Curt Seaburg.com

We HAVE NOT Forgotten Joplin, MO

You know the story, on May 22, 2011, a tornado touched down in Joplin, MO that was one mile wide.  It stayed on the ground for 6 miles devastating everything in its path.   You can also watch an AMAZING before and after video of a car driving down the streets of JOPLIN.

It’s amazing that as time goes by, not even 2 months, the images (for the most part) are gone from our mind.  Out of sight (TV), out of mind.  Fact is, people are still displaced, relief efforts go on. 

Tomorrow (Friday) Jerry & Adrienne Garvey go back to Joplin where they lived for two years.  In that short time they lived and worked there, they made lifetime friends.  The cool thing about the Garvey’s is, they are normal people.  Jerry works full time, Adrienne is a stay at home mom.  They have two awesome little kids, they volunteer at church.  They are normal on the outside, but on the inside they are anything but normal.  They are going back to Joplin … giving up family vacation, earned hotel nights through job travel, to work in the relief efforts of that devastated area. 

 

This past Sunday, we (the tribe) took a special offering for them.  Not for their food, hotel or travel expenses out there.  No, they are paying for that themselves.  We gave directly to help the people in Joplin.  Victory Church gave $5000.00! For the generosity of a spontaneous offering, I say THANK YOU!  And I am soooooo proud of our church.  I was blown away … so were the Garvey’s.

Stay connected over the next week by visiting Adrienne’s Blog HERE.  (Cool fact, Adrienne was a TV journalist so she writes REALLY GOOD stories. )

 If we want God to be great in our lives ...

we have got to be willing to give him an opportunity to be great.

We can sit around and complain and wish somebody would do something … We can do something ourselves! 

Way to go Garvey Family! 

We are proud of you!

What If We Could Eradicate Poverty?

I personally hate stagnation.  I abhor themundane, boring, 'sit on your time, talent and treasure' attitudes.  I believe the living God made us for a whole lot more than just sitting around.  This morning I visited an amazing experience right here in our own Lancaster County. 

 

Hope International has seemed to not only identify a global problem, but they have a solution, and it's not to just throw money at the problem.  They have married a cause with an experience which feed the cause which creates synergy.   I loved what Peter Greer says in his book, "The Poor Will Be Glad."  He said, "What if there was a way to eradicate world poverty and hunger?  A way to help the poor, help themselves while giving them the priceless gift of dignity?  Through micro-finance and other employment-based solutions to poverty, a revolution is underway - a revolution you can be a part of."

 

Martin Luther King said,

 "Progress never rolls in on the wheels of mediocrity."   

 

You can visit and take a tour through Hope Internationals Pathways Media Experience.  It only takes about 30 minutes, but you will love it!!  Get your family, your youth group, your small group and stop by.  You will be so glad you did.

Make a difference.

Get Involved,

Do Something.

Three Things We Prayed For ... God Answers

On Sunday morning, the tribe prayed for three things.  #1 - That the strike in India would be lifted.  As of around 8:00PM our time, it lifted.  #2 - The the spirits of the team members would be lifted. (many hit a "wall" after 12 days.)  Just talked with Pam, everyone has their second wind and are very excited.  #3 - That the storm, destined to land on the Philly airport around touchdown of their plane on Wednesday at 2:20PM would pass.  It did!!!

You say "coincidence" ... I say "miracle."  Somebody once said, "A coincidence is simply a miracle when God wishes to remain anonymous."  Either way, I win!

Now for the long and treacherous drive down the mountain.  They should be down safely by midnight our time.  Road is very steep, a jeep rolled down the mountain 3 days.  Thanks for your prayers.

Visiting a Leper Colony - Getting Lives Wecked by God and other India Team Updates

Lena Arborgast along with Pam, are leading the team in ministry in India.  Here is the latest update.

"Finally after nearly 14 hours we have current once again….let me update you starting a few days back.   Remember the lady I had written about in the last update?   She had showed up at Hope Family Home early the following morning with her small 18mo daughter tied to her back and her 4 year old son in tow.  Shanti (one on staff ) made hot water and bathed the two little ones and redressed them with clean clothing.  They gathered a few blankets, some plates and clothing for the children and made them hot tea, to warm them up,  after which Shanti and I walked back down down  down the hillside to her small one room hut.  With the absence of the team I was much better able to see the place she lives in.  The only piece of furniture was a wooden slated bed with a few VERY dirty blankets!!  Along with a few pots on the floor for cooking rice and a bag of whatever hanging from the corner wall.  The other children, with their dirt crusted faces met us on the way and were excited to see momma back again.  The smile of hope and the sadness in the eyes brought such a mixture of emotion.  It is so important, that no matter where we live we are always sensitive and then willing to do whatever we are feeling compleaded to do.  To walk away from any situation (at home or abroad) of need or hopelessness  is something I am always wanting to be more mindful of!!  Again, I am reminded to go back home and listen to the quietness of my heart and be willing to act on that.

