgets are spent in World C countries.
45% of our missions budgets are spent in World B countries.
0.5% of our missions budgets are spent in World A countries.

0.5% of missions budgets are allocated to the portion of the world that has never heard the gospel.

Saving Grace in Sudan

Saving Grace World Missions is working in nine countries around the world. The following is a bit pulled from their webpage describing the work they are doing in Sudan.

It was through the teaching of the Word that James approached the staff of Saving Grace Refugee Services and said; "God called you Americans to preach the Word in this refugee camp... these people are my people, I speak their language, I know their culture. I can function among them better than you. God is calling me to reach my people with the Gospel... I am ready to go home and preach the Gospel to the peoples of The Sudan."

This was the start of something great. God was fulfilling the vision He gave SGWM to raise up national leaders and send them into their own countries to reach their own people. God has united the hearts of three men: James Nyika, David Ogwang and Charles Mark, who were all trained and raised up through Saving Grace Refugee Services and lead by James Nyika and who are now preparing to travel into Southern Sudan to preach the Gospel to the unreached tribes.

Compean Postcard

Ed and Kelli Compean live and serve as church planters is Nairobi, Kenya. Recently, Kelli was part of an outreach team in Uganda.

Dearest Friends,

We are truly blessed to be in ministry with you. My trip to Uganda and western Kenya was a joy. We had a total of six clinics in local churches. The medical team saw over 4,000 people and wrote over 10,000 prescriptions. The Gospel went forth and relationships between the community and five churches were established.

Praise God!

Your servants,
Kelli, Ed, Haley and Jackson Compean

Haley and Jackson are Ed and Kelli's teenage kids.

The photograph below was taken by Jackson. Ed Compean is professional photographer and it looks like Jackson is following in dad's footseps.

The caption on the photo says, "Roday tries chocolate cake!" Believe or not, there are children on this planet that have never tasted sweets!

The Compeans are missionaries with Shepherd Staff Mission Facilitators, Inc.

This Flat Planet

Dr. Larry Taylor has an interesting essay on his blog called Going Glocal. It's a piece about how the collision of tech and immigration have brought cross-cultural ministry into our neighborhoods and even our living rooms.

Now as we soon will enter the second decade of the 21st century, we are learning that ours is a global village. Switchfoot, which is both popular and made up of Christians, pledges “allegiance to a nation without borders”, without politicians, without ethnic division. We daily text-message people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, e-mails fly around the world at the speed of light, people join blogs and discuss everything imaginable, friendships are formed over MySpace, and mates found on eHarmony. Immigration has brought the world to us. All of our major cities worldwide are multiethnic, multicultural, and multireligious. Business, education, communication, and travel have made the world a single village and humankind a single family. Patriotism and nationalism are fading, and missiologists understand that there is no longer any such thing as “foreign missions”. All of our mission, whether in Detroit, rural Vermont, southern California, Beirut, or Kenya is cross-cultural.(link)

HT: Larry Taylor

Did You Know?

HT: Missional Jerry

Fourth Middle East Report

As we see our trip coming to a close, our schedule has become more hectic. We have received so many invitations to spend time in the home of locals that we have to turn down more than we accept. The time spent in Arab homes is our best opportunity to share why we are followers of Jesus. We are constantly asked if we are Muslim--which leads to an opportunity to talk about our dedication to the God of the Old and New Testaments. Our stories are listened to with respect and courtesy. Pray that the seed of the Word falls on good soil producing a good crop.

One of the local sheiks is the majority owner of the language school where we are conducting the English Cafes. He is grateful that we have come to serve his people, and today he will host us in the village of his ancestors. The majority of people in this village have never spent any time with Westerners. And very few Westerners will ever experience--or be allowed--to spend time with common Middle Eastern village dwellers. Our tour planned for today is the product of almost ten years of relationship-building between Western workers and local Arabs. This is the kind of dedication and perseverance workers here demonstrate. Together we pray it will produce abundant fruit. Much of this country's population live in remote areas, but few are being penetrated as effectively as this. I'm just amazed that our team and those that support us get to be a part of the work our Father is doing in this remarkable but thirsty land.

The two-man team that came to build a playground and put on sport activities for the workers' children has wrapped things up. The rest of us will benefit from Ed and Wes' work tomorrow as we enjoy an appreciation luncheon in a parent's home. That will be followed in the evening by a dinner with the faculty of the language school.

I don't think I've heard my stomach growl on this entire trip.

Rob Douglass of Saving Grace World Missions

I met Rob Douglass in Kampala, Uganda when I was serving short term with Far Reaching Ministries heading for South Sudan. Rob was my host and guide for a few short days in Kampala.

