Jamaica 2013: Little Blue Houses and Beaming for Buckets

Little Blue Houses

Little 10'x14' houses dotting the landscape of Steertown, Jamaica.  Painted a brilliant blue.  Providing a permanent home for those living under piles of scrap material, out in the open, in old chicken coops (let that one sink in for a minute).  This has been the mission of Colonial Hills Church through IsleGO Missions for the better part of the last seven years or so.  Teams from our church have built over 40 houses during that time, but teams from around the U.S. have joined in the effort so that the number of "little blue houses" in Steertown is an estimated 94 by the end of the year.

A team of 33 from CHC spent last week in Jamaica, where they joined forces with a team of 16 from Sherman, Texas, to build four more little blue houses.  You can click on the CHC Missions Facebook page to see some little blue houses from start to finish. 

More Than Little Blue Houses

I first mentioned our church's involvement with St. Christopher's School for the deaf in a post entitled "The Numbers DO Lie."   While many teams that go to Jamaica build little blue houses, not many visit St. Christopher's.  I invite you to visit the school today through the eyes of Andrea Jackson.  She and her husband were among the first-timers on this year's Jamaica trip:

Brad and I had a fabulous time in Jamaica. The deaf school is one of the main reason we WILL be going back next year.

From the moment we arrived at the school, I was amazed at the children that recognized the CHC faces from last year.  They asked about people who were there last year who were unable to make this years trip.  They were excited beyond belief to see that our group had not forgotten about them and was back to see them once again.  It was as if they have waited all year just for the moment our group returned. This was more than just a visit from strangers for them.  These were their friends coming back to see and love on them.  From what I understand, we are the only group that comes to visit these precious children.  Many of their parents are unable to even come visit because of the lack of funds.  Unfortunately, we (Brad and I) were not a familiar face to them, but they instantly began to hug and love on us and we on them.

Beaming for Buckets

On the second day we were there, we passed out buckets for each child.  It was Christmas in June for these children.  Each child received their own children's Bible in honor of Julie, Brad's sister that passed.  The boys also got dinosaurs, capes, masks, race cars, kites, etc., in their buckets, and the girls each got their own baby doll, lip gloss, hair bows, bracelets, etc.  I saw one little boy go sit down on the lawn with his bucket, and his legs just bounced off the ground the entire time he sat going thru his bucket.  The smiles, oh, the smiles of these children, were unreal. They beamed!! Their poor mouths had to almost be sore.  They were all so grateful.

See the beautiful smiling faces of all 43 of the children at St. Christopher's here.

I must admit I wondered how many children I could cram in my suitcase and bring home with me.  I never knew I could love children not my own SO much and SO fast.  I could go on all day about the things I took away from this portion of the trip.  I will end with this: I was most in awe that despite the communication barriers, we all understood the common language of love.  No matter the age, color, or county of origin, we all need the love of Christ and the love of one another.  Can't wait for Jamaica 2014 :)

Andrea Jackson

Nothing beats the look of joy on a child's face.  Or the look of hope.  Thanks, Andrea, for taking us there.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

SHOUT OUT to my friends Jeff and Brandy Witt, whose goal is for all of their CHC small group to go to Jamaica on mission.  This year, they had enough group members (including Brad & Andrea Jackson) to actually have a couple of small group meetings in Jamaica -- now that's "discipleship together"!

Change It Now: Changing the World through Quarters and Dollars

When one of our small groups campus directors and I were laying out track for our church's small group ministry in 2012, one of the key components that we included in our groups was an element called "Change It Now."  Very simply, each small group -- as part of their worship each week -- takes an offering. We have suggested that each person bring a quarter to a dollar each week. At any point the group can choose to use the group's money toward some cause that will serve a redemptive purpose.

Chances are, not many of our people have missed that pocket change. (Get the double meaning of "change"?). The idea is that we will make a difference for the kingdom of God when we begin to move toward what He is doing on the earth.  Change It Now is simply a vehicle that gets us moving.

There are several goals that we hoped to accomplish through Change It Now.
1. To experience "the power of everybody."  We accomplish more working together than separately.
2. To intentionally look for gospel-centered causes in which to invest and move toward them with our time, prayers, awareness, talents, and resources. 
3. To worship through giving.
4. To go beyond just quarters and dollars in our giving.
5. To create opportunities to share what our groups are moving toward with others, not for our recognition but for how that movement reflects Christ.

