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A winning approach for cross-cultural experience in an impoverished country

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 18:14:31 -0400

A genuine live-like-the-natives, cross-culture experience may encourage romantic notions of exotic adventure abroad or discourage you from ever returning. Please note that we are talking about visiting an underdeveloped nation with no key to a five-star, air-conditioned hotel room with a pool and a gourmet restaurant.

The highly developed, cosmopolitan country of Singapore, for example, with its mega income, technology, communication and transportation systems, does not qualify. McDonald’s, Burger King, K-Mart and a zillion other U.S. multi-national companies are embedded in the landscape. Mercedes and BMWs abound and virtually everyone speaks English.

On the other hand, you can travel to Belize, Central America, where English is the official language, and have the feeling that you have just stepped back in time about one hundred years and more in the jungle villages and banana plantations like Cowpen. Some missionaries from the outset, or in time, may enjoy most of the comforts of their homeland. So much depends on the mission location and objectives. You may be going to an established mission base or compound complete with a washing machine and telephone.

Perhaps you have the funds, or the faith, to rent a place of your own and enjoy normal conveniences in town or a rural area. Conversely your mission service may necessitate a pioneering effort far from normal creature comforts and ongoing Christian fellowship.

Usually new recruits for term mission service in developing nations should be prepared to give up frequent contact with relatives, old friends and their home church. Familiar foods, reliable transportation, smooth roads, plenty of gas stations, dependable mail and telephone service may be gone, as well as local schools, local medical care, honest police, and a ready source of clean drinking water. The security of dialing 911 and being with people who speak English may also be noticeably absent from your environment.

The reaction to some or all of these changes, coupled with a sudden new majority of people who think, speak, act and dress differently can be one of shock. Webster defines “shock” as “a sudden disturbance of the mind, emotions or sensibilities.” Is it any wonder that our society has called this overwhelming apprehension “Culture Shock”?

Culture shock is not limited to tourists and new missionaries. For example, after several years of ministry in Mexico, I went to Bogotá, Colombia to help street children. I was walking down a tree-lined, residential street next to a military base that looked more like a golf course. Suddenly a mass of uniformed Colombian young people came rushing toward me. Hundreds of aggressive-looking teens were advancing too quickly for me to escape.

When the frenzied onslaught ended, I was still alive and realized that high school classes a block away had just ended for the day and students had simply hurried past me to get to public buses. This event was an unexpected cultural experience exaggerated by machine-gun toting soldiers at the military base across the street in a city with an international reputation for violence.

Not knowing what to expect is uncomfortable for most people. Seasoned missionaries are better able to cope because they have learned to expect the unexpected.

While traveling along the Amazon River from Leticia, Colombia to El Tigre Island, Peru, different tribes of Christian converts fed me fish head soup, but gave my two traveling companions delicious looking fish fillets in their soup. Hungry, but growing weary of fish head soup after a few days, I gave my portion to our Peruvian navigator. He was delighted and so were our hosts.

I didn’t understand why the tribe wasn’t offended until later. These Amazon River people honor visiting leaders with the head of the fish (a delicacy), and I unknowingly conferred this honor on Delfonso, one of their own people. When we are finally reconciled to expect the unexpected and initially accept the unexplained, we become much more flexible and patient. These two qualities alone are sure to earn respect with the nationals and big-time sainthood.

Tips for overcoming cultural differences and getting along with nationals

1. Learn as much as you can about the people and country before you arrive. Acts 7:22

2. Determine to go as a servant or Good Samaritan and not an ugly, self-centered American. Ephesians 4:2-33

3. Do not condemn or complain about your food, accommodations, transportation, neighbors, and leadership or work assignments—not even privately. II Thessalonians 5:18

4. Do not ask for favors, funds or preferential treatment because you are involved in a good work for the poor, etc. God doesn’t need Christian beggars to accomplish His purposes. Psalm 37:25

5. Always be known for impeccable integrity. No bribes, cheating or broken promises—ever! Don’t be quick to make promises to anyone—including God. Just promise yourself, and then deliver. Job 31:6

6. Go the extra mile. Don’t just do enough to get by. Remember, God is your real supervisor and He doesn’t like slothful, lazy attitudes. Colossians 3:23

7. Don’t touch the gold, the girls (guys) or the glory. Proverbs 16:18-19

8. The most valuable international language is love. I Corinthians 12:1-3. Other well-known communications are a smile, courtesy, music, art, sports and gifts to the poor.

