HELPING OTHERS OVERSEAS

Traveling from Los Angeles to Billings, Montana on Alaska Airlines we had a stop over in Seattle. This had been an amazing week with Dr. Clyde Rivers, Ambassador at Large to Burundi through the United Nations. In the special awards ceremony from the Humanitarian Voice of Hollywood Awards hosted by Tim Sweeney and Debra Denise, I received my first international appointment as Special Advisor to this African nation.

Since this time, I have not stopped thinking about Africa.  

Have you ever asked God a question, "Why me Lord? In both good and bad situations when a curve ball is thrown your way, I just have a hard time believing it is a coincidence or a happen-stance.  In fact, God has never worked this way with His people.  We normally find that even the "curve balls" have purpose. Each one of us have a definite plan and purpose for our lives, but what happens when the purpose contains negativity, pain and loss?

Richard Wormbrand was living in a cell in tortured Romania and in the middle of a tortured environment, he found an ability to turn tragedy into triumph.  He had the fortitude and the discipline to see Christ in the most positive way possible.  When I was a young man, I had the opportunity to meet him when he came to Council Road Baptist Church, and his testimony literally blew me away. 

The gratitude was found even while in misery because Richard's spirit was amazing, with a faith that inspired so many of us.  My home pastor Dr. Wendell Estep always pointed us to be people of faith who could see the power in having a positive attitude in our faith.  My pastor today in Oklahoma City is Craig Groeschel and he has been sharing a sermon series called STAY POSITIVE because Biblically this is a truism for all people who believe. No matter what situation you are known by God.

Allow me to go back to this new appointment to Africa.  The nation of Burundi near Rwanda where our V team created the movie THROUGH THE VALLEY only has 4% of the entire population with electricity.  Can you imagine how difficult this is, how third world culture these people are surviving each and every day?  One of the poorest nations in the world is Burundi and now, this hurting nation has been placed on our radar.  

Dr. Rivers has been traveling around the world with his diplomatic passport so that he can encourage others about the Golden Rule representing Burundi.  He has created ICHANGE NATIONS for the purpose of making a difference of a positive and faith filled message while working with a nation in pain.  Our organization is going to work with him through the door of sports involving a group we began in 1995 called GOLDEN RULE SPORTS.  Please keep us in prayer as we give, as we go and as we move forward with you.  

Here is what we need for YOU to do with our entire Veritas 300 and beyond, because since you are reading this post, you are now INVOLVED.  Did you ever think you would connect with BURUNDI?  I didn't, but we are a team. We are part of trying to impact the world with a new global initiative of peace.  

We need you to pray. Pray for Burundi and ask the Lord to impact this nation for good. Let's pray that through the power and engine of capitalism, we can help share the blessings we have in America with this nation. Pray we can share the love of God with a nation who needs Him. Pray we can continue to help not only this developing nation, but the other nations around them.

Here is the bottom line. It's time to start helping others in a new way. Let's not be content with living in plenty, but to do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  We must start focus on helping others, people who may not be like us, live near us or have the same world.  Until Christ is all that you have you may never know that Christ is all that you need.  The golden rule is not some myth, it can change your life and we can change the world through sharing this fundamental teaching.  We must think "outside the box" to work and not being satisfied in letting other people remain in pain. 

We can do something to help others. We can first pray, with all of our hearts.  We can learn about what their needs are. We can go to where they are. We can bring solutions and answers. We have to stop thinking of ourselves and consider what we can do to bring peace to a world in pain.  Let's break out of our prisons and move into a new world of freedom serving others.

Have a beautiful week serving others.

I love you

Kevin