I know that I have not updated my blog as much as I have in the past but I am happy to report that I am still keeping up with my goal of volunteering at least twice a month! I last volunteered at Food for All in northwest Washington, DC but this is not what this post is about today. In May my good friend Krystle came to visit from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has recently come from back from a missions trip in Haiti and spoke of all the awesome things God did in the lives of the people that they ministered to in the country. During the conversation she mentioned the needs of the people and how great they were. People were saved, healed and delivered from various things. One day after ministering to a group of children she had a small bag of snacks left over from earlier, which she proceeded to give the children as she left. While driving away she noticed that they children were fighting over the food. This really broke my heart....
My Opinion:
I believe that many Christians hearts are in the right place when they choose to venture out and minister to those who need Christ in their lives around the world. I often hear from those who minister the gospel around the globe about the awesome things that God has done in the lives of the people in various countries. My question is, what happens when those missionaries leave and go back to their normal everyday lives? Too often, the very lives of the people that have been touched are hanging in the balance because their everyday needs are not being met. Those same people live in poverty, are hungry, homeless and sick.
Why not minister the gospel and meet the needs of the people at the same time? I think that along with the word of God, we need to go armed with the tools necessary (i.e. food, clothes, water, medicine, money for schools and housing) to meet the needs of the people in whatever country we venture out to. It is my hope to one day start an organization that does just that. Creates a balance by sending people out to minister the word of God but arm them to meet the needs of the people as well. Right now all of this is just a thought and the beginning...
