Work as Worship

This week DML will be holding it's annual team conference.  We were all supposed to be together in Ethiopia (and the team was so excited!) but alas, we now have to do our retreat virtually.  

Each of our teams is going to a retreat place with their team, and we will be together on Zoom for 4.5 hours per day.  The rest of their time is to do team building, strategic planning, as well as resting and relaxing.  We expect there will be around 50 of us in total.  These retreats can happen thanks to the generous support of many of you!

This has been a tough year for many of our partners, beyond the pandemic.  We covet your prayers for both ability to connect with good connectivity as well as a Sabbath rest for the teams as they are away from their typical routine.

And speaking of our teams, our team in Ghana was very busy last week with a Work as Worship retreat as well as prayer walks.  Work as Worship retreats are an important times where business people get to share how they are doing their work as an act of worship.  We need to hear from each other about how this gets practical, wherever we work!  And prayer walks are a chance for us to reclaim our streets for Christ, and for Him to show us our cities from a different perspective.  We hear great testimonies from those who walk their city streets every day but something different happens when they walk it in a prayer walk.  Very powerful!

These Work as Worship retreats and Prayer Walks are not just taking place in Ghana but in many of the cities where DML is working.

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy:

Front of the shirts say "Avoda," the Hebrew word for WORK AND WORSHIP!

Back of the shirts say "Lives of Purpose and Impact."  Amen!

The DML Movement Work as Worship Team!

A Ghanaian engineer sharing how he does his work as worship!

Praying for the Ghanaian justice system.

Praying for Muslims in Ghana

Prayer team bonding!

One of many prayer teams walking the streets of their city across Africa!

The Theology of Sleep

I'm reading a book called Redeeming the Routines by Robert Banks (another book given to me by my book-generous husband) and he talks about a Theology of Sleep.  

I love this!  We have been talking about this in DML - that the role of the church is to equip the saints for the work outside the church building.  Most of our time is in the workplace, and the second highest lump of time is spent sleeping.  One-third of our lives!  I have often joked that we need to have more sermons about sleeping!

But sleep is no joke.  Many of us brag about how little sleep we get or need.  Some of us talk about how we get up to pray every morning at 4 am.  And those of us who actually do need seven or eight hours of sleep per night (myself included) feel a little guilty.

We think that maybe we are sleeping too much.  Maybe we will be perceived as lazy?  Maybe we are not holy enough?  Can we really be honest and tell people that we get 7.5 hours of sleep per night?

But we also know that we were created to sleep.  Sleep is a critical biological function of every human being for so many different reasons.  Our bodies need the rest but our brain also needs the rest.  I often say that sleep is where the brain's housekeeping gets done.  The trash is taken out, the cobwebs are swept out, and so on.  If you aren't getting enough sleep, you probably feel a little cloudy, a little murky.  And it's because the housecleaning did not get done in the brain.  Below is a video by the author of Why We Sleep, Dr. Matthew Walker.  He tells us that sleep helps memories form; sleep helps to stabilize and support our mental and emotional health.  Without quality sleep, our reactions become hyperactive and irrational.    He says, "We cannot find a single psychiatric disorder where sleep is normal." Plus there is a strong correlation between sleep disruption and cancer due to the lack of "killer cells" developed.

The Bible does have something to say about what we do with one-third of our life in this regard, but we don't hear messages about this.  I've actually heard of pastors who have told their members to not sleep more than four hours a night - to spend the rest in prayer, otherwise it's a "waste of time."  

Psalm 127:1-2 from the Message version says this: 

 If God doesn’t build the house,
    the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn’t guard the city,
    the night watchman might as well nap.
It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late,
    and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don’t you know he enjoys
    giving rest to those he loves?

Rest is a gift.  It is given by a God who never sleeps.  It is a daily reminder that we are not God.  God handles the world very well on His own while we sleep.  He doesn't NEED us but He desires us to join Him in what He is doing.  

But we do it best when we are rested.

So sleep.  Make sure you get good sleep.  Receive it as a blessing from God, so that you can be a blessing to others.

Blessed to be a blessing.

Here is the video on "Why We Sleep" if you are interested:

When Elephants Fight, the Grass Suffers the Most

Last week, we were reminded of this great African proverb by our partner in Cameroon, which has been suffering with conflict for more than four years now:  When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.  Another way to put it is that the powerless suffer the most when the powerful struggle.

Of late, in Discipling Marketplace Leaders, some of our partners and the communities they live in have been the grass, suffering under the fight of the elephants.  Countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso, in particular, continue to witness the fighting of elephants.  

Sometimes the elephants are the politicians and political parties.  Sometimes they are ethnic groups or tribes.  Sometimes they are the police and those with power and authority.  Sometimes it is "rebel" groups, seeking for equality in jobs and education.  Sometimes it is greedy people, kidnapping at random for ransom money.  Sometimes it is a virus and the people who care more about their rights of freedom than loving their neighbor by practicing safety health measures.

