So, a while back I was asked to speak with a few other friends about missions in front of a lot of ladies at a tea thing. I procrastinated, was hesitant, but this is the jist of what I ended up sharing. Although I was nervous, forgot Bible verses, and said teenagerish things, I think God really was with me that night and spoke through me. Yay God :)
Hi! For those who don’t know me, my name is Abigail Clark. I’ve traveled to Mexico, Israel, and Uganda on mission trips. God has given me a huge heart for missions and has blessed me with amazing opportunities. God has revealed to me a glimpse of His beauty, His truths, and who He is through my mission experiences. Through the diligent work of a pastor, tears of a widow, and hugs of orphans, God has given and shown me the reality of faith. This verse has come alive to me, James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion unto the father is this; to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
Sometimes in our modern day American society, we seldom think about anything other than our own feelings and problems. I’m definitely included in this category of a selfish entitled American. However, I seek to broaden my view of what’s important, as I hope we all do. Going to 3rd world countries has shown me that the world is bigger than me, bigger than America, bigger and more troubled than I ever thought. As I saw those in need, I felt a little of God’s heart pushing me towards the poor and brokenhearted. I am usually too preoccupied with my Subway and Starbucks, to ever think of these shocking statistics.
Food
· Every year, 15 million children a year die of hunger
· 1/3 of the world is well-fed, 1/3 is underfed, and 1/3 is starving
· The U.S. population will spend 58 million dollars on food that will eventually be thrown out, while only 3 million will be spent on global food aid.
· One child dies every 6 seconds because or hunger and related causes
· 10.9 children in developing countries die every year before the age of 5
Water is something we all take for granted, but it’s so hard to come by for some.
· Some 1.1 million people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, while 2.2 billion lack basic sanitation.
· 43% of Sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. In America, bottled water is an 8.3 billion dollar industry because tap water isn’t good enough for us.
· 1.8 billion people who have access to a water source within 1 kilometer, consume about 20 liters per day. In well off countries, the average person uses 50 liters of water a day flushing toilets.
· Dirty water and poor sanitation account for the vast majority of 1.8 million child deaths each year from diarrhea- almost 5,000 every day-making it the second largest cause of child mortality.
Education is a given in America, but not for others.
· More than 170 million children are out of school
· Nearly 1 billion people entered the 21st century with an inability to read a book or sign their name.
· 1/3 of all children do not complete 5 years of schooling-the minimum needed for basic literacy skills.
· 2/3 of the world’s 875 million illiterate, are women.
· Children who do not attend school, contribute to 2 million people enslaved in global sex slave trade.
· Inability to stay in school is the leading cause of HIV infected women
I’m not trying to guilt you into charity, not at all. I just want to talk about the reality of what’s happening and how we are usually oblivious of it. Going to Africa and seeing these statistics in action was so hard for me to swallow. I often have forgotten about these people, the poor.
My Connection With the Poor:
When I was in Africa, I led a small group of 4th grade girls who were not doing well in school. Two other girls and I talked to these girls about their home life, their food, their past. All these girls had lost their parents to aids, all of them had an illness of some kind, and all of them had been physically or sexually abused. My heart immediately broke for these precious girls. These daughters of God. I could see their hurt, see their pain, and I just wanted to do something for them. As we kept talking, one girl looks visibly upset and we asked her what was wrong, and then she burst out weeping about the death of her mother. As we all laid hands over her and prayed for her, I saw the brokenness and vulnerability this girl displayed. As we were all tearful, I wished I could bring this girl a mother, food, a bed.
Jesus Connection with the Poor:
But then I remembered God, has not forgotten the poor. He has not forgotten that young hurt child. All over scripture we read that God is close to the brokenhearted. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18 “He heals the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 God is the rock and only source of life for everyone, even the hurting.My personal favorite verse that displays God’s connection to the poor is, Psalm 68:5 “A father to the fatherless, a defender of the widows, is God in His Holy habitation.” This is Christ’s heart. God is the father that precious little girl needs, the defender of her and her family.
Although God is that father and that defender that the poor need, He also sent us to go.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And teaching them to obey everything I commanded. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28: 19-20. God tells us we must go and make disciples, whether that’s with the lost in Africa, or in Chico, He calls us to missional living. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up His cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23. God calls us to be selfless, to deny ourselves, and to be willing to do anything for Christ.
In Africa I wanted to be selfless, to love the hurt with God’s love. To lay down my life for my God is what I wanted to do. As I tried doing it in my own strength, I failed. I would get too distracted by my uncomfortable surroundings, my personal insecurities, and how I felt helpless. But God gave me the strength to surrender. He spoke through me as I lead 4th graders to Christ. He was the one who taught me how to live selflessly.
Sometimes, I think we get so wrapped up in what we have to do, how we’re supposed to act, how we’re supposed to love, we forget walking with God will get us there. I mean that if we’re close with God, He will show us and teach us how to walk, live, and be that selfless missionary.
God has a heart for the broken, the lost, the hungry. And He has called us to a selfless life. A life of ministering to whoever is around us nomatter what the cost. However, although fulfilling physical needs of the poor and lost are important, sharing the gospel is really the most important thing I can give them. In Africa I played with the children, tried to pick up some Swahili, did the hokey pokey, however, sharing the Gospel is what I was there to do. I was there to be Jesus to the orphans in Uganda.
Jesus coming to earth, living as a man, dying on the cross, rising again, this is the ultimate mission example, this is the gospel. And as much as I feed and clothe the orphans I meet, the gospel is the greatest gift I could give them.
I want to focus on the last part of the great commission, Jesus says “And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” In our lives, God is with us. When we share the gospel, God is with us. When I do the hokeypokey with orphans in Uganda, God is with me, when I teach Sunday School here, God is with me. We shouldn’t be afraid of God’s call to live missionally. We shouldn’t be scared of the unknown. In the scripture, God always says “Do not be afraid.”
So I ask you tonight to please not be afraid. Do not be afraid to open your eyes to the poor. Do not be afraid to selflessly proclaim your faith to people in your community. Do not be afraid to follow God wherever He takes you or keeps you. God’s near to the brokenhearted, God’s near to us, don’t push Him away.
