Our Impact

This past weekend, our nineteenth mission team of the year landed back on US soil .  We are getting inundated with testimonies from our teams as they are coming back from our sites in China, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Nepal, Tanzania, Thailand and Ukraine.  People are being saved.  Orphans are being cared for.  Families who are starving are being fed.  The sick are being healed through prayer and medicine.  And most importantly, the name of Jesus is being lifted up and proclaimed literally thousands of times around the world.

 

Pictured: Global Infusion Missionary Faith Carrigan in Tanzania

If you would like to know the impact just one of our teams can make, here is a brief summary of what the first of two of our teams in the Philippines was able to accomplish:

Team Philippines (May 2012)

2,000+  people heard the Gospel (some for the first time)

   860  children were fed

   200  children received GI school bags packed with food and supplies

     65  families with disabled persons received groceries

Our Philippines contact wrote to me in an email recently saying,

“[The trip] was awesome! I believe the Lord not only worked through us but ministered to us as well. As much as I enjoyed the missions work, I also enjoyed our fellowship and time of sharing during our down time or when we were together.  The [Global Infusion] team was so prepared that I did not have trouble with the ministry at all.  Thank you so much for the privilege to minister with your teams. This allows me to go to places I have not gone before. For this I am grateful.
 

For all of you who have supported us, I offer a sincere “thank-you.”  This is only a glimpse into what GI is doing around the world, and this is still only the beginning.

Why We Go

There is a real devil.  It may be summertime, and everyone may be excited about sunny days, vacations, school being out, barbequing, camps for kids, finishing remodeling projects, and road trips, but the devil does not take a vacation.

If you were expecting a placid, watered-down, and somewhat Christian sort of letter, you may have to stop reading.  Right now, Global Infusion has eight teams in eight nations battling it out on the front line of Christianity.  If you don’t believe there is a real devil, or he doesn’t really affect our world, then let me remind us all of what the Bible says about our adversary.  While God has a wonderful plan for our lives (Jer. 29:11), and His thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Is. 55:8-9), there is someone else who has a plan for our lives:  “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” (John 10:10a).

Just ask one of our team members working in Thailand, ministering to young girls who have been kidnapped out of their village in the night, and are now working the streets if there is a devil.  Visit our team in India, or the Philippines, where they are physically carrying disabled children who have been abandoned.  Maybe spend some time with our team in China who are teaching English, but spending every other waking minute with the atheist and agnostic students  who have grown up under communism.  If you have time, venture out with our teams in Guatemala and Nicaragua to some of the poorest villages on the planet; there, you’ll be able to hand out food to people who are starving.

If you are under the assumption that there either is no devil, or that his work does not affect our world, then I pray that God opens your spiritual and physical eyes.  Keep in mind that all of our teams are largely interacting with unsaved people, most of whom are unreached.

There is a second part to John 10:10, however, and this is why we go to foreign countries, raise money, use vacation time, subject ourselves to less-than-favorable conditions, leave our families, and endure days upon days of rugged travel:  Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

He came and brought life.  Our world is broken, very broken.  Injustice seems to reign everywhere you go.  Poverty and sickness is rampant.  The final truth, however, is that Jesus has already come, He has already paid the ultimate price.

We as Christians are responsible for reaching our generation for Christ (Acts 16:36).  The love of Christ compels us (2 Cor. 5:14).  That is why we go.

He said "Go"

Imagine with me that you are living in a third-world country.  Not only do you face intense physical hardships of living in this place, like malnutrition, dehydration, and prevalent sickness in your community, but you have no hope for the life beyond the one you’re living.  You are lost, without Christ.

How would you feel if you discovered that there were millions of people in the world around you who know how to get to a perfect place after they die, to spend eternity with their Creator, but they never told you about it?  These people also have the resources to provide you with food, clean water, and medicine, but they never brought it to you.

What would your reaction be if, when you confronted them, they told you that they were commanded only to share this Good News with people who were already in their path of life?  They understood their mandate to mean that they should just live their lives (wherever life brought them) and let that be their witness?

Jesus was intentional about everything He did.  He came to our world, at a specific moment in history, to accomplish many specific tasks.  And at the end of His time on earth, He said “Go.”

