Justice and Mercy International

This is a question that I’m receiving more and more these days.  I’m always glad to hear it because it means someone else has already come to understand just how important it is to be a “player” and not just a “fan” with their Christian lives. 

So which mission opportunity is right for you?  India?  Haiti?  South Africa?  Ecuador?  Moldova?  New Orleans?  Kentucky?  (It doesn’t have to be a JMI trip, but participating in a mission trip with friends from your own church does increase your sense of connection with the people with whom you worship and share life).

Here are 3 questions you might want to think and pray over when considering a mission trip: 

• Where is your passion?
• What might you need to let go of in your life in order to become available to God’s purposes?
• How do your gifts and experience factor in?

Generically, I suspect that God implants a passion and giftedness within people for one cause or another, assuming they’re open to that, and it’s probably a good rule of thumb to pay attention to that.  But I also have a suspicion that there are cases where He calls us to the places that are the least comfortable, where we have the least amount of control, and potentially where our own skill sets appear to be the least applicable….all to demonstrate that the power is in His hands and not ours as well as to break and mold us in the ways we wouldn’t have imagined otherwise.  As I’ve said before, to change us in all the ways we need to be changed.

As you grapple with those mysteries, here’s what I can tell you about the upcoming South Africa, Brazil, India and Moldova trips:

SOUTH AFRICA

JMI and Rolling Hills have a unique privilege of working in South Africa with the world’s leading church-based ministry serving persons vulnerable to or suffering with HIV/AIDS, Living Hope, based in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Cape Town. Living Hope works in a variety of capacities aimed at preventing the spread of HIV and slowing the effects of AIDS, along with basic life skills education, drug and alcohol recovery, and work with all facets of defenseless children and teenagers. Rolling Hills works among the various communities in which Living Hope serves, but primarily in the shanty township of Red Hill, located near scenic Simon’s Town.

Red Hill is a community of around 600 people, loosely segregated into three “camps,” or communities based on ethnic or national ancestry. The prevalence of HIV infection in Red Hill is far higher than the national average, which alone is the highest in the world. Unemployment is also rampant in Red Hill, with only around 25% of inhabitants being employed on a semi-fulltime basis. The people of Red Hill are growing in their devotion to Jesus, though, and many have come to know the Lord in recent years, primarily young people. Year-round, RHCC and JMI work in Red Hill to provide food as well as life skills education and community development. Trips to South Africa include a retreat for all Living Hope Life Skills Educators, work with support groups, health care and testing clinics, construction, and kids’ clubs in Red Hill, as well as support for Celebrate Recovery, which Living Hope is implementing through its Living Grace ministry in Muizenburg.

Because of Cape Town’s first class infrastructure, travel to Cape Town is direct out of several worldwide gateway cities. It is a long trip, but accommodations provided by The Team House (www.theteamhouse.com) are top notch and incredibly helpful in a foreign land, making up for the lengthy flights. Tetanus boosters are the only required medication for travelers to Cape Town, while some get Hepatitis A vaccines if they have not traveled overseas much. The trip usually lasts 12 days, in which time participants will have the opportunity to see many of the wonders of the Western Cape, Africa’s southernmost tip and near the junction of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. The cost is typically near $3,100, which is all inclusive. Trips are usually scheduled in late winter/early spring (which is late summer/early fall in South Africa–the best time of the year to visit the Cape!).

BRAZIL

What we’ve experienced in Brazil are people along the rivers who are isolated, poor, have intestinal parasites, no vegetables because of the rising and falling of the river during the drought and rainy seasons, no work opportunities, dangerous environmental conditions for their children, in some cases inadequate access to schools, homes that can’t be repaired for lack of simple things like nails, girls who marry early (and sometimes unwisely) as an aspect of their culture, impossible or inadequate access to medical and dental care, lack of training in many areas, etc.  JMI has church partners focusing on planting and training pastors in villages, building homes, churches and schools and doing VBS type day-events in the villages.  Our focus at RHCC is providing more variety of food and work opportunities by establishing self-sustaining chicken farms and vegetable gardens, providing some parenting training for mothers, setting up water purification barrels and providing medical/dental assistance when we have people with those skill sets on the trip.  I suspect that this year’s trip will be a lot of manual labor, hoeing up gardens, fertilizing and seeding them and touching on some of the other goals as we have opportunity.  We’re also hoping to really identify with the four villages we’ve established relationships with by becoming more involved in their cultures, whether that be by attending some of their ceremonial dances, hunting and fishing with the men or helping the women string beads.  In these ways we hope to develop enduring trust and friendships.

