Letting Go

In 1994, God called my wife Stacy and I into missionary service.  But the process didn’t start in 1994!  That year was only the culmination of many years of pushing our own agenda and fighting God’s.  For years we had felt his nudging, but could never agree on how or when or even if to move forward.  We kept running from the idea, but it kept hounding us, relentless and uncompromising.  Then, on a cool fall evening in western Michigan, we finally stopped running, and the rest as they say, is history.  It would take a long time to share the ups and downs, the joys and pains, the surprises, and the frustrations of serving as missionaries since that day when we surrendered our plans to his will.  I’ll spare you the details, but I will say this:  There are many things we have learned over the years, but among the most important is this simple truth - God wants to use you wherever you are, in whatever situation you might find yourself in.  We only need to surrender to Him.  Right, I know. Easier said than done.

But that’s just the point.  It isn’t the easy way.  In fact, sometimes it’s just plain hard, and sometimes it even seems overwhelming and impossible.  But that doesn’t make it any less true.  Maybe God has something impossible for you to do!  Perhaps God is calling you into missionary service on another continent, in another culture.  You might be absolutely terrified of that thought (most of us would be), but no matter how hard you try to run from it, it will always find you.  You see, when God is seeking you, pestering you, and even annoying you, it’s likely because he has something very special for you and he doesn’t want you to miss it!  Stop running, and start listening.  Then let God begin to use you in ways you could never have imagined.  Trust me. I know.

P.S.  Like most mission organizations, ECM utilizes missionaries to assist in our work in Africa.  If you would like to talk about the possibility of serving with ECM, just contact us and we can start talking.  Don’t worry – no pressure, and no obligation!

Thanks for Caring

“I’ve got to go back and talk to that man” I thought, as I drove home. I had just read the cardboard sign he held, as he shielded himself from the wind while standing outside a local department store during the busy Christmas shopping season.  The sign said, “I’ve got four kids and I lost my job. I want them to have a good Christmas.” I made eye contact, then looked away quickly, afraid that somehow my guilt for not stopping would be magnified if I gazed long enough to see through his blank stare.  But then an inaudible voice  - the Holy Spirit, I think – clearly said, “This time, Mark, you NEED to go back.”  I didn’t have a choice.

I parked nearby the man, and walked toward him.  We shook hands, and then I listened as he told me his story.  It wasn’t a new story – we’ve all heard similar ones (if we stop to listen).  But it was honest and painful, and his need was real.  We chatted about Christmas and church and knowing God, and he seemed glad for the company.  I gave him a gift certificate to a local grocery store and then walked back to my car.  As I opened my door, he called out, “Hey! Thanks for caring.”  I drove home and wrapped my presents, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Christmas is over.  The presents have all been given and the food has been eaten.  Even New Years is past now, along with the parties and celebrating.  But the need is still there, and will always be.  Thanks for caring about some of the neediest children in the world, the children of Africa.  Thanks for caring about their education, their physical health, their diet, and their relationships.  Most of all, thanks for caring about their spiritual health.  Thanks for caring that they know Jesus and experience the love of God.  You truly do make all the difference in the world!  

The Christmas Season: Good News with Obstacles

My daughter Katelyn once told me that trail mix is just M&M's with obstacles.  That made me laugh, mostly because for me, it is SO true.  Eating all the obstacles is definitely worth it when it means I get a few M&M's out of the deal!

I approach life that way too.  I can put up with a lot of stuff I don't really like when there is a "payoff" at the end (or at least the hope of a payoff!).  I don't really like raking up leaves, but I sure do like a clean, healthy yard.  I don't really like vacuuming, but I sure do like a happy wife!  I'm sure you can relate.

Christmas time is here, and believe me, there are plenty of obstacles we need to go through to get to what really matters.  But in our culture, there isn't any other way to get to Christmas than to go through the obstacles.  The shopping, the materialism, the parties, the busyness, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, trips to the in-laws, and fruit cake.  Enjoy them all (if you can), but never forget what's on the other side. Never forget that God became a man, and that He made a way for sinners like us to find our way back to Him.  Never forget that the baby Jesus, born in a barn, became the Savior of the world.  Your Savior, and mine.  That's the Good News! He's the reason we do what we do at ECM.

I hope you'll agree that it's worth it to fight through the obstacles in order to enjoy the Savior (who is even better than the trail mix with M&M's that I just happen to be eating right now!).

A Thanksgiving Thought

Paul said “Give thanks in all circumstances.”

Yeah, right.

I know, that might be a little too honest for some of you, but for others it is exactly how you feel right now, or how you felt yesterday, or will feel tomorrow.  The truth is, sometimes it is easy to be thankful, and sometimes it is most definitely not.

We are told that when life gives us lemons, make lemonade; that when God closes a door, he opens a window; that we need to keep our chin up and keep pressing on, no matter what life throws our way. If only it were that easy….

Thankfulness is a matter of perspective.  Some people are thankful because they are looking down at the grass, not up at it; others find reasons to complain about almost everything.  I am always amazed at how our African brothers and sisters are continually thankful in all circumstances.  And trust me, they have every reason not to be thankful, at least if you are looking at material possessions and ease of life.

