On the Missio Dei

One Life: The Stirring of a Generation Impacted by the Gospel

Campus Outreach New Year's Conference: Dec.28-Jan.1, Chattanooga, Tennesse, thousands of students from over 75 college campuses, one message - One Life.

Here are a few snapshots from our supported missionaries serving on the mission field locally at Davidson College, UNCC, and Elon University...

Heather Conarroe, Davidson College

Picture: a room of 5,000 college students from all across the nation lifting their voices in worship, before hearing daily from some of the most gifted speakers in the Christian community.  Across the convention center, I see students with their Bibles open, taking copious notes in their journals. 

The overarching message of the conference was that God wants us to come to him, not out of a sense of duty or obligation, but out of a deep joy, as one who has discovered a great treasure.  As John Piper so eloquently put it, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”   

Many students were struck personally by this message of the gospel, and were compelled to make new commitments to Christ and his kingdom.  One of the Davidson freshmen shared that she had prayed to receive Christ for the first time while at the conference.  She told us that she had felt God drawing her throughout the whole semester but that conference was the first time that “it really made sense.” Others shared a desire to grow closer to God, and to be used by Him in the lives of others.  Nearly 600 students made commitments to enter into the foreign or stateside mission field their first two years after college.  Stories like these are a powerful testimony that gospel is going forth on the college campus and beyond, and that lives are indeed being transformed!

"God, thank you for bringing me to this Conference and giving me the chance to accept your Gospel." - freshman Davidson student who professed faith in Christ for the first time

"For the first time, the millions of unreached people are more than just numbers to me. I want to be used to reach the nations, and I want to start now by praying." - two Davidson juniors, football players

Andrew Hathaway, UNC Charlotte

God performed quite a few miracles at the campus outreach national conference this year in Chattanooga Tennessee. Let me tell you about one in particular:

We had a student named Joe (name changed). I met Joe through a mutual friend and asked him what his religious beliefs were. A relationship began and we started to discuss Christ about once every two to three weeks together over lunch. Eventually we were able to convince him to attend conference with us where he came to Christ after the overwhelming quantity of information presented to him and evidence that the gospel was truly what he was missing in his life. Joe also happens to be the top ROTC recruit at UNCC and has 200 people at his command. The first week of school began and I marveled as he and another close friend brought 15 new ROTC students to hear the gospel with them at a packed out campus outreach weekly meeting. Now Joe is dying to share his faith. He is tearing through the scriptures and downloading sermons whenever he has free time.

We had 110 people come with us to New Years Conference this year. This is more than we have ever had come from UNCC. We are poised as a ministry on Charlotte's campus to continue growing and have increasing levels of influence. Soccer players, fraternity brothers, and freshmen students are texting me because they had friends who were on this conference who got rocked by the gospel, and they want to know how their lives can be changed too.

Thank you Lake Forest for the financial and prayerful support of our ministry. We are grateful to be partnering with you in the advance of God's kingdom on the college campus.

Artie VanSciver, Elon University

I do not think it is an understatement to say that as far as singular events go, this Campus Outreach National Conference may very well prove to be one of the most significant in which we will have ever participated.  The Lord blessed this event beyond our anticipation, and I am absolutely certain that He heard and answered your prayers throughout. 
 
The Word was preached powerfully and the worship was incredibly uplifting.  Evidences of God’s goodness and grace abounded.  Here are just a few snapshots: 

• Over 5100 students, staff and alumni gathered in Chattanooga, TN to worship God and to hear His Word proclaimed.

• Nearly 15 students from the Charlotte region made professions of faith, and it appears that among those are 2 from Elon's group.  Hundreds more across other regions also professed faith in Jesus.

• Nearly 600 students formally declared a commitment to give their first 2 years out of college to Gospel ministry stateside or overseas.

• Several Elon students communicated a growing vision for the local church and a desire to be more deeply connected.

I pray that this news brings you great joy and encouragement in the Lord.  

http://www.cocharlotte.org/ 

 

People from the Plunge

Editor’s note: The Urban Plunge is essentially a three-day mission trip – to Charlotte. You visit several of our missio Dei partner organizations to see how God and God’s people minister to those in need…and join them in their work. In the occasional series People from the Plunge, we’ll introduce you to some of the folks we’ve met along the way and see how God is at work in their lives. Names are sometimes changed for privacy.