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20

There are some people in this world that need direct intervention if they are going to live in this life without pain, and make it to eternity in Heaven with Christ, and they need it now.  They need those who call themselves Christians to do something to reach them, rather than have them assume someone else “called” to the mission field will do it.

This month, Global Infusion is sending mission teams to Nicaragua, Thailand, the Philippines, Ukraine, China, Nepal, Guatemala and Tanzania.  We are intentionally going into the world, as Christ commanded us, far from home, in order to reach the unreached.

It is time to consider our priorities as Christians.  What are we doing in our life that is different than a non-Christian?  What is more important than reaching the lost with the Gospel?  To answer that question, think about where your treasure is (your time, money, emotional investments).  For where you treasure is, there your heart is.

Good Ground

What is the Kingdom of God really worth to you?  The answer to this questions does not come through words, but through actions.  Do you ever find it a challenge to pursue God’s will for your life?  Do you feel like you need to have all the major issues in your life solved before you can focus on doing something for the Kingdom?

In Luke 8, Jesus tells the parable of the sower.  I don’t believe this parable is exclusive to the seed representing salvation.  In verse 11, Jesus says, “The seed is the Word of God.”  The Word of God regularly goes forth into the eyes and ears of Christians.  Weekly services, small groups, books, conferences, concerts, radio, television, and on, and on the list goes.  Yet what do we do with this treasured seed from God Himself?  Well, it depends on what type of soil you are.

The wayside.  Jesus goes on to say that for some people, “the devil comes and takes the word out of their heart” (v. 12). 

The rocks.  Some hear the commissions and mandates going forth, “receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away” (v. 13).

The thorns.  There are those who are taught that the Kingdom can only expand when Christians are mobilized into this world, but “when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity” (v. 14).

The good ground.  Simply, “are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience” (v. 15).

It is a daily fight to receive God’s Word with joy, and not fall into sin when temptation comes.  It is also a daily battle to act on the thousands of hours of spiritual instruction you have received over the course of your spiritual journey, without being choked by the cares of life.

Recently, there has been a lottery drawing for untold millions of dollars.  Many Americans have participated in this lottery, and many more have probably been daydreaming of what their life would be like if they actually won.  However, Proverbs 18:22 says, “The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them.”

Be eager to invest in the Kingdom of God.  Don’t be stingy with your resources:  your time, your money, your abilities.  Use whatever resources you have been given to see people reached with the Gospel - this is a great way to make sure you are considered “good ground.”

Eyes on Heaven

The more I travel around the world, the more I have the opportunity to meet truly amazing men and women of God.  I am regularly stunned at the high level of commitment to Jesus Christ which I witness first-hand in the lives of our Christian brothers and sisters in other countries.  Some have virtually no regard for the quality of life they experience here on earth.  Men and women who are well-educated, healthy, and raising a family often turn down great secular vocational opportunities in order to pursue their God-given vision.  Somehow, they have adopted an outlook on life that minimizes their earthly existence, and maximizes their future in eternity.  In order to reach the unreached of their nation, they endure a lack of food, and sometimes water.  They deal with limited access to quality medical care.  They live in “homes” that would barely qualify as adequate shelter for animals here in the West.  Beyond all of these degraded physical amenities, some deal with literal persecution on top of everything else.

However, I believe I have discovered their secret.  It is found in Mark 8:34-38 (NKJV):

34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Those who have given up everything for the sake of the Gospel realize that keeping their eyes on Heaven makes what they live through here on earth, a small sacrifice in comparison.  It seems that we, here in the West, have become easily distracted.  Our lives our consumed with just living, and not exactly living for Christ.  We understand that the kingdom of Heaven is real, but how does that fit into our real, daily lives?  We read verses like these in Mark 8, and translate it for our culture.  Throwing an extra twenty-dollar bill in the offering, or joining a life group, or helping on the annual church Thanksgiving outreach - these are all ways to lose our life for His sake, right?  Well, it depends who you ask.

This is not a reprimand, or an attempt to stereotype Western Christians - for I have also met people on this side of the world who have given up everything to reach the unreached.  Rather, let this be a challenge.  Pray and ask God what you must do to truly go after Him, deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him.  Global Infusion is dedicated to reaching the unreached.  Your support helps us help others keep their eyes on Heaven.

Christianity-Lite

I write these words from a remote village in Tanzania named Songambele, which literally means “moving forward.”  If Songambele is indeed moving forward at all, it is at a very, very slow pace.  In every direction, there are hundreds and hundreds of children who may only have one meal today, if they are fortunate.  There is a limited water supply, which comes from a well.  Those who want water must walk, or ride an old bike for miles to obtain it.  After they have let down a small pail on a rope several times into the well, the villagers predominantly use old plastic gas containers to fill and then transport their water.

The children you would see in the village are only a fraction of the youth population.  Some are fortunate enough to have parents afford a few dollars so they can go to school.  If they cannot afford the mandatory fees that schools charge, they help work in the fields.  The rest of the children simply have no other place to go, and nobody watching them.

In this village of over twenty thousand people, there is but one church—”Neno La Uzima” as it is called in Swahili (“Word of Life”).  The people are highly dependent on good seeds mixed with hard work and favorable weather to reap a harvest that will sustain them.  If there is a breakdown in these areas, the quality of life plummets from its already low level.

Malnutrition and starvation.  Dehydration and unclean water.  One (terribly inadequate) medical facility.  Children wanting to learn, but lacking the funds to attend school.  Not enough work for the adults.  Fourteen-year-old girls having babies.  Prevalent HIV.  One singular family trying to operate a church, and meet the needs of thousands, yet, we have people in North America wondering what they should do with their life.

I am afraid that many Christians are praying the wrong prayers.  Instead of asking God what our purpose on earth is, we should ask where we should serve.  It almost seems that Christianity-lite is running rampant in the West - we say we want to do the will of the Father, and see His Kingdom come, yet we do not truly want the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives and direct our paths.  Why?  Because our calling and “purpose” in life will be uncomfortable.  He will ask us to put aside our personal goals and focus on living by faith to reach the unreached.  Pray right now and ask the Holy Spirit to prepare your heart for Him to lead you.  How can you help see the Father’s will be done on earth, as it is in heaven?  Your support of Global Infusion allows us to reach people in villages like Songambele, which is just one of our many sites around the world where we strive to bring the Gospel, and meet the physical needs of the people.  Pray and ask the Lord how He wants to use you today to be a part of reaching our generation.  You can give.  You can go.  You can help change the world.

Where Are We?

The final issue of Time magazine in 2011 named their selection for the Person of the Year as “The Protester.”  From Egypt, to Libya, to the main streets of the United States, people are rallying together to demonstrate that they are unhappy with their present circumstances, and desire change.  Of course, there are many on the fringe who mindlessly jump in simply because they seek attention or feel more self-worth being a part of something larger than themselves.  However, there are some people sold-out to their cause that are showing great tenacity.  While I may not necessarily agree with the change these groups of people are wanting, or their methods of protesting, I have to admire the passion of those who are legitimately trying to take a stand for something they believe in.

My question is, when did we as Christians lose this kind of fire and determination?  We are the recipients of eternal salvation, yet we concern ourselves with the feeble distractions of this world.  Hear the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:34-39 (NKJV):

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.  For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’   He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

If you are looking for a charming article on how to make and keep New Years’ resolutions, look somewhere else.  Our world is in desperate need of a Savior, and the only way they will be reached with the Gospel is if somebody goes and tells them about Jesus Christ.  Our world is hopelessly oppressed by a relentless enemy and needs Christians to stand up for what they believe in, open their mouth and proclaim the saving, healing, transforming name of Jesus.  What they do not need, is a group of people who have every excuse imaginable for not obeying the Word of God and living a solid biblical life.  They do not need people who waver in compromise when the easy way out is more convenient, or when confronted by the mocking words of their friends, family and co-workers.

Global Infusion is set for a record-breaking year.  In 2012, we will send out more mission teams than ever before into all the world, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that many people will be confronted with His redeeming love and plan of salvation.  Pray for us.  Support us.  Go with us.  We can change this world for Him, forever.

Next GI mission team:  TANZANIA (January 24 - February 5, 2012)

Goals:  Evangelism, Feeding Children

Support:  Donate    (select:  Tanzania: Outreach)