Soap, Millet and Peanuts...Giving Hope to the Poor!

Time really does fly. It was less than 6 months ago that I did my first micro-lending project. I kind of thought of it like an experiment. I was willing to lose any of the monies that my wife and I and a friend had sent over to help some poor women in a village just outside of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. I was holding this experiment loosely, although I was hoping and praying that these ones who had received the loans would pay them back...and that they did. It only took 3 months for 29 different borrowers to repay the loans. Every penny of every dollar was returned ahead of the scheduled re-payment plan. Our borrowers used it for different things from farming peanuts and millet seed, to making soap to buying fabric and then re-selling it at local markets.

When I first started this, I told God that I'd only move as fast as He moved. I was willing to learn while at the same time lose. But I know that I had to try. I had to give it a shot. I mean, poor people are worth it. They have value. They are loved by the same God that loves me. And this God has called me (and all Christ-followers) to care for those who are poor, forgotten and disadvantaged.

When I received all of the applications back, I noticed that each of the women who applied had a dream. They each had a dream to work, to make money and to provide food and life's necessities to there immediate family. This was why I did what I did. I wanted to lend money to the poor in Africa, because I realized that these precious people had every tool to be a success except the simple access to capital. They are bright, intelligent, innovative and have a great work ethic. They simply lack the necessary capital to fund their business ideas and dreams. This is the beauty of micro-credit. It gives people a chance...and eventually a hope.

So, I've been praying, "Lord, where do I go from here?" As I've prayed and waited, I sensed the Lord telling me to "keep lending money". So, that's what I plan on doing. The Lord has provided. God has led people to help to be a part of this. More money will be sent shortly to be lent out to those individuals who have a business plan that's sustainable and have a realistic plan to repay their loan. God is drawing people to be a part of this. People are inquiring, asking the questions and now giving to the crucial work of giving dignity and hope to the poor in Burkina Faso.

I have some practical needs for this ministry. First, I need to raise some monies for a laptop for the loan officer that I work with. If you would like to contribute to helping meet this need, let me know. Email me at (parmitage@northmarchurch.com). Currently, he doesn't have a computer and is trying to be resourceful by using friends' computers. However, this is not ideal. As the ministry grows, more work and contact has to be done via a computer, which will increase our efficiency. If you have an old laptop that you're willing to part with that is in good condition, let me know. I can ensure that it would be put to good use. You'll be making an impact not only in the life of a loan officer, but in those that receive loans in Burkina Faso.

Their is one other need. Some of the women who received loans are requesting monies for there peanut business. They would like to purchase a cart and a machine. The cart hauls the peanuts while the machine more or less shells the peanuts which increases productivity for the ladies and eventually helps their profit. The cost for the cart and the machine which shells the peanuts is just under $250.00. If you have a desire to partner and help contribute so that these women can receive a loan to help purchase their equipment, please let me know.

Their are other needs...transportation, gas, and communication but right now we're trying real hard to keep our overhead down so that we can get as much money into the hands of those people that need loans. Remember, we're taking this one step at a time...waiting and trusting our loving God to provide, to help and to direct the ministry of caring for the poor.

If you're reading this...and you have any questions, please email me at parmitage@northmarchurch.com. If you have a desire to help give the poor dignity and hope through a loan, I invite you to partner with me. If God leads you to reach out and give financially, please send me an email. Thanks for reading...may God empower you and direct you as you care for others and show love to the poor.

The People of War...

This past Thursday and Friday, I traveled with a group of adults from my church to a small town in the southernmost part of West Virginia. We went to a small town called, War. Our mission was to encourage someone from our church who has gone down there as a school teacher, with the purpose of bringing hope to those that need it most. Although she is a teacher at an elementary school, Amanda's real desire is to be the aroma of Christ to anyone she encounters.

