Traveling to share the Gospel to unreached people groups

Martha and I on our flight from Dothan to Atlanta. Then we flew to
Seoul, Korea, and then safely to Yangon, Myanmar.

When people hear that Martha and I are traveling to Asia for a mission trip, the top question is, “How long does it take to get there? When we say 20-something or 30-something hours, we often get looks of surprise, shock and even those, “you must be crazy looks.”

Some will say, “That’s way too long in an airplane.” Others quip, “God bless you” ... those are usually the ones with the, “you must be crazy” looks. Well, they are right. We are crazy ... crazy about Jesus. 

As I write this blog we are about 32,000 feet above Canada on a Korean Airlines flight to Seoul, Korea. Then we will fly about 6 hours to our destination, which is Yangon, Myanmar. In all, we will traveled for 27-plus hours.

These trips over to Asia aren’t bad at all. We’ve taken enough of them to the point that a 20-hour flight doesn’t seem that long. We’ve also learned how not to get jet lag. We get tired, though. We aren’t superhuman.

The sole reason for these trips is souls. There are billions of people in the 10/40 Window who have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The 10/40 Window is a rectangular area that spans across the Middle East and Asia. It’s the area where the majority of unreached people groups live.

Knowing there are billions of people living without hearing the Gospel greatly concerns us. That means billions of people will die and go to Hell. We can’t reach them all, but we can reach some. The Great Commission compels us to go.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them all I have commanded you, and I am with you always to the end of the age.”

That is the Great Commission. It is a command from our Lord and Savior, and it’s for every follower of Jesus. Does that mean everyone needs to travel overseas to spread the Gospel. I wish everyone could. Many simply cannot physically take a 30-hour flight and then live in a Third World country, even if it’s for only two weeks. Others cannot commit that kind of time to take off work.

What people can do is help send others. There are some individuals who helped send Martha and me on this trip to Myanmar, and there are two churches - Harvest and Covenant - who helped us tremendously. We can’t say thank you enough. The souls saved on this trip will one day thank those who gave so we could go and tell them about Jesus.

It’s not just about traveling overseas to share the Gospel. We must do it in our hometown as well. In fact, everywhere we go we need to be sharing the Gospel and showing the love of Jesus to people. The Great Commission is a lifestyle, not an event or mission trip. Live it out. That’s the model Jesus gave us, and that’s how He expects us to live. Being a Christian isn’t just about saying a prayer. That’s only the beginning. It’s about living this life for Christ. That’s a big commitment and not something to take lightly.

As we have WiFi, I will give updates about our trip on this blog. Please pray for us, and please pray for those who will hear the Gospel and those we will train on discipleship.

Mayor's panel on homelessness a big success

Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba talks to the audience about why he called for a panel
to discuss homeless issues in Dothan, Alabama.

When the mayor of your city asks you and your friends and colleagues if you would be interested in conducting a panel discussion on homelessness in our city, there's only one way to respond. YES! Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

That's what happened when Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba asked us at a meeting of the Southeast Alabama Coalition for the Homeless meeting a couple of months ago. We were all thrilled and excitedly said yes.

Today, that panel discussion took place at the Wiregrass Museum of Art in downtown Dothan. A large crowd attended the discussion, and became even more educated on the many issues facing the homeless and the home insecure here in our home city. A number of people in the audience were people who represent ministries and organizations who work with the homeless and needy. In attendance were also city leaders, including Dothan City Manager Mike West, Dothan Police Chief Steve Parrish and Dothan Fire Chief Larry Williams and other city leaders and department heads.

I was honored to be one of the panel members, along with my friends David Duke, executive director of Wiregrass 2-1-1, David Jamison, executive director of Our Community, Inc., Kody Kirchhoff, executive director of The Harbor, and Jeff Peacock, executive director of The Ark.

We talked about a number of issues, including tent cities (yes, there's more than one ... many more, just smaller than the popular one.), housing crunch, lack of public transportation, mental health, generational poverty, ID needs, and more.

We shared examples of success stories, and particularly those in which several of our ministries worked together to help someone come off the streets. The unity between ministries and organizations is getting stronger and stronger, and that's what's needed. Working closely with The Ark and The Harbor is a blessing. Together, we can do much more to impact lives for the glory of God.

We made it clear that sharing Jesus with the homeless and those living in poverty is of the utmost importance, and No. 1 on our lists of priorities. If we don't share Jesus, first of all, we fail at fulfilling the Great Commission. Secondly, we are just wasting their time and ours. Jesus is the answer for life here and now and for eternity.

The unity that's being fostered is making a real difference. Unity is what Jesus expects from us. He didn't tell us to be divided. That's what Satan tries to do. Jesus tells us to be one as He and the Father are One (John 17:21).

David Duke shared some staggering statistics about homelessness in Dothan. Wiregrass 2-1-1 is a clearinghouse for resources for the homeless and needy. They have a huge database with contact information for each ministry and organization and information about what each one can help with.

Out of nine regional call centers in Alabama, the Wiregrass experienced the third highest volume in the state. Calls are up 15 percent over last fiscal year with 16,299 calls answered and 30,124 referrals provided for those calls.

They received 623 calls from the homeless in fiscal 2017 and that number increased to 697 in fiscal 2018, a 12 percent increase.

The top three needs of the homeless who called were housing (56 percent), food/meals (13 percent), and health care (7 percent).

