Globetrotter

Imminent Return

2006-12-11T03:48:00.000-05:00

This is the first post in over a month. Hardly the regularity of someone who was once a frequent blogger. And even then, it's likely to not be a forth-coming resurgence in thrice weekly posts. But leaving the appologies behind me for my lack of informative posting, I'll move on to the body of the post.

I'm finishing up my time here in Asia, and am well into the final push. I'm finishing my report on the feasibility of a Hope Fund in Nepal today, and beginning the process of good-byes. The return is sure to be quite profound in many ways. Not least because I'll be making it home just in time for Christmas.

Just as a space ship's re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere has the potential to be disasterous if not well calculated & executed, so I've heard is that of someone returning from spending a significant amount of time in the 3rd world. Much different than any of my previous "re-entries" from Europe both in adolensence & adulthood, this one must overcome profound differences between cultures. I stand ready for the task. Ready for the uncertainties, the chages, and the hope of a beautiful next chapter of life.

Until next time, may you be filled with the joy of the Christmas Spirit.

Link to buy Nepali Christmas Cards

2006-11-10T05:45:00.000-05:00

The Nepali christmas cards are now up on the ServLife website...you can order them online and we'll be shipping them directly from Nepal. CLICK HERE to buy yours today!!!

Christmas Cards

2006-11-08T10:54:00.000-05:00

COMING SOON . . .

CHRISTMAS CARDS HANDMADE IN NEPAL (courtesy of Shannon Taylor & Ellen Bender)

Our Nepali friends Bipin and Sarah Sharma have a printing business and this Christmas they are making these really cool batik cards that are screen-printed by hand.

We're in the process of working out details to sell these via the ServLife Store on our website. It's a short-term project that, if successful, provides an opportunity to enlarge their business market, add a little bit of a cause to your Christmas spending, and encourage the vision of this young couple. A portion of the proceeds from the cards will go towards sponsoring outreach in Kathmandu in partnership with a local ministry.

If you haven't bought your Christmas cards yet and can wait a little longer, then buy these! They should be purchasable on-line soon. I'll post here when they are available.

New ServLife Hope Fund Video

2006-10-20T22:59:00.000-04:00

ServLife just published a new short film on the ServLife Hope Fund that I developed in Thailand. The piece is just under four minutes long and explains a bit of how the project works, and shows footage filmed on scene in August. Your's truly even makes a few cameo appearances in the film, although I spent most of the time trying to hide behind the camera. You can read the intro & watch the video by clicking here. Hopefully this will give some of you a better understanding of just what the heck I've been doing over here for the last 8-9 months. Enjoy!

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

2006-10-13T03:03:00.000-04:00

I used to love that show...and the old floppy disk computer game as well. It was an integral part of my childhood computer training.

Anyhow, sorry for the lack of posting these last two weeks. I spent 5 days with a good friend from Butler, named Ed, who came to the US as an international student for college. After we graduated, he moved back to the Phillipines, where he is originally from...or at least where his passport says he's from. He's lived in 7 different countries, and at the moment, his siblings are both living (or headed) the the US, and his parents are living in Japan. He, however, is living in Manila, about a block from his grandparents house. He's doing great things there, and it was a joy to be with him.

It was great to see a familiar face around, and to relive old memories of our college (glory) days. You know, the days when deadlines were meant to be broken, classes were scheduled to be skipped, and there was always a break to look forward to. Now I'm back in Phuket finishing up the training of the committee who will oversee the ServLife Hope Fund here. They're doing a fantastic job, and I'll be handing over the reigns on Oct 23, when I hop on a flight to Katmandu to spend the last 3 1/2 months of my time here with ServLife.

I'll be back in the posting swing of things now that I'm back.

A slaughter of the porky kind

2006-10-01T00:40:00.000-04:00

I stumbled upon a gruesome scene the other day in total disbelief. This post is not for the faint of heart.