One of my small group members and I leave next Monday for Jacmel, Haiti.  Our group is sending us with 15 towels and some black shoes for the children at the House of Abraham orphanage there. I wanted to reflect on how a few towels and a few pair of black shoes originating from Hernando, Mississippi, will change the world:
1.  Jacob and I will be the ones getting on a plane, but our whole small group is going with us in some way.  They have invested their time and their prayers and their money into our trip.  In a sense, we're all going.
2.  The children that we are visiting are hearing the gospel on a regular basis, and we want them to become children of the King and our brothers and sisters with whom we will one day share eternity.  They are not a project; they are people.
3.  Our group has collected $85 since our last investment in a mission team that went to Russia to minister to college students and orphans earlier this year.  Quarters and dollars that have not been missed.  Quarters and dollars that will provide a necessity for daily living (the towels) and a necessity for attending school (the shoes).
4.  Our money only paid for the towels.  The shoes were one family's "above and beyond."
5.  We have already had several opportunities to share why we are going to Haiti and why our group is sending towels and shoes.  I'm sure there will be more opportunities as we travel.  And we will be able to look orphaned children and those who care for them in the eyes and not just show the love of Christ in a practical way but to share the Good News with them.  After we return, we will continue to share our story.  And we will continue to talk about how showing God's love for orphans reflects His love and sacrifice for us.

To our small group, I want to say what a privilege it is to walk through life together with you.  We have shared deep sorrows and breathtaking joys together.  I have been blessed to be allowed into the deepest parts of your lives, to see you move more and more toward God's heart, and to see you become more and more like Jesus. As we have studied God's Word together, I have seen it move you to action in so many ways.  I wish you were all physically going with Jacob and me...

To our other CHC small groups, I rejoice to know that what is happening through our group's Change It Now is also happening many times over in our other groups.  The world is changing because of you. 

To our other readers, please join our small group and pray for us while we are in Haiti from this Monday through the following Monday.

Thanks for reading.  

4theVoiceless,
Al

Do You Have a Personal Mission Statement?

I have carried around a personal vision statement in my wallet for probably close to 15 years now.  It began as a small group exercise, and I remember seeing some group members’ statements – about a page long each and very impressive.  I felt that mine was a bit inadequate by comparison like the school kid who completed the minimum requirements of the assignment only to find that the rest of the class had gone above and beyond.  However, in this case, I wonder how many of those folks ever really centered their lives around those elaborate statements.  My personal mission statement, based on my “life verse,” John 10:10,  reads simply: “To live and model the abundant life available in Christ Jesus.”  Successes and failures, victories and struggles, easy times and hard times – they are all run through this filter.  I can evaluate every part of my life by how it stacks up to this statement.

I was blessed with a copy of the book Raising a Modern-Day Knight (by Robert Lewis) when my son Garrett was a baby.  Using the principles from the book, I had a manhood ceremony for him when he turned 13 and included godly men who had influence in his life.  Each one spoke to him from the following principles, which have become guiding statements (even if Dad-imposed) in his life:

• A real man rejects passivity.
• A real man leads courageously.
• A real man accepts responsibility.
• A real man expects the greater reward, God’s reward.

These statements have given me a foundation from which to teach him life principles.  These principles are springboards for both praise and correction in his life.  (And they seem to work much better than a generic “Do the right thing” or something like that.)

Jesus had a mission statement. Luke records it in chapter 4.  After Jesus has begun his ministry in Galilee, he returned to his hometown of Nazareth.  Let’s pick up in Luke’s narrative in verse 16 (HCSB):

He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  As usual, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.  The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him, and unrolling the scroll, He found the place* where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.  He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.  And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”  Luke 4:16-21 (HCSB)
*Isaiah 61:1-2

Jesus specifically said that he came for the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed.  Now, there are obviously some spiritual connotations to those for whom Jesus came I had nothing to offer God that He needed – I was poor.  I couldn’t get to God because of my sin – I was a captive to it.  I couldn’t see my need for God because the enemy kept me from seeing my need – I was blind.  I was beginning to suffer the consequences for my sin – I was oppressed.

However, these weren’t just spiritual analogies Jesus was making.  Look at who the better part of His ministry was aimed toward: the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed.  Among these were children, widows, the sick, demoniacs, the lame, beggars, and so on.  If you take a look at Jesus’ mission statement and then look at how He lived it out, you see a life of practical expressions of deeper spiritual truths.  (Important note: These practical expressions of Christ were accompanied by His words that drew people to Him.  We should not expect people to understand the gospel just through our good deeds; those deeds must be joined with something truly life-changing, the gospel of Christ.)

I listened last week to a friend of mine speaking at a gathering of churches doing some type of orphan care ministry.  Chris had for some time been visiting nursing homes on alternating weekends and mentoring emotionally and behaviorally troubled young men on the other weekends.  When asked why he did this, he simply responded by pointing to the Bible and saying, “It’s in there, right?”  A life vision with practical expressions, based on the Word -- it's a beautiful thing!

Do you have a personal mission statement?  It can give your life a center that you can verbalize.  Jesus had one.  Follow His example and base yours on the Word of God.  I would be interested to hear your personal vision statements.  Your sharing may help someone else develop his or hers, so please share!

Thanks for reading,
Al