His mercies are new every morning

 By Jeff Nichols

…weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15

CHARLOTTE – It’s 6:30 a.m., Oct. 21, the first real chilly morning of fall. A new dawn of desperation for Elizabeth McDaniel who waits in the dark at a West Boulevard bus stop.

She checks her portable oxygen. Gets a tighter grasp on her folded up power bill, bank statement and Social Security papers.

Her destination on this Friday morning is Crisis Assistance Ministry on Spratt Street, an emergency financial assistance agency with a mission to prevent evictions and utility disconnections. She’ll wait in a long line with dozens of others for one reason.

Her power is about to be turned off.

Not on some yet to be determined day next month. Or next week. Or maybe Monday so she can at least get through the weekend.

It will happen today. As in, by 5 p.m. this very afternoon.

The name “Crisis Assistance Ministry” is not hyperbole. And so Elizabeth McDaniel isn’t thinking about a restful weekend as she arrives at the agency and begins the slow roll in her walker chair toward the locked door – and a decision on the other side. As the sun rises higher and the line grows longer, the anxiety that comes with crisis wades through her soul. Will 8 a.m. – when the doors are opened – ever get here?

“I’m trying not to worry, but it’s hard not to. I’m just praying that me and my tank won’t end up in a hospital tonight,” she says. “But if they turn off my power, I don’t know where else I’d go.”

The “tank” is Elizabeth’s primary oxygen tank at home. She has numerous breathing difficulties brought on by bronchitis, emphysema, sleep apnea “and everything else you can name,” she says.

So, in Elizabeth’s home, power means more than light and comfort. It’s her very breath.

Take the money and run

 She just kept on going. With Elizabeth’s 111 bucks in her pocket.

 On a particularly bad morning a few months ago when Elizabeth couldn’t get out of bed, she took her son’s girlfriend up on an offer to pay her power bill for her.

Nobody has heard from the young woman since.

“She took my money that morning and just kept on going,” Elizabeth said. “Why would she do that? I don’t know. But it hurt.”

 And it caused Elizabeth, for the first time in her life, to miss a utilities payment. Worse, she slid into an all too common “falling dominoes” predicament experienced by the poor and those on fixed incomes. For many of these folks, there is no savings account, no such thing as an “emergency fund” when things go awry. No loans from friends or relatives or banks.

There is just enough money for each month. Period. So one missed payment leads to more missed payments. Then the late fees, past due notices and phone calls come in as if orchestrated by some uncaring force meant for harm.

And before you know it, you’re waiting in line at Crisis Assistance Ministry, worried mostly about “one little piece of paper.”

“They say they need a copy of my lease and I wasn’t able to find that,” Elizabeth says. “I’ve got everything else right here in my hand, but I’m so nervous about this lease. After all I’ve done been through, this might come down to one little piece of paper. I’ve prayed for strength. I’ve prayed that I won’t get in that door and find out they can’t help me.”

 

Nowhere to turn

As you might expect in a time of ongoing economic turmoil, the number of folks forced to rely on Crisis Assistance Ministry for emergency assistance continues to climb. Much of the problem stems from the working poor’s inability to earn living wages and the lack of affordable housing.

According to the 2010 North Carolina Living Income Standard, a family of two adults and two children must earn $48,814 annually – an amount equal to 221 percent of the federal poverty level – to afford the actual costs of seven essential expenses: housing, food, childcare, health care, transportation, taxes and other necessities (like clothing, personal care items, household supplies, school supplies and local telephone service).

To meet that level, the adults in the average four-person family would need to earn a combined $23.47 per hour and work 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year.

The minimum wage in North Carolina, however, is only $7.25 an hour or $1,160 per month (less than $14,000 annually), resulting in a huge shortfall.

This shortfall is why many folks like Elizabeth (she has another family member living with her) find themselves juggling bills and expenses every month. Too often, this results in an unpaid energy bill, a hungry child or an eviction notice.

With nowhere else to turn, that shortfall sends people down to wait in line at Crisis Assistance. The agency’s focus is to “stop the bleeding” by working to prevent eviction and utility loss in order to keep people in stable living environments. It works to address longer-term issues through relationships with partner agencies in the community.

