As my wife, Shelly, and I traveled to eight African countries over a period of 3 weeks in late March [2007], I became overwhelmed in a way that I have not experienced in quite some time.
Throughout our trip, we witnessed people—from infants to the elderly—living in horrendous poverty and with debilitating sicknesses. As the CEO of Hand of Hope, Joyce Meyer Ministries World Missions, I had seen it so many times before, but for some reason, this time was different.
And it caused me to ask the question, "Why them and not us?"
We Will Never Know Why
I believe we have all faced this question in varying degrees at some time in our lives. We see a homeless person in our city or a starving child on TV, and we wonder why we have been given a quality of life that is better than theirs.
At this point you are probably eager to hear my answer. But unfortunately, I am not able to give you one.
Yes, there are definitely reasons that explain, in part, why poverty exists. We know that individuals, leaders and governments that make choices based on the Word of God will bring blessings upon their lives and upon their people. And likewise, if we make poor decisions, we can bring much destruction.
But in all my extensive travels…in all of my thoughts, study and prayers, I have never found an answer that is all-inclusive and applies to every situation.
The truth is that this side of heaven, there are some things we simply will not know.
What I do know is that God is good, and He is sovereign and just. And I also know this: Although we may not have all the answers, it doesn’t give us a reason to do nothing.
Tremendous Outreaches You Make Possible
As Christians—God’s representatives here on earth—it is our responsibility to feed the poor, clothe the naked, visit those in prison, and offer assistance to widows. After all, this is what the Bible calls “true religion.” (See James 1:27.) And this is exactly what Joyce Meyer Ministries is doing every single day by the grace of God and through your faithful support.
I invite you to take a few minutes to journey with us through Africa.
Our recent trip allowed us to witness some of the tremendous lifesaving outreaches that you make possible…and it gave us a chance to strategize and plan for even greater ministry throughout the continent in the future.
South Africa: Rescuing Children from the Streets
Right now some of the most exciting news coming from this region is the incredible response we had at Joyce’s conference in Johannesburg, October 2007.
My mom taught at the Coca-Cola Dome, a 16,000-seat venue. Delirious?, the Christian group from England who is also very popular in South Africa, joined us to lead worship. Tickets for the event went on sale March 1, and within two weeks, we were completely sold out! As a result, we added an additional session, which sold out, too.
While in town we also continued working toward implementing several more feeding programs throughout the country. We currently operate a center in Cape Town, which feeds more than 60 children each day.
In addition, your support is allowing us to help fund a powerful ministry called Umthombo, which reaches out to kids living on the streets of Durbin. Umthombo seeks out children in need, builds relationships of trust, and then helps them leave the streets and become reunited with their families or communities.
Rwanda: Feeding More Than 570 Children a Day
This visit to Rwanda was the first since our groundbreaking Hope Rwanda outreach in 2006. Last summer we saw God heal and change the hearts of thousands, and this year we were so thrilled to see the lasting growth.
During our stay, our team had the opportunity to hold a powerful two-day crusade in a refugee camp and also present and dedicate a brand-new home to a widow who was a victim of the 1994 genocide.
In addition, we got the chance to visit and participate in our new feeding program at Kingdom Education Center in Kigali, where we are able to feed more than 570 children every day.
One of the most memorable parts of our trip occurred while visiting some of the Rwanda prisons.
Last year we were able to distribute hygiene gift bags to every single prisoner in Rwanda. So this year, when prison officials announced that our team was from Joyce Meyer Ministries, hundreds of inmates held up their Joyce Meyer books in celebration of our return!
It was also a time to look toward the future.
Along with Ron Martin, the director of our office in South Africa, and my colleagues Dave Van Rensberg and Mike and Pennie Shepard, we met with the country’s leadership to cast the vision for the Million Leaders Mandate (MLM).
This international leadership training program was developed by John Maxwell and his
EQUIP ministry team. This year, we hope to launch MLM training in India, Cambodia and Rwanda.
