I could not agree with you more. The route you outlined is the route we seek to take.

That’s why we only partner with projects (like LIFE Medical Center in Romania) in which the local people are taking respoinsibility for the work and for helping fund the project. Without some level of partnership it would simply be us doing something for the poor. But, the poor have some responsibility to do something for themselves, and we want to simply amplify what they are able to do, in our work, as we work alongside them.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. The trends and fads that come and go in humanitarian/ministry work, as well as on the funding side, are discouraging. But, we must keep our head down, our motives pure, and keep moving forward.

God Bless.

Poverty cannot be solved by your charity or your justice. Only God takes care of these things.
Why don’t you tell them instead the plain truth, not what they want to hear? I mean, tell them about PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. It works!
Tell them that God does not appreciate humility, begging, poverty, suffering, filthiness, tears, sighs and laziness. God loves (I think!) hard work, entrepreneurship, business, money, pride, human dignity, power, health, happiness, laughter, wealth, and this kind of things.
In my opinion I believe that fund raising works better it the donors know that their money is used wisely for promoting reasonable ideas that underline the plain truth and not the empty waste.
I wish you all my best!

Great website!

I agree that the “justice train” has become just a trendy – it’s become like clothes or music. You’re cool, you’re doing good things if you’re helping with [fill in the blank].
I guess it shouldn’t be so disappointing because at least those organizations are getting the funding they need to make a difference in that area, but then the public tends to focus only on that instead of looking for other needs too.

Romania is a great example because when I tell people about LIFE and about the issues there, they are always taken by surprise. Supporting fair trade coffee? They’ve heard of that. Invisible Children? Yep. But they known next to nothing about Romania and nothing about their healthcare issues and what that means for women and children.

I’m proud of the people at Health Bridge who won’t compromise or bend the truth just to get funding. Trusting that the Lord will do what needs to be done to get funding while you stand in truth is so honorable.

And yes, mercy please! I need mercy much more than justice!

I have been a missionary to Cambodia for 16 years and the “dependency issue” is real and deserves our time of day. I have seen the affects: jealousy, aligning oneself to the money trail, local giving practices and stewardship stifled, lack of psychological ownership of ministries, seeing the Gospel as the foreigner’s God, and on and on. The more foreign money the less indigenous. I have wept many a night over the dependency syndrome in the Christian movement of Cambodia. I think you should continue to allow “sustainability” and “indigenous” serve as your mantra and guide to how do missions. Thanks for sharing your heart. Jean Johnson

Sincere Blessings,
Dave E.

MORE PICTURES OF THE KIDS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOVE
Nana/Mom