Unique Logistics

I’ve been intrigued by the name, Unique Logistics International, ever since they moved into our office complex here in the Chicago area. When I write my first espionage novel, I am for sure going to use this name. It conjures up all sorts of story plots in my mind. Perhaps they are a “Mission Impossible” organization that takes on incredibly difficult jobs that help keep the world safe from evildoers! I imagine their CEO having the last name “Bond” and liking his martinis shaken, not stirred!

Fortunately, the name Unique Logistics International also reminds me of some very real and heroic ministry work that Wheat Ridge Ministries has been blessed to help seed over the years in locations around the world. Sharing health and hope in Christ’s name requires the leaders of these initiatives to be very creative, dedicated and brave as they manage the logistics necessary to provide services to people where they are needed. 

When I think about the international ministries that have taken on the challenge of unique logistics during my 23 years of service at Wheat Ridge, many come to mind.  Here are just a few of the many new international ministries we have had the privilege to seed that are particularly memorable to me:

The China Rehabilitation Project – For more than 15 years, beginning in the late 1980s, Wheat Ridge helped volunteer medical teams whose goal was to bring healing to children with physical disabilities in China. Led first by Dr. Marcy Ditmanson and his wife, Joyce, and later by another talented leader, Kay Dole, these teams taught medical professionals in China how to use modern surgical methods as well as physical and occupational therapy. I was always amazed at how these teams managed the logistics of getting large quantities of donated medical equipment into China and moving around the country through various connections with the medical community in China. Our teams were among the very first to be provided access to orphanages in several Chinese cities, where many children with disabilities were placed by parents who didn’t know how to care for them. As a result of their teaching, the quality of life for thousands of children in China improved.

Care of Widows, Cows for Kids Project – Imagine being a poor widow living in poverty in rural India. Local customs prohibit you from being employed. You are desperate to provide for your children. Lutheran churches in southern India found a unique way to help – provide the widow and her family with a cow! The pastors and other leaders in these churches solved some difficult logistics to make this happen. Milk from the cow was not only a source of sustenance for the family but also a source of income as the milk was able to be sold. Thousands of children and families in the United States supported Wheat Ridge’s “Care of Widows, Cows for Kids” mission education program and their generosity helped us invest over $300,000 in this effort. One of the most moving experiences of my life was participating in the ceremonies in the small villages as church members gifted the cow to the widow and prayed over the family.

Hope for Grieving Children – Through a logistical miracle, God led a Christian psychologist, Dick Matteson, to visit the African country of Zambia. There he learned that children in many towns were being raised by caregivers other than their parents. The reason? The parents had died from HIV/AIDS. Dick also learned that these caregivers were having a very difficult time caring for these children because they were misbehaving. The caregivers, and other adults in their towns and villages, did not understand that these children were acting out because they had received no help as they grieved the loss of their parents. Dick developed a curriculum to teach caregivers how to help children. To solve the logistical challenge of delivering this training, Dick engaged with local churches. A non-profit organization, Hope for Grieving Children-Africa, was incorporated to provide structure and support. During the past several years, hundreds of people have participated in the training and many local trainers have been equipped to deliver the training. Thousands of children have been helped. A wonderful “part two” of this story is that the leader of another Wheat Ridge-seeded project, BLOOM Africa, which helps provide education for children in Lesotho, Africa, learned about this healing ministry and this training is now being delivered to caregivers of orphans there.

Bright Stars of Bethlehem – In the town of Bethlehem, Palestine, where Jesus was born, less than 2% of the population is Christian and the city is totally surrounded by a 20-foot high wall, with access in and out severely restricted. Talk about a logistical challenge! Yet sharing the love of Christ with the people of Bethlehem is the mission that Rev. Mitri Raheb and God’s people at Christmas Lutheran Church pursue. By God’s grace, thousands of people have been touched in Christ’s name as this congregation has overcome tremendous logistical challenges to develop a wellness center, an elementary school, programs for older adults, and even a university focused on the arts!

 

One of the reasons I love the mission of Wheat Ridge Ministries is that we are able to meet and learn from leaders who have clearly been moved by God’s Spirit to respond to the Gospel by caring about the welfare of others. It’s impossible not to be inspired by these leaders as they take on all of the unique logistics required to share the love of Christ with others in Word and deed. They are great examples of people who draw strength from the same assurance that the apostle Paul expressed, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

What great news it is that God’s plan for addressing the unique logistics of telling the world about the healing Christ involves calling each of us to love and care for our neighbors using our unique gifts and talents. And what a blessing it is to be led by God’s Spirit wherever our neighbors may be!