I was out running and came across ten guys holding big sticks (that sounds like the back of an old No Fear t-shirt) out front of a small pig farm not far from my house. Being a curious young chap, I had to stop & take a look and find out what these guys were up to. I realized one of the guys had a gun. Now immediately when I say gun you think double barreled shotgun, maybe a Winchester. But this guy (I think) found his buried underneath some soot from a Thai revolution in the 1700's. His gun needed to be repacked with gun powder & stamped down after every shot. It was helarious watching him pack leaves in the barrell before shoving the rod in there to pack the gunpowder down. The objective of the shotgun was to kill one of these pigs. It took the guy forever...and I was totally confused because he seemed to have so many clear shots on these big pigs. Oddly enough though, come to find out, when he finally did let the shot go, it wasn't one of the big pigs that started squealing...it was one of the small guys. This is where the ten guys with clubs come back in. The squealing pig was running all around, and to tame him, the guys clubbed him to stun him. When they finally did, two guys held him down while a third guy came in with a knife & stabbed him until he seemed dead. Then they left for a while & went to smoke, tell jokes, and laugh together back at the house. I left, but I'm sure they came back to pick him up. I found out later that this is not the normal method for killing pigs around here...

It was a really sickening experience. The Thai people were all laughing like this was a normal affair. Even children were looking on like it was no problem. I guess I'm just not cut out for rural life. I told Chelsey when I got back that I've decided to join her in her vegetarianism. Don't tell her, but I slipped up and ate meat a few times already...shoot!

2nd hand presents and farang food

2006-09-27T21:45:00.000-04:00

I spent the day on Tuesday with Chachuan, the pastor at Hope of Takuapa church ServLife partnered with for the tsunami response. He's also one of the ServLife Hope Fund's committee members. I went up in the morning with a truck full of toys, tables, chairs, and other things left from our office & the Vestal's house. We had a committee training meeting in the afternoon, and that evening Chach and his wife Mong had to come to Phuket, so I invited them over for some "farang" (Thai word meaning Western) food. It was a good day. So here's a few pics...

Pics from the Hope Church Farewell Party

2006-09-25T01:00:00.000-04:00

With everyone leaving, the church we have connected with here threw a farewell party for the ServLife team (although I'll still be here another few weeks) last week. Here's a few pics from the evening...

Everyone eating the special food they prepared for us. Notice the coconuts on the table...they're filled with a Thai coconut soup!

My first (and hopefully last) worship leading experience. I know all of you Indy folks with find this laughable!!!

To book a show at your church, my email is: jason.a.foster@gmail.com

Group Pic of those who were left at the end of the night.

Another new house

2006-09-24T23:59:00.000-04:00

This weekend marked a big transition for me. The rest of the ServLife team flew off on airplanes to the US or Nepal; and I moved into a new [temporary] house. With the Vestal's back in America, I've moved into their house for the next month while I finish out my tenure here in Thailand. I lived here for my first week in Thailand before they arrived, but it is a wholly new experience with no one else around!

Over the course of the next month I'll be training five Thai's to manage & oversee the continuation of the ServLife Hope Fund I started here after my departure. As a revolving fund, our hope is that the fund will continue on for years and years to come; impacting hundreds of families here. With my commitment to ServLife only stretching for one year, it was essential that national leadership take over the program. I'm excited about their involvement with the program, and see them doing great things.

Towards the end of October, I'll be moving up to Nepal to join the rest of my team and start ServLife's second Hope Fund in the Kathmandu Valley. Nepal has the 3rd lowest GDP in the world outside Africa, with per capita income around $210. The Hope Fund will look a lot different there, but projects like ours are so necessary there. I'm excited about the opportunities ahead!

Lifestyles of the rich & the famous

2006-09-21T21:41:00.000-04:00

Forbe's magazine has come out with their newest survey of America's 400 richest tycoons. To make the list this year, you need over $1,000,000,000 net worth. No, my zero didn't get stuck, there are nine 0's there...$1bn. One man, Sheldon Adelson, who is in the news frequently in this part of the world for building a new $2bn casino on a Chinese island called Macau, has apparently been making $1,000,000 every hour...for two years!