Sometimes the grass is killed.  Sometimes the grass is damaged.  Sometimes the grass is injured but the injuries are internal and unseen.

Always, the fight produces stress.  The fight imprints on hearts, souls, and minds.  If the fight is short, the impact is not long-lived.  If the fight is long, the impact goes deep.

The powerless suffer the most when the powerful struggle.  

The only way through some of these things is prayer.  We continue to pray three times a week for one hour with our partners.  God is knitting us together in a way that is teaching us to pray in one accord.  Additionally, many of our partners have been holding prayer walks and "Work as Worship" retreats in the last few weeks.  

Here is the "Work as Worship" retreat and prayer walk schedule for Hopeline Institute, in Northern Ghana, which is about 90% Muslim.  Their theme is "Prayer moves mountains."  Please pray along with us for both the powerless and the powerful...for both the grass and the elephants.  And more than anything, please pray for the peace that comes through the flourishing of all God's people and His creation.

The Peril and the Promise

The Economist Magazine put out a recent report about the "peril and the promise" relating to how COVID-19 will impact the global economy.  While the COVID-19 pandemic has some similarities to the Spanish Flu of 1918, the death toll is much lower in comparison but the economic hit has been much higher.  The "great recession" of 2009 shrank the world economy by just 0.1%.  COVID-19 will have caused an 8% decline in the world economy by the end of 2020.  That is huge.

The World Bank is estimating that 89 million people will be pushed into extreme poverty, an increase of 15% globally.  It is estimated that low and middle income economies will shrink this year for the first time in 60 years.  In the high income economies, there have been unprecedented interventions in labor and capital markets, but that is not the case in low and middle income economies.  

These changes will bring long-lasting effects.  These economic changes will likely spill into challenges in developing countries that lead to greater unrest, emotional challenges, familial challenges, and so on.  We have heard of this already, with an increase in teenage pregnancies and domestic violence.  

In the past week, Discipling Marketplace Leaders, with the help of our donors, was able to release another $60,000 to our partners in ten countries to do more business development.  This brings the total that we have sent to our partners in ten different countries in Africa to $160,000 USD.  We are so thankful to God for this!

What are our partners doing with these funds?  They are working on sustainability projects!  As employment has closed down, many people are returning to agriculture, so our partners are working with various ministries of agriculture to get people going on pig farms, fish farms, goat and dairy farms, mushroom and other crop farms.  They are working "Joseph" projects, helping farmers to store their grains so that they don't sell when the market is flooded, and "Daniel" projects, helping people get better training to do their business better (for example, our partner in Nigeria is doing regular zoom calls called "Hour Farms" where they spend an hour together on Zoom to improve farming techniques).  Others are using these funds to give low interest loans to business people who are struggling to restock their businesses.

We thank God for our partners who are using their spheres of influence to work creatively during this difficult time.  We are hearing so many testimonies of new people and areas reached and we hope to share more of that with in the near future.  

Please continue to pray for those facing extreme poverty, with no access to governmental financial aid, medical insurance, or access to affordable credit.  And pray for our teams as they continue to work for sustainable economic growth!

In order to do good, you have to know how...

 In a book called The Church and Work by Sweeden and Cartwright, I found the following quote:

“How can you love your neighbor if you don’t know how to build or mend a fence, how to keep your filth out of his water supply and your poison out of his air; or if you do not produce anything and so have nothing to offer, or do not take care of yourself and so become a burden?  How can you be a neighbor without applying principle – without bringing virtue to a practical issue?  How will you practice virtue without skill?...The ability to do good is not the ability to do nothing.  It is not negative or passive.  It is the ability to do something well – to do good work for good reasons.  In order to be good, you have to know how – and this knowing is vast, complex, humble, and humbling; it is in the mind and of the hands; of neither alone.” 

At DML, we believe that being a good neighbor means four things.  You have to have:

• compassion (concern for the misfortune of those around you)
• capacity (to do able to do something about the situation, with time, treasure, or talent)
• competence (to do whatever it is that you want to do well, without creating dependence)
• courage (to love outside of your comfort zone)

Over the past two years (December 2017-2019), we have been doing research in northern Ghana regrading Discipling Marketplace Leaders.  Prior to that, we did research from 2013-2015 in Kenya.  And, Lord willing, we will do another research study in a couple of years again, probably for a longer period.

Why?  Because that's what it means to be a good neighbor.  We need to know that what we are doing is good work for good reasons.  We need to increase our competence and the only way to do that is through study and evaluation.  Iron needs to sharpen iron.  

"In order to do good, you have to know how..."

This isn't optional, in my opinion.  Love demands it.  Being a good neighbor demands it.  Stewardship demands it.  Too many ministries have spent too much time, and too much money, doing things that have not resulted in transformation but rather in keeping people busy.  We do things that FEEL good rather than things that DO good.  We measure activities rather than impact.  We measure attendance rather than transformation.