Wow!

I returned last week from our annual President’s Circle Retreat, a gathering of Wheat Ridge supporters who receive updates on our seeding ministry, hear from leaders of projects we are supporting or have supported, and enjoy Christian fellowship. This year’s retreat took place in Orlando, Florida, and we highlighted several ministries, many of them located in Florida, that were seeded by Wheat Ridge. What a joy it is to receive encouragement, ideas and perspectives from these people who support our work so generously.

 

The retreat was a “Wow!!” experience for me again this year. It’s so great to hear from leaders whose hearts God has touched with a passion for serving others. As is always the case when I’m around such leaders, I came away inspired by their commitment to impact lives by sharing health and hope in Christ’s name. These leaders all have questions on their hearts and minds and are determined to pursue answers …

 

• How can we help new people who have fled their homeland due to war or persecution and find themselves in prison-like detention centers in the U.S., often times for years, while they wait for a resolution? Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service’s CEO, Linda Hartke, and her team answered this question by designing a training program for volunteers from congregations who enter detention centers to visit with and offer a caring presence to people who, through no fault of their own, find themselves in this lonely and vulnerable situation. 

• How can our congregation take seriously its commitment to reach out to homeless and disenfranchised people in our community? Buy a strip mall and fill it with a variety of needed services! That’s what Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Lake Mary, Florida, with help from some partner congregations, has done. One of the ministries in the mall is called “The Oasis.” It’s a drop-in center for homeless people who need a safe place to take a shower, access the internet, or get referrals for needed services available elsewhere in the community. Another ministry in the strip mall is “Shepherd’s Hope,” a fully equipped medical clinic staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses.  

• How can we help young adults who have never been exposed to the Good News of Jesus or who have been hurt or disillusioned by the organized church, or have never been exposed to a worshipping community? Young pastor Ben Hoyer has answered this question by starting “Downtown Credo,” a coffee shop designed with intention to create and nurture authentic relationships among young adults. This commitment to building relationships has resulted in a growing Christian community called, “The Cross.”

• What do we do with the lessons we learned after a tragedy struck our congregation in the form of a loved family of the congregation viciously murdered in their home? Rev. Rick Armstrong and school psychologist Ann Eissfeldt decided to help other congregations and schools develop crisis plans so that people in communities impacted by such tragedies can be ministered with love and in appropriate ways as they experience loss and grief. Leaders of hundreds of congregations and schools around the country have benefitted from “God’s Care in Times of Crisis” training. Rick and Ann have also provided needed assistance for caregivers in places like New Orleans, Louisiana; Columbine, Colorado; and, most recently, Newtown, Connecticut.

• How can the church serve older adults who can no longer manage their own lives and resources?  This question resulted in the development of a guardianship program that became one of the initial services provided by Lutheran Services Florida in the early 1990s. This important service continues to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of older adults who do not have family or loved ones to help care for them. 

• What do I do when I visit a city in Ghana, Africa, and find tons and tons of plastic water bags littering the street? And what do I do after I learn of the plight of hundreds of young women with babies who are living on these same streets? And what is my response when the poor and orphaned children of Lesotho, Africa, capture my heart and seek ways to serve their needs? Rebecca Brandt and her college friends founded “A Ban Against Neglect,” a non-profit organization that provides shelter, education, vocational and parenting skills to help young women and their children live full and productive lives. Andrew Steele and his friends started “Bloom Africa,” a new organization that is helping children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic access educational opportunities.

• How can my congregation serve the caregivers of elderly adults who require full-time care from family members? Terri Ziegler and Jane Corcoran of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Largo, Florida, answered this question by starting “Ruth’s Promise,” a community of care for senior adults that provides a safe and caring environment several days a week, thus allowing family members of these older adults an opportunity to renew and take care of important chores and commitments that are otherwise difficult to accomplish when their loved one requires full-time care.

I was also “wowed” during our President’s Circle Retreat by the reminder our participants provide of the awesome blessing of thousands of other people whose generosity makes possible the seeding ministry of Wheat Ridge. We have been able to seed all of the ministries described above, but only because of the support we receive from so many who believe in the importance of assisting inspired leaders during the fragile initial stages of new ministry development. If you are reading this, you are most likely one of these generous people. Without you, our ability to seed new ministries in Florida and around the world simply would not be possible. Thank you!!  

Blessings as you continue your journey through Lent on the way to the empty tomb. Wow!!