9. Think and pray BIG. You are ready for anything when you have been faithful (not perfect) in everything. Ephesians 3:20 and Daniel 11:32

Shooting star in Belize sparks new mission base

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 18:14:58 -0400

Three years ago while hosting a rousing basketball contest for very eager third graders at an overcrowded elementary school in Belize, Central America, I heard about a place called Hillview. When I asked friend and teacher, Judy Waight, how Sparrows Gate Mission could help the children at her school she said, “The poor children of Hillview need a school of their own.”

Judy went on to say, “The children of Hillview are often late for class because they live farther away than other kids and need more help with homework than their parents are able to provide.” Other teachers told me that Hillview kids are more likely to drop out of school because they do not have the money to buy books or pay minimal school fees.

I wanted to know more about these neglected children so I found Hillview and made several treks through their neighborhood. I grew attached to the area and friendly families perched on the hillside just above the jungle. In trips to follow I found myself walking up and down the dirt roads in Hillview hoping to find property that could be used to help the children, even though no funds were available to rent, buy or build anything.

Many months later, Tim Springer and Bobbi Adkins, two devoted mission friends that I had invited to visit Belize over the years, emailed to say, “Let’s go to Belize.” Their sudden proposed trip departure and return dates could not have been worse for me, schedule-wise; but it seemed like God might be up to something.

I told them that my goal for our brief trip would be to find land to use for the benefit of needy children. The three of us arrived in Belize on November 15, 2009 and looked at property the next day with Frank Tull, a real estate agent from Diamond Realty, owned by my long-time friend Noah Beachy.

The properties we saw seemed overpriced and did not match our pre-communicated mission goals. It soon seemed apparent that the entire trip would be futile except for introducing the country and kids to Tim and Bobbi.

But then on Thursday, November 18, the day before we were to leave our tiny English-speaking country anchored along the Caribbean coast, Frank showed us five scenic acres fronting on Red Creek that could be bought for much less than its value. Tim, Bobbi and I agreed that this property was unique and that Sparrows Gate Mission should try to buy it.

Our mission board of directors promptly approved my proposal to buy the unimproved property by email. This was no small feat because a Board response and consensus normally took days. I was still not entirely convinced to buy the property but wanted to be ready just in case.

I couldn’t sleep the last night of our trip and finally at 2 am on November 19, after two hours of prayer, a powerful impression surged through me with the message, “Don’t leave Belize without that property.” But surely it was too late. That very morning at 8 am we were to head to the airport to fly back to the U.S.

At 3:30 am I rose from my hotel bed, showered, dressed and walked five miles in the dark to the real estate broker’s home on the other side of town. He lived on the same road and very near the beautiful property we longed to buy.

Finally, when I was within a few yards of the land we wanted to buy on Pilgrimage Valley Road and about two blocks from the broker’s home, I asked God to confirm that buying this acreage was positively His will.

“Lord,” I said, “If you really want Sparrows Gate Mission to buy this property, show me a sign.” But what sign? It was still dark, time was running out and the situation seemed impossible.

Then, I pleaded, “God, if you really want us to buy this property, show me a shooting star within the next 10 seconds.” I stopped, looked up to heaven and started counting. “Lord, no shooting star, no deal.” When I got to three, a shooting star fell from the sky directly in front of me.

"Wow," I thought. "Let’s try that again to be really, really sure." Then I felt guilty for asking God for one sign and downright sinful for asking Him for two signs in a row. But I was still reluctant to pull the trigger on the transaction even though the property was above and beyond all that I could expect or imagine.

Doubts persisted as I continued to walk toward the real estate broker’s home until coming to the realization that I was an expert on property values in this area of Belize. And this land in the San Ignacio area was without equal in terms of price, location and beauty.