"...and this knowing is vast, complex, humble, and humbling..."

Don't get me wrong.  Measuring impact not easy.  It can be scary and challenging and disappointing.  You find out what worked and what didn't work.  

But it's in those difficult questions that progress can be made.

This Thursday, October 1, 2020 at noon EDT, we will be sharing the results of what we learned in this latest research, after tracking 25 churches and 608 businesses over the course of two years.  We would love it if you could join us to hear what worked, what didn't, and where we go from here.  

To join us for this one-hour Zoom presentation, please register here.

Our heart's desire is to see God glorified by His Church, His bride, the people of God, as they do their work as an act of worship and remember that they are the Church every day of the week.  We aren't there yet, but by God's grace, we will continue to learn and grow.

Everyone will sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no-one will make them afraid. (Micah 4:4)

My daughter introduced me to the Broadway musical, Hamilton, a few months ago and I have grown to love it.  I grew up with two musicals:  Fiddler on the Roof and Sound of Music.  I think those were the only two movies I saw until the age of 14 or so.  So it doesn't take much for me love musicals.

But this one has taken the country by storm in a way that musicals seldom do.  Many have said it has made American history alive again.  There are so many aspects that I love about it, from the intentionality in the inclusion of diversity, to the rich lessons of our history from young immigrants, from the personal pain in the story of infidelity and the loss of young life.  It's funny, touching, sad, informative, and I could go on.  While there are some liberties taken for the purpose of telling the story on stage, there is much historical truth to Hamilton.  While some are rightfully critical of the role that our founding fathers played in owning slaves, I find an aspect of redemption in the fact that this was written and acted out by mostly people of color.

There is one song that has been playing over and over in my mind lately, when George Washington has decided to leave office and he quotes Micah 4:4:  Everyone will sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no-one will make them afraid.  Apparently, Washington loved this verse and there are at least fifty times that it is quoted from him.  [I know that this is bitterly ironic given the fact that he didn't live it out for everyone and didn't define people of color as fully human.]

But it is a beautiful verse to think about.  It sounds heavenly.  

First, everyone will sit.  Rest.  Relaxation.  Enjoyment.  Meditation.

Second, everyone will sit under their own vine and fig tree.  Ownership.  My own piece of land.  We all long for it.  We feel safer in it then in renting.  And this land is productive.  We work it.  It takes care of us when we take care of it.  It does what it was created to do when we do what we were created to do.  Genesis 2:15 says we are to work and care for the garden.  

Third, no-one will make them afraid.  How many of us (especially in developing nations) own our own land and yet are still afraid?  This past week we helped two of our DML team relocate because of being afraid on their own land.  Afraid of kidnappers, thieves, those who wish to do harm.  Many are afraid of laws, authorities, policies, polluted air, things that cause us harm that we have no control over.

But in Micah 4:4, we are resting on our own land, enjoying the fruit of the land with no fear within or without.

I admit to fear for my colleagues in several countries.  I fear for the children growing up with such stress and turbulence that it impacts their capacity to cope and thrive and flourish.  I admit to fear for my own country and the incredible divisiveness not just politically but in the church.  I fear we are being torn apart and there seems to be no way of talking to each other or understanding each other.

How I long for the day when EVERYONE can sit under their own vine and fig tree and feel no fear.

And while we long for this piece of heaven, we are instructed to help to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth.  What is my part at a time such as this?  How am I working to bring about Micah 4:4?  Or am I involved in preventing Micah 4:4 perhaps blindly?  Am I fanning the flame of divisiveness with my speech or seeking understanding and peace?

God, what can I do to be part of your will being done on earth as it is in heaven?

May God help us.  He can.  And He will.  

If not through us, then He will find a willing vessel somewhere.

DML Prayer Requests

This week, I'm writing to ask for prayers regarding three important issues:  two for our partners in Nigeria and Cameroon, and one for an opportunity before us this week.

First, Nigeria:

Kidnappings in Nigeria are not a new issue.  But there has been a significant increase in those kidnappings, especially in Kaduna State, which is home to most of our DML team.  This past week, the DML leaders there was informed that he was on the short-list of who will be kidnapped next.  He had to pack up his family and move to another state.  Since he will need to be there for a while, he will have to get rid of all the animals on his farm and his wife has to close the health clinic that she runs.  The children need to find a new school.  This is just one family that is affected.  Please pray for him (name withheld for safety) and for his family, that they may be able to return home soon, that the kidnappings will decrease, and that the government may intervene in an effective to allow people to travel in peace once again.

You can watch the brief YouTube video below or read this news report just to see two of many reports of kidnappings in Kaduna State.