On the Brazil trip we live and eat on a double-decker boat, sleep in hammocks with mosquito netting, shower using river water, take malaria pills (and there is an inoculation for yellow fever along with a recommendation for for hepatitis A and B shots).  The food is great and provided by a cook for us.  In addition to interacting with tribal people right out of National Geographic, we occasionally fish for piranha, spotlight Cayman alligators at night and go on a nature walk with a jungle guide in which they show us how the people use the forest to survive.  The cost of the trip will probably be about $2300-$2400, but there are also expenses for the inoculations and a visa that can be pricy for a first trip.  We can only take about 12 people due to the space limitations…am hoping we have enough interest to plan a fall trip as well!  The Brazil informational meeting is Feb. 27.

INDIA

We’re still putting the final touches on our plans for India.  This will be an exploratory trip for us, but one that will include lots of direct ministry in a place that has limited support from nonprofits.  We’ll be going to Mumbai and our focus is on the needs of orphans, children of prostitutes and women who have come out of prostitution and are being served by Bombay Teen Challenge.  Their long-term goal is to raise enough money to build a church right in the middle of the red light district of Mumbai.  Because they can’t get involved in direct rescue of women due to the way that “industry” has become institutionalized and because of the danger posed to the girls by their pimps, the idea is to bring so much Light into the district that the “rats” will be forced to leave it, if you get my meaning.  

Our goal will be to do a VBS type program there for the kids that are in an orphanage kind of facility outside Mumbai, similar to the programming we do in Moldova….worship, Bible study groups, crafts, recreation, etc., and do something very similar for their facility for women who have come out of prostitution.  My sense is that they haven’t had many groups like ours come in, so we’ll be real pioneers, sharing the grace of our Lord with people who need to hear that word desperately.  Should we happen to have a doctor or nurse with experience treating STD’s, he or she would probably be asked to help in their clinic examining the prostitutes.  

I know almost nothing about the food but trust it will be fine.  I believe we’ll mostly be sleeping at their facilities.  Our next meeting will be Feb. 20th at the Bunganut Pig at 12:45.  Our team can be no larger than 6 people, but we only have 3 thus far.  The cost of the India trip is estimated to be around $2300-$2400.

MOLDOVA

In Moldova you’d be working with true and social orphans in a country that has been devastated by poverty and corruption.  The kids are amazingly warm and receptive, very trusting and very naive, which is their blessing and their curse.  They will absolutely steal your heart.  The trip usually costs about $2500….could be less if the dollar strengthens against the Euro and we can get better flight pricing.  JMI has its own staff there and our experience in Moldova goes back to 1999 and we know how to manage all the aspects of a successful trip.  Another plus is getting to incorporate the kids from our transitional living programs into our day-to-day activities. They are also extremely endearing and fun, as are our staff members.  

Our work consists of providing summer camping experiences for orphaned, abandoned and destitute kids.  We communicate through interpreters and, in the past, have enjoyed a great deal of freedom in presenting the gospel, despite the State’s authority over the institutions.  We enjoy comfortable living arrangements, great food and meaningful access to the children.

In addition to our church’s groups, we have several teams working there this summer:

• A group of girls from Lipscomb University, May 15-25, working with our Grace House girls
• Michael Memorial Baptist Church in Gulfport, MS going the latter part of June
• Rolling Hills Community Church in Franklin, TN with teams scheduled for July 1-9 and July 9-17
• A group from Village Chapel in Nashville, TN working from July 16-23
• A group from GracePointe in Franklin, TN in August

Posted by Maggie Rollins | On: Feb 04 2011