Now the thought of dodging the broker’s barking dogs in the dark was discouraging and brought back memories of the German Shepherd who sunk his teeth into my leg in Mexico. But Noah Beachy answered the front door in a disheveled daze and accepted my check for the territory that had taken two decades to find.

After 20 years of serving poor children from one end of Belize to the other and searching for property by faith with no money in hand, we finally bought five secluded acres close to downtown San Ignacio, in Santa Elena on a good road with easy access.

Only after making the deal and climbing up to a vantage point on the high side of our new mission land did I realize that Hillview families live less than 100 yards away. The jungle growth along Red Creek had obscured the view of Hillview on the other side.

Unknowingly we had purchased property right next to the very area and children that teachers in town had urged us to help three years ago. We are prayerfully considering one or more of the following ideas: Childcare Center, Foster Care Home, Learning Center, Christian Elementary School.

We named this strategic location Red Creek Village and are thinking about building an under-roof, full-size basketball court that could double as a roller skating rink. We just built three cabins (mounted on concrete pillars) to lodge mission volunteers and rent to tourists and are in process of securing city water and electricity.

We invite you to come meet the true treasure of Belize. They are descendants of the great Maya civilization; they are ancestors of African slaves; they are refugees from China, Guatemala and San Salvador; they are Europeans, Canadians and Americans; they are red and yellow, black and white; they are precious in His sight! They are the easy-to-love Belizean children playing under a blazing tropical sun waiting for us to tell them about Jesus!

Double Blessings

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:25:28 -0400

Actress Patricia Heaton reveals her secret to success.
(from Guideposts, February 2011)

Moms. That’s what I’m best known for playing on TV. Maybe you’ve seen me as beleaguered stay-at-home mom Debra Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond or in my current role as Frankie Heck, a Midwestern car saleswoman and mother of three, on The Middle.

In real life I’m a mom too, of four boys! I love my family and I’m grateful to be making my living as an actress—both are huge blessings in my life—but there was a time when I wasn’t sure I’d have either.

It was 1989 and I’d just moved to Los Angeles after a nine-year stretch of trying to make it as an actress in New York. I was 31 years old (that’s ancient in Hollywood) and was renting the cramped back bedroom of my cousin’s girlfriend’s mother’s house—yup, that’s how low I was on the totem pole. I had gotten engaged—my fiancé, David, was also an actor—and was just barely scraping by, auditioning for every bit part you can imagine.

Back in my hometown of Bay Village, Ohio, most of my friends were married with families, and had homes and steady jobs. I longed for that. Still, I put acting first. It was what I’d always dreamed of doing—a life-plan that was somehow meant for me. My dad, a sportswriter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and my mom, a homemaker, instilled in my three sisters, my brother and me a strong sense of faith.

We went to church as a family every Sunday. We said grace before meals and read stories from our collection of books on the lives of the saints. God was in everything that we did and we soaked it in. Then, when I was 12, my mother died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. Losing her was the hardest thing I’d ever gone through, but at the same time it cemented my belief in everything I’d been taught. Especially that life is a journey, and it’s short, so we should live for God and do the best we can.

Now, though, eking out a living in Los Angeles, I was starting to doubt that. I mean, I was doing the best I could, and here I was still struggling after years of work. Where was my big break? And how would David and I ever support the family we’d dreamed of if I didn’t get a steady job?

One Sunday, a few weeks after I’d moved, I drove around the city and prayed to God (okay, more like argued) about how I felt. If this is what I’m supposed to be doing, why isn’t there a single door opening? Why, Lord?! What are we doing wrong here? There was no answer. No epiphany. Just silence.

Shortly afterward I heard about a mission trip to an orphanage in Mexico through the church we had started going to, First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. The kids at the orphanage didn’t have a lawn to play on, so volunteers were needed to go down there and lay some sod.

My parents had always taught us to help someone else whenever we were feeling sorry for ourselves, and this was definitely one of those times! I called David and told him about it. “I think this’ll be good for us,” I said. I had to admit, it would also be nice to have a few days when I didn’t have to worry about finding work.