The agency also provides clothing and household items free of charge to people in need. It receives roughly half of its funding from Mecklenburg County and half from private donations.

 Crisis Assistance places no limit on the number of visits for emergency financial assistance, though there is a dollar amount restriction.

 

On time God

At about 8:45, Elizabeth emerges with great news. She was approved. Crisis Assistance will cut a check and send it to the power company.

Elizabeth has a chance now to catch up. She smiles widely as she leans on the walker and shuffles slowly toward the bus stop. Toward a weekend with light and heat and a future she knows is in God’s hands. 

“He’s the one who’s brought me this far. Not just this morning, he’s always been good to me. Always.”

 

For more information on Crisis Assistance Ministry, visit www.crisisassistance.org. More than 10 percent of Mecklenburg County’s population lives in poverty.

 

A Short Walk

Dateline October 19, 2011
Cheebo
LaKishia D. McCain

One of my favorite scriptures is Jeremiah 22:16.  It simply says this:

“He defended the cause of the poor and needy,  and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the LORD”.  My entire outlook of traveling thousands of miles away from my family, friends and comfort of my own home has always been reassured by this scripture.  The Lord had brought us safely to India, pass the “Customs situation” and now we were finally on our way to our first village, Cheebo.

According to our itinerary, Cheebo was only a three mile drive away from Kalimpong.  Now, for most Americans three miles is a very short trip yet, I found out very quickly that three miles of driving on any road in India is more like taking a “joy ride” on a roller coaster while playing a game of “chicken”.  My Uncle Byron and fellow team member, Andy laughed at my nervous response to the constant swerving, loud horns, sudden stops and spontaneous lane changes.  To be honest, there are no lanes in India. The drivers blow their horns to signal or warn  that they are going to pass the other car and go for it.  The fact that most of the roads are either “washed out” from the previous Monsoon season or what many Americans would classify as a one lane road, has nothing to do with speed.  The vehicles are so close that it is quite possible to touch the passing cars.  After looking out the window and discovering just how high up we really were, I decided to try to force myself to go to sleep.  The view of the long descent down and missing guard rails was more than I could take at the moment.  I closed my eyes and prayed that we would arrive at Cheebo very soon.

We were told that the jeeps would not be able to make it up the hills that led into Cheebo.  This meant that we would have to take a “short walk” into the village.  As   I mentioned before, nothing is what it seems to be in India.  So, I braced myself for the short walk.  For brevity, the “short walk” included walking up and down washed out terrain.  I guess something was really funny because many people were laughing.  Our friend and translator, Anup asked me if he should carry me along with the luggage.  I had to remind myself of the scripture to keep from crying. 

The friendly people of Cheebo, greeted us with hot tea and warm smiles.   There were two Indian doctors who were working with us for the day.  Everyone was eager to set up our “make shift” medical facility.  The villagers had cleaned out a three room building for us.  They covered the outside area so that we could work in  the under the shade. Anu, Pastor Nandu’s wife and I were assigned to Wound Care and quickly began to unpack and set up the area. I was really surprised that there were not a lot of people who needed to have their wounds treated.  In retrospect of our entire time here, I have seen more cases of scabies, possible MRSA, psoriasis, and other types of dermal fungal infections.   
 
Mike and Byron were assigned to Triage.  Andy made sure the children were kept happy by offering them candy and balloons while Sarah and Charles “floated”.  One of the Indian doctors evaluated and the other worked in the Pharmacy.

Half way through our day the villagers offered the doctors and team a hot meal.  As, I said before....nothing is simple in India.  Anu had showed me where and how the meals are prepared.  No electricity was used to cook the meal.  The chicken, rice and potatoes were all cooked by fire.

Despite the rough time that I had walking up to Cheebo, I felt really honored to be able to take part in this mission.  In comparison to other medical teams, we are a very small team of  only six people.  But, somehow the Master Physician has handpicked each one of us and given us orders. Unsure and honestly a bit scared of the walk back, the unsteady roads we had to drive, I was determined to follow His orders. We were able to assess 68 people in Cheebo all in the name of God’s love and grace!   We had three more  villages to go! As we drove back to our home, I closed my eyes and smiled for a few seconds because... “all went well”. 