Amanda invited a group from our church to come and help her out with an "I Admire You" dinner. Her strategy was simple. Every student in her fourth grade class was to bring the person that they admired most to a special dinner held in their honor. On this special night, we ate together, laughed together, and some even cried. Students shared stories about how they admired the person that they had invited. It was a sweet experience.

I've been to War before. In 2003, I took a group of junior high students on a mission's trip to War for a week. It was there that I saw the poverty, the drugs, the broken families and the extreme hoplessness. The city of War is in McDowell County which is one of the poorest counties in the United States. So, the things I saw this past week, I had seen before. But, my heart was still broken.

My heart broke for the people that walked aimlessly in the streets of War. Most of the students come from broken homes. These homes are filled with drug abuse, alcoholism, abuse, and neglect. Students crave attention. The high school dropout rate is alarming. Unemployment is common. Drugs are rampant. It's a hopeless area.

It reminded me of why our world needs to experience true hope that can only be found in the person of Jesus Christ. The people of War, although lonely and desperate are beautiful people. They are a people made with great potential and born in the image of their Creator God. Only God can bring hope to people, and it's this hope often comes through the obedience of His children.

Although War is discouraging, depressing and it's a dark area, the people need real Christ-followers who will step up and be willing to be LIGHT and bring HOPE to the area. The people of War need people like Amanda who are willing to selflessly serve the poor and the hurting. The people of War need people who will risk and care for kids, care for the poor and the needy. This is ministry. This is the heart of God. This is the will of God.

Lord, don't let me forget the people of War...

The Other Side of the Tracks...

Sometimes, I hop in my car and I drive to the other side of the tracks. In the city where I live, we have some railroad tracks that go right through the downtown area. On one side of the tracks is middle class and pockets of extreme wealth. On the other side of the tracks, their is much hopelessness characterized by boarded up homes, drugs, prostitution and crime. I drive there so that I don't forget how a lot of our world lives. I can't foget.

So, the other day, I hopped in my car and I just drove. I turned the radio off, and drove down some streets that most evangelicals would simply avoid. I choose not to go with the flow. Some would question why I would drive into an area of the city that is crime riddled. I don't have much of an answer other than Jesus had me do it. Jesus had me do it, because I have to go to the other side of the tracks. If I don't, I get stagnate and fall into a life that is uncaring. If I don't go to the other side of the tracks, I don't allow God to move my heart for the poor, the hopeless and hurting. If I don't go to the other side of the tracks, I slowly get drawn into the American dream and get addicted to self. So, this is why I drive. I drive because I want to go and drive where Jesus would be.

As I drove up and down the streets, there were countless homes that were boarded up. This grieved me. I watched a people just wandering aimlessly up and down the streets. My mind was brought back to the loving God that died for people on both side of the tracks. My heart was touched once again by a passionate God who pursues ALL mankind with His relentless love. When I drove on the other side of the tracks, I realized that I'm really not that much different. I, too am in need of forgiveness, hope and healing---that only Jesus can offer.

I will return to the other side of the tracks. Going to the other side of the tracks keeps my heart tender, my eyes moist and my mind bent towards the heart of God.

God, lead me to the people that burden your heart. Draw me to people that are hopeless and helpless. These are the ones I desire to pursue.

What about you?

"The true gospel is a call to self-denial. It is not a call to self-fulfillment."
John MacArthur

What does Compassion look like?

I ask myself this question often: "What does Compassion look like?" What does it really mean for me to become a compassionate person who cares deeply about the world that I live in? Let's face it, life moves quick. It's easy for me to get consumed with my job, my marriage, my children, my success, my money, my interests, my dreams, my passions...my life. It's so easy to get caught up with the stuff that revolves around me. But what does it really look like to be a compassionate, other-oriented person?