David and I packed up a van full of church members and off we went. A bumpy three-hour ride later, we arrived at the Sparrows Gate Orphanage, a collection of humble stucco buildings run by a couple who introduced themselves as Dean and Alba Tinney. “Let’s get to work, guys!” they said nearly the second we got out of the van.

We were split into groups—one to help repair broken sewage lines and another to dig into the dry ground to prepare it for the sod. It was my first real exposure to hard physical labor and to Third World living. I didn’t speak Spanish and the kids didn’t speak English, so during breaks we played ball together and just plain ran around, laughing. At night, the volunteers slept in little bunkers on cots. There was total technology deprivation—no TV or radio or phone.

When the project was finished, we threw the kids a party to celebrate. I looked at all their bright, shining faces and felt connected to something much bigger than myself. I might have been only 150 miles from Los Angeles but I felt worlds away.

On the drive back I couldn’t stop thinking about the trip. Something, inexplicably, had changed inside me. The feeling of remoteness from daily life, the physical labor and those joyful kids had brought me complete fulfillment—and it was fulfillment in something that had nothing to do with me being a successful actress! In fact, it was the complete opposite. It was about being involved in something that wasn’t about me. And to think, if I hadn’t joined the church, I would’ve missed the trip altogether. Maybe God does know what he’s doing after all, I thought.

That night, I knelt down in that little back bedroom I called home and I prayed aloud. “Okay, Lord,” I said. “I’m sorry for arguing with you before. You can have this whole acting thing. I’ve been hanging on to it till it has practically become an idol. I will walk away from it if it’s not what you have in store for me. I will do whatever you want me to do, but you have to make it really, really clear.”

As I spoke it hit me that in all my years of praying and going to church, this was the first time that I had relinquished complete control of my life to God.

Not long after, I landed a six-episode stint on thirtysomething, a guest appearance on Matlock, and more auditions than ever before—all without an agent or a manager. And you know what? If I didn’t get a part, I wasn’t devastated. I didn’t torture myself about it. It didn’t seem like the end of the world, because I knew that God had it under control.

Remember how I said I longed for a family too? The following year, 1990, David and I got married. Three years later we had our first son, Sam. Three more boys followed: John, Joseph and Daniel. And then it finally came—my big break on Everybody Loves Raymond. I was able to bring the boys to work with me, something I know was a huge blessing from God, since a lot of moms don’t have that option.

Today, the boys are almost all teenagers, and I work 12-to-14 hours a day on my new show, The Middle—although they’re so busy with school and extracurricular activities I think they hardly notice! I try to instill in them that same faith I had as a child. David and I take them to church every Sunday, and we always say our prayers before bed.

The boys like to incorporate prayers for family and friends and whatever’s happening that week, things like “Lord, let Nana have a safe trip home tonight,” or “Please help my younger brother do well on his test this week.” It’s all very sweet.

We’re hoping to take the kids to the Sparrows Gate Orphanage at some point (ever since we could afford to, David and I have been financial supporters of the organization). We want to teach them the importance of the kind of work Dean and Alba do. Last spring my oldest son and I traveled to the African country of Sierra Leone for a 10-day medical mission. It’s good for the boys, I think, to step outside of L.A. and outside of themselves.

Whenever I worry about their futures, their health and what they’ll do when they grow up (their ideas on that change by the minute, from gamer to musician to actor to guitarist), I pray that they’ll spend their lives in service to others and loving other people, in the knowledge that God created them to do good.

One thing I don’t worry about, though, is whose hands their futures are in and who they can turn to when they’re not sure what choice to make. Because when we fully surrender to God, just as I did in that tiny back bedroom many years ago, he gives us all we need. And sometimes abundantly, more than we can imagine.

Guideposts Article

Home begins at Charity!

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:23:28 -0400

Guyana, South America was catapulted to international attention when more than 800 Jim Jones' cult members were forced to drink Kool-aid laced with cyanide. They died in a remote jungle outpost known as Jamestown. In a different part of Guyana near the Venezuela border, there are multitudes who are being influenced by Islam. Guyana needs a vibrant Christian witness.

