LOVE FOR THE LONG HAUL

In a recent issue of Mission Frontiers, David Taylor gives an overview of the current state of the Church in Africa. While statistics on Africa in regards to infant mortality, AIDS, and unreached people groups remain daunting, Taylor points out that the Church is growing, and that there is a movement afoot to seek long-term solutions for these daunting social ills. One comment in particular jumped out at me:

“What is often missing in our response to Africa is a long-term strategy, the lack of which usually renders our short term aid more problematic than helpful . . . From the African perspective, Western NGOs appear quick to jump on a crisis, raise tons of money, take their cut and then dump the rest on the problem, moving on as quickly as they can to the next event.”

In the wake of Hurricane Mitch (1998), which took at least 17,000 Honduran lives, money poured into the country, primarily through Christian agencies. At the time, I was working under the banner of a large international Christian organization. This group claimed on its website to have received more than two million dollars for hurricane relief in Honduras and Nicaragua. After reading that one day, I emailed them, “Where is the money? We have received only $5000 for hurricane relief.” The response?: “It takes money to make money.”

Most agencies take at least 15% from donations, and 15% of $2,000,000 is already a LOT of money! But apparently it was decided stateside that much more was needed for publicity and who-knows-what. Not long after Mitch, a natural disaster occurred in Africa, and this agency began to publicize that catastrophe instead of following through on long-term solutions for Honduras and Nicaragua with the money given for hurricane relief. Disillusioned, I resigned. Apparently my experience was not an isolated one.

In the same missions article, the writer identifies a component which characterizes mission work that works, that provides what I call “love for the long haul.” This component is indigenous Christian leadership. Christian relief and development which continues through the storms and thrives in the everyday world of the poor is directed by national leaders who have an experiential understanding of the systemic evils being confronted. Missionaries like me serve God and our adoptive countries with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, but we cannot hope that our incarnational intentions ever truly imitate the man or woman who was born, raised and converted to Christ in that same culture.

Our ministry has been committed to discipling and empowering nationals since its inception, and LAMB is blessed today to be able to say that every area of our ministry has a Honduran administrator. Our executive directors, David and Evelyn Gradiz, are Honduran, and Evelyn grew up in the innercity neighborhood of Flor del Campo where our ministry was born. As a child, she carried her own chair to school each day so she wouldn’t have to sit on the cement floor. Today she has a master’s degree in Project Development from Honduras’ most prestigious university, but doesn’t dream of making money for herself. She longs to serve Jesus and her people, and she and David pour themselves out daily towards that end, as do our other leaders.

There are many Christian ministries and agencies working in Honduras. I wonder how many can say that they are truly led by nationals? While it is true that many of them have local people on their payrolls, it is also almost universally true that decisions regarding the direction, vision, and day-to-day operation of their ministries are made stateside. The justification given is that “those who raise the money need to be accountable for it.” At LAMB we believe that the money belongs to God, and that He answered our prayers for Honduran leadership by equipping and sending us these precious, capable servants who are now sitting at “the round table” of our ministry.

We are committed to “love for the long haul.” I hope to serve LAMB in Honduras for many more years, and I pray that we will continue to bear witness to life-transforming, long-term initiatives that are bringing hope to the men, women and children in our programs. I am content to let my Honduran brothers and sisters lead the way now because, as David Gradiz says, “Jesus will always be our CEO.”

Education, microbusiness, safehouses, childcare, youth programs . . . and wherever else our CEO leads us in His Name. We are “those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes,” (Rev. 14: 4), and we pray that by entrusting our God-given tasks to Honduran leadership, we have clearly demonstrated that this work was never ours. As C. S. Lewis would say, “Come higher up and further in!” I’m confident that will be our experience as we continue to seek to do ministry God’s way, not guided by moneymaking strategies, but by the Holy Spirit who seeks and saves the lost.