Missions Monday

Missions Monday

Posted by Ashley Hoover

It is estimated that of the 40 million street children of Latin America, 70 percent are addicted to glue. Twenty eight million customers, who consume about 28 million gallons of glue a month. That's a big market. And the biggest producers are US multinationals...

In Latin America and other parts of the developing world, the drug of choice among street children is solvent-based shoe glues. These products, produced most commonly in bases of toluene and cyclohexane offer them an escape from reality and take away the child's cold, despair and hunger -- in exchange for a host of physical and psychological problems, including hallucinations, pulmonary oedema, kidney failure, liver problems and irreversible brain damage. Sudden death is also possible. Furthermore, glue keeps kids stuck in the street.

Glue sniffing is a pragmatic response to an unliveable situation. Street children sniff glue because it "takes away" the children's hunger, cold, and despair. It also gives them the "courage" to steal...

Once addicted, their personalities change. They become more aggressive. Glue destroys any future these kids might have once envisioned for themselves. They become enslaved to the vapours. Meaningful psychosocial rehabilitation of a glue-addicted child is near impossible.

They buy it from cobblers and hardware stores who repackage the narcotic products in baby food jars and plastic bags. For these local outlets, the children's addiction ensures a steady stream of income. For those who make the glue, it is big business. We must work, now, to build a consensus that children are more important than profits -- and advocate for changes in corporate marketing policies which bring harm to those who are our most precious resource now and for our future.

Source: www.homelesschild.org

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." -James 1:27

The Goal

The Goal

Posted by Ashley Hoover

All the pieces are falling into place in preparation for my first term in Honduras! Internship here in TX is quickly coming to an end. Thank you so much for your prayers, support and encouragement through this whole journey! I am so happy to say that I now have a goal date to leave for Honduras. Lord willing my first term will start on July 1. In order for that to be a reality there are a few things that need to happen before then. Here is a timeline of the next couple months.

• Missionary Training School April 3-7
• Finish internship May 15.
• CEF International Conference May 16-21
• SPLICE course in Colorado May 23-June 10

After that I will be packing up and getting a few paperwork things taken care of to help the residency process go smoother once I'm in Honduras. These are my plans right now but I am reminded of Proverbs 16:9, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." I trust that I will be able to leave on July 1 but there is one factor that could hinder that time frame. I know many of you already help support financially and I am so very grateful! Your partnership through giving helps me be able to dedicate all my time to sharing the Gospel with children. In the next couple months I need to raise the last of my budget to be able to leave on July 1. $600/mo is all that's left but I need your help. If you know of anyone you think would like to hear about this ministry please let me know. Or maybe you are able to help financially. If so, you can use the link to CEF in the sidebar to give online. Or leave a comment if you have any questions. Would you prayerfully consider if/how the Lord may have you be involved?

 

Please continue to pray for me, the children and that the Lord would provide what is needed in His perfect time. I'm eagerly looking forward to being in Honduras again and helping with the ministry there. 

My Weekend

My Weekend

Posted by Ashley Hoover

This weekend we did a retreat for a Chinese church. We taught the kids while the adults had thier conference. I helped out with the preschool group. They were a ton of fun and really well behaved. We learned about Noah, Zaccheus and Paul. Here are some pictures of the fun we had.

 We colored

 and played with blocks

Here we are playing a review game. They earned points by throwing a bean bag in hula hoops.

One of my favorite parts was song time! I loved to hear them sing this song.

Who doesn't love bubbles?? We used the bounce house blower to blow them all over the room. :)

More bubbles.

Bounce house fun!

I was really impressed with how much these preschoolers knew about the Bible. It was pretty neat to hear them make connections from the stories to thier own lives. I feel so priviledged to be teaching children about God!

Missions Monday

Missions Monday

Posted by Ashley Hoover

"Today Christians spend more money on dog food then missions"  - Leonard Ravenhill

•Less than 1% of Christian revenue is spent on evangelism to the unevengelized peoples.

•Christians spend more on the annual audits of their churches and agencies ($810 million) than on all their workers in the non-Christian world.

•Annual church embezzlements by top custodians exceed the entire cost of all foreign missions worldwide. Embezzling from the Church - $16 Billion per year.

•Total Christian spending on foreign missions – $15 Billion.

Statistics from 2009 http://www.missionslaunch.com/blog/2009/08/

Missions Monday

Missions Monday

Posted by Ashley Hoover

Some things to think about:

A missionary call: Is it God's will for you?

Called to the Ministry
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
09-05-2008

"Usually a person should keep on with the work he was doing when God called him" (I Cor. 7: 20 TLB).

We've all heard stories of men or women in the workplace that left their jobs for the "ministry." Certainly God does call people into vocational ministry. However, many times this move is more rooted in dissatisfaction with a career combined with a spiritual renewal or first time commitment to the Lord. The idea of a "higher call" can also appeal to our sense of a greater and nobler destiny.