Living where I live, seeing the things I see, working with the people I'm working with; this kind of wealth is unfathomable right now...indeed I'm sure it always will be. If Adelson could even give away one of those hour's wage each day he could bring entire villages out of poverty forever--each day. Now I don't know Adelson's (or the others save the top two) philanthropic efforts--but I do know that he's worth $20.5bn, and has plenty left to give away.

Now the rest of us may not have billions, and we may not be making a million an hour, but I think seeing the extravigence of some challenges me to be more giving with what I have. It's good to know the top two on the list (Gates & Buffett) have each given over half of their respective net worth's to bring hope in an otherwise hopeless world for many poor, disease ridden Africans. But those two can't do it alone. They need help! And even peons like us making fractions of a penny on the dollar of those ultra-rich can be the vessel that inspires hope in lives around the globe.

Thailand is back to normal

2006-09-21T06:37:00.000-04:00

Click here for the BBC's update on today's political crisis in Thailand. Things are back to normal, no blood was shed, and everyone is happy.

Only in Thailand will you find citizens giving soldiers yellow roses in honor of a coup d'etat that ousts a prime minister & throws the country into martial law for the next few weeks. But hey, I wish they were all this peaceful & carefree!!!

Updates on the situation in Thailand

2006-09-20T00:49:00.000-04:00

Well, after a rather uncanny evening, the morning sun brings relaxation in this part of the country. I drove some teammates down to a pier this morning for a two day visit to the Phi Phi Islands and nothing about the drive was unusual. There were mopeds screaming in and out of traffic, kids running & playing in their uniforms, merchants set up on every street corner, and lots of smiling faces. The Prime Minister is still in the US according to reports, so continue praying for what will happen when he makes his return to the country that is no longer his to rule.

A few quotes from different news sources:

CNN: Some Thais gathered outside Government House in Bangkok to get pictures of themselves with the tanks and troops, AP reported. The coup caused little stir in Bangkok's popular tourist districts, where foreigners packed beer bars and cabarets just a few miles from where the tanks were posted, AP reported.

BBC: Army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin said in a TV address that the coup was necessary to unite the country. The military had no intention of holding onto power, he added.

BBC: Political gatherings of more than five people have been banned, while state TV has reportedly announced restrictions on domestic and foreign media. "We have seized power. The constitution, the senate, the house of representatives, the cabinet and the constitutional court have all been terminated," he said.

AlJazeera: Thais who trickled out onto the capital's streets overnight appeared to welcome the surprise turn of events as a necessary climax to months of demands for Thaksin to resign amid allegations of corruption, electoral irregularities and a worsening Muslim insurgency. Many people were surprised, but few in Bangkok seemed disappointed.

Coup d'Etat in Thailand

2006-09-19T12:58:00.000-04:00

The BBC's most recent article on the situation in Bangkok, Thailand. Check back for updates as things develop here in the coming days...I will be sure to update regularly.

Coup' sparks Thailand emergency

Tanks took up positions outside Government House

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has declared a state of emergency in Bangkok amid reports of a coup attempt.

Soldiers have entered Government House and tanks have moved into position around the building.

Mr Thaksin, who is at the UN in New York, said he had removed the chief of the army.

National television announced that forces had taken control of Bangkok "to maintain law and order", and that they were declaring loyalty to the king.

However, the BBC's Kate McGeown in Bangkok says King Bhumibol is held in high esteem by all Thais, and the declaration of loyalty does not necessarily imply that he backs the takeover attempt.

An army-owned TV station is showing images of the royal family and songs linked in the past with military coups.

The announcement said the troops belonged to the "Council of Political Reform".

Our correspondent says low-level rumours of a possible coup have been circulating for weeks.

Thai media say that two army factions appear to be heading for a clash, with one side backing the prime minister and the other side backing military commander Lieutenant General Sonthi Boonyaratglin.

The general was sacked by the prime minister earlier in the day.

Political impasse

Our correspondent Jonathan Head said it was not clear which faction had taken the initiative and moved into Government House.

He said there has been pressure growing on the prime minister to resign, including groups close to King Bhumibol, following a political impasse in which April's general election was declared invalid.

