Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | July 8, 2011

My Father is Coming!

Kolkata, India

Early this morning, the boys on our team headed back to the slum school in the village of Udayan Pally where they continued their work with the children of Bengali Hindus. The path to New Hope School is still coated with a film of slick and slippery mud that makes walking a challenge. But it’s worth taking every step to the school just to see the smiles on the faces of the children who are finding new hope there. Our boys are fully engaged with their assignment and are taking advantage of every opportunity to chat with curious onlookers about why we have come. One thing is certain, the villagers are as excited about our presence here as the children. For the majority of these poor families, their children will be the first to learn how to read and write in both Bangla and English. And, their children will be the first in their families to hear the story of Jesus and His love. Pastor Rudra’s curriculum includes teaching the story of Jesus in a way that children can reproduce it at home — through stories and songs.

Later in the morning, the girls on our team boarded a bus that took them to the aftercare home that we fund for girls rescued from forced commercial sex. Most of these young sex trafficking victims are younger than the girls on our team and have already lived through a lifetime’s worth of hell and abuse at the hands of filthy men seeking to satisfy their sexual appetites at any cost. When we arrived and entered the secure campus, the young girls there greeted our team with beautiful smiles and waves. Within minutes, the girls in aftercare and our team members introduced themselves to one another. As I stood there watching all of this happen, one of the young aftercare residents approached me with a smile and said to me in very broken English, “I go home today. My father is coming.” Her broad smile advertised an immense joy in her heart that she had not only been rescued, but would soon be reunited with the family who had lost a daughter through the deception of a sex trafficker.

“My father is coming” are the sweetest words I have ever heard on any of my visits to the aftercare home. Some of the girls in aftercare can never return home because they were sold to traffickers by their own family members. For these girls, the words “my father is coming” would have an entirely different meaning. But for a girl who fell into the trap of an unscrupulous sex trafficker, the words “my father is coming” represent new hope and the opportunity to heal among a family that thought they would never see their daughter again. The young lady who joyfully uttered those words told me that she wanted to continue her education and aspired to become a beautician — a dream she never thought she would fulfill when her life was abruptly interrupted by the evil intentions of a sex trafficker. And, to make things even sweeter, she clutched a small cross dangling from a string around her neck, lifted it to her lips, and kissed it. “”I am a Christian,” she said, “and I am going home today. My father is coming.”

11 Comments

Posted in India, Justice

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | July 7, 2011

The Path to New Hope

Kolkata, India

Life is difficult in the slum village of Udayan Pally — a ragtag community of mostly Bengali Hindus located not far from Kolkata’s international airport. The people there live with no electricity and get their water from tube wells located dangerously close to their latrines. Scantily clad kids run and play in the narrow paths between shanty homes, skillfully avoiding puddles of raw sewage and garbage. Heat and rain only add to the misery of life in Udayan Pally. But, in spite of all of the difficulties the people must contend with very day, many in this impoverished huddle of humanity cling to their hopes and aspirations of a better life, if not for themselves then for their children. That’s where my friend Pastor Rudra comes in. Rudra started a school in the heart of this slum to provide the children of the least of these with the opportunity to get an education. He has a God-sized vision of reaching the entire village with the message and love of Christ. And he is doing it one child and one home at a time.

This morning our student team ventured to Pastor Rudra’s school, appropriately named New Hope School. We walked along the narrow and slippery path to the school in the rain and arrived with muddy shoes and feet. No problem. Every care melted away when our students saw the sixty-five children crammed into the little school building paid for, in large part, by our missions ministry. We helped to teach math, spelling, colors and shapes, and more to smiling and eager learners. I was totally impressed by the progress these school kids have made since our visit here last year. The noticeable improvement is a testimony to the success of Pastor Rudra’s intentional education plan. New Hope is a no-nonsense school. Rudra knows that these children must get the very best education possible if they are to have any hope of leaving the slums. The kids enrolled in the school are held to a high standard and work hard. We are also prepared to work hard at Pastor Rudra’s New Hope School every morning while we are here.