During our pioneering mission trip to Guyana we learned that many children live too far to paddle upriver or traverse dense jungle to attend schools in the closest town of Charity. We were able to secure permission from Amerindian tribal leaders to relocate their brightest (but unschooled) children to attend a highly regarded elementary school in Charity. The school principal and teachers we met were excited about educating these eager, English-speaking children. Thanks to the Brits—English is the official language, but Amerindians speak their own tribal dialect as well.

We plan to return to Guyana, South American when a couple or small team can join us to consider the prospect of moving to the Pomeroon Riverport of Charity to make a lasting difference for the precious children. These little ones are still waiting for someone to share the love of Jesus in a home Sparrows Gate is prepared to open near the school. So in this case instead of charity begins at home—home begins at Charity.

The street kids of Latin America and Asia need a volunteer!

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:21:07 -0400

My heart is hurting with the knowledge that at this moment Sparrows Gate Mission does not have a single volunteer to help rescue even one of the thousands of destitute street kids in Mexico City, Manila, Rio de Janiero and Bangkok. And speaking of Bangkok, reliable sources say that more than 500,000 prostitutes in the city of Bangkok are under the age of sixteen.

For months I’ve earnestly tried to tame the internal storm, the grief, the outrage and even the unrelenting call of the Holy Spirit to rescue these kids. It’s as if a lightning bolt is tethered to my heart—a bolt that wants to unleash its light on the powers of darkness and wrench some of these children from the enemy's grip.

I have walked the streets of Manila, Rio de Janiero, Bogota and Belize City alone late at night into the wee hours of the morning to rescue street kids by finding loving Christian homes for some of them and providing medical care and food. But now, with God’s help, it is time to send search-and-rescue teams to establish safe places where homeless street kids can come for meals, an interim place to sleep and learn about the love of Jesus.

Jesus himself talked about leaving the 90 and nine to GO rescue the one sheep that had gone astray. Almost forgotten, lost sheep, trying to survive on the violent city streets of Asia and Latin America, need loving shepherds and volunteers to be there for them. Our proposed, permanent mission training center is a vital link in encouraging, inspiring and equipping volunteers to help reach and rescue these kids.

Someone, somewhere is up to this challenge. I believe that someone, right now, is saying “Lord, here am I, send me. ” Someone, is earnestly checking the internet to find the right opportunity for serving poor children abroad. It is my prayer that they find our website and are influenced by the Holy Spirit to make a life-changing electronic connection.

Without more long-term volunteer,s we will not be able to maintain our current level of ministry in four countries and grow to rescue more poor children. Please pray that our Lord will lead many to come for mission training in Belize, Central America. Pray for volunteers to come for training and then serve at our Christian schools for poor children, assist at homes for destitute single moms and their kids or GO in teams to the dangerous city streets abroad with the love of Jesus, soon and very soon!

Discipleship

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:04:52 -0400

“Discipleship is not limited to what you can comprehend—it must transcend all comprehension. Plunge into the deep waters beyond your own comprehension, and I will help you to comprehend even as I do. Bewilderment is the true comprehension. Not to know where you are going is the true knowledge.

My comprehension transcends yours. Thus Abraham went forth from his father and not knowing whither he went, he trusted himself to my knowledge, and cared not for his own, and thus he took the right road and came to his journey’s end. Behold, that is the way of the cross. You cannot find it yourself, so you must let me lead you as though you were a blind man.

Wherefore it is not you, no man, no living creature, but I myself, who instruct you by my Word and Spirit in the way you should go. Not the work which you choose, not the suffering you devise, but the road which is clean contrary to all that you choose or contrive or desire—that is the road you must take. To that I call you and in that you must be my disciple. If you do that, there is the acceptable time and there your master is come.”

(Quoted in The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Missionary Myths Exploded

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:59:28 -0400

And more during your two-week missions training!

More than 2,700,000,000 (2.7 billion) people have never heard the Gospel even once. To reach them all, each missionary in service today would have to go present Christ to 450,000 lost souls now. The gap increases each day with the population explosion.