But it was thought that Thailand was making progress towards holding another election later in the year, our correspondent says.

Witnesses said several hundred troops were posted at key points around Bangkok, including at government installations and major intersections.

At the United Nations, where the annual General Assembly is under way, it was announced that the agenda had been changed to allow Mr Thaksin to address it in the coming hours.

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5361008.stm)

ServLife Hope Fund All-Star

2006-09-15T23:31:00.000-04:00

One of the ServLife Hope Fund's brightest recipients posing in front of the sign he made to publicize his new restaurant to the community. The restaurant officially opened about three weeks ago although construction was still ongoing, and the sign was just hung this week.

Prongtep, the man pictured, will also be serving as the treasurer for the committee I'm putting together to oversee the fund after my departure. We thought it'd be helpful for future recipients to have a previous recipient on the committee to guide them through the loan process.

Peace!

2006-09-15T04:55:00.000-04:00

ServLife's Kathmandu orphanage director & I at a Nepal staff dinner last weekend.

I'm the idiot on the right...he's the guy faking the smile at my antics on the left.

Some things never change

2006-09-14T04:54:00.000-04:00

I got back from Nepal last night, healthy & ready to commence all the training & empowering work of the five Thai people who will oversee the ServLife Hope Fund after my departure. The trip to Nepal was great in terms of helping to solidify ways I can be of use there, where I will live, and when I'll be able to join the rest of the team there. And, it was encouraging to be around a younger crowd, enjoying the amenities of a capital city...even if they're 3rd world quality in many situations.

Some things about Nepal haven't changed much though. The political situation is still somewhat volatile, only now the insurgent Maoists are prancing around the capital enjoying the new found freedoms associated with a democratic peace process. They're able to wreak havoc on the capital city, knowing the under-funded police are too weak to respond with force. As always though, tourists somehow live above the law here, able to come & go freely with now worries of danger. White skin & a blue passport with an olive branch on it has both positives & negatives I guess...you just have to pick your destinations wisely! :)

Here's a few pictures from the trip to Nepal that seemed to catch me off guard since no news of political turmoil really reaches anyone outside Nepal.

A group of army soldiers seemingly just hanging out in the middle of a busy intersection.

A few riot prepared soldiers against a wall in a touristy area of town with Nepal's best coffee shop just next to them. Oh yes, and no protesters anywhere to be found.

Burning tires in the middle of the road on the way to the airport, right across from Nepal's most intimidating Hindu Temple. Nepali's pass by w/o fear.

Nepal News

2006-09-09T12:50:00.000-04:00

I'm studying for the GRE, and have learned that my vocab needs some serious expansion! In order to learn new words, I often employ the good ol' method of alliteration, so my apologies for the alliterated title...but as you probably guessed, I just finished studying!

The last few days have been a really exciting time here. In typical fashion I exited the airport to learn of a strike that was imposed by the transportation union for the day. Fortunately this time it was only a one day event in protest of the government not giving money to the family of a taxi driver who was killed last week--not the total public outcry against an ineffective, power-hungry king. After the shock of the place wore off again, I really started to figure out what my role could look like here.

Our ServLife team spent most of the day in meetings today, both just as international staff, as well as together with our national staff. We talked about our dreams for Nepal & our roles here, about tangible needs we can meet, and present opportunities we can jump into. More details on my specific role to come, but for now, it's important to just have the ideas stirring & know how I could be of use when I eventually make it up here.

One quick story...the newspapers here have been following the story of a school killing in Nepal. Now immediately in our minds we think a school killing would be a human killing story--not the case here--rather, it was a snake. And in fact, it's not really the dead snake they're following at all, but the effect the dead snake is having on people. The snake was killed early in the week, and on Wednesday nearly 50 students went unconscious at the school. Hindu priests were brought in to perform a cleansing and purifying act called a puja. Some people even said that the school needed to erect a shrine to the snake god (one of Hinduism's 33 million odd gods). Either way, the school was closed down after the bizarre incident, yet on Thursday, another 25 students went unconscious in their homes. To this point, no scientists have been called in to check the water or air quality. It's both incredibly humorous, and incredibly saddening to follow the story. This article wouldn't even make it in a tabloid in America, yet here it's front page news. So many people here have no hope, no security, and no God to call on in times of need. Instead, they're constantly working to appease the gods, hoping one day the gods may look down with favor at their works.