Our students spent the afternoon learning about slavery and human trafficking. I invited one of my friends who leads a major initiative to combat human trafficking in South Asia to speak to our students. He talked about the challenges of bringing new hope to girls trapped in the unimaginable hell of forced prostitution. The challenges of rescuing these girls and bringing their oppressors to justice is not as easy as it looks on television. The plans of the rescuers are often frustrated by corrupt police officials and savvy lookouts that alert brothel owners of suspected raids. But, in spite of the difficulties and setbacks, they have managed to rescue more than four-hundred girls from brothels in South Asia. Tomorrow, the girls on our team will visit the aftercare home that we fund. They will spend time encouraging the young victims — reaffirming their worth as human beings created in the image of a God who loves them.

As I write this post, our student and sponsors are all in bed, tired from a combination of jet-lag and long hours of service. It’s been a good first day in Kolkata. Today, we learned that the path to New Hope School and the path to new hope for the victims of sex trafficking are both challenging. Nevertheless, we are determined to do our small part to walk that path and to bring new hope to children in the slums and to the young girls rescued from the clutches of evil. Tomorrow, we will also offer hope to the least of these who reside at three of Mother Teresa’s homes. We are grateful for the opportunity to be here and to be Jesus with skin on as we walk the path to new hope.

7 Comments

Posted in India

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | July 6, 2011

With Great Love

Kolkata, India

Our team outside of Mother's House in Kolkata.

After nearly thirty hours of travel, our plane descended through the clouds and bounced once on the tarmac at Kolkata’s international airport. Although everyone was more than a little stiff from the long journey, you could sense the excitement as our students slung their backpacks across their weary shoulders and gulped their first visual drinks of muggy Kolkata. This is the beginning of their great adventure — an adventure that will challenge them to compassionately serve the least of these. With bags piled precariously high on luggage carts, we made our way out of the airport and through the crowds to our buses. As soon as we had loaded the last piece of luggage it started to rain. An hour later we arrived at the guesthouse where we will spend the next two weeks. We enjoyed lunch together and then headed to orientation at Shishu Bhavan, Mother Teresa’s home for destitute children, where Sister Mercy Marie assigned our students to work at three of Mother Teresa’s homes.

I am excited about how God will use our students. Although this is my first trip with these particular students, I have seen hopeful signs along the journey here — little things that have encouraged me about their determination to serve. While waiting for our gate to open on our layover in Dubai, one student befriended a mother traveling with two small children. She engaged the kids in games and within minutes the air was filled with laughter. Just a small thing. I watched as another young couple was trying to pacify two small children with long tubes of M&M candies. Their little boy grabbed his tube and waved it in the air and unwittingly showered everyone in sight with candy. Five of our boys leaped to their feet and cleaned up the colorful mess. Just a small thing. As I watched our students taking the initiative to perform these small acts of kindness I reflected on something Mother Teresa once said, “We cannot all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.”

Doing small things with great love is why we are here. Over the next several days our students will have many opportunities to bless and serve the least of these in Mother Teresa’s homes, teach school lessons to children in a slum school that we support, and affirm the young girls who reside at the aftercare home that we fund and that provides a safe haven for these precious human beings rescued from human trafficking. The combination of all of the small things that we do with great love throughout the coming days will make a difference in the lives of hurting and damaged human beings. And these acts of kindness will also make a difference in the lives of our own students. Everyone benefits from small things done with great love.

2 Comments

Posted in India, Mother Teresa

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | July 5, 2011

The Last Command

Houston en route to Dubai

From the scattering of the early church after the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1) to today, Christ-followers continue to obey the last command of Christ (Acts 1:8) — a command to go beyond. This command is one that, by its nature, compels us to take the love of Christ from the fertile and safe center of our existence to the barren and ragged edges, to the people who live in places where His name and the transforming nature of His message are not known. His message spreads from person to person and heart to heart. But God uses those who go beyond to ensure that His message is spread from place to place. Those who have knowledge of Christ are responsible for taking His message across the room, across the street, and across the globe. Paul considered himself a debtor (Rom. 1:14) or as someone who owed Christ to those who did not know Christ. Christ-followers today owe the same debt and must continue to cross borders, oceans, and cultures in order to fulfill the last command of Christ.