Second request is for Cameroon:

Prayer is also needed for the ongoing conflict in Cameroon, which is now in it's fourth year.  Kidnappings, shut-downs, and violence have been the order of the day as the Anglophone community tries to find justice and equality amidst the Francophone majority.  Many people from the Northwest are now in Internally Displaced Person camps, which has other unique challenges.  Our colleague in that part of Cameroon has been kidnapped herself, as has her son and husband, and also sees the real challenges for her teenage children struggling to find a path in this difficult time (many of those fighting for equality are young men.  You can read a recent report here  of the challenges in Cameroon.

At a time like this, being a good neighbor to these friends and colleagues is to lift them up in prayer.  We lament with them, are pained and angered by the challenges which they have to face daily, and seek for God to intervene.  Please join us in these prayers.  

Lastly, we have an opportunity this week to join the virtual forum from the Global Alliance for Church Multiplication, which has about 3800 people registered from 125 countries, and give a workshop on DML.  This is an opportunity to share with those in the church planting movement about the need to equip the whole church to be the church every day of the week.  We ask for your prayer for this opportunity.

And if you are like me and sometimes at a loss of how to pray when things are overwhelming or unchanging, let me bring in a prayer from Ted Loder, Guerillas of Grace, to help us get started:

Sometimes, Lord, it just seems to be too much:  too much violence, too much fear; too much of demands and problems; too much of broken dreams and broken lives; too much of war and slums and dying; too much of greed and squishy fatness and the sounds of people devouring each other and the earth...

Sometimes the very air seems scorched by threats and rejection and decay until there is nothing but to inhale pain and exhale confusion. 

Too much of darkness, Lord, too much of cruelty and selfishness and indifference...Too much, Lord, too much, too bloody, bruising, brain-washing much.

Or is it too little, too little of compassion, too little of courage, of daring, or persistence, of sacrifice; too little of music and laughter and celebration?

O God, make of me some nourishment for these starved times, some food for my brothers and sisters who are hungry for gladness and hope, that, being bread for them, I may also be fed and be full.

Amen! 

Three Resources Given by God

God has given each of us three resources:  time, treasure and talent.

Of these three resources, two are renewable:  treasure and talent.  Time is not.  Once it is used up it is gone.

So we must be careful with how we use our time, but we also must use our treasure and talent as they are renewable and can actually grow and increase with good use.

To that end, DML has been looking at how to be stewardly with the use of our time, treasure, and talent, given that there are many opportunities for this forgotten message from Genesis 1 and 2, but limited time, treasure and talent.

We have concluded to look at potential partners in light of these three resources and separate them into three tears depending on the usage of these resources.

Our Level One partners are those partners who begin to interact with us and request some resources.  We send those to them but then we don't go much further. They have access to our "talent" in the form of materials but we don't really know how they are using them.

Our Level Two partners are those partners with whom we share our time and our talent.  We train them (time) and share our materials with them (talent).  

Our Level Three partners are those partners with whom we share our time, talent, and treasure.  These are the ten teams that we are currently working with the closest in Africa, investing our time, materials, and also the treasure that DML is able to raise through faithful friends and partners.  This treasure goes to stipends to those facilitating the ministry, communication and travel costs, equipment costs, scholarships for pastors or church leaders to attend trainings, scholarships to business owners to attend trainings, and so on.  

Friends, this past week we had the chance to travel to Dallas, Texas in order to present the work of DML to a Level Two partner who is doing work in a number of countries in Asia and South America relating to church planting and church leader equipping.  

Behind this group, there are about four other such groups talking to us as well who would fit into the Level Two partner group.  This is so exciting for us, as their passion for this increases and they take this message from God to the networks that they have.

The idea is that DML is one more tool in the toolbox of a healthy church.  As we keep saying, if you have a youth ministry, a women's or men's ministry, you need to have a workplace ministry or marketplace ministry, as that is where most adults spend most of their time each week.  

And that message is getting out to church planting organizations, in part because of some strategic networking with whom we have been blessed to be linked.  So next year, we will likely build capacity in this particular organization and travel with them to equip their teams.

The body of Christ is a beautiful thing when we can get out of our silos and work together.  We are intent, at DML, to have open hands with the message that God has invited us to join in giving, as well as our time, treasure and talent, as He allows!

And for those of you who give your time to pray for us and/or volunteer with us, we thank you!

For those of you who give your talent to work along side with us by advising or volunteering your services, we thank you!

And for those of you who give of your treasure so that this work can grow and reach more people, we thank you!

Some of you are giving all three, and for that we are very grateful!  Thank you for making the world a better place!

Well, it's official!

I have successfully completed my PhD in Sustainable Development and Diplomacy (proof below!). The process went quicker than I thought it would, but I'm not complaining!

I've been in school for the past 7.5 years (since January 2013), with a small break between my Masters and PhD program.  I've done two extensive research studies in that time, read countless (hundreds) books and articles, and have been exposed to some of the great minds in sustainable development and in the history of the church as it relates to the intersection between faith and work, as well as the church's relationship to creation.  It has been a privilege and a pleasure.

