One of the ways that Purposeful Africa is hoping to make a positive impact throughout West Africa is to expose specific needs to people on board our ship who are traveling with us who in turn can provide direct methods for taking care of those needs. One effective way for this to take place is through the use of micro-loans.

As an example of how successful this type of program can be, we found a great example of this happening in Liberia (a country we are scheduled to visit in the fall of 2010). Please visit the Business as Mission Network Website and read the great article entitled “Small-Small Things Make a Big Difference.”

This is just an example of many ways that those people who journey with us to West Africa will be able to make an impact on the poverty that ensnares the multitudes living there. If you are interested in joining Purposeful Africa in the fall of 2010 and being exposed to the many needs there, please feel free to email our founder, Rhonda Sand at Rhonda@PurposefulAfrica.org.

Bono is at times a polarizing figure for some people, however, I think he has hit the nail on the head in this speech. Please watch and listen to what he has to say about human rights in Africa.

If you are interested in seeing firsthand how you can make a difference in West Africa personally or through your business, please contact us here at Purposeful Africa about joining us on our journey in the fall of 2010. We are anxious to get there and expose people just like you to the needs that are so prevalent throughout West Africa.

As Bono said, “We can be the generation that ends extreme poverty.”

Purposeful Africa’s time at the Finishers Forum in Ft. Collins, CO was such a blessing to us. Check out the picture of our booth! We’re very pleased with the way it looks. There were some great break-out sessions that centered around helping people prepare to do missions and there were at least 4 to 6 topics to choose from for those sessions. We were able to connect with many people who were interested in what Purposeful Africa is hoping to accomplish in West Africa.

In addition we were able to meet and spend a little time with George Verwer, the founder of Operation Mobilization. He was the keynote speaker and did a fantastic job. Thank you for praying for us while we were traveling and attending the Forum.

World poverty seems like an overwhelming problem at times. You may find yourself asking, “how am I able to make an impact on such a huge crisis?” If you find yourself wrestling with this question, yet still feel like God is calling you to fight poverty around the world, then this book may be an answer to prayer for you.

“The Poor Will Be Glad” is a practical book that will guide you in finding a way for you to effectively fight poverty. Here is a brief description of the book from the publisher, Zondervan:

“A compelling call to carry God’s mercy and compassion to the hurting people of this world This eminently practical book by two leading experts in the field of poverty reduction offers a clear plan to help ordinary Christians translate their compassion into thoughtful action. Authors Peter Greer and Phil Smith draw on their personal experiences to provide proven solutions for effectively reducing poverty. With photographs by Jeremy Cowart included throughout, The Poor Will Be Glad examines the pitfalls of traditional approaches and outlines a new model of economic development aimed at breaking the cycle of dependency.

Through microfinance and employment-based solutions, people who share God’s heart for the poor can reorient their efforts from giving handouts to offering a hand up, helping others provide for their families and regain their dignity. This book provides straightforward guidance for individuals and groups eager to carry God’s justice, mercy, and compassion to the hurting people in our world.”

Read all of the details about The Poor Will be Glad on Zondervan’s website. If you have had the joy of reading this book, please feel free to leave a comment and let us know how it influenced you or changed your view on world poverty.

If you feel compelled and led by God to go and see firsthand what is and can be done to fight poverty, please consider joining Purposeful Africa on our first journey to West Africa in the fall of 2010.

PLEASE DON’T STOP READING NOW simply because you aren’t a student. Urbana is and always has been intended for anyone interested in missions. The target audience is college-aged women and men between the ages of 18 and 30. But every Urbana draws people from all over North America who want to learn more about global realities, current missions issues, and their place in God’s mission. During the five days spent at Urbana, participants will experience multicultural worship and drama, dynamic speakers, in-depth Bible study, and prayer. They will also be encouraged to explore short-term and vocational opportunities as they interact with representatives from more than 300 mission agencies and educational institutions. Attendance at Urbana is usually around 20,000.

At Purposeful Africa, we are particularly interested in one of the tracks offered at this year’s conference. The Business as Mission Track looks very interesting because part of our emphasis here is encouraging business owners to engage in business as mission. One of the main facets of our upcoming trip to West Africa is to have business owners who join us on our journey see the many ways that they can effectively use their own businesses to positively impact the lives of people in West Africa with the ultimate goal of seeing them accept Christ as their Savior and begin a life-long relationship with Him.

So, with that said, if you feel God may be calling you to learn more about how to use your business to impact the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ, we would encourage you to register and participate in the Business as Mission Track at Urbana ’09. Below is a brief overview of the track being offered. For more information, please visit the Urbana ’09 Website.

BUSINESS AS MISSION TRACK

In this track current and future business professionals will be challenged to live a missional life in their context. This track will explore themes of calling, ministry and community.

Capacity: 700

Who should come?
Any students or business professionals who are interested in how business contributes to the Kingdom of God.

Overview
This track will provide an opportunity for students and business professionals to wrestle with the implications of their work in light of the Kingdom of God. The intention is to encourage and challenge future and current business people to live a missional life in their context and to dream of ways to envision business as a vehicle to extend the Kingdom of God.

Director: Al Anderson
Al has worked with Inter-Varsity of Canada for 25 years. He loves to see students become profound initiators of the Kingdom of God. Leadership development is one of his passions. He has a dangerous sense of humor. He holds a B.S in Biochemistry from Stanford, an MBA from University of Washington, an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a DMin from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Recommended Reading
Lowney, Chris, Heroic Leadership, Chicago: Loyola Press, 2003

What is God Provides?