Rob is several years younger than I am, but his life impacted me in a way that only happens when someone is experienced, seasoned, and humble.

That's what I want to be.

When Rob was a new believer, he went to Bible College in Southern California. He didn't take the courses for credit, he audited them. He took what he learned from the Bible about going into all the world, and did it. He went.

When he didn't know where to go, the Lord impressed heavily upon him that he needed to serve and minister to refugees of the Sudan's Civil War. So he gathered a team from the church his brother pastors and went.

Rob is an evangelist. He's not shy about sharing his faith. He's not obnoxious about it and definitely culturally sensitive and aware. But Rob evangelizes not with just words, argument, or debate. Rob's life draws people to the Lord.

While Rob was working in Uganda, at a refugee camp set up by the UN, he was observed hanging laundry by someone who practiced Islam. This regular household chore performed to keep a household running was observed by this Muslim as a loving act of service to Rob’s wife. This would never happen in a Muslim household. As a white, Christian missionary in Uganda, Rob's life was on display. What was observed was a heart, not words; a life, not an argument. Rob has a reputation of a man that loves with actions first, words second. This is why he had converts through his ministry.

"A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit." -Matthew 7:17, 18

Third Middle East Report

Thursday and Friday are the weekend in the Muslim world. Our team made ourselves useful by organizing games for the workers' children. Ed and Wes did this earlier this week and this time we all had the chance to hang out and play sports with these Third Culture Kids.

Third Culture Kids, that is the children of western ex-pats in a foreign country, are less similar to our kids who grow up in the west than you might think. Even though they look and talk like the little ones that live on your block, they have more in common with the children of the natives. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it was our goal to treat them and play with them like the kids back home. Sometimes "suffering for Jesus" just means you're serving parents by playing with their kids. For parents raising kids in a difficult place like this, that goes a long way.

Friday is the Muslim Sabbath. That is the day the western workers from all around the city gather for worship. In this country, it is assumed that westerners are Christians. So, contrary to popular belief, they are permitted to gather among themselves for worship, prayer, the Lord's Supper, fellowship, and Bible teaching. For me personally, that is one of the highlights of the Middle East trip. At home, I am prone to forget how absolutely crucial it is for the Body to gather together regularly to draw strength from one another as the Spirit moves through the assembly of saints. It's essential for us at home. And in this foreign field, it's as vital as oxygen.

The remainder of our Sabbath day was spent relaxing with a worker here from our home city named Frank. Frank is an American student here learning Arabic as he prepares to work here long term. Frank has been here a little over a year and has a reputation in this town as a man of God and a man that loves the locals. Not only is he learning Arabic from books in a classroom, but he is learning it on the street and is able to move and converse freely throughout the city. Many doors of opportunity have been opened to him to share Good News at every level of this city's social structure.

Our team visited Frank in his home to bring him little pieces of Americana and to encourage him as he lives his life here very far away from family and friends. But I think our team left his house much more blessed by him than he by us. He served us an amazing meal and blessed us with testimony of all the ways our Father has used Frank during his stay here.

It always seems to work out that way; you go out to be a blessing but end up being the one most blessed.

Ed Compean

I met Ed in Sudan. We were both there working with Far Reaching Ministries on different projects. Ed was taking pictures for an article about the ministry and it's leader, Wes Bentley, for Calvary Chapel Magazine. Compean photographed and wrote about the work FRM was doing in Kenya, Uganda, and Sudan. I was teaching at a Bible school that trained chaplains in South Sudan and Ed was there to photograph the graduation ceremony for the next class of chaplains.

Vocationally, Ed was a photographer for a Scripps newspaper based in Southern California. Scripps sent Ed all over the world to get action shots for developing news stories. He spent time in Bosnia during that conflict was hot.

When I went off to serve in the mission field, Ed had become the director of the missions training school in Mexico where I learned (and unlearned) about serving God and making him known in the foreign field. After I came out of the field and went back on staff at my home church in Florida, Ed received and organized youth teams from our church and facilitated an amazing missions experience for our crew in La Gloria, Mexico.

Ed's mantra is "to make God and His glory known to the ends of the earth." But he doesn't just say it; he's doing it. Ed, his wife Kelli, his daughter, Haley, and son, Jackson have packed up their trash and moved to East Africa. Ed planted a church in Nairobi, Kenya, and is exploring ministry in Nairobi's slums and among the marginalized Samburu people.

The Compean's ministry to Kenya is worth getting behind. Give to their ministry by clicking this link. Also, make sure you pray for Ed, Kelli, Haley, and Jackson.

