Child sex trafficking is a pervasive and complex issue requiring a multifaceted approach. While rescuing and rehabilitating survivors is essential, prevention and education are also crucial in the fight against trafficking. By empowering communities to recognize and stop trafficking before it happens, we can help build a culture of protection for vulnerable children.
God’s hand, when it is shown to you, no matter how many times you see it ALWAYS blows you away. This is a recap of a couple of days a week ago when God began to show His handiwork to us.
It started Sunday morning, October 9th, when Larry and Karol Smith (Karol’s kitchen) from Belize, came to visit in our Worship Service. Karol gave a gripping testimony that morning and many were touched by God’s Word through her. It just so happened that a family that is a member of our church is friends with them and their parents actually live and serve in Belize were in the service also. They spoke and shared with Larry and Karol for some time after church which made us late for lunch! But this conversation gave meaning to the next few days in a special way. On Monday, I received a call from the Father in law of our members and he shared that he many times brought vehicles back and forth from the US to Belize. We wanted to take our bus to Belize… but call me a person of little faith, but I really didn’t want our newly outfitted Commercial Kitchen Bus, “THE MANA BUS” as we will christen it… broken down in the heart of Mexico just “ripe for the pickin'”. So I graciously declined his offer (although his discounted price would have saved us some much needed dollars).
Then came Tuesday… it started out as usual as most Tuesday’s begin… a cup of coffee and a “five minute huddle” with the administrative assistants and back to work. Then the phone began to ring and emails began to show up… First, a note from Dr. John La Noue that stated the State WMU office Executive Committee met on Monday and approved $3500 to ship the bus to Belize… PRAISE GOD! There the money we need to get it there… by ship! And a few minutes later an email popped up from Carolyn Porterfield, the head of the WMU, stating as fact what Dr. John shared with me!
The phone rings and a gentleman I didn’t know, Michael Helton, wanted to visit with me. It seems that the bus driver was speaking to him about our kitchen and Michael was interested in our project. We visited awhile and he shared with me that he has been visiting Belize and working there two or three weeks a month for the past year and a half! An open country for the gospel, but with little or no Southern Baptist Work there now has an organization registered with the Belizian Government called “The Southern Baptists of Belize” because Michael set that up. An answered prayer! He shared that he is in the process of establishing up 7 churches in Central and Southern Belize. An Answered Prayer for sure! He was very interested in the kitchen as he had 5 containers of food going to Belize next year… but no kitchen to cook it in… and we have a kitchen that can cook more food than we had food for… Wonder what God is up to… Then… we began to speak about Guatemala and the Food Security Issues there… but that can be saved for another post…
I do know this, the future is before us and it is ripe with opportunities. Join us as we seek to follow God’s lead!
Ok, I really know my limitations… however I seldom heed them. I’ve never been one to say I can’t (or won’t) do something. If it needs doing, I’m going to do it or figure out how to do it if it takes me all day. The only exception in small engines… can’t seem to figure out how to keep them going long term… but everyone has to have a stopping off place somewhere! Along with this I’m tethered to the issue of being a “fixer”. So… when I see something that is not right, even if it’s not my responsibility, I get after it…
So, when it comes to seeing God’s will, it’s never really been difficult for me. Even hearing God’s voice that says, “Go” and “Do”seems easy for me. I jump right in and try and make it happen. My real difficulty is in waiting on God to tell me HOW He wants it done. You see, I believe that God speaks to us to show us (1) what He wants done and (2) when He wants it done. I also BELIEVE God speaks to us and tells us HOW He wants it done….There is where the rubber meets the road for me. As my title states, I’m a “Ready, FIRE, Aim” kinda guy. If I had been Joshua having just crossed the Jordan River into the Promise Land, and God said, “I want you to take the city of Jericho”. I would have said, “Yes Sir” and gotten the men together with it’s shovels and pick axes and we would have started chopping on that wall. God chose to do something quite miraculous on that hot desert floor. He told Joshua to take the city, take it now…but then he said, “March around it seven times….(you know the story) blow the trumpets and the walls will tumble down and the city will by theirs! Would we have both gotten to the city? Absolutely… my resolve would have had me chopping on the wall till it broke through! But who would get the glory? In Joshua’s case, there is only one that can get the Glory for what they accomplished. For me, I would get all the glory, and God would have been left out all together.
So, here I sit. I have a kitchen to build, and water purifiers to test and develop, both before 2017 begins… My inner self says to go and do… my heart tells me to wait on God. I did take matters in my own hands with the bus… and we almost lost it to a engine fire… pretty scary (you need to ask me sometime!). My initial thought was how should we go about it? Karol needs her kitchen. God says, “Wait on me”. The water needs to be tested. God says, “Wait on Me”. I happen to be a pretty active listener… I want to “go and do”, when God says to “Sit and Pray”. Following God’s lead is hard!
One of my favorite songs is here. Thanks for following and joining me on my journey to follow God’s lead….
>>>I had been asked by the pastor of The First Baptist Church of Athens, Texas, to preach in his absence on Sunday May 21. I spoke about how Jesus used common men in His ministry as disciples.Amigos Internacionales is a Non Profit, NGO that is committed to do what Jesus did, meet people’s needs where they are and share the love of Jesus as we go.
That’s a pretty simple mission statement, however it’s taken it’s members around the globe on many trips of mercy, providing assistance and meeting needs for almost 50 years. I’ll give a brief history of our organization in a future blog, but today I want to share my vision for the future of Amigos.
Amigos began in 1967 when someone said, “We need…”, a group of men got together and said “God provides” and they incorporated the Non profit, Amigos Internacionales, Inc. In the beginning, they helped provided mobile medical and dental vehicles that have provided service in the Rio Grande Valley between Texas and Mexico for years.
We find ourselves in a peculiar situation as we begin our 50th year. At the Board meeting in which the Corporation asked me to be President and CEO, I shared an interesting fact I hear several years ago. It states that 75% of the Fortune 1000 companies are led and controlled by 1st generation/founders. Of those companies, 75% of those companies will never make it in to the 2nd generation.” This is where we find ourselves today. Of the founders of Amigos, only John L. La Noue is still with us and he sits on the board. We have the privilege of developing a new vision based on the history of our founders. We realize we are surrounded by a great crowd of witnesses that have gone on before us, and they are cheering us on to continue the great traditions of meeting people where they are, taking care of needs and sharing the love of Jesus with them.
We are also fortunate enough to have Michael Mirau, a nationally renowned business coach and member of the Gazelles coaching on our Board of Directors. He is also Chairman of the Board of Amore Ministries, a Non Profit organization providing shelter in Mexico, south of California. Michael will be guiding us in the journey of discovering God’s path for Amigos’ future.
I do know this, the future is before us and it is ripe with opportunities. Join us as we seek to follow God’s lead!