Malawi: Flooding Constantly Wipes Out Crops, HIV Rampant
This was my very first visit to this poverty-ravaged country. Most years they deal with flooding that many times wipes out their crops and food. But some years they suffer from the exact opposite—devastating droughts that also leave them without sustenance to live.
During our trip we were able to visit a very impressive medical clinic operated by Lifeline Malawi. This clinic is located in a rural part of the country.
According to their statistics, 21 percent of all patients they treat are HIV positive.
The good news is, they are able to provide the ARV medicines needed to keep them alive. We are currently exploring ways to help them increase their efforts and perhaps someday open a maternity ward.
We also held a fruitful strategy meeting in Malawi for a new venture called Go Global.
Our goal is to collaborate with several other ministries and develop ways to increase the number of full-time missionaries on the field. Missionaries like Jamie and Lea Peters, whom we have supported for years, are the key to truly reaching a nation. On our trip we got to visit with the Peters who have recently moved here to plant their fifth church in Africa.
Zimbabwe: Only 20% Live Above Poverty
Zimbabwe is nothing like it was just ten years ago.
A recent article in The Sunday Times paints a grim picture of what this nation has become:
"Mugabe has ruined his country with policies that are killing thousands. …The economy has shrunk by 40% since 2000 and is still contracting—the health system has collapsed and a populace now weakened by five consecutive years of near-starvation dies of things which would never have been fatal before."
"A staggering 42,000 women died in childbirth last year, for example, compared with fewer than 1,000 a decade ago. Only 20% of the people are now above the poverty line. We used to have 30% unemployment but now it is 80%. "
With the help of Children’s Cup and Zimbabwean native Dave Van Rensberg, we were able to feed thousands of children here for years until conditions became too dangerous. We then focused our efforts on Swaziland, where together we started the highly successful Care Point Centers, which feed and care for thousands of children.
Currently, we are actively seeking God’s direction on how to once again help Zimbabwe. We ask you to please pray for these precious people who live in this incredibly needy country.
Ethiopia: Fragile Babies Dying Without Our Help
Coming to the end of our journey, Shelly and I stopped in Ethiopia and met with Pat and Susan Bradley of International Crisis Aid. Here we spent the day at our ministry-supported feeding program in the Angacha area.
Pictured above is the measuring device used for children five and under to determine whether they are a candidate for a feeding program.
If the circumference of their upper arm is less than 12 ½ centimeters (indicated in red), that indicates they are severely malnourished. Nearly every single child we saw that day measured in the red and desperately needed help.
It broke our hearts to see so many children on the brink of starvation. In my opinion there is not a kid in the world who deserves to go hungry.
That day we held severely malnourished triplets who were less than two weeks old.
Named after us, babies Susan, David, and Shelly came extremely close to dying. I thank God that through your support, we were able to get these babies the help they need to have a fighting chance. So often the treatment is very simple if we can just get to the children in time.
How Can We Do More?
When we look around the world and see all of the suffering, all of the heartache, and all of the pain, it’s so easy to ask, “How can this be?” But as children of God who have the ability to make a difference, I believe we should also ask, “How can we do more?”
After nearly three weeks in Africa, witnessing again what our partnership can do, I am even more determined to spend my life adding value to people, improving their standard of living, and putting a smile on as many faces as I possibly can. More than ever, I am convinced that helping people can never be wrong.
And we know that you believe this too.
As Shelly and I traveled the continent, we saw firsthand how your support is impacting our world. We looked into the eyes of grateful mothers, shook hands with those receiving lifesaving meals, and held fragile babies who would have literally died without our help.
And it all begins with you.
Every single day, God is taking your donations and He is using it to make a miracle for someone in need. And whether it’s Africa, India or along the banks of the Amazon, your support is telling people there’s a God who knows them, a God who loves them, and a God who cares.
On behalf of all those you are helping worldwide, thank you for your generous support that is making a difference for both now and eternity.