Nine Million

2006-09-03T22:52:00.000-04:00

Nine million children are living as refugee right now. There are 20.8 million refugees in need of protection globally. Nike, Microsoft & others have partnered with the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) to help alleviate the suffering by creating awareness, raising much need financial assistance, and implementing sporting initiatives to help the refugee children. The organization is called Nine Million (visit their website by clicking on the link). I first heard about it while I was back in the US last month. Chelsey & I stopped in Chicago on our way back from Wisconsin. Being the athlete she is, no trip to Chicago is complete without visiting the Nike Town store. And being the curious george that I am, my attention was most notably grabbed by the all black t-shirts that just said "nine million." As I investigated I found out what the program was & that many of their stories came from the Thailand/Myanmar border, bought the shirt, and told Chels, "I'm going there when I get back to Thailand. And I'm wearing this shirt when I do!"

Over 140,000 ethnic Burmese (Myanmar) refugees have fled across the border over the past two decades, living in small compounds they cannot leave because the Thai government has been unwilling to issue citizenship to them. After years of living in poor, cramped conditions, the first refugees were given opportunities to leave for Western countries in August. Some 300 of them set out for the concrete jungle of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on August 18.

As I was finding out more information about the resettling process, I found out that of the 70,000 refugees were resettled into 55 different peaceful nations last year. Of those 70,000, 54,000 of them were given opportunities to gain citizenship in the USA. Hearing that made me proud of our country's willingness to extend a helping hand. More research showed that on top of helping people get into the US, we gave over $322 million to the UNHCR. Now, maybe it's a small proportion, and maybe we could give more. But it feels good to be part of a place that; despite our downfalls, political scandals & unpopular global fighting; really is helping alleviate human suffering around the world.

I'm hoping to visit the Tham Hin refugee camp next week on my way back from Nepal for meetings w/ServLife International. There's 9,500 Karen refugees living there, and as many as 2,700 of them are scheduled to be resettled in America. Perhaps my journey will help raise awareness of these people and their plight back in America. They will be settling in cities all over the country; from San Francisco to Fort Wayne. They may end up in your back yard. And if they do, reach out a hand. They deserve it.

The Future of Energy

2006-09-01T02:50:00.000-04:00

Ok, I admit it. At heart, I'm a big nerd. I read the Economist, I check the news religiously, and I even care about saving the environment. Last week's Economist issue had a pretty amazing ad in it that I wasn't sure what to do with at first. It claimed that a company in Dublin had developed a totally clean fuel source that apparently "violates one of the most fundamental principles in our current understanding of the universe." It would allow you to never have to fill up a gas tank or recharge your cell phone again. They claim it never depletes, it doesn't damage the environment in any way, and there is an endless supply of it. Sounds like a hoax, huh?

But I think they might be serious. And what a beautiful future that would bring. Click here to find out more, or just copy & paste: http://www.steorn.com. And it's ok, go ahead, be a nerd, sing up for the results.

In other environmental news, kudos to California for their recent environment bill that passed today!

The Emergence of Hope

2006-08-30T04:10:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was one of those days you reflect on after the fact with memories of joy. I dispersed three loans yesterday, helping start two small home mini-mart type stores, and help a third person begin a tire repair shop at a local gas station. I received a phone call on Sunday from a woman that works for the church these three people are members at telling me how excited the people were for the first time since she's met them. How the ServLife Hope Fund gave them hope for tomorrow, given all the destruction and turmoil these last 18 months. She said they smiled & joked like never before. Indeed, yesterday proved that this was the case. We gave out the loans, had lots of good laughs, one husband accepted Christ, and saw a lot of encouraged people. It's amazing to be part of such emerging moments of hope.
I think given some of the chaos here and lack of confidence in where these next few months will lead me, yesterday was an important day. It reminded me that I'm a part of a much bigger story than my own life. It reminded me that I will definitely experience challenges, but that God will find a way to bless me (and all of us) in my journey when I need it most. Now, not to say that today is bright & sunny (in fact is dreary & rainy), but there's that speckle of hope, and that trust that I need not worry, because something Good is coming.