All of these stats simply mean this, the homeless situation in Dothan is increasing, as is poverty. There are more than 600 homeless in Dothan and  more than 3,000 home insecure, which means people who do not have a permanent home. They "couch surf," sleeping on couches of family members and friends. They are constantly going from one couch to the next.

We have seen a tremendous increase in the homeless and people living in poverty here at Love In Action. We will end up serving 3,600 families with food, hygiene items and clothing by the end of the year. That's about a 40 percent increase over last year. We will have served close to 11,000 meals by the end of the year, which is nearly twice as many as last year.

Ministries like The Harbor and The Ark have also experienced tremendous increases throughout 2018.

We are all determined to continue giving the people Jesus and providing solutions to help end unwanted homelessness in Dothan. Together, through Jesus Christ, we will accomplish this goal.

Love In Action was well represented at today's Mayor Panel on Homelessness.
Martha Tuck, Pamela Johnson, and Dan Levy were in the audience with many
of our friends, including Barbi Nolan of Covenant United Methodist Church.

Roof Update: 'Only God was holding that roof on'

The roof work began at Love In Action last week. The crew from Apaxx started on the roof on our two-story building, and what they found was a mess.

As they pulled the sheets of metal up, they discovered rotten wood that was crumbling. Due to all of the leaks, the frame had rotted away. Another problem with the roof is the way it was built the rain water ponds up in some areas.

Apaxx decided to tear all of the framing out and build a new frame, and then build the new roof. They are being a great blessing to us, as well, as they are not charging us extra. Tom, one of the owners, said it was part of their way of helping the ministry.

They are going to build it back right, and when it's finished we won't have to worry about leaks or if the roof will blow away. We are thankful for Apaxx's honesty. They could have said nothing and covered it up, but they didn't. May God bless them for doing things the right way and being a blessing to us.

When talking with Tom about the roof he said, as he was pointing up to Heaven, "Someone was looking out for you with that roof. With some of the high winds we get from storms it could have easily torn it off."

There is no doubt that only God was holding that roof on for us. Praise God for His protection!

The roof work will continue this week with the rebuilding of our new roof. Then work begins on the 10,000 sq. ft. roof over our one-story building. We are raising money to help us pay for this work. The total project cost is $52,000. We have raised $22,300, so we need another $29,700. Please help us get this vital project done. This will keep the integrity of our entire facility intact. As you can see by this roof, this project is badly needed.

Please make your tax-deductible donation out to: Love In Action, and mail it to: Love In Action, P.O. Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302. Please write, "Roof Project," in the memo of your check. Or, you can give securely on our website via PayPal by clicking on this link, https://loveinactionministries.com/donate

Thank you and God bless you.

Roofing project underway

We have prayed and waited a long time for this moment, and praise be to God the time has arrived. Our roofing project is underway! We have battled leaks throughout our buildings for years, but haven't been able to do anything other than patch the roofs.

This week the first phase got underway, which is replacing the roof on our two-story building over suites 5 and 7. The second phase will be replacing the roof on our one-story building, which includes suites 1,2 and 3. Suite 2 is our office and suite 3 is the Samaritan Clinic.

The total cost of both phases is $52,000. We have raised $18,000, so we only need $34,000 to complete the project. Please help us. This is an extremely important project. We want to protect and preserve all of the work we have already done to the inside of the buildings, and replacing the roofs will do that.

Protecting the remodeling and improvements we've already done inside, as well as the medical equipment and supplies in the Samaritan Clinic is a must. We help hundreds of people, close to 1,000, every year in the clinic, so keeping the integrity of the building is vital. It's the same for suite 6, which is where we minister the most to our homeless and needy friends, including through our food and hygiene pantries, clothing rooms, laundry room, and shower room.

We need to raise the remaining $34,000 ASAP. The roofers are on location now, and if we can keep them there to finish both roofs that would be a tremendous blessing. What it will also allow us to do is remodel suites, like 5 and 7, and put them to use. We haven't been able to because of the leaks. This will help expand the ministries of Love In Action.

Please pray and please help us. You can send your tax-deductible donations to: Love In Action, P.O. Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302. Please write, "Roof project" in the memo of your check. You may also give securely online on our website via PayPal by clicking on this link.

Thank you and God bless you.

Mobile Kitchen/Food Trailer Ordered

This is a drawing of the Love In Action Mobile Kitchen/Food Trailer

We are thankful and happy to announce the Love In Action Mobile Kitchen/ Food Trailer has been ordered. Thank you to those who gave to make this a reality. We are so excited! The drawing of the food trailer is pictured with this post. We will post photos of the actual trailer when we pick it up next month.

With the mobile kitchen, we will be able to serve hot meals to the homeless and those in need where they live, and also provide bags of groceries to those living in poverty.

Most importantly, this will provide more outreach opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They will come for food, and they will also be presented with the "Bread of Life."

The trailer is paid for in full! Praise God and thank you to everyone who gave. When we get the trailer next month, we will have about $5,000 worth of work to add to it to bring it completely up to health department codes and wrap it with the Love In Action logo. The kitchen suppression system is accounts for most of that cost. We will need your help to complete that work.

Please help us by mailing your tax-deductible donation to: Love In Action, P.O. Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302. Please write: "Food Trailer" in the memo of your check. You may also give securely via PayPal on our website by clicking on this link, https://loveinactionministries.com/donate

Thank you and God bless you. It is so exciting what God is doing, and how He is using the Body of Christ to do it. Thank you for being part of His work.