 

The Tea Fields

Dateline October 22, 2011
The Tea Fields - Village 3 Day 7
Mike Quinn

Third Village. Patthar-Jhora. The Tea Fields This a vil down on the flat land area, surrounded by Tea Fields. We left on time with a few new passengers one being a Dr and the other being a woman with a great sense of humor and a strong vision, much like Nandu (Mahima). I liked her the moment she got in the truck, we set off. Down the mountain we went, traffic was normal and so were the roads both very busy. This is going to be a 3/3.5 hour trip so we all set in for the adventure. We stopped along the way and picked up Dr Robin, I like this guy too, he is a general physician from Sikkim and does a very good job. The trip continues down with only a few stops for road blockages, small towns and crazy drivers. Once we hit Flat Land the speed picks up a little but the traffic gets worse, if possible.

We arrive at the village, get out and get our gear in the building, a block structure with a large central room, it is their church. I was in charge of setting up the medical areas so got to it. After the set up we got right to work, starting with a woman in labor. One of the Drs went to see what was up. She was very pregnant and about to drop the kid so the Tea Field Manager was to get a car and get her to hospital. We moved on. Byron and I were working together again in triage, the two Drs were in their spots, Kisha was Wound Care and Sara was moving right along in the pharmacy with the help of an Indian Male RN. Charles and Andy were guarding the door, the people started coming in. Women at first with kids, major complaints were lower Abdominal pain with low grade fever. I had spoken earlier with Dr Robin, and he said that we would see a lot of the ailment, mainly due to the bad water, "Worm Infestation". Second major complaint from this group was general body pain, working in a tea field is, after all, very hard work and women do most of the work. Third complaint, ear infections in kids, this is due to the fact that they play in the stagnant water that surrounds the vil and this water gets into their ears and the infection soon sets in. We of course had the ever present cuts and scratches or bad teeth. In this village though, it was the shear number of cases we had, the number was a surprise to us all. We did have one female about 9 years old that had a very Arthritic L knee, swollen very badly she also had what looked like conjunctivitis in both eyes.

They just kept coming, by the time we got a break, about two hours in, we had already seen more people than we had seen in the first vil about 50+\- and the line was long and the people kept coming. Lunch was very tasty, made by the Village People, not the Y.M.C.A. People, sorry I had to say it, you were thinking it too. Chicken, rice, a salad and some very good Tea, remember where we were. The line kept getting longer. I asked one of the vil chiefs when or if these people had seen any type of medical service, his reply was simple, "Maybe one or two but he thought not many more". Our ten minute lunch break was over and we went back to it, "once again into the breach".

By this time the men of the vil came calling, again lots of lower abdominal pain, general body pain and in this group some pretty good cuts and scratches. The line was holding, we were catching up. The plan was to be finished at about 4 and get on the road so we could get back just after dark. The six of us threw all we had into the battle and along with the Drs we overcame the line and won in the end and did get out just after 5pm, tired but very happy by a job well done. We were a bit battered, bruised and tired but we had seen 150 souls that day and sent all away with proper care and smiles on their faces.

As we were getting into the machines for the long drive back to Kpong, Charles and Nandu were both feeding us words like "Thanks and Well Done". For the medical team, it was as always, this is the thing we do, we do it not for a pat on the back or the praise of others but for the patient. Seeing them leave any place we work, wether it be big city hospital or Tea Field, it's the smiles on their faces, that's all.

PS, it was a girl.....

End day 7

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Road Less Travelled

Dateline October 20, 2011
The Road Less Travelled
Sarah Southerland

(Blog Update on Village 1, Cheebo Coming Tomorrow)

Our second Village. Today we set out to village number two, Marebong Tea Plantation, all a little weary but still geared up for what we were told was to be an exciting jeep ride. I am sure when Pastor Nandu mentioned this to us he was unaware of what God had in store for us, or did he?!? The morning started off with some unexpected morning sickness from Charles  which progressed to vomiting out the window (5 times) while riding down the mountain from Kalimpong.  A stop at a beautiful overlook of two rivers converging, one coming out of China, the other coming off the glaciers (neither of which the patient or I saw) led to an impromptu IV on the way to the Marebong.  With IV fluid infusing, we continued on our journey, and much to our dismay, turned off onto a road that looked more like a wide hiking trail instead of road for three jeeps full of people.  I was told, “It is way better than last time”; and I was thankful for that. The rule is: As long as three wheels are touching the ground, we are good!

We were greeted in the village by smiling faces and proceeded to set up camp.  Immediately a 17-year-old girl was carried in by her father.  She had a fever of 102.8, headache and drifted in and out of consciousness. We quickly pulled out supplies, Dr. Rabin (a General Practitioner that was been gracious enough to partner with us for several of our villages) assessed the patient and directed her care. Thus started IV #2 of the day, which she received along with some much needed medications.  At the end of the day, with the help of Pastor Nandu, Charles and I checked on the girl who had been resting at her house. Her temperature was normal and she was feeling much better.

The villagers offered us customary hot tea and the women prepared a warm lunch. There were many men, women and children who were happy for the medical assistance and care they received through our hands, but that which only God had inspired. In each village we saw different conditions, from hypertension to diabetes, to female issues to joint pain. The overwhelming condition noted were primarily untreated skin infections on every child. Something so simple that started as a bite turned into an abscess.

Andy became our resident balloon and lollipop man. He has a real talent for blowing up rubber gloves and a real creative side that I am not sure that any one knew about when it comes to the crazy faces he draws on them. Charles did get a nap (he needed the rest) in between playing with the children and started to feel much better by the time we left (Yes, Phyllis we took care of him!). Kishia split her time multi tasking between wound care and developing her triage skills. Mike and Byron held down the triage post while I floated and helped an army nurse that had partnered with us on our pharmacy area.

We left Marebong, headed for Darjeeling - under the cover of darkness, mind you. The wide hiking trail, seemed more treacherous in the dark. But, you must remember the rule!, and that God is with us! We arrived safely in Darjeeling, enjoyed a restful night and a much needed continental meal (American). Sight seeing in Darjeeling is next!

  
Charles and Sarah Assisting With              Marebong Camp Shot
Setting Up the 17-year Old Girls IV               Kishia Wound Care

  
          Dr. Mike in Triage Bay 1                  Uncle B.Y. Holding Down
                                                                               Triage Bay 2

  
    Andy is responsible For All          Pastor Nandu Enjoying Lunch
These Blue Ballooned Like These              
            Floating Around!                         


      

 

Grace Children’s Home

 

Video of a Traditional Nepali Dance

LFC Medical Team Arrives in India

Destination India

  

  

 

 

In God's Economy

The world economy may not have been in good shape last Saturday, but God’s economy was alive and well in service as volunteers from Lake Forest-Davidson, St. Albans, and Davidson United Methodist came together at a Samaritan’s Feet shoe distribution project at Ada Jenkins Center in Davidson.

 

There were two doors, two lines, and two different sets of people waiting to share with one another. The line moving into the back door included over 100 volunteers waiting to sign in and get instructions to distribute shoes in love to kids who needed them to go to school.  The line moving into the front door area were those who had registered their needs to receive shoes. They didn’t know that they were also part of God’s economy.

 

Volunteers sat in rows of chairs facing an empty chair awaiting a child in need. But the volunteers had needs also.  They needed to serve their God by serving others.  In between these two needs, between each pair of chairs, was a basin of water used to wash the feet: need meeting need in touch and care.

©2011 DavidsonNews.net/Used with permission

©2011 DavidsonNews.net/Used with permission

 The delight of the morning was seeing the joy spill off the faces in both chairs as the serving volunteer worked to find a pair of sneakers that fit the size, gender, and personality of the students in need and the child offered back spontaneous thanks for the new shoes.

 

There were some great God stories.  A high school track star humbly waited to receive what was available, and looked down in delight at a sleek pair of zippered shoes that she could wear with pride at her new high school.  A grandmother, who had brought three small children to be fitted, watched as her grandchildren received sturdy pairs of black, white, and pink shoes with socks.  As each child squealed in delight, the tension in her shoulders lessened, and she leaned over and gave the volunteer a quick hug of thanks.  Her burdens of caring for these children must be heavy; she was giving thanks that others helped her carry this “shoe” part of the burden.

 

God’s economy is better than the world economy.  In the world, the rich tend to get richer and the poor get poorer.  In God’s economy, He always moves us toward sharing with one another.  Saturday morning was a visual demonstration of God’s economy 

©2011 DavidsonNews.net/Used with permission

Observations by Bobbi Campbell

Also check out DavidsonNews.net article "New shoes for school, thanks to Samaritan's Feet  http://davidsonnews.net/2011/08/20/a-new-pair-of-shoes-for-school-thanks-to-samaritans-feet/

 

Thin Places and Transparent Vessels

On Saturday, our decompression and reflection day, Courtney, our receiving missionary, arranged for us to travel down south to Glendalough, Ireland.  Glendalough, as he described it, is a "thin place," a place where spiritual and physical worlds live in very close communion, where the connections are quite easy to make.

 

Glendalough, Ireland

While we were there, we walked to the Upper Lake as a group, picnicked, and then took some time to wander individually and reflect on all aspects of the trip in order to be able to answer the question, "How was the trip?" when we arrived back in the States.

On Saturday evening, Joe and Sharon invited us to their house, where we munched on pizza (they have Dominoes!) and were free to ask questions, once again inviting Joe to share his heart and pieces of his testimony with the group - and on more individual levels.  Some of us heard some fun stories from Sharon on when she and Joe first got married (e.g. the time as a newly-wed that Joe got on the bus after work and wound up at his mother's house instead of their house, because he had "forgotten he was married"!).  Here, we also talked and planned what decisions faced LFC with the project of One More Neighborhood in Huntington Green, asking his experience to share wisdom with us.

While we sat around his living area in the Donnelly house, Joe shared that nowhere in the Bible do the writers describe someone as having great faith.  Faith is faith.  What matters, however, is the object of the faith.  Having faith in a great God will allow for unimaginable feats.  "We are all clay vessels," Joe reminded us. "The clay is gonna show on occasion, but the idea of a life of faith is to become as transparent as possible in our clay by pouring our faith into the big-ness of God." He encouraged us not to draw the conclusion of the experience of the trip as meeting someone or a mission that 'has great faith,' but to see the work that he and Sharon participate in to be an as-transparent-as-possible vessel to show off our great, great God.  

So, how was the trip?  In order to answer this, I will become no longer the spokesperson for the group, since everyone, though sharing experiences in the same realm, can have different perspectives on them. While at Glendalough- on a Saturday during the busy, holiday time in Europe- there were people everywhere.  Initially, I was disappointed by this, longing for solitude and quiet meditation in the wildest, beautiful place we had been (at least in the past day).  

 

And yet, as I sat on the shore of the lake, with the waves lapping into the cove and a French family of 3 eating lunch on a log about 5 meters from me, the Lord reminded me that His creation includes the sixth day - the day where He created man in His own image, where He designed that humankind be His clay vessels aiming for transparency.  

Day 1, Sunday, 8/7, as Joe shares with us the mission we will be working with and towards for the week.

In Glendalough, in the mission center, in Joe's house, in Ireland (and now that I'm home, here), the Lord reminded me of the thin places- the connection of spirit and physique - within the human creation, particularly in the blessing of relationships.

 
The Lord not only shows His beauty in the amazing wonders of His creation, but in the simple ability of humans to connect: to smile at each other and say a word of greeting in the grocery store, to share our burdens and joys with closer friends, or to serve a mission on the other side of the world through some cleaning up and loving on some beautifully-made children.

People mingling in Temple Bar area, Dublin.

The beauty of the flowers, and those who attack the weeds - Tracy and Elaine.

Earl's namesake, a very wonderful place to eat, which we found out on Saturday morning.

Our photographer in the wind.  I hear Hollywood calling...

The beauty of our Savior is that this is life, that He created us in His image, that He hand-paints the sky for us each morning and decorates our world with beauty in natural form.  It's messy sometimes, dirty most of the time, but He knows and invites us not just to relationship with others and with the world around us, but with Him, the artist and author of all of it.  We are not alone, and this is this is (one of) the message(s) of Ireland for Lake Forest Church.  

Might we be vessels that carry that truth so that all may see it, and, in seeing, share it with us, so that our joy might be complete.