Since there won't be a graduation, let me express my thanks to a few key people here as it relates to this work:

• My colleague, Dr. Phillip Walker - When I met him in Ghana in 2012, he started pushing me to get my Masters.  When I started it in 2013, it didn't take him long to start talking about when I will "complete my PhD."  I was completely happy doing the work that I was doing with a BA, but he did show me that my audience would be limited (not being able to teach those at a BA level or Masters level) and as a woman in Africa, my voice would be diminished without "proof" that I have something of value to offer, something validated by an academic institution.  I am very thankful for Dr. Walker and his constant pushing...I mean support and encouragement.  In all seriousness, he has been a cheerleader for me in the whole process.  Thank you, Dr. Walker.
• My mom, Marrie Kranenburg - I talk to my mom every week and every week for the past seven years, she has asked me about my studies and what I was learning.  She told me each week how proud she was of me and encouraged me to stay the course.  Thank you, Mom!
• My husband, Michael - He gave up many evenings and weekends with me to allow me to study and read and write.  He hasn't known me when I haven't been in school, so this should be a new experience for us!  Whenever I needed information on topic or another, before I even finished my sentence Michael was suggesting books and before I knew it, he was putting a book on my desk.  Thank you, Michael, for your support and patience!
• My children, Hannah and Noah - During these seven years, even though they've mostly been on their own, they still saw me as distracted and pretty constantly busy, as I worked fulltime the entire time that I was going through these programs.  They supported me and encouraged me as well, and I thank them for their patience!
• Hopeline Institute in Ghana who allowed for two years of research to be done which gave a significant contribution to the quantitative research, as well as the many who were interviewed for the qualitative research.

But I am most grateful to God who has seen me through these last seven years, starting with ICM, then launching Discipling Marketplace Leaders, now working in ten countries in Africa, while having access to education and great professors.  I know how blessed I am and I am thankful to a God who calls, equips, and blesses.  My prayer that what I have learned can be used to bring glory to God and build His Church.  

One of my favorite quotes, from the many books I have read, comes from Abraham Kuyper, and it says this:

“Wherever man may stand, whatever he may do, to whatever he may apply his hand, in agriculture, in commerce, and in industry, or his mind in the world of art and science, he is, in whatsoever it may be, constantly standing before the face of his God; he is employed in the service of his God, he has strictly to obey his God, and above all, he has to aim at the glory of his God.” 

My professional goal is to help the ecclesia recognize this incredible opportunity, whether in Africa, with Discipling Marketplace Leaders, or wherever God may use me to serve. 

To all of you who have faithfully read this blog and encouraged me on the way, thank you!

Ten Commandments of the Internet or "Netiquette"

Our DML team has a book club that meets monthly, and we are reading through the book, Honorable in Business:  Business Ethics from a Christian Perspective by Annetta Gibson and Daniel Augsburger (publisher is Wipf and Stock, so guess who helped us get these books!  That's right - my husband, Michael!).  It's been a great book to read together and we've enjoyed the discussions.

This past chapter was about privacy, property, and technology, and we were amazed to read the "Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics" written in 1992 by the Computer Ethics Institute because they are still so applicable today especially with social media and the internet!  How often do we not see "bearing false witness" as well as stealing on the internet from Christians and nonChristians alike?  Not to mention the regularity of disrespect for each other.  It's time for a recommitment to these wise words!  It's time to remember "Netiquette!"

1. You shall not use the Internet to harm other people.
2. You shall not interfere with other people’s Internet work.
3. You shall not snoop around in other people’s Internet files.
4. You shall not use the Internet to steal.
5. You shall not use the Internet to bear false witness.
6. You shall not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid (without permission).
7. You shall not use other people’s Internet resources without authorization or proper compensation.
8. You shall not appropriate other people’s intellectual output.
9. You shall think about the social consequences of the program you are writing or the system you are designing.
10. You shall always use the Internet in ways that ensure consideration and respect for your fellow humans.

Several of our teams have started book clubs of their own during this slower time of COVID-19 and these discussions have been rich times of discussing and learning during these challenging times of social distancing.  I hope you have found an opportunity to be in a book club of your own!

More Family Updates

Last week, I shared about my biological family.  The two weeks before that I shared about the DML family.  And I can't help it - I want to share more about the DML family.  I'm so impressed and amazed by how they are allowing God to use them during this time to be creative and thoughtful and forward thinking!  I am so proud to be doing ministry with them!

So let me share about our partner in Burkina Faso, with the Church Mission Society (CMS) denomination of about 1000 churches.   Our leader, Theo, has done an excellent job of working in and through the denomination and local churches as it relates to the COVID-19 response through DML.  They were intentional about reaching beyond their denomination though, and because they reached out to a Muslim area with food support during the first phase of DML's response, they were given permission to plant a church in an area that had no church!  