Back to the grind

2006-08-26T22:28:00.000-04:00

I made it back to Phuket on Tuesday night after a beautiful 10 days back in the US. Thank you to all of you who I got to see. Thank you for your encouragement and love. It will surely be the spirit of those many conversations that keeps me going strong these next six months.
Now that I'm back, transition time is upon me. I'm in the process of moving this weekend, the Vestal's (the ServLife Director's family) are heading back to the US in 3 weeks, and the rest of the ServLife team has either already moved, or will soon be moving, to Nepal. That leaves yours truly here in Thailand flying solo for the next few months. With the ServLife Hope Fund well established, I cannot pick up and follow my team up there for the next chapter of our commitment here. Through the many conversations I've been having with Joel Vestal over the last few days, it's looking like over the next several months we will spin the Hope Fund off to a committee of local Thai people. The idea would be that they would be able to manage it for the long term without having any of the baggage of being a foreigner. The committee will ideally have 5 or so people on it who will find potential recipients, walk them through the application process, work through business planning with them, determine if the candidate is fit for receiving a loan, and then help buy materials for them. They'd also be responsible for collecting the repayments & managing the bank account for the fund.
I'm excited about the opportunity to be an integral part in spinning the program off to the community. I'm also excited that when I eventually leave there will be a sense of closure to my time here, and the program will be sustainable over the long term; helping dozens, or hundreds of families rebuild their lives, and hopefully making it better than it was prior to the Tsunami. Then, when I feel confident that the loan is in good hands, hopefully by Nov/Dec, Joel wants me to move to Nepal to help start another Hope Fund there that will be managed by other ServLife Int'l staff. So, as you can see, there is big transition lurking real close.

Phang Nga Bay

2006-08-07T04:50:00.000-04:00

A quick trip across Phuket island lands you on a pier fit for Atlantic City, Los Angeles, Miami, or any other huge coastal town with lots of revenue coming in--not an uncrowded concrete jungle with nothing larger than a bamboo restaurant surrounding it. The pier is 500 meters long, and ends well into a famous Bay here in Thailand called Phang Nga Bay. It's home to over 40 seperate islands, many made of jagged limestone cliffs. The featured island in these parts is an island called James Bond Island. It had a cameo in one of the original movies 20 years ago, and has been turned into a major tourist trap. The island is nothing more than a spire sticking maybe 60 feet out of the water, with about a 20 foot diameter. The small outcropping island now has a pier built for big boats to come dock & drop tourists off for a 20 minute visit to take their picture, and take a look at one of the 52 souvenir stalls.
To welcome our last (but not least) team member, we decided to take a canoeing adventure into some caves and go visit the infamous island. The scenery was obviously beautiful, but the thing I'll remember most isn't the lush greenery, the new-moon black of the caves, the nocturnal bats flapping their wings all around, or the rust bucket boat that took us out there; it's the fact that I wasn't allowed to paddle my own sea canoe! In Thailand, the Land of Customer Service, when you pay for a guided tour through sea caves, what they mean is that you pay for not only someone to lead your group, but to paddle your own 3 person canoe!

Here's a picture of an out-take from the original James Bond movie:

Epic Story

2006-08-05T00:35:00.000-04:00

This past week has been rather enjoyable. Our team, which has been rather dispersed over the last month finally came back together over the past five days. Ellen, Mark, and Jennifer all returned after two and three weeks collectively in Nepal, our newest team member, Shannon, arrived from the US to begin her one year commitment on Thursday, and this whole week a friend from Malaysia has been with us as well. It is good to have everyone around again. But that’s just an aside for the real purpose of this post…

