Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | February 8, 2014

Off The Beaten Path

Siem Reap, Cambodia

After a week of hard work in Cambodia’s intense heat, our team of guys packed up and left the border town of Poipet for Siem Reap, the gateway to the temples of Angkor. With our flight only hours away, our guys were not interested in shopping for souvenirs. Instead, we divided up in to two teams to do some quick touring.

Bike Team
One team headed to the floating villages of Tonle Sap Lake and the other team set off on a mountain biking excursion at Angkor — the largest religious complex in the world and a UNESCO world heritage site. I have visited Angkor several times over the years and appreciated this new opportunity to visit locations far off the beaten path. The sites generated good worldview conversations.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Angkor is an amazing place and evidence that what the writer of Ecclesiastes said is true — “God has set eternity in the heart of man” (Ecc. 3:11). The temples deep in the jungle at the Angkor site are mute testimony to a people searching for answers to life’s deeper questions. Each temple, though now suffering the ravages of time, still bear the features of intricate planning and craftsmanship. It was not too hard to imagine what they must have looked like in their heyday.

Bike James
Bill and James
Bike Bill
Apart from the sugar-stick sites easily accessible to tourists, the only way to see the temples still hidden in the jungle is by walking or biking down winding single-track trails. We did a 26-mile loop that took us off the beaten path and offered some fun and technical challenges. I had my first really good spill since I started biking when the edge of my handle-bar met a tree on a winding and narrow section of trail. I knew it would happen sooner or later and glad that it happened on a dirt trail instead of pavement.

Bike Elephant
Bike Coconut Girl
Bike Coconut Break
I have enjoyed my time with the men of the CityGates group. These guys work hard and they also play hard. It was a totally enjoyable experience to bike with Bill Thomas and James Meredith, two of the experienced cyclists in the group. And we all appreciated having Poline, our Cambodian friend, and an experienced guide to lead us through the maze of jungle trails. Serving together at The Hope Center and sharing an epic ride through the Cambodian jungle have strengthened the bonds shared by this band of brothers.

Bike Temple

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Posted in Cambodia, Men on Mission, Mountain Biking | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | February 6, 2014

CityGates Men Speak Out

Poipet, Cambodia

Mission Accomplished! I am happy to say that the men of CityGates completed their assignment at The Hope Center in Poipet. Our team worked alongside our Cambodian brothers to install a dozen pieces of exercise equipment around the new walking track at The Hope Center campus. I asked our men to share brief reflections on their experience this week. Each of the guys was touched by their time with Steve Hyde, our ministry partner, and the Cambodian men who worked shoulder-to-shoulder with us all week. Here are their personal reflections.

MikeMike Kelley | My prayer for weeks before coming to Cambodia was that God would grow our hearts both personally and as a team closer to His and that we would see and experience the Holy Spirit at work. God has grown my heart to love people more. I’ve seen the work of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of Steve Hyde.  I’ve seen the life of an infant that was abandoned in a field by his mother only to be found by a woman who cared for him for several years and now resides at Imparting Smiles where he is learning about Jesus. The power of the Holy Spirit is real and is preparing me to better teach the class on the book Forgotten God. I’m excited.

JamesJames Meredith | What amazed me most about our time in Cambodia this week is how happy and cute the children are — including the children we visited who live in the slums of Poipet. These poor kids are surrounded by mountains of debris and filth and yet they still manage to smile and giggle in spite of their surroundings. All of the children we met at the nearby Imparting Smiles Children’s Center were also quick to smile and engage me with warmth. I just wanted to give them all hugs and love. I will always remember these kids.

DennisDennis Shumard | After the first couple of days in Cambodia I wasn’t so sure we would have much direct influence on the people who live here. Then Steve Hyde, our host, told me that in Cambodia, no one with a high school education does any manual labor. The people we worked with this week and those that knew why we had come so far were amazed that we would sweat and work so hard to try to enrich their lives. That impacted me to realize that it doesn’t require big things to make a difference, sometimes the small things can make a big difference.

BillBill Thomas | My week at Steve Hyde’s “Cambodian Boot Camp” was a week I will never forget. Shoveling sand … gravel … cement … and then repeat. Every day. All day. The people of Cambodia are wonderful and in desperate need of Steve’s life-giving and life-affirming message. I told myself before I left home that I was going to Cambodia to do something for somebody else, for people in desperate need. But, I discovered that this was only half of it! I found out this week that there was something in it for me. I just had to get out there and get it.

JohnJohn Walters | I was totally touched by the goals and vision of the work Steve and many others have here in Cambodia. But mostly the people and the children and the love of Christ that you can see in each beautiful smile. Knowing and seeing the lives saved here and for eternity. I will never forget little Pearl and her story of life when her mother was going to abort her then gave her up. Now she’s at the children’s center and given so much love. The work at The Hope Center was difficult but rewarding. Working hand in hand with my brothers was a