Our second injection financial support in response to COVID-19 went toward three different types of businesses: four mask-making businesses, five soap-making businesses, and ten farms geared toward artemisia production.  Artemisia is a plant with medicinal plant, especially helpful with malaria.

The masks were made using only local cotton materials, approved by the National Quality Check Committee.

The Mayor being presented with masks for distribution, as our team continues to seek ways to be a blessing.  

Here are some of the soap makers.  With the borders closed, the importation of soap is not an option so more internal soap makers are needed.

And here are the farmers being trained in the growing of artemisia:

  

Of course, our partners could not be able to do any of this without the support from you!  We are thankful for the broad DML family in North America and across Africa!

Reed-Thomson Family Update

We started a new training of trainers class for DML last Thursday, with more than 100 students from Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon.  So exciting!  These trainers will be prepared to work with small and medium size entrepreneurs and help them grow and develop their businesses.  We are using Zoom and Google Classroom again - it's amazing how we are learning to shift with the new realities around us!

But this week I want to share some family pictures as it's been a while since I have given family updates.  Yesterday was Bob's birthday, the eleventh one that we haven't been able to have with him since his passing.  But we had his favorite birthday meal together and watched some family videos - it was good to hear his voice!

In July, we were able to camp together halfway between Washington DC and Grand Rapids, with my daughter Hannah and her boyfriend, Matt; my son Noah and his girlfriend Hannah; Michael and myself, and Michael's son, Jonathan.  It was a wonderful week with lots of laughter and debates, with the longest debate over whether pancakes or waffles are better!  (My kids love to debate.)  We played our favorite game, Telestrations, well into the dark with our neighbors wondering if we would keep them up with loud laughter, but we quieted down when the camp quiet time set in.  It was good weather and a precious time together.

Noah and Matt met in person for the first time on this trip.  But it wasn't long before they were laughing and working together to grill some chicken over the fire for dinner!

Hannah and Matt

Hannah and Hannah!

Matt photobombs a picture of Noah and Hannah - clearly feeling comfortable with the family!

Jonathan feeling very comfortable driving the rented pontoon!

Noah loving the water and the boat!

Michael and Jonathan, who just turned 26 years old!

So thankful to God for my family and the opportunity to visit together!

Part II: Gifts That Keep on Giving in Ghana

Last week I reported on the "Gifts That Keep on Giving" in Cameroon.  This week I received a report from Hopeline Institute in Ghana that made me smile, and so with all the bad news around, I thought I'd create "Part II:  Gifts That Keep on Giving" in Ghana to perhaps put a smile on your face as well!

Hopeline Institute has been involved in business development since 2007 so it didn't take much for them to begin working with businesses on producing personal protective equipment to help protect people from COVID-19.  At the bottom of this post, you will be able to watch a brief video of these businesses in action,

But they didn't stop there.  As many jobs were shut down, many people turned to agriculture, so Hopeline Institute also used funds from DML to work with farmers and widows to start or expand their farms.

But they didn't stop there!  They are doing weekly teaching in various places, including in places afflicted with overcrowding and poverty.

We are so blessed to be partnered with an organization like Hopeline Institute and others who are similar in their compassionate yet sustainable and business approach to times like this!

Here is a video of the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) that is being produced by businesses in partnership with Hopeline Institute.

Please pray for Hopeline Institute.  And as the COVID-19 cases in Africa reach one million, we continue to watch, listen, work, and pray for this continent that bears much stress as it relates to economic and health opportunities.  Please pray with us!

The Gifts That Keep On Giving!

This last week was a great week for me - I hope it was for you too!

You may remember that during March and April, Discipling Marketplace Leaders raised funds to respond to the COVID-19 crisis for Africa and many of you gave.  There was a sense of urgency about it as people needed to shelter in place in a society that lives hand to mouth, and day to day.  Some people questioned our approach as we are about development, not aid.

But the beautiful thing is that when you work with a ministry and with people who have a development mindset, it will still have that approach even in the middle of a crisis.  

This past week, we heard more stories from many of our partners across Africa of the continued testimony of how those donations are still working today and continue to open doors for God's work through Discipling Marketplace Leaders.  I want to share one of those stories with you today - it's just difficult to pick only one!

I will tell you about what we heard from our partner HUTSEED in Cameroon.  Director Joy shared with us that during the time of distribution of donated funds, they were very intentional to work through the local government and partner with them to get resources where it was most needed.  As not many come to local governments to give instead of receive, they were received very well.  Since that time, the local government has come to HUTSEED to ask them to help distribute birth certificates for children as well as land certificates for widows.  You see, this is supposed to be a free service but many that the government works through end up charging the poorest of the poor for this free service.  But because of HUTSEED's generosity in response to COVID-19, this opportunity has opened for them.