We have incorrectly elevated the roll of the Christian worker that serves within "the church" or a traditional "ministry" role to be more holy and committed than the person who is serving in a secular environment. Yet the call to the secular workplace is as important as any other calling. God has to have His people in every sphere of life to meet the needs of His creation. Also, many would never come to know Him because they would be separated from society.

I learned this lesson personally when I sought to go into "full-time" service as a pastor in my late twenties, only to have God thrust me back into the workplace unwillingly. This turned out to be the best thing He could have done for me, because it was never His will for me to be a pastor. He knew I was more suited for the workplace.

We are all in missions. Some are called to foreign lands. Some are called to the jungles of the workplace. Wherever you are called, serve the Lord in that place. Let Him demonstrate His power through your life so that others might experience Him through you today. View your vocation as means to worship Him.

Paul said it right; "In most cases we're going to remain in the place where He first called us."

Feeling that God is calling you to missionary service?

"How can they hear without someone preaching to them?" -Romans 10:14


Consider these steps to discover if He is calling you

Read everything about missions and missionaries that you can get your hands on.

Get involved in the missions mobilization and education program of your local church

Go hear every missionary speaker that you can. God sometimes chooses that time to clarify His calling to young people.

Talk to your pastor. Verbalizing your thinking with him and enlisting his prayer support may help you sort through various issues.

Throw yourself into active ministry through your local church. Learn to minister effectively in your own culture before you attempt cross-cultural ministry.

Go on a short-term missions trip. A cross-cultural mission trip will give you a taste of life on the mission field and a good opportunity to sense God's leadership.

Contact a missionary sending agency for more information about something you are interested in.

Consider giving a year of volunteer service overseas before deciding whether you should offer the rest of your life.

Persevere.
In her book, Ventures of the Heart, Lela Morgan says that early Nazarene missions leader H.F. Reynolds told a young would-be missionary: "Brother Winans, we cannot send you to South America; but if God has called you, you will go or backslide."

Missions Monday

Missions Monday

Posted by Ashley Hoover

The following is some advice from World Harvest Mission on some things missionarys should be cultivating in thier lives.

What makes a fruitful missionary? Six key abilities

What qualities do you need for missionary service? Here are six key abilities of a fruitful missionary:

1. Availability
You are experiencing the love of Jesus in your life and are willing to consider going anywhere to share that love with others.

2. Teachability
You know you haven't fully arrived. There is much still to learn in every situation you encounter. So, it is important to assume the posture of a learner as you serve in another culture.

3. Dependability
Not yours, but God's! You are cultivating the practice of depending on God for personal growth and power in ministry. As we say at World Harvest, the model for growth in the Christian life is a growing dependence on Christ.

4. Flexibility
You should be able to handle lots of situations which don't appear to have set agendas. Cross-cultural ministry is filled with surprises, so it is important to be willing to "go with the flow."

5. Durability
Missionary life does not offer a lot of instant gratification. Living overseas may involve hardships. There are also periods of separation from family and friends. So, it is important that you be willing to persevere through tough times.

6. Suitability
As a missionary you do not magically develop a new set of abilities when you land overseas. Fruitful ministry at home is an important prerequisite for fruitful ministry abroad.

What I've Been Thinking About

What I've Been Thinking About

Posted by Ashley Hoover

As I've been teaching the kids in my Good News Clubs, I've been humbled by how many answers I don't have for them. As we've searched together for the Truth from God's Word it has challenged me to start memorizing Scripture again. This past week I've taught some challenging lessons for me personally as well. It's left me feeling a little hypocritical as I think about areas in my life that need improving. Sometimes I wonder how God can use a person like me that is so far from His standard. I am preparing to share my testimony and how God called me to missions with the children in my Monday GNC next week. I heard this song the other day and wanted to share it with you. It sums up some of my feelings as I'm a bit overwhelmed with the responsibility of teaching children. The consequences of right and wrong teaching are eternal. Thank you for praying for me as I share the Gospel with children. I am very aware that I need them!

Should I Tell Them by Shaun Groves

Walking with You is not without hazards
Tripping's this traveler's curse
The price paid for falling is more than my stumble
In a world that is watching and waiting for worst
But I listened when you said to go
And I set out in spite of my fears
I brought truth mixed with my imperfections
And the question of what to say when I got here
And now that I'm here

Chorus:
Should I tell them that You are
The One who has made me
And saved me to set up a home there inside
Should I tell them that I am
A perfect example of all You can do with a life
What should I say to them, what if I'm failing them?
What should I tell them tonight?

Don't get me wrong
I'm thankful to be here
With this song to sing and a spotlight on me
But lately I'm wondering if You are mistaken
If You're seeing all of me there is to see
But on every face I detect
These same questions I've posed to you
Like do You speak through the imperfect
Or are we too dirty for Your light to get through
I want You're light to get through

(chorus)

'Cause they're thirsty but my cup is empty, Lord
Come and meet me here in this place
'Cause I'm unashamed, but I'm unprepared
And I'm just plain afraid
(chorus x2)