This month, more than 450 Kingsland students and adult sponsors will travel across the globe in obedience to the last command of Christ. They will be among the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who venture annually from the comforts of their homes in order to share the life-transforming message of the gospel through word and deed. I am privileged to be with our graduating senior high school students. We are headed to Kolkata where we will serve the least of these at Mother Teresa’s homes, teach children in a slum school that we support, and serve young girls rescued from sex trafficking in an aftercare home that we fund. I have no doubt that our students will make a difference in the lives of those they serve. And, I am confident that this experience will make a difference in the lives of our students as well. Going beyond changes people, shifts paradigms, and sharpens perspective.

There are numerous benefits to going beyond. One good thing that happens to those who go beyond is that they pray differently. Being onsite somehow helps people to pray with deeper insight and greater urgency. Going beyond also takes the edge off of selfish living. It is convicting to see how little the rest of the world has by comparison and to witness the daily challenges others face in order to survive. Those who go beyond are also challenged to reevaluate their stewardship and personal consumption. We spend enormous amounts of money on ourselves while much of the world survives on little more than a dollar a day. I often wonder how God deals with the cacophony of prayers that ascend to heaven from the haves and the have-nots. While the haves ask for things like upgrades on the latest gadgets, the have-nots plead for daily bread lest they die. Going beyond can certainly help us to better understand that life is not all about us and our stuff.

I am proud of our students for all they have done to prepare for their respective missions initiatives this month and for all they will do in the coming weeks. And, I am in anticipation of all that God will do to help each of us to see the world a little more clearly, pray a little more effectively, act a bit more compassionately, and live much less selfishly. For many, obeying the last command of Christ may be the first step to a more balanced and Christ-like life. I am confident that God will do very good things in and through those who obey the last command of Christ this month — from our own community to the ends of the earth.

2 Comments

Posted in India

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | July 4, 2011

What Lies Beneath

The story of Marie Joseph’s death is one of the most unbelievable and saddest news stories I have ever heard. Last Monday, this 36 year-old mother of five went to the community swimming pool in Falls River, Massachusetts to get a little relief from the summer heat. The pool was packed with people. At some point, a 9 year-old boy saw Marie going down a slide and into the water … but he never saw her resurface. So, the little boy told one of the six life-guards on duty but the life-guards failed to act. The following day the pool was once again packed with swimmers splashing about and enjoying the water. Then, late Tuesday night after the pool was closed, Marie Joseph’s body floated to the surface at the deep end of the pool.

It’s hard to imagine how a woman could drown in a public swimming pool packed with swimmers and go unnoticed for two days. Six trained life-guards, two teams of pool inspectors, and hundreds of swimmers failed to see Marie Joseph’s lifeless body lying at the bottom of the pool. Perhaps if the life-guard had acted on the word of the little boy who promptly reported his concern this story might have had a different ending. It appears that a combination of unfortunate factors and distractions converged to keep numerous people from noticing Marie Joseph. She died in plain sight and nobody noticed. That is sad, indeed.

Marie’s story reminds me of how easy it is to miss what lies beneath and to not see people clearly. Mark recorded an account of a miracle that Jesus performed in two stages (Mark 8:22-26). A blind man was brought to Jesus at Bethsaida. Jesus took the man aside, spit on his eyes and laid hands on him, and then asked him if he could see anything. The man replied that he could see men, but they looked like trees walking about — an indication that his sight was blurry. Jesus laid His hands on the man’s eyes a second time and, as a result, the man could finally see others clearly. Jesus could have healed the blind man with one touch but chose instead to touch the man’s eyes a second time. Perhaps He did so to remind us that insight often comes slowly.

It’s easy to be critical of the life-guards and the others who overlooked Marie Joseph. But the truth of the matter is that most of us move through life so fast or are so focused on other things that the people around us look blurry. We fail to notice the hurt or need that lies beneath the surface of their lives. However, unless we see people clearly, we will not be able to pray effectively or to act compassionately. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus told the story of an unfortunate traveler who was robbed, beaten, and left for dead (Luke 10:25-37). A priest and later a Levite “saw” the man lying helpless on the side of the road but did not stop to help. But when a despised Samaritan came down that same road, he “saw him” and “had compassion” and acted accordingly to help the unfortunate man. The Samaritan saw things clearly.