Wes Bentley of Far Reaching Ministries

Wes Bentley is a hero. He challenged me the first time I heard about him. My pastor came back from a regional pastors' meeting and told me about Wes's ministry. Wes was introduced and proceeded to talk about Far Reaching Ministries, a ministry he founded that trains and sends out chaplains in the Sudanese People's Liberation Army in South Sudan.

We invited Wes to come speak at our church. The text for Wes's talk, Counting the Cost, came from 2 Corinthians 11:1-29. In this text, Paul the Apostle lists for his readers the cost of obeying Christ. The jist of the message was twofold: following Christ is not comfortable and cowardice does not please the Lord.

Our church began to partner with Wes over the next several years. I began to travel to South Sudan with men from our church and we began to work with the chaplains training program. Those projects were followed by an eight month period involving my church sending my family to work in Sudan and at FRM's California office. What I observed was that Wes's life and faith matched his message.

Wes has asked God for big things: a Continent for Christ. Wes continues his work and many people in the world of Christian ministry are jumping on board.

The main thing I've learned through ministering with Wes Bentley is this: if you ask for big things from God, you receive big things from God.

Vicky & Wes Bentley along with Steven Curtis Chapman & family and friends

Middle East Trip Slide Show

Second Middle East Report

The honeymoon is over. This morning we woke up with no water. No toilet flushing. No showers. The rest of the team is still in bed so I haven't been able to give them the "good" news. Our host warned us when we arrived that this could happen. The way it works here is that the municipal city water is turned on in this area once a week to fill all the water storage tanks at each house. If that water runs out, a water truck needs to be called in to recharge the house's storage container. Our host noticed the water levels getting critically low before our arrival and put the call in to the office that dispatches the water trucks days ago, but the truck still hasn't come. Four days and seven American water hogging visitors later, we're out of water.

Every diesel truck I hear laboring up the hill we are staying on in our city I hope and pray is the water truck. We'll have to go get some water in a bucket to flush the toilet this morning. We'll probably wait till all of us use it once first.

Life is like that after a hurricane in South Florida; after a disaster.

Here? That's just the way people live.

On the bright side, we are having an amazing time. Yesterday our team went on outings with young locals who are students at the language school where we are serving. Forrest and I visited the city's oldest mosque. It is currently under renovation. A caretaker explained its rich history that dates back to the thirteenth century. This city is, of course, much older than that, but in the thirteenth century, this city became the ruling city in the region when the Arab empire was enjoying its greatest expansion in history. Justine and Shannon and I also visited the castle, also under renovation, of the king that spearheaded this region's thirteenth century expansion and influence.

Local young women showed Luann, Shannon, and Justine the city center and shopping yesterday afternoon. Our outings were a cultural immersion packed with shopping in the souk (market), eating in local food, and riding around in cabs and buses shoulder to shoulder with locals. We've been greeted and welcomed warmly by every person we've met on the street.

Ed and Wes had a blast putting on a sports clinic for the children of the western workers here. They ran them through drills, calisthenics, and played "football" (not gridiron) with them. It's a rare treat for these third culture kids to have this kind of attention and activity. Thanks to Wes and Ed, yesterday will be a day they won't soon forget.

My wife will be glad to know that I had the student that I buddied up with take me to get a hair cut and a shave. The best shop in town is owned and run by Iraqi barbers. I visited this shop the last time I was here, but I was tempted to tell them I was German or French. How would they know the difference? My host at the time thought it would be novel if my straight razor wielding Iraqi barber knew I was an ex-Marine so he blew my cover.

When I arrived this time, the barber remembered me and was happy to get me into his chair. I thought he was a little too happy. As I laid my head back for the shave, internet video of a certain dictator facing hanging kept rolling through my brain. But I'm here to report I got the best shave, haircut, and all round barber shop experience of my life. And it only cost three bucks.

First Middle East Report

In go check smoothly did not.
Go smoothly did not check in.
Check in did not go smoothly. About half of us had our names all switched around on our tickets. The name that was on our passports was the same that appeared on our plane tickets, only in the wrong order. And Homeland Security has determined that anyone trying this little ploy is a terrorist, Delta didn't want to let us board our plane. But thanks to prayers quietly muttered and clever negotiations handled by Karen and Justine, our little stand off was soon diffused and we were on our way to Atlanta, the land of perpetual layovers.

We had an amazing first day in our city in the Middle East. Justine said that it was too much to take in. "I can’t even describe it." Like many of the others, she was at a loss for words when she saw the Old City set against a backdrop of barren mountain peaks.

"Oh wait. National Geographic. That's how I'd describe what I’m seeing right now."