Being compassionate takes time. Its takes time to leave my world and enter the lives of others. It takes time to find people who need hope and care and then enter their world. It take time to demonstrate love and care to others around me. One organization that shows compassion really well is Compassion. Compassion International (http://www.compassion.com/) is an organization focusing on child sponsorship in some of the world's poorest countries. For $38 a month a regular person (like me) can sponsor a child and give them food, clothing, shelter and a true hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ. Compassion's work in these countries is not only compassionate and caring but timely. Compassion meets the needs of some of the world's most vulnerable and hurting children. Compassion gives children opportunity and hope...all as a result of one person giving $38 a month. Compassion does a great job at giving children the basic human necessities, which it turn means HOPE. To me, this is worth it! Sponsorship is worth it!

This Sunday, my church is having a Compassion Sunday. We'll be highlighting the mission of Compassion and then giving people an opportunity for others to sponsor a child. As I was thinking about this Sunday, my mind goes to my own sponsored child, Minoungou who lives in Burkina Faso. Our family has sponsored Minoungou since 2006 and he's been a joy to watch develop and grow.

In the summer of 2006, I had the opportunity to visit Minoungou at his home in Burkina Faso. I visited him again in 2008 and will see him once again this next summer. I love visiting him. I remember that first visit in 2006 like it was yesterday. I was driven by a Compassion representative into Minoungou's village and eventually arrived at his home. His mother and little sister greeted us. They were each shy and apprehensive. The gifts (bubbles, crayons, bubble gum, clothing) helped "break the ice". It was surreal as I sat on a broken down chair and watched as Minoungou opened gifts, smiled and interacted with me (through our interpreter). This visit rocked my world and my life! I've never been the same. For the first time in my life, I saw with my own eyes what the power of child sponsorship can look like. I saw what a simple sacrifice on my behalf could do in a life like Minoungou's. I vowed to never forget what I saw and always be an advocate for children who need hope and ultimately sponsorship. This interaction with my family's sponsored child marked my life, and I never want to forget this interaction.

This all leads me back to my question, "What does Compassion look like?" It looks like Compassion. Being compassionate means going after ONE. Being compassionate means pursuing ONE. Being compassionate means rescuing ONE. It's all about the ONE. It's not about the masses...it's just about being an agent of love and grace towards the ONE.

Lord, continue to make me into a compassionate man.

The NEW idolatry

Idolatry has always existed. Humans have historically gravitated towards idols. We make them, allow them, erect them and then worship them. God forbid idolatry in Exodus 20 and the bible is laced with passages that warn people from putting anything or anyone (an idol) before the one, true God. Idolatry was never and never will be tolerated by the Eternal One, who calls Himself Jealous in Exodus 20:5.

Idolatry looks different now that it did in Old Testament times. In 1 Kings, God repeatedly told the people to forsake their idol Baal, and instead cling to the Lord. In Isaiah 47, the scriptures say, "I am, and there is none besides me". God has identified Him as the only one worthy of our worship and affection. Today, there are idols all around us. We don't call them idols but they are. Wikipedia says that an idol "is a man-made object that is worshiped in some way". Man makes it. Man likes it. Man worships it.

Technology can easily be an idol. Video games can be an idol. Facebook can be an idol. Tweeting can be an idol. Blogging can be an idol :). Cell phones can be an idol...that's right, cell phones can easily be an idol. It's amazing to see how fast our world is moving and its technological advances. A high school student can take a picture in a classroom in Warren, Ohio and upload that same pic and it can be seen by a total stranger on the opposite side of the world. I've seen how cell phones can be helpful for families in keeping in touch with each other. On the other hand, I've seen how cell phones can easily become an idol.

Remember an idol is something that we can't live without. An idol is something that we wake up thinking about...and go to bed having on our mind. People go to school with their phone, go to work with their phone, eat with their phone, go to bed with their phone, go out on dates with their phone...and often it seems unfathomable to some to actually live and function without that phone. When one becomes so dependent on a piece of technology, in this case a cell phone, a case could be made that it has become an idol in one's life.