During the month of July, 454 Kingsland members will be on mission from Houston’s urban areas to the ends of the earth. My prayer is that each of these life-guards will ask God to help them clearly see the people they serve and to notice what lies beneath the surface of their lives. May we be sensitive to the pain lurking behind a smile, the despair peering out through empty eyes, hopes crushed beneath weights of cares, and all of the things that cause people to hurt and to long for rescue. As Mother Teresa challenged her Missionaries of Charity to do, may we look for Jesus in the distressing disguise of the poor and those in need. May God help us to see people clearly, to see what lies beneath the surface of their lives, and to act compassionately to rescue them before it’s too late.

4 Comments

Posted in Missions Musings

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | July 2, 2011

Letting Gina Go

Gina, my youngest daughter, turned twenty last month. On Monday, she will board a flight to Asia where she will live and serve for the next six months. She loves people and she loves the nations, so it came as no surprise to our family when she asked about taking a semester off to travel and serve abroad. And honestly, we could not say no. We have to let Gina go. We know her heart and have seen God at work in her life, leading her to this decision for this time.

Gina’s journey started when she was a preschooler serving the poor with our family in Houston’s Fourth Ward. Over the past six years she has worked beside me on more than one hundred of our local Saturday service initiatives and has developed a great set of skills along the way. In addition to being comfortable around people of all ages and races, she can hang sheetrock, tape and float, texture walls, handle power tools, and more. She will make someone a great wife someday!

At the Great Wall.

Gina’s first international trip was to China and Mongolia where I had the opportunity to watch her interact with Mongolian orphans under the care of our friends Jerry and Susan Smith. She was definitely in her element and had a great time with the kids. More than that, Gina and I had lots of time to talk about the nations, about travel, and about the importance of being Jesus with skin on by compassionately and unconditionally loving and serving others. I sensed at that time that God was at work, quietly whispering to her heart about the beauty of serving Him among the nations.

Gina and I also traveled together to the African bush in southwestern Tanzania. Our team slept in tents, cooked over an open fire, and visited people in the surrounding villages. We shared Bible stories with those who had never heard the message about Jesus and had the opportunity to see many come to faith in Christ. Once again, it was evident to me that God was at work in Gina’s heart, speaking to her about the nations. And, in conditions that were a bit challenging, it was good to see Gina so comfortable and at home in an uncomfortable place.

In the African bush. | Tanzania

A couple of years ago Gina was seeking God about direction for her life. She came to me one day and announced that she was going to fast for forty days to seek God’s face. Because I have previously fasted for extended periods, Gina asked me for my advice. I talked to her about what to expect both physically and spiritually. To her credit, she followed through and completed her fast. I posted her reflections in a post entitled Gina’s Forty-Day Fast. Once again, this was yet one more unwitting step toward the decision to serve abroad for six months.

In retrospect, Gina’s journey to Asia started when she was a preschooler. That’s really when she took her first steps in that direction. Cheryl and I had no idea how God would use years of serving others to influence our kids. We have always hoped that, regardless of their vocation, our kids will love God and serve people in need. Our family is not perfect, but our kids do have compassionate hearts. Our oldest daughter Niki has my beautiful mother’s tender heart for serving the elderly and our son Jonathan (who leaves for Tanzania next Saturday) has no fear of embracing the least of these. As a family we are proud of Gina and look forward to how God will use this experience to draw her closer to Him as she lives far away from home for the next six months.

Note | Gina has started a blog entitled Domine Ivimus (Lord, We Went). Because of the nature of her assignment and security considerations, she will have to paint with broad strokes. I leave for India on Monday with a team of 40+ high school graduates and sponsors. We will serve at Mother Teresa’s homes, at a slum school we support, and at the aftercare home we fund for girls rescued from sex trafficking.

20 Comments

Posted in Home and Family, Malaysia

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | July 1, 2011

Global Glimpses

Erin in Nicaragua

Who | Erin Lowry

Where I’ve Traveled With Kingsland | I have traveled to Managua, Nicaragua and Kolkata, India on the Junior and Senior Mission trips with the Kingsland Student Ministry.