It’s incredible, but true, that 94% of those ordained on the globe minister to English-speaking people and 96% of all Christian funds are invested in the U.S., which only contains 6% of the world’s population.

Your special missions training will reveal what a real missionary is, does, and more importantly, becomes. When the truth is known, more disciples will enlist and experience an exhilarating new dimension of faith.

These new pilgrims will live in a foreign country where Jesus will give them daily bread, strength, friends, exciting new adventures, miracles and great, but hard-won, spiritual rewards.

The goal of this training is to encourage fellowship among action-ready believers who are considering short- or long-term mission service and prepare them with some new and surprising insights.

My personal goal is to influence many to make a difference in the lives of hurting, impoverished children who are waiting in the Third World for someone to tell them about Jesus.

MODULE NO. 1

Missionary Myths Exploded
Eleven assumptions about missionaries are examined including: A missionary must be a Super Saint, go to Bible School, secure financial support before leaving, be a preacher, evangelist or teacher, learn a new language, make extreme sacrifices, and give up fun. Visual aids and humor make this energetic message interesting and unusual.

MODULE NO. 2

The Calling and the Consequences
This class provides biblically based insights that help participants recognize when God is leading them toward mission service. Students learn to evaluate their own motives, values, attitudes and obstacles as they consider servanthood abroad. Actual recruiting methods employed by God and Christ are explored during group discussion. Students discover a surprising variety of ways individuals (past and present) have become involved in foreign missions. Consequences and rewards are evaluated openly and frankly in light of this life and the one to come.

MODULE NO. 3

Channeling Talents
Opportunities for transferring homegrown talents, skills, experiences and interests to help people in a foreign country are surveyed. Those who think they have no talent realize that just giving a cup of cold water has its reward. The instructor and students brainstorm ideas for using “Hidden Talents” at home and abroad and specific suggestions for the development of student interests are offered.

MODULE NO. 4

Checkbook Checkmate
Not having a tangible means of support stops most would-be missionaries from getting to first base. The common practice of asking for financial support contradicts what is known about mission finances from the Bible. Overwhelming evidence is presented in favor of another alternative that never fails. The Apostle Paul’s method really works. “God plus zero still equals God,” is a mathematical fact that the instructor has learned from personal experience in caring for otherwise homeless children in Tijuana, Mexico.

MODULE NO. 5

Cross Cultures and Communication
This session deals with cultural sensitivity and an awareness of cultural differences that can win friends and influence people for Christ instead of offending and alienating lost souls. U.S. travelers have unwittingly managed to generate ill will around the world because they have not been coached ahead of time. Attitudes, behavior and the perceptions of other cultures are discussed to lessen the real prospect of misunderstandings.

MODULE NO. 6

Credentials for Combat
Kingdom victory on foreign soil depends on knowing and implementing our part of our Commander–in-Chief’s plan and, hopefully, advanced knowledge of the enemy’s plan of attack. An eye-opening discussion exposes the specific strategy and objectives that the “Evil One” has in mind. The allied victory in the Persian Gulf clearly demonstrates the advantage of properly trained, motivated, fed, equipped and deployed troops. Biblical principles and insights from real battles help to explain what to expect and how to overcome satanic forces.

MODULE NO. 7

Case Histories
True stories of ordinary people who made a commitment to be a light in a dark place and the results are described in brief.
Examples from the lives of past and present pioneer missionaries are shared to discover some of the common characteristics that have produced a soul-rewarded harvest.

MODULE NO. 8

Coaching the Candidates
Students are invited to ask additional questions about any of the previous subjects and share concerns about their own particular circumstances for guidance.

For example:

•    Opportunities for additional training and/or short- or long-term
      mission service
•   Merit of home schooling for those with kids
•   Information about language schools
•   Newsletter content and production
•   Living conditions and probable expenses in foreign countries
•   Actual risks due to political upheaval or criminal elements
•   Passport and Visa information
•   Working with other missionaries

Live, love, learn, laugh and labor with new friends in a new culture!