I recently heard a high school student say that "they can't live without their phone". I don't know how to get around the fact that this is sin...this is idolatry. This student has determined that in their life that there time and what they do will be centered around this phone. The phone becomes the focus. The phone becomes the object one can't live without. This forces our fierce and loving God to be Jealous. The simple phone that was designed to be a tool is now an addiction, an obstacle and an idol that is preventing one from being dependent on God Himself.

Now, is it wrong to have a cell phone? Absolutely not. I have one and use it everyday. However, I know that I can function without my phone. I know that my life will go on without my phone. The world won't fall apart and my friends lives won't fall apart if I have to go without my phone for a period of time. Life will go on. The world will still function. However, there are people who are so addicted to their phone, that it has become an idol. Instead of using it as a tool and mastering the phone, the phone now masters them. They can't put it down. They can't function without texting. They have to have it. It's become an idol.

Lord, keep my heart soft. Keep me pliable so that I don't allow any idol to be present in my life...including my cell phone.

Never Thought I'd be a Money Lender

I love dreaming. I mean, I love trusting God to do big stuff...things that I can't really pull off on my own power. Two years ago, I started reading and studying micro-credit in third-world countries (you can see some of my previous posts). I was intrigued and then I became challenged. I became challenged and convinced that God wanted me to step out and do the very thing that I was reading about---lending money to some of the world's poorest people. I started to network with people who were involved in micro-lending and I started to ask questions. Through a friend, I was put in touch with a young man in Burkina Faso who desires to be involved in micro-lending. So, to make a long story short...here is what happened.

After 8 months of dialoguing with my new friend in Burkina Faso, writing up a job description and then drawing up loan guidelines, the time came to send the money. Make no mistake about it...a lot of thought, prayer and dialogue went into it (a lot of details)...but eventually I had to leap. I had to risk and trust God. So, a friend of mine and Mandy and I decided to invest some money and lend it to some poor people in Burkina Faso. We've invested our monies in a small village 28 miles outside the capital city of Ouagadougou. Twenty-nine different women received small loans of money to be put towards their small businesses. These loans will in turn empower these women and hopefully lift them out of poverty. They are given 9 months to re-pay the loans. If they re-pay the loans with a small interest rate attached, they will qualify for a second loan.

So, right now, the money that was sent is on the other side of the world in the hands of twenty-nine different women who I have never met. It's cool to see God do what I was unable to pull off on my own strength. I have so many limitations. God has no limitations. He's eternal and Creator of all. Trusting Him leaves me (and you) in good hands.

My prayer is that these monies would be used to lift many out of the grip of poverty and give them a hope. Here's another cool part. Every person who receives these monies will hear about this God who created them and loves them with an undying love. My friend (who is doing all the legwork for me) has been tasked with sharing the gospel of Jesus with these precious people. So, it's not just about lending them money, rather I want to see people place their faith in the Jesus who can change circumstances and one's eternal destiny.

More to come on my micro-lending venture. I'm excited. I love to talk about it and share how God is using these monies to help the poor and needy on the other side of the planet.
If this intrigues you, I'd love to share more with you. If you want to give, I invite you to prayerfully consider. It's exciting how a small amount of money can change the trajectory of one's life. Feel free to email me with any questions or comments. I'm all ears.
Stay tuned...more to come on micro-lending and how we can care for the poor in our world.

"He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord" Proverbs 19:17

It's Been 8 Months

I know...I know, it's been 8 months since I last blogged. I know some may have written me off, but for the faithful few that are stickin' by my side, I'm starting back to the blog world once again. Not only has it been 8 months since I last blogged, but it's been 8 months since we brought Levi home from Ethiopia. He's been such a joy, and our love for him continues to increase. He's adjusted well to our family and every day I look into his eyes and consider him a blessing. Although the adoption journey has not been easy (lots of waiting), God has been so good. When I look at him playing in our back yard, I immediately thank our Lord for bringing Levi into our lives. My heart is full!!!

Stay tuned...I'll be blogging more. Keep checking back for more thoughts on Culture / Spirituality and Social Justice.