What Challenged Me Most | I have found that challenges soon become passions, if one allows God to speak to their heart. During my trip to Managua, I found it very difficult to communicate with those around me. My Spanish isn’t the “best”, although I’ve taken several Spanish courses. I could understand what was being said around me, but didn’t have the skills to respond. This was one of the most challenging things I faced in India as well, because I love to communicate with others. I had to adapt to communicating through body language and even some pathetic hand motions (on my end) in some situations. I believe that these trips caused an awareness of my struggle with the language barrier, and so God has put a passion in my heart to teach English as a Second Language. Bridging that gap is an incredible ministry opportunity, and it was something that I had taken for granted until I was forced out of my comfort zone with totally new languages.

What I Will Remember Most | I will remember our work with the safe houses on both trips the most as well as our work at Mother Teresa’s. (So, you could say everything.) To narrow it down to one memory: the day we shared salvation with our girls at the aftercare home Kingsland supports in India. It was one of the most difficult days I have ever had on a mission trip. I’ve seen spiritual warfare, but not like this. Throughout the day, there were several minor, and a few major problems everywhere, nothing was running smoothly, and everyone was tired because it was near the end of the week. I was in the craft group; we made salvation bracelets to give the girls a tangible object to better understand the gift God has given us through His son. This was the first time I had ever shared the salvation story with several groups of people, and it was incredible. Around 15 girls prayed for salvation, but many resisted. They claimed that we were trying to get them to abandon their culture, their way of life. After we resolved this conflict, we witnessed the most discouraging thing we had seen all week. That particular day was a festival for one of the many Hindu gods, and so the children prepared a parade to celebrate. They dragged their idol up and down the sidewalk, dancing, burning incense, blowing bubbles, and cheering. Our new sisters in Christ did not participate, but it still felt like a blow to the chest. We had just shared with them, a new way of life, a sense of freedom that could be theirs, but they were still intrigued and tangled in lies. I remember the feeling of such accomplishment, of such happiness, quickly being followed by the reminder that we are never done. We should never stop glorifying the name of the Lord, and sharing the gift of His son. I pray for my new sisters all the time. I think about them throughout the day, as strong courageous ones, fighting for their justice and redemption. God has begun a work there, and I can’t wait to see where He takes it. “He who has begun a good work in you will carry it out to the day of completion” (Phil 1:6).

How My Outlook Has Changed | My trips to both Managua and Kolkata have changed my perspective on how I view people in general. I think that we forget, in America, with our luxury and technology, our gadgets and conveniences, the value of human interaction, as well as the significance of the individual human soul. Those who have had to live a standard below humanity have taught me how to be human. Caring for a woman who could have easily been 80 lbs (or less) from malnutrition and extreme poverty has helped me see the true meaning of beauty. Looking into the eyes of a broken and empty soul has changed how I look at those around me. Going on these trips has deepened my worldview more than I could explain. Everything that is a part of the phrase “Go Beyond” has been pushed to the limit in my life through these trips. They push you so far outside of your comfort zone that you have no choice but to surrender to God’s sovereignty and watch in amazement at what He accomplishes. It is truly glorious, to be at the end of your rope, and feel God pick you up, or speak truth through your words, or give you a glimpse of His almighty power. After these trips, my prayers have a more aggressive edge. Not prideful aggressive, but confident. I pray Psalm 10, 37, 62 over those girls, knowing that God will move. He is their fortress, their strength.

Why I Must Go Again | I must go again because of what I most remember. I remember the darkness. I remember the pain and suffering that God revealed to me, and the passion that has been stirring inside of me to fight injustice ever since I’ve Gone Beyond.

4 Comments

Posted in Global Glimpses, India, Nicaragua

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | June 30, 2011

Bags of Redemption

Last night our missions ministry hosted the second of our five Summer of Service initiatives. These family friendly initiatives are designed to benefit several of our urban ministry partners. The focus of last night’s initiative was on the work of Kingsland’s Justice Ministry. Our Justice Ministry reaches out to young women who are trapped in the dark world of the commercial sex trade in our own community as well as those that have been rescued from this darkness. We have a team of women that reach out to these girls and bless them with bags containing small personal hygiene gifts as well as a New Testament and hand-written Scripture cards. These bags are opening doors for us to meet and interact with young girls who believe that no one cares about them. It’s amazing how God is using these small bags of gifts and a New Testament to restore a glimmer of hope to these girls who live in the shadows of our community.