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:14:44 -0400

"You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should GO and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain." John 15:16

Enlarge your faith. Expand your vision. Extend your family. Educate your heart. Equip your soul. Explore your options. Exercise your talents. Embrace new insights. Encourage the poor. Endure servanthood. Enjoy the children!

Get away from the noise of the world for two weeks or more in Belize, Central America where the official language is English. Sometime after the initial two-week, mini-mission training course in Belize, (one week in class and one week in the field), consider investing one month or one year or more serving at one of our children's ministries in Belize, Mexico or the Philippines.

Hang out under the shiny stars in Belize and give the Holy Spirit a chance to speak to your heart about a new beginning. Expect spiritual growth and rewards. Discover and develop new ways to serve Him in any impoverished culture with classroom sessions and hands-on mission training and experience.

Leaders and teachers are real missionaries on the cutting edge of meeting the physical, spiritual, emotional, educational and medical needs of the poor abroad. Lodging and food is provided for a free-will offering.

Our goal for 26 years is to love and teach poor children to know, love and serve Jesus. We need volunteers to GO help us at our Christian Elementary School and home for single, destitute moms in Ensenada, Mexico and a large kinder school and separate home for abandoned street boys in Davao, Philippines. And we need a devoted couple or small team to live at a future home for needy children in Charity, Guyana, South America.

Sparrows Gate's two-week mission training course is about getting to know yourself and how your interests, experience, skills and talents can be directed and used for urgent kingdom purposes in an impoverished country. Sharing new and lasting friendships with others who are considering or have already decided to be on the front lines of ministry abroad is an added benefit.

Dean Tinney, the Senior Missions' Training Teacher, is a missionary with more than 25 years of full-time experience in Asia and Latin America and is the founder of Sparrows Gate Mission, a non-profit organization determined to rescue poor children in Latin America and Asia. He is the book author of Finding God's Playground, Latin American Culture, 100 Insights, Coaching Tomorrows Leaders, Soaring with Seven Insights, Be A Better Speaker, Tame Fear, Enjoy Life and more.

A valuable resource and treasure in Sparrows Gate's initial missions' training program comes all the way from Nepal (in northwest China) in the form of a book titled "On Being A Missionary," by Dr. Thomas Hale. This book is no sugar-coated account of mission service abroad and should be read by every serious missions-minded volunteer.

All 20 chapters contain information and insights from an extremely aware and experienced modern day physician/missionary that can inspire, encourage and prepare mission volunteers to make a lasting difference for precious little ones in beggarly nations.

Some of our mission training subjects are:

Missionary Myths Exploded
The Big Decision
Mission Preparation
Global Context
Cross Cultural Communication
Cultural Transition & Lifestyle
Fitting Into The Team
Donor Support and Accounting
Tentmaking Ideas
Satan's Strategies
Staying Focused
Combating Stress & Fatigue
Prayer & Fellowship
Coaching Tomorrow's Leaders
Student Profile and more

Students of all ages (over 18) from all nations and every Christ-centered denomination are welcome.

For more information or to enroll in our next two week mini-mission training course, please contact us.

Planting a Gospel Seed with Neighbors in Need

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:14:16 -0400

The Santiago and Morales families are Oaxacan Indians who live on the edge of a migrant farm camp next to the new Sparrows Gate Ranch in the Valley of the Palms, Tecate, Mexico. This poem is about them and the Christian who can meet and love their needy kind in any third-world country. These words are dedicated to our faithful friends Chuck and Charla Pereau and their tireless staff at Foundations For His Ministry who have shared Christ and cared for hundreds of needy children and thousands of Oaxacan farm workers in Baja, Mexico, for almost three decades.

Paulito’s Turning Point

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 18:13:52 -0400

FIVE-YEAR-OLD PAULITO and his four-year-old sister Lucy were the first two children to live with us in our Tijuana ranch for otherwise homeless children in 1988.