I received a couple applications for potential candidates for the ServLife Hope Fund this week, and their stories captivated me unlike any I’d heard before. I’ll only share one of the stories for brevity’s sake, but both were great. So one of the families was a fishing family. When the Tsunami hit the husband and older son were out to sea fishing, and the wife was apparently right along the shore, holding her seven month old baby. When that unforgettable wave came the husband & older son were thrown from their ship as it was destroyed by the force, and were left to float on a mattress in the open water with a large python that somehow ended up on there for four hours until a rescue boat came and found them. The wife, on shore, was washed away in the wave clutching her baby with all the strength she could muster against the strength of nature. She rode the wave for nearly a half mile through her village where the wave destroyed 80% of the infrastructure. She was hit with chairs, tables, even cars & motorbikes went surfing with her that day. She managed to survive, despite the unbelievable odds against her, but at the last minute, something she could only describe as “large” hit her in the back and shook her baby loose from her grasp. She couldn’t hold on, and her baby wasn’t to be seen for two days until the water receded from her village, revealing the horrible truth she has only barely been able to deal with over the last 18 months. Everyone she knows has asked her why she couldn’t just hold on. Everyone except her husband that is, who has been there for her through it all. She’s survived not just the wave, but the deep depression that followed the loss of her baby, and is now starting to attend the church a friend of mine pastors. She said that of all the organizations that came to help, only the Christians are left. She said there must be something about these people worth exploring if they’re the only ones left. She may not be a Christian yet, but it’s obvious that God has been at work in this family for a long time already…he sought all of us first, and we but responded to his grace.

We’ve all got stories. Perhaps you don’t think they captivate the way this family’s does, but we’ve all got an opportunity to speak truth into someone’s life. It wasn’t the Christian’s eloquent preaching, or the Christian’s fancy churches that attracted her to them, but their selflessness, their incarnation, and their love. Those are qualities we can all embody if we will only stick an arm out to help. Would you join me in this epic story of redemption? Wherever we are, whatever we do, let’s join hands & work as one in our countries, our neighborhoods, our offices, and our houses!

Updates on the Hope Fund

2006-07-29T00:02:00.000-04:00

Last night was the "1 year anniversary" for the church that was started after ServLife bought & renovated an old night club just after the Tsunami. After popping in to see the four businesses the ServLife Hope Fund has helped start thus far, we went to the church birthday party & filmed some of the celebrations. It was beautiful to see the transformation of not just the building but of peoples lives since that fateful day 18 months ago. God continues to provide in amazing ways for everyone here.

See a few of the pictures from our Hope Fund recipient's projects below:

Anne & Prit are building a small house for themselves & a floating fish farm.

Pronthep & his wife are building a restaurant on the front of the Rotary International house they just received last month.

Mit driving his new boat that helps him get to the sea and back to grow his fishing business with his wife Anne.

Discouragment

2006-07-24T03:10:00.000-04:00

I got a phone call today from someone who I'd been expecting to pick up an application for our Hope Fund tomorrow. I was excited about the opportunity to impact another person who had lost everything in the Tsunami, and equally as excited that this loan would have been the first loan through a church ServLife had never worked with before. But the phone call today ended that conversation before it started. The pastor called to tell me that he'd found a better option for the people in his church than receiving a loan from us. In a land such as this, why accept an interest free loan when you can get the money for free? The tsunami was such a big catastrophe, organizations lined up to give things away for free--ServLife included--from houses to boats, refrigerators to motorbike sidecarts. Anything & everything people needed to survive was given freely to them--and thank God for it!
Unfortunately though, I don't think we should depend on hand-outs forever. I don't blame those people for finding a better option--I would obviously do the same thing! But my hope is that the people here aren't becoming dependent on the foreign aid. A guy last week just candidly walked up to me and said, "I'd like you to buy me some large ice boxes, they'll cost about $75." And this was a guy selling off the 3rd boat he received for free for just over $1,500. Obviously, he's got the money to buy them himself, but the question is: why would he if he knows he could get them for free?
I pray that my work here is not in vain, and that people are realizing the benefit of being financially independent and self supported. How beautiful it is to have that freedom, and what a blessing it is to be able to provide that for people.