One of the very best things about our Summer of Service initiatives is giving parents and their kids the opportunity to serve together. At Kingsland, we are committed to equipping the next generation to love God and to love people. I love watching our families serve together. Last night was no exception. Moms and Dads and sons and daughters filled their bags and then sat together to write encouraging Scripture verses on colored index cards. The women on our justice outreach team have reported seeing these Scripture cards taped to mirrors or kept in places where the girls who receive them can see the cards every day. That is encouraging. Psalm 119:130a states, “The unfolding of Thy words gives light.” God is using His Word to enlighten the hearts of those living in dark places. We are grateful for every individual who helped us to assemble three-hundred bags of redemption and hope that will be distributed by our justice outreach team in the coming weeks.

We also stressed five important prayer points concerning human trafficking. First, ask God to raise up champions who will fight for the rights of the 27 million people trapped in some form of slavery today. Second, pray for the unfortunate victims of human trafficking who are often abused and sometimes killed. Third, ask God to frustrate the plans of the wicked — those who deceive, traffic, and enslave victims in the dark work of the commercial sex trade. Fourth, pray as you travel up and down Interstate 10, the major transportation corridor for those who traffic human beings. Ask God to stop these traffickers in their tracks! And finally, pray that God will use the New Testament and hand-written Scripture cards to bring hope to the girls who receive them.

Our final three Summer of Service initiatives are scheduled for August. Please remember the 400+ Kingsland students and members who will be serving in locations around the world in the month of July. When you have a moment, check out this video thanks from Houston’s homeless for the Bags of Hope distributed by Bobby and Amanda Herring.

1 Comment

Posted in Homelessness, Justice, Local Missions Initiatives

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | June 29, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

Gabriel Smith (7 years old) | Offering for our Boys Home in India | June 2011

1 Comment

Posted in India, Wordless Wednesday

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | June 27, 2011

I Am Not A Free Man

I see him once every few years — my old friend Gene Martinez. Gene and I met and became friends in San Antonio, Texas in 1990. He is one of those guys who sees the world a little differently, perhaps more clearly, than the average person. To listen to Gene is to hear echoes of the minor prophets, those guys who understood the times in which they lived and grieved as they watched their respective nations wander away from God. Gene is a man of prayer and cares about people, about the church, and about what Christ-followers are and should be doing to impact their culture for the sake of the kingdom of God. He lives a spartan life, travels a lonely road, and is not a free man.

Gene stopped by my office this past week. Although we haven’t seen each other for a few years, we picked up where we left off on our last visit — talking about the times and about what God expects of us in terms of advancing His purposes. Gene thinks deeply about things and challenges me with his insights. Thinking deeply requires being disciplined enough to turn off the noise and maintain distance from the things that so easily distract us from God. So, when Gene said that he was not a free man I could tell that he had been thinking deeply about this and asked him to explain what he meant by that statement.

Gene explained that as a person who intercedes in prayer he is not a free man. Many people pray, he explained, but then move on to the next thing. We most often are guilty of uttering a quick prayer for this or for that but are not so burdened that we lose sleep over what we pray for. However, a true intercessor stays connected to what he prays for until there is resolution or the answer comes. In that sense, an intercessor is not a free person. Intercession is not something you do and then check off your task list. The very act of intercession demands personal buy-in and ownership — bearing prayer burdens with or without the assistance of others. By its very nature, intercession is the kind of prayer that is characterized by passion, patience, and persistence.

So, after Gene and I prayed together and said our good-byes, I found myself in a pensive mood, soberly considering whether I am a free man or a man bound by prayer to the things that break the heart of God. Like Gene, I do not want to be a free man. I truly do want to be so in-tune with God’s heart that my prayer life is fully occupied with the things that concern Him. But, in order for that to happen I have to take an honest inventory of the things that distract me from God and cause me to look in other directions. And then I have to take any corresponding remedial action in order to become the kind of intercessor that pleases God. It’s one thing to intercede for another by uttering a prayer and then moving on. It’s another thing to be an intercessor who is so shackled to a concern that it is impossible to move on. Gene has challenged me to lose more of my freedom.

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Posted in Devotional Thoughts

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