In the afternoon we along with some of the girls, walked quite a distance with backpacks filled with supplies to be distributed to the leprosy colony.  Currently there are 25 living in this government compound, which seems and looks more like a ‘concentration camp’ then anything else.  These truly are the forgotten of society and we are told that they NEVER receive any visitors or help from anyone other than Kiran.  The local hospital will deliver rice to them twice a day, along with a doctor visit twice a week to redress bandages, however, if other sickness occurs they will not be given any medicine’s  to help them.    We sang, we distributed items, such as toothpaste and brush, soap, tea, mile, biscuits and salt,  we visited the women’s dormitory and left shedding our tears behind our jacket collar’s .  To see their gratefulness, to us, by raised folded hands and a slight bow was quite humbling.

Yesterday, (Friday) was a day filled with the girls.  Last night we were honored by a VERY SPECIAL picnic of chicken on the outside grill at 7:00 at night.   After most of us saw the chickens being brought into the compound live and watching Kiran kill them, along with the hot water bath to take the feathers off and then that smell!!along with seeing the chopping of ALL parts of that bird before it was placed on the grill, needless to say we did not have any appetite for chicken.  We tried to eat, or ‘share’ our piece with the girls and even some of us tried to sneak it back into the container.   The fried rice along with golden brown potatoes and a wonderful salad was such a treat.  They really did go all out for us and honored us by expressions of thankfulness to us for leaving our families behind and spending this week in their home.

Today (Sunday) we had church here in the home.  We had a German family join us along with a Swedish family and several local YWAM’ers and a young lady from Romania .  However, due to the strike they walked several miles to join us this morning and then walked back home again this afternoon.  What a day of refueling for us as a team.  About this time of our stay, everyone, is a little depleted and ready to come back home to family and the comforts of home in addition we are all so ready to be warm.  The chill runs deep within our bones.  The strike is such a hardship, we are told people now are running out of food.  Kiran has informed us that we are living out a miracle, first being able to come up the mountain the one day they opened up the roads and the news is stating the strike will be over on the 25^th, the day we need to go back down the mountain to Bagdogra.   Continue praying that the strike will end on that day as we are being told.  Otherwise, it will be quite difficult or impossible for us to reach Bagdogra.

One more thing,  last night as we were climbing the steps up the hillside heading back to our hotel room, Linda fell over the side of the walkway dropping nearly 5-6 feet into a trench filled with trash, glass, dirt and hard telling what else.  She landed on her back with her head being lower and feet up in the air wanting to get up out of that place asap.  We see many trash heaps with dogs looking for their next meal, and the fear on her face of not knowing what was beneath her hurtful for us needing to watch. We rescued her and after assessing if any damage we had a good good laugh at Linda’s expense.  PTL she was not hurt.

Tuesday morning early we will be heading for New Delhi and then fly out at 3:00am Wednesday morning heading for London and our final stop of Phila.  We are so looking forward to our return to be reunited with family and friends.  You will all be receiving one more update after I return home.  Thanks for sharing this experience with us by allowing me to share with you all.

God Bless,

Lena and VC Team

Changing My Views of African Missions

I learned a few things in Africa.  I grew up with missionaries in my family to Africa.  I can remember seeing my Aunt Rose come to the pulpit in my little church in upstate NY and read the latest letter from her daughter in Malawi.  For the life of me, I can’t remember a thing.  One thing I do know, I grew up thinking, “Africans are needy people.”

 

Even in the ministry, we were always told that we needed to collect things for the Africans.  We would collect it and send it over.  Shirts, socks, Bibles, shoes, sandals, pants, etc.  I as got older, my thinking changed.  Now I thought, “Africans just can’t seem to get a break.”  We all have these preconceived notions of the people who live on the “Dark Continent.”  Fact is, most of our perceptions are wrong, wrong, wrong.

 

Africans don’t need more shoes.  Africans don’t need more Holister^® shirts and clothing. Africans don’t need us to offer them more aid.  It’s time for us to stop giving just hand-outs, do you know why?  Because most Africans don’t want it, that’s why.  Sure, many life in abject poverty, but most are sick of hand-outs.  Hand-outs alone will never solve the long term problem of poverty.  One of the things I learned is, they don’t want hand-outs, they want a hand up.  They don’t want aid, they want trade.  They don’t want shoes as much as they want opportunity to better themselves.  They want opportunity to create jobs for the people in their country.  They want to trade with other lands.

 

We are partners with CHAP International (a ministry based out of Victory Church) that is creating opportunities for people.  As the old adage goes, “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.”  That’s what we are doing over here … teaching people how to fish.