Paulito was shot from guns right from the start! He never walked anywhere. Despite impaired motor skills, running in his own contorted way was his habit. The little dynamo was a genius with directions. One trip to the most difficult-to-find place was enough for him to remember and signal where to turn the next time. Paulito watched mechanics work on our vehicles once and remembered how small parts fit together months later.

Paulito could not speak but somehow communed with my wife Alba using grunts, shrieks and laughs. The only time he was motionless during waking hours was when he sat perched atop a hill on a flat rock in a trance listening to gentle breezes in the afternoon. He suffered from hours'-long epileptic seizures that usually began at midnight. Instead of eating in a normal manner, he smashed food against his mouth.

His violent behavior put other children and adults at risk. For example there was the time he tried to club the skull of a little girl with a narrow nail-exposed board. His favorite hobby was choking other kids, including his sister, with life-threatening force. He enjoyed hearing men groan when he punched them in the groin. Unwarned women picked him up and were shocked when he tore their blouses apart with a sinister laugh.

Devoted childcare workers quit because they were afraid of the wild-eyed, wire-haired boy with supernatural strength who would attack without provocation. And that’s why Paulito had his own bodyguard. A brave soul was always near him to protect the bodies of others. Workers said Paulito was demon-possessed.

We prayed earnestly for a miracle and there were times when Alba was able to tame the beast inside, but finally it appeared that Paulito could not continue to live in community at the ranch without endangering the well-being of other children and visitors.

After a year with Paulito, I sadly promised God that if a dramatic turning point didn't come within two weeks, he would have to leave—but where could he go? On the last day of the second week at supper, I asked the children if one of them would give thanks for our food.

For the first time Paulito volunteered by raising his hand. The other children risked his retaliation by snickering. They knew he couldn’t speak. “Okay, Paulito you can pray,” I said, expecting him to make some crude guttural noise.

Paulito cleared his throat and then in Spanish words everyone could understand said, “Our Father in heaven, bless this food and Dean and Alba. Amen.” All of the children sat dumb-founded and one misty-eyed missionary knew he had witnessed Paulito’s turning-point.

From that day on, Paulito’s life changed. He had met Jesus. He began to share toys, help others and reach out first to shake hands with visitors. Violence was replaced with genuine love. He would later learn to speak Spanish and English and win many trophies and awards in the Special Olympics and travel all over Mexico and California as a member of the International Olympic team.

Today, Paulito and his sister Lucy are all grown-up and live in Tijuana where we discovered them so many years ago. Paulito is a mechanic and Lucy is a hospital administrator. Lucy still calls Alba “Mom” and Paulito will always be the first of my favored sons in Mexico. They visit Alba, me and our dog Ranger in Ensenada for fun and fellowship when they can.

Blessings come in bunches for many Mexican migrants

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:13:16 -0400

They were obviously overripe and dark brown-to-black, but I loaded up two large boxes of powerful-smelling bananas along with many fine loaves of bread.

I asked myself if anyone at the supermarket who donated the bananas to the church would eat them? Would anyone at the church who gave them to us eat any of the fruit? And, moreover, was I prepared to give these decaying bunches to poor Mexican migrant farm workers knowing that eating one bite would challenge me?

Then, too, crossing the decaying fruit into Mexico wouldn’t be easy, and another day of blazing sun would probably marinate the fruit to pudding. Despite my reluctance and the obstacles, I delivered the bananas and other food to the migrant farm workers’ camp near the new Sparrows Gate Mission Ranch in Valle de las Palmas the next morning and wondered if anyone would eat my cargo.

The poor families rushed from their hovels and eagerly inspected their new shipment looking for a treasure they could eat. I left hurriedly, not wanting to risk their displeasure and to keep an early appointment with someone down the road.

I parked under a shade tree and during the next half-hour wait for my meeting, those same poor farm workers walked past me on the dusty road headed for another hot day in the fields. Virtually every one of them carried a garden hoe in one hand and a few of those overripe bananas in the other. They had nothing more to combat hunger than those pathetic bananas.

"Lord,” I prayed, “Thank you for allowing me to witness their desperate need and appreciation. And, God, it sure would be nice if you would enable us to bring these impoverished people some yellow bananas one day."