Having the Courage to take Risks - Core Value #5

In this post we will dig further into ECM's core values. Your team has been evaluating ECM's core values with the goal of developing specific steps that will guide you in fulfilling the mission and vision of ECM. You will continue to do this as you evaluate the next value.  There are no right or wrong answers. I ask you only to honestly, together with your co-workers, discuss what each value looks like with "flesh" on it.  How can we put each value into practice on a regular basis?  I look forward to your comments as together we grow as a staff.  Here is Core Value #5:

We will have the Courage to take Risks: We will promote a culture of learning, dreaming, developing, and changing.

How can we, as ECM staff, be intentional about having the courage to take risks?  Share your responses/ideas in the comments section on this blog, and discuss with your co-workers!

Confidence

"Do not be afraid or discouraged..., for the battle is not yours, but God's."

2 Chronicles 20:15

Recently, the US office experienced significant upheaval, losing both our finance manager and our child sponsorship coordinator within the span of a few weeks.  Our Ghana office has experienced similar changes in recent months, and our Uganda office is no stranger to staff disruption. (Only our DRC staff has remained fully in tact over the years, for which we are grateful!)

The question is not, "Will change occur?" but "How will we respond when unexpected and unwanted changes come our way?"  Our answer to this question is vitally important to our ministry as we move forward with our God-given mandate to bring hope, help, and dignity to vulnerable children.  We must remember two things first and foremost as we grapple with change:

1. ECM belongs to God, and not to any of us, either individually or collectively.  God has made it clear that the battle is not ours, but his (2 Chronicles 20:15).  We forget this truth far too often, more than we would like and far more than we care to admit.  Each office, each project, each outreach effort, each goal, and most significantly, each accomplishment, belongs to him.  The battle is indeed his. When we face unexpected or even expected hardship, DO NOT FORGET that God is the owner, and we are simply the caretakers.  This is HIS ministry. Can you honestly reflect on any point during the long history of ECM that he did not provide?  Don't fear - he's got this!

1. Second -and this is SO IMPORTANT to remember- God has equipped us for this work, and he strengthens us to handle the tasks and the difficulties that come our way.  Are you willing to put forth the extra effort to get the job done? To go the extra mile? To put in the extra time? To pray consistently and diligently for God's provision?  ECM staff, God has uniquely equipped you for this task.  Trust him!  Move forward with confidence!  I fully believe that we have been specifically chosen "for such a time as this," that each of us is exactly where God wants us do be, and that he will continue to use us to bring the hope of Jesus to those thirsty for life.

What a privilege it is to be a part of God's family, and to serve in such an incredible ministry!  Go forward with CONFIDENCE, despite any obstacles you may face, for God is on our side!

Helping the Hungry

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many

kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

James 1:2-3

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Hebrews 13:16

A few nights ago, while waiting to pick up my daughter from a late night school event, I watched a movie called The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.  Set in Malawi in the early 2000's, the movie chronicles the hardships a family experienced during a time of famine.

I couldn't help but think of how most Americans would never be able to understand the depth of the hunger pangs felt by families in the movie.  The kind of pain that causes a person to steal and destroy.  The kind of suffering that that makes a person forget all they ever learned from parents, church, and community about how to treat others.  The aching that brings out our animal nature.

Real hunger is something most Americans never experience.  When their stomachs grumble a little bit, they say, "I'm starving! I really need something to eat NOW!"  Honestly, we have no idea what hunger really is, and we've never been close to starving.

Many of my African brothers and sisters, on the other hand, understand all too well.  They have felt it. They have lived it.  It is, for them as much a part of living as the air we breathe.

All Christians are called to help those in need, and not understanding a person's trial is no excuse for ignoring it.  It is not something we are asked to do, it is something we are required to do.  You see, those going through a trial are called to endure it with joy, and those who see others going through a trial are called to walk with them, helping them to survive and thrive.  It is a beautiful plan laid out by a compassionate, ever present God, to help us overcome the trials of this life (Psalm 46:1).

There are rarely easy answers to the trials we face.  The problem of hunger won't end tomorrow or next month or next year.  Instead, the question becomes, "How do we walk with those who hunger, even when we cannot truly understand what they are going through?"  My desire is to see our ECM staff reach out with empathy and compassion, as we have been commanded, and also with creativity to help people out of poverty and hunger, and toward a happier, more fulfilled life.

Dealing with Diversity Part 3

Diversity is a beautiful thing!  So why do we let it divide us so tragically and painfully?  In the past two weeks we've examined three steps that we should take if want to turn diversity into a tool that can be used to build relationships. First, we learned that we need to humbly acknowledge that we don't always get it right, and that only by accepting that others have valid viewpoints are we able to grow.  Second, we were reminded that God created diversity!  It brings beauty to our world in countless ways, including through differing viewpoints.  Third, we were reminded of what we have always been taught: Love is the answer!  We must love others unconditionally, and believe whole heartedly that relationships are more important than our viewpoints.

Today we finish with one final step and some concluding thoughts.

4.  Based on what has already been mentioned, it is possible for some to allow the pendulum to swing so far that they are afraid to even have an opinion!  But actually having  opinions is essential to diversity.  You may think that to avoid conflict it is easiest to just "go with the flow."  In other words,, if you don't have any opinions, or if you don't express them, you will avoid conflict and all will be well.  This perspective is not helpful and will not bring about growth in you or in others.  It is also detrimental for society as a whole.  The trick, of course, is not to hide our differences, but to effectively manage the conflicts that arise from them.  Celebrate diversity, don't avoid it!


Don't fear differences of opinion!  Embrace them and allow them to bring about growth in your life.  It is almost never easy to do this.  Our human nature fights against it, in fact.  Some will see this as a cry for inclusivity, but nothing could be further from the truth.  Spiritually, we may think that if we listen to other viewpoints we are actually demonstrating agreement with the opinion, no matter how skewed it may be.  For example, if we genuinely listen to someone argue that abortion is acceptable, we are in some way condoning abortion.  This is where it becomes important to separate love and respect for the person from agreement with their viewpoint.  It is entirely possible to listen to an unbiblical viewpoint, have productive and respectful dialogue, and still agree to disagree.  If you abandon the relationship by showing anger, disgust, or impatience, you will NEVER be able to speak truth into the other person's life.  You will have lost their trust.

God does not call us to agree with each other.  He created diversity, including our differences in viewpoints.  But he expects (actually requires) us to interact with each other, no matter our differences, with love and respect.  Christians throughout the ages have had the strongest impact on their cultures simply by showing love, by demonstrating that the way of Jesus is good and life-changing, and by living out this Good News in every aspect of their lives.  In these times when lines have been drawn in the sand, Christians must be willing to step over the line, grab the hand of those we consider to be hopelessly far from the truth, and say, "My friend, let's talk about this."

Dealing with Diversity Part 2

Last week we began to discuss the steps we must take if we hope to learn from the viewpoints of others.  We learned that, much to our surprise, we are not always right!  This subtle acknowledgement is critical if we want to build the capacity to really hear others and learn from their perspective. If we think we are always right, we will rarely listen honestly to others.

Today we continue with two more steps we must take if we hope to come together with others in honest dialogue.

2.  We must understand that God created diversity, and that one of the most fascinating and remarkable aspects of his creation is how that diversity contributes to life itself.  If we acknowledge how the physical differences in the world, for example male and female, contribute to the uniqueness and beauty of the world, why do we struggle to accept that different viewpoints also bring beauty?  We should work hard to understand why others think differently, and then enjoy the spice that it adds to our lives!

3.  Approaching every difference of opinion with a spirit of love is like pouring a bucket of water on a campfire - it effectively puts out the fire and eliminates the chance that the difference in viewpoint will cause a "forest fire," potentially bringing life long separation between two people.  Our love for others and our desire to have a positive relationship with them must be more important than our opinions or our need to be "right."  When we love, we give up the right to have our way, to win our argument, and to always go home with the prize (see 1 Corinthians 13).  Simply put, relationships are more important than viewpoints.

Tune in next week for two more important steps we should take if we want to use diversity to help us grow.

Dealing with Diversity Part 1

It is said that birth order goes a long ways in determining how a person interacts with others.  As the 7th of eight children, growing up in a family with its fair share of conflict, my social and relational tendencies were affected in certain unmistakable ways.  For example, my aversion to conflict is strong.  I just want everyone to get along!  As I have gotten older (and wiser?), I have learned that conflict is not only good but necessary.  This understanding has also impacted how I approach diverse viewpoints, both within and outside of the body of Christ.

Over the years I have learned that the world is full of people who look at life differently than I do.  I remember my first years as a missionary.  I worked closely with people of all different backgrounds, experiences, viewpoints, and even religious perspectives.  And yet our differences were never our focal point.  The imprint on my life from this experience was clear: if human beings WANT to put aside their differences, they CAN.  In other words, it is not only possible, but it's really not that difficult to come together.

Coming together in this way involves a number of important steps:

1.  Acknowledge that I might NOT be right.

This is much harder to do than you might think, and much harder for some than others.  We're all flawed and sinful, and none of us are right about everything.   The problem is, some are so confident in their own thinking that they simply cannot see how anyone could come to a different conclusion.

However, if you cannot accept that you could possibly be wrong about any of your ideas, opinions, or presumptions, you will never be able to accept and learn from the viewpoints of others.  On the other hand, if you can have confidence in your own views but still accept that you could be wrong, then you will be genuinely open to other perspectives, and you will be able to learn, adapt, and grow.

To be continued...

Dealing with Depression in Uganda - Part 2

(This is the second of two blog posts from Brian Mukalazi, the Country Director for ECM-Uganda. Part one appeared last week.)

Studies have revealed that the prevalence of depression is higher in women than in men and is the main cause of disability in women. Some experts however believe that depression is under-reported in men, perhaps because men may be less likely to talk about feelings and seek help for mood disorders.

While some people idealize childhood, in reality, children may feel shaken by developmental changes and events over which they have little or no control. At Every Child Ministries Uganda (a local Non-Government Organization) we handle more than 250 children/teens and we have consistently observed that those with adverse childhood experiences including abusive family history, vulnerable physical health, living on streets and slums of Kampala, continue to face several episodes of depression.

In older people, depression may occur in conjunction with other illnesses that mask the depressive symptoms. Many times, health care professionals treat the medical illness and overlook the depression.

WHO Global Health Estimates have revealed that depression is the major contributor to suicide deaths around the world standing at 800,000 per year.

Worse still, majority of the people in need of treatment for depression do not receive it due to lack of information about the illness. By 2015, Uganda was reported to have only 30 practicing psychiatrists serving a population of more than 36 million people.

It is therefore important for the government of Uganda and other stakeholders to increase access to services and provide the necessary support for people with depression in communities. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) for example has gone ahead to create a Ministry of State for Happiness and Wellbeing which purposely oversees government plans, programs and policies to achieve a happier society.

While these challenges are substantial, there is an opportunity for a new kind of response to mental health need. This can be implemented at an individual, community, and national level. Thus, it is time to educate ourselves about depression and support those who are suffering from this mental disorder.