That title is a remnant of my old job in marketing. But as I have been preparing in so many ways for our trip, one of the things I have been doing is getting a clear focus (defining my objective!) of what I am there for. Of course the end goal is to make life better for the kids, but sometimes the most direct route is not the only or best one.
Think of the old adage about teaching a man to fish vs. giving a man a fish. I use that principle every day as I teach my kids how to take care of themselves rather than just doing it for them. They may be the only kids in the neighborhood who take out the trash and recycling, but they will be the ones who know that waste baskets don't magically empty themselves when they get to college!
In thinking about my *objective*, I have also thought long and hard about how to make the greatest impact, and who is my target audience. I have come to the rather clear, perhaps surprising, conclusion that my primary ministry is not to the children. What? I will certainly be hugging, playing games, changing diapers, giving bottles, helping with homework and all the other things that go with a houseful (17 at current count, plus my three!) of kids.
But as I look at who I want to serve, who I want to impact, I find myself focusing on the Chinese staff. Their job is considered a lowly one in their culture -- they are servants to the castoffs of society -- how much lower does it get? And yet, they make all the difference. If I don't show them that their job is valued, and even more that THEY are valued, how can we make a lasting difference for the children? Do you know that the ayis/nannies make just $80 a month? And another $35 pays for their benefits. It blows my mind to think that $4000 would pay the salaries for all 50 China staff for a month, and yet, COAT struggles to get sponsors for the ayis. It is more warm and fuzzy to sponsor a child, of course. But without funding for ayi salaries we can't help any chidren at all. That is why I have asked 20 individuals/ families/ companies to step forward and contribute $1000 for EW2 for the year. A huge THANK YOU to those who have contributed, you know who you are and I appreciate each of you.
Linda, my new *boss*, had the opportunity to speak at her church's mission Sunday service today. It was cool for me to read her notes and see how in sync we are on the *objective*. (It's a good thing to be on the same page as your boss.) I hope her words will touch you as they did me.
"God is calling, but the people He is calling, haven’t heard yet. Is He calling you to pray, to give or to go..... ? He is not asking for something you don’t value. He wants you to break your alabaster box and anoint the feet of His son..... His Son’s feet are no longer available for us to anoint....
but in Matthew 25:40.... as we anoint the feet of the least of His brethren with our most precious thing, we are doing it to Him..... my expression of the principle in this verse.
Our ministry is not only to the orphans, but to our staff, to the officials and to the community at large.... one day a couple of weeks ago as I was tearing about the neighbourhood on my electric trike, I saw a woman carrying a baby with a double cleft lip.
She held up her hand in greeting, so I stopped to admire the baby. She told me she was a Christian and asked me to pray for her baby. I did and the woman cried...
I don’t know everyone in our district in Jiaozuo, but everyone knows me. If you can’t find me, just ask for Linda and they will point in the direction where I was last seen. I kinda stand out in a crowd there, so I have never run a red light J
I was shopping in a store in Jiaozuo the day before I came home. The manager approached me. He asked if he could talk with me as I shopped. I said he could, and he told me that he had seen me riding my trike around the beautiful estate where we have two apartments....He also has an apartment there.
He had asked the guard on the gate of the estate who I was and the guard knew we took in children from the orphanage, but the guard could not tell him why.... why do you leave your home and come here to help China?
Does China really need the help of foreigners? By the time we had finished talking he was in tears.... he had no idea there were so many abandoned children in his town. He pledged to help us and I told him I was not allowed to “pass the hat” in China as the government forbids me.... but he told me that if he is going to throw out food or goods, he will call me to help him find a good place to throw it.
This ministry is not just to orphans.... but it is a wheel for God to reach many more people."
So whether you are praying, considering going or feeling the tug to give, remember the target audience.
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