As many people are turning to farming due to the loss of employment, HUTSEED turned to the Ministry of Agriculture to partner in getting quality seedlings out to the members of the three denominations that they are working with through DML:  Full Gospel, CMFI, and the Baptist Church.  The Ministry of Agriculture is going to do follow-ups with technicians as many of those who received the seedlings are new to farming.  They will also be trained in food storage.

They also started a piggery program for widows and put one of the DML pastors as the head of that committee.  Through the piggery program, each widow will give two piglets back to HUTSEED from the first litter (usually a litter has about 8 piglets).  HUTSEED is tithing some of these piglets to missionaries as a form of support for them.  

Lastly, Cameroon has experienced instability (on the brink of civil war) for the last number of years, causing many people to be internally displaced, living in IDP (internally displaced persons) camps.  HUTSEED took some of the funds to the IDP camps to help with food relief, and have also helped them start some businesses, including the creation of hand sanitizers, which is helping them to continue to feed themselves.  

What an amazing partnership!  We are so blessed by Joy and the HUTSEED team (Jessica and Kenneth).

The difference between a program and a ministry is relationship.  Programs have stopped in many places around the world because of COVID-19 but relationships do not stop.  Rather they find a way to continue to flourish in spite of challenges. 

HUTSEED is building relationships in unique ways because of the COVID crisis that will last into the future.  

Thank you for your gifts that continue to be a blessing!  Please pray for the work of HUTSEED and DML in Cameroon!

COVID-19 DML Africa Update!

Ever feel overwhelmed by the "latest" number for everything?  I know I am.  But I also want to stay informed as COVID-19 intensifies in Africa.  So here is a quick virus update on what I am following:

1. Almost 700,000 reported cases
2. Nearly 14,400 reported deaths
3. Equals 3% mortality rate.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the coronavirus pandemic on the continent is reaching "full speed."  

What we are hearing from our partners in Africa:

1. Proven infections require adequate testing tools.  Africa does not have enough.
2. The death rate, according to our sources, is much higher.  This is because governments do not want to be seen as "hot spots" and many people die without ever being tested due to costs.
3. The medical personnel to handle the influx of COVID patients is inadequate in most countries (2.2 per 1000 people).
4. Social distancing is virtually impossible in the slums of major cities, as only the wealthy can afford to shelter in place.

And they are reporting on new issues as well as a result of the virus:

1. Teenage pregnancy is on the increase.
2. Domestic violence is on the increase.
3. Insecurity is also on the increase due to so many jobs being lost.  All schools are closed, teachers are not being paid, pastors are not being paid, as well as many other adults who have families to support.

Economic Lockdown and Poverty Growth

I recently received a blog from Dr. Jeffrey Bloem (PhD in Applied Economics), who helped me with the research I did in Kenya for DML (and his wife just helped me with the second research in Ghana!).

He wrote his blog on the effect of COVID-19 on Low and Middle Income Countries and it caught my attention for what he and other experts are seeing relating to Africa.  (He gave me permission to quote him in this blog - he is quoting some others as well.)

Researchers are looking at three potential scenarios:  containment by July 2020 (not likely), prolonged exposure through 2021, or a "worst-case" scenario with continued border closures in Sub-Saharan Africa.  The last two will lead to devastating outcomes for countries in Africa.

1. Economic growth rate, measured by GDP will go negative, from -5.7% to -7.65%.
2. Household income is expected to plummet, prices increase, and employment fall.  The poor are expected to be disproportionately affected.  
3. Africa has experienced great economic growth over the past few decades.  But much of this gain could be lost over the next two years.
4. Estimates show that nearly 70,000,000 (seventy million) people will fall back below the poverty line.  What took decades to achieve could be wiped out in a matter of a few years.  Africa will see more devastation than other geographical areas.  See chart at end of blog.

So what can be done?  Aside from continuing to encourage social distancing, it is difficult to say.  There needs to be coordinated efforts from organizations working in these countries.

Our partners have been helping to get various businesses started to help fight COVID-19, from farming to soap and hand sanitizer production, and beyond.  We have begun to move much of our training online.  This has helped prepare trainers to build their capacity to help businesses be more effective and efficient.  

The DML teams sees this as an opportunity.  With government approval and encouragement, they are setting up hand washing stations, delivering needed supplies to the poor, and working with both Christian and Muslim communities.  From Burkina Faso to Tanzania, this has led to greater openness of previously closed communities (more on this exciting development later). 

Let us keep praying for our brothers and sisters in Africa.  For more information on what DML is doing to respond to this crisis, please go to www.disciplingmarketplaceleaders.org.  

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Tzedakah and Mishpat: Righteousness and Justice

Last week I sent in the rough draft of my dissertation for my PhD in Sustainable Development.  It is entitled, "Justice and Righteousness for Creation." 

I've been thinking about the words justice and righteousness a lot in the past two years as I worked on this document.  I have to admit that while I've heard those words most of my life, I wasn't really able to define or understand the difference.  Like many things, I had some level of head knowledge but it hadn't settled into my heart.  That changed for me about two years ago, as I began to have a deeper understanding of these important words.  

In Hebrew, the words are mishpat and tzedakah (although many say the words cannot be directly translate into English - but for the sake of this blog we will go with mishpat as justice and tzedakah as righteousness).  

We see the reference to these two words in a number of Bible passages:

• Amos 5:24 says, "But let justice roll down like water, righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
• Psalm 33:5 says, "He loves righteousness and justice..."
• Psalm 106:3 says, "Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!"

These two words have a depth of meaning that are beautiful to think through.  Rabbi Jonathan Sachs says that both are forms of justice, but are very different in their logic.  Mishpat is retributive justice, referring to the rule of law accepted by society and binding for all members.  He says justice is the most basic institution of a free society.  

But by itself, mishpat or justice, does not create a society in which all can flourish.  Tzedakah or righteousness is needed.  This is distributive justice.  This looks at equality as it relates to wealth, employment, environment, housing, and so on.  The Bible is full of  tzedakah, the forgiving of debts (Jubilee), the gleaning of fields, the tithes for the poor, and so on.  Tzedakah goes beyond physical needs to psychological needs as well.  Poverty humiliates and a good society does not allow for humiliation.

It's aim is to restore dignity and independence, not just meeting needs.

There is an African proverb says that the hand that gives is always uppermost to the hand that receives.  Tzedakah strives to remove those levels.  

My thoughts about justice and righteousness as it relates to creation has to do with economic and environmental issues, but it can be applied to so many situations that face us in the news today (COVID-19, social justice, and racial equality).  

If we accept this from the Lord, our aim is to restore dignity AND independence.  We commit to doing justice, to upholding the laws of God and the laws of the land.  But we go further, to seek the flourishing of all people.  

Distributive Justice.

Justice and Righteousness are the two virtues that DML has identified in working towards a world in which all can flourish.  We are committed to both, and we challenge ourselves to be sure that we are working on both levels with our partners.  

But we can do this in our homes and in daily relationships.

I thank God for His rich word which is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path!

(To read more about this, go here:  https://rabbisacks.org/reeh-5767-tzedakah-the-untranslatable-virtue/)

Integrity and Finance: A door opens

This past Friday, DML completed it's first Integrity and Finance Zoom class, with 56 students from six different African countries participating.  This was our first foray into an online class and has been a positive outgrowth of our travel limitations due to COVID-19.  This was a class that was supposed to be held in Nigeria but because of Zoom we could have many more participants at only the cost of internet!  Because much of the team has been gathering together for prayer regularly on Zoom, it made the transition easier from in-person to doing things online.

In addition, it was my first foray into Google Classrooms as a facilitator - and for most of the students it was their first time using it as well - and overall it was a success!  It is a great format for assignments, feedback, and a central place for materials.  

Additionally, the team learned more about Zoom, and because a number of our students had intermittent problems with internet, we were able to record each class session in both audio and video, so if someone missed a segment, they could catch up later.  And now I have a fully recorded class that could be used in the future as well.

Google Classroom is free.  Zoom subscriptions are very affordable.  We did not have to fly ourselves to Nigeria (which is where we had planned to teach this class in May).  We did not have to fly all of our partners in West Africa to Nigeria, which is what we had planned to do. What a blessing!

Of course, teaching through Zoom is not the same as being there in person.  There is a lot that is missed doing this from a distance, but as a venue it was pretty good.  People turned their videos on and laughed and joked at the beginning and end of class.  As the classes went on, participants learned to use the chat more and more, which was fun to see.  They were helping each other, teasing each other, sharing with each other through chat (yes, even while I was teaching).  And one of the best parts was the breakout rooms.  Often when teaching in person, you ask people to get into small groups for a brief discussion and it might take ten minutes for them to get themselves arranged and starting to discuss.  Then getting them back to the full group often takes a number of announcements and prodding.  But now, with a touch of a button, they are sent to their breakout rooms, and with another touch of a button they are brought back - whether they are finished or not!  Much more efficient.  

And so now the door is opening for us to do more with this.  The Training of Trainers that we were to do in Cameroon in April will now be done for our Francophone partners in August (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Burundi).  The Training of Trainers that we were to do in Ethiopia in August will now be done through Zoom in August.  

And we are getting more requests like this.  

The creativity of humankind to find a way when there seems to be no way.  

Imago Dei. 

We bear the image of God and because of that we have responsibilities toward God, others, and creation.  I am thankful for those who have used their time and talent to create these pathways for us to connect globally.  Whether or not they understand that they bear the imprint of the Most High God, I benefit from their efforts.  And in turn, I attempt to do the same for others.