“Throughout history, people have wrestled with the concept of trusting God to meet their needs versus relying on the world. Through stirring accounts found in the Bible, God reveals how He wants to be our ultimate Provider.

This film learning experience offers a rich, dramatic journey through six theater-quality, epic short films and printed companion guide that can be used for individual or group study.”

There is a total of six short films in this series. They are:

• Widow and Oil (from 2 Kings 4:1-7)
• Jeremiah’s Call (from Jeremiah 29:1-14)
• Abraham’s Reward (from Genesis 12-15:6)
• Abraham and Isaac (from Genesis 22:1-18)
• Rich Man and Lazarus (from Luke 16:19-31)
• Lifted Up (from John 3: 1-17)

Order the series today by visiting Crown Financial’s website. This valuable resource is a great investment.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

Phillipians 4:19 (NIV)

Here are some excerpts from a recent article found on CNN’s website:

If you listen to inventor Dean Kamen, the biggest health problem facing the world today is not AIDS, obesity or malnutrition. It’s a shortage of water.

Water is the most abundant resource on the planet, yet less than one percent of the Earth’s freshwater supply is readily available to drink, according to the World Health Organization. Lack of accessible or clean drinking water, exacerbated by drought, is crippling communities in many developing countries.

The Slingshot boils, distills and vaporizes the polluted source, in turn delivering nothing but clean water to the other side. And it does it all on less electricity than it takes to run a hair dryer.

“The biggest challenge right now between this being a dream and a reality is getting committed people that really care about the state of the world’s health to get involved,” Kamen says.

The world’s population is quickly approaching 7 billion, making access to clean water that much more important. According to the World Health Organization and UNICEF, more than 3.5 million people die every year from water-related diseases and almost 900 million don’t have access to a safe water supply.

He says one Slingshot machine can supply about 250 gallons of water a day, which is enough for 100 people.

While it doesn’t look as if the Slingshot will be available in effective quantities in the very near future, it is an exciting technology that certainly should be monitored.

If you are interested in helping to solve the drinking water crisis that is so prevalent in West Africa, we would encourage you to give us a call at 888-771-8717 or email us. One of the primary focuses of our upcoming journey is to provide the means and methods necessary to provide clean drinking water to people who currently do not have access to it throughout West Africa.

We are excited about our upcoming time in Ft. Collins, CO. Please pray that our time there would be fruitful and effective. Finisher Forums are an excellent way to connect with like-minded, dedicated Christians who desire to make an impact throughout the world for Christ. There will be many other ministries and organizations present at the Forum as well. To learn more about registered and attending the Finishers Forum in Ft. Collins, please visit the Finisher’s website.

Finishers has also put together a great two minute video about what you can expect when you attend a Finishers Forum. Check it out!

“Churches are learning that short-term missions are a mixed blessing. Do them, but say the reason we’re doing them is that they help us more than they help the host congregation.”

“Another thing to remember is the cultural and power differences, power in the sense of both political weight and economic influence. If an African church welcomes visitors from the United States and says, “We are so glad to have you here,“ yes, they’re sincere, but they also know that they’re welcoming people from America, who add some prestige and some finances. That may become a paternalistic relationship that goes sour for both sides, or it may turn out to be mutually edifying. It simply has to be done with eyes open and some understanding of the cultural, economic, and political differences.”

These two quotes come from the article, “Global is the New Local”, an article which appeared in the June 2009 issue of Christianity Today. You may read the entire article online at Christianity Today’s website.

While at first, these two quotes might be taken as offensive, perhaps it’s best to read them and then re-read them a second time. Please understand that they are not meant to be offensive in any way. They are merely suggesting that when you, as a church/organization enter into a short term mission trip of any sort, you should understand the implications that your trip may have for both your church/organization and the group of people you are going to engage.

As Christians, we are to go forth into all the world (Matthew 28), no doubt. We just need to understand that while we have a certain set of intentions…God may have a different agenda altogether – for us and possibly for those who we are ministering to as well. We need to be aware of that and flexible enough to move and adjust.

It’s good food for thought and hopefully will be a point of discussion for anyone who is planning to embark upon a short term mission trip.

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of of my sheep.” John 21:16 (NIV)

Take care of my sheep. Peter took a rough, circuitous route to ultimately accomplish what Christ wanted of him…but he finally became ‘the rock’ Christ desired him to be. Peter, after hearing the questions, finally responded with actions that made a positive eternal impact upon our world.

What questions are being asked of you? What are the actions that those questions beg?

Earlier this month, I came across a great article that displays how we process those questions and ultimately respond with actions that make a difference. The article is called “One important question can lead to important actions” and was written by Nigel Alston. I would encourage you to read the article and prayerfully consider what God may be asking of you within your own life and circumstances. What is He calling you to do? How are you going to respond?

For all of us at Purposeful Africa, we know that God has called us to action on behalf of the widows and orphans who are struggling throughout all of West Africa. Our response, our “action” is being formed right now. We are praying for partners who also feel God calling them to act on behalf of the precious lives who are struggling throughout the nations of West Africa. Are you sensing God’s call to minister among these folks with us? If so, know that we are praying for you!