Late night reflection...

I keep thinking about what pastor Trevor told us in our meeting today when he was explaining the culture of South Africa. He described a perfect example of why, when we offer help to others, it should be in a manner that empowers, helps others take ownership, and enables sustainability. I will probably not do this story justice, but it was such a powerful example. I hope I can, at the very least, help others to understand why it is so important to raise people up...not with charity, but by getting to know someone's story and by giving them hope....

Pastor Trevor was walking through an impoverished area of the local community, when he came upon a group of men. It was 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and he could see that they had been drinking and were now squatting in a very unkept part of the neighborhood....a typical scene at this time of day, in this neighborhood, with this group of men. When he asked them what they had been doing all day, they replied "Nothing". Pastor Trevor said "Nothing? It's 3 in the afternoon and you have done nothing? How about cleaning up some of this mess around you?". They replied to him "It is not our job to do that. Besides, how can you say that when you live in that house over there with that nice car and we live here?". Pastor thought for a moment and said "It is true that I live in that house and I own that car. But I promise you that if we were to trade places, in six months I would have this place looking like my place and you would have my place looking like this". He continued "I will be back tomorrow with some shovels and we will dig a hole in the ground and clean up some of this mess". The men replied that they were not interested. So pastor said "Then I will not come". Pastor Trevor walked through that neighborhood again some weeks later and that someone had done just what he had suggested. He said their was a hole dug in the ground and the area had been very well cleaned. A leader had risen up among those men. Someone laid the first brick down. Someone was empowered to take ownership and learn how to care for themselves and for their community in the best way that they could!

We cannot change everyone's circumstances, but we can empower those around us so that they can help themselves in some manner. We can help build them up, give them confidence, and encourage leadership!!

I am more excited than ever to get going on our mission work tomorrow and learn people's stories. I want to learn how I can be of help TO them by working WITH them. Genesis is doing great works in this community and it's exciting to be experiencing it first hand!

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24 NLT)