Proximity means,” nearness in space, time, or relationship.” I was there when a student I was mentoring received a phone call about his grandfather’s passing. I could hear the pain in his voice as he talked on the phone with his parents. I could see the tears rolling down his face. I could feel the … Continue reading Proximity “You will always have the poor among you.” (Part 2)
The last few weeks we have visited and served people who live on the old Tijuana dump. Houses made out of scraps of wood. Fences built out of the garbage that has been thrown away, a broken table, an old box spring, and other thrown away items. Seeing how people live like this can feel … Continue reading Did Jesus Justify Poverty? “You will always have the poor among you.” (Part 1)
Honestly, going to the zoo is not one of my favorite activities. But the one time I did enjoy it was for my daughter’s 3rd birthday. My daughter’s favorite animal is the elephant and the only place we could see a real live elephant was the Oakland Zoo. So we packed into our car with … Continue reading What do Short-Term Missions have to do with a zoo?
I love questions. I love asking questions. Many times a question can lead to another question. It is essential that we ask good hard questions about many things in the world, especially as it relates to short-term missions or any service work we are doing. Before we go, we need to ask good questions. When … Continue reading The most important question you can ask.
If you are like me, you want to have a successful short-term mission trip where you honor and dignify everyone involved, especially those you are serving. We want to be useful to those we are serving while being aware of the possible negative impact we are having on the community. It is our hope that … Continue reading Are We Using the Poor for the Benefit of Our Short-Term Mission Trips?
It still blows my mind! It is hard to get my head around what happened 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem. The God of this world came to our cold, dark, broken world. He came not to condemn us, not to bring His wrath, not to show how disappointed He is in us, not to scold … Continue reading Emmanuel – Sitting With Us in Spilled Coffee
There are many people who are considered to be on the “front lines” of ministry that work with people who are in desperate need: helping refugees, feeding and clothing the homeless, providing for immigrants, caring for orphans, freeing slaves. These are amazing people who are giving and sacrificing their lives to live in very hard … Continue reading No Skill Required
