I often have many people ask me questions about h2 doing work in other countries, besides the work of equipping church leaders. Many ask questions such as “what about here?” So as I prepare to return to East Africa I thought it would be a great time to answer this “WHY?” question. No I am not mad, I’m actually very glad to be able to share my heart. Okay, lets begin. Lets start with the reality of responsibility. Jesus is God and God is God of all of the universe, not just America. You and I are first Christians and second Americans. If you can’t grasp the reality that we are first citizens of heaven, then much of this will not make sense to you. When I look at poverty and the needs of others as a follower of Jesus, I look at the world, not just America. With the advances of technology and travel, our global responsibilities are intensely heightened. With such great wealth in their hands, the American Christian is obligated to help with the least of these. Can we help everyone? No. However, this should never stop us from helping one. Does this mean we should overlook the needs right in front of our faces? NO WAY! We must first determine the need. When arriving at the scene of an accident, the emergency workers first assess the victims to see who is in the worst condition. It would be silly to first stop at the closest victim who merely needs a Band-Aid, when the others are bleeding out. What are real needs? Food, water, and shelter are basic necessities of life. H2 has never let one person die of thirst, starvation or be without shelter. We have emptied our own refrigerators and placed sleeping bags on our living room floors. And to top that off, in the process we had an opportunity to preach to them the wonderful good news of the gospel. How do we grade poverty? What about worldwide? Do you know that last year in America over 8 billion dollars was spent on cosmetics alone and 53 billion for pets? Also, the money spent on artificial green Easter grass could fix many health crises around the world. I've seen with my own eyes, handmade wooden coffins stacked up at the marketplaces to bury little children who died from drinking contaminated water. Not sure that I see that same desperation here. My kids drink bottled water because they don't like the taste of the water from the faucet. As a Christian, I believe the Scripture teaches us that we have a world-wide responsibility including the communities around us. The great question asked of Jesus was “who is my neighbor?” Many of the resources that God has granted the American church have sadly been spent on herself, perhaps unknowingly. How will we determine when it is time to help somewhere else? Will we base it on Christmas presents or children dying from lack of clean water et cetera? I’m not calling people to get rid of their stuff, but to care and not write-off what I believe is part of their God-given responsibility. Of course “we need to take care of our own people,” but we need to be sensitive about where this starts and ends. Remember that we are not the government, we are the church and the rules are much different. A study showed that almost 50% of food stamp recipients in America were overweight. We ask how many people in America starve to death each year? The statistics for this is almost nonexistent. Many people in America eat from trash cans from which they find full of wasted food. In other countries, the trash cans are empty. There are hungry people in America, but few are dying from hunger. I remember distributing groceries in Pennsylvania and giving a woman in her forties a big box of food. After looking through the box, she began removing items and asked to trade them because she “didn't eat that brand.”
Sin has and will for a time, continue to create a fertile environment for disease, corruption, and every kind of evil to thrive. My eyes have seen the least of these, which are those at the bottom of the pile. As I travel through many places, I have seen many starving people dying on the side of a dusty road. I realize that my prayers for these people will reach the heavens and settle back in my own hands. Christ laid aside everything and came to us---a lost and desperate people starving beside a dusty road. Jesus came and walked down that same dusty road and gave His life... Jesus took care of our deepest needs. FOOD- “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger”. WATER- “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.” SHELTER- “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
If you or someone you know, live in the USA and are struggling with hunger ,and don't live in the Northumberland/Snyder County Area where h2church is; go to www.freefood.org for help. You don't need to be hungry.