You see, thankfulness is not something we can or should turn on and off, like the bedroom light switch.  We don’t choose a day of the year on which to be thankful. Being thankful is, like love, a verb; something we must choose to do continually, even when every fiber of our being tells us not to. It should be our lifestyle and come from deep within.

Join me in giving thanks to God for all he has done, for his mercy and love, and for the gift of salvation.  Join me in thanking God for ECM’s first thirty years, and in asking Him for His blessings on another thirty.

Give thanks in all circumstances.  Yeah. Right!

Self-su...what?

Like many of us in the church today, you may have heard the term "self-sustainability" used in a missions context.  You may have thought, "that sounds right, but what does it really mean?  As we consider the role we play as Christians in bringing the Good News of Jesus to a hurting world, it is important that we understand what the term refers to, and more importantly, why it is important for mission work in the 21st century.

Over the past one hundred years, the ability to move not only people, but also goods and funds, from one continent to another, has improved greatly.  Whereas once we sent missionaries to foreign lands with just a Bible in their hands, we now send them with crates of clothing and supplies for the nationals.  We also send them with a very large checkbook to be used to help people.  We have typically shown our love to those in need by giving them what they needed. Unfortunately, we have created a dependency on US resources which is difficult for many third-world communities to break away from.

To fight against this creation of dependency, mission organizations have increasingly moved toward partnerships with local ministries which promote self-sustainability, the ability to sustain the work without demanding that all or most of the funding come from outside the community (typically from the western world).  In general, this surfaces in missions in one of two ways: 1) individual self-sustainability, where individuals and families become able to sustain their livelihood without the financial assistance of others (often through micro-financing opportunities and training); and 2) project sustainability, where the ministry work is able to continue even after the parent organization no longer provides funding.

The Gulu Poultry Project is a perfect example of this second type of sustainability.  With this project, ECM is making a distinct effort to move from where we are now, providing 100% of the resources needed to do ministry in Gulu, to where we want to be, providing a small percentage, or even no percentage, of the resources needed.  The Poultry Project is a first step in making this move possible!  If you think that we're on the right track, please join with us to help raise the funds necessary to start the project! Watch the video and donate here!

All You Need is Love?

In 1967 John Lennon penned a song that was, at the same time, both wonderful and terrible.  All You Need is Love topped the American and British charts that summer, and reflected a deeply felt idea that if we would just love each other, all would be well.  It is a wonderful idea because it reflects the words of Christ when he told the pharisees that ultimately there were only two important laws, to love God and love our neighbors (not to mention Paul's words that "the greatest of these is love").  But it is a terrible song because it makes it sound as if it were easy! In fact, each verse ends with the cheery lyrics, "it's easy."  The problem is, we all know it's not.  If it were, the world would be a different place. If it were, Christians would be better at it. If it were, then we would be able to love our enemies (and even those who have different political views).  And don't forget, Jesus told us to do that too.


But what does love have to do with Every Child Ministries?  Everything, to be honest.  Maybe you give financially because you get a tax deduction, but I doubt it. Maybe you give because it makes you feel good, but I doubt that's the main reason. Maybe you give out of obligation, or because everyone else is doing it, but I think it's much more than that.  At the very core of our giving is, and must be, love for others.  Jesus prayed that our love for each other would be the "selling point" of Christianity, the intangible that made others receptive to the Gospel.  It is our love that brings hope and healing to a desperate world.  It is our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ and for the lost that makes us stand out in the crowd.  Not our rules and laws, our morality, our obedience, or our wealth and power.  But our love. And so it is both beautifully simple and terribly complex.


May love motivate you to respond - a love that comes from a deep gratitude for what God has done for you.  May it persuade you, more than any crafty development officer or slick website, to help others by giving of the resources God has blessed you with.  So, after all, I guess it it is true. All you really need is love.  

If Ever I Loved Thee

A wise person once said, "If you live long enough, you had better be prepared to live with loss." At 51 years of age, I experienced my first significant loss when my mother passed away last week.  One of my comforts during this difficult time has been the fact that my mom did not experience the loss of any of her children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren.  What a blessing!  If only that were true for everyone.  Some of you reading this have lost a child or a grandchild, perhaps a sibling or even a spouse.  I cannot imagine the grief you have gone through!  Those of us who work on the African continent cannot escape the reality of untimely death.  You cannot be in Uganda or Ghana or Congo long without learning that your friend has lost a child or a sibling or a parent.  Funerals are as normal (and as frequent) as the rising of the sun.  Death is, as they say, a part of life.


Perhaps I am drawn to the African people, ultimately, because of their perspective on life and death.  Despite the hardships of life, and the frequency of unexpected and untimely death, they never lose sight of their reason for existence.  They exist not to become wealthy, powerful, or famous, but to relate in love, first to their God, second to their families, and finally to their communities.  This describes my mom, too, and I hope that it describes me as well.  When I reach the end of this life, may I leave surrounded by those who love me, ready to hear the voice of Jesus welcome me into eternity, where I will see not only my mom, but my African friends who have gone before me.  The words of William Featherston from over 150 years ago still ring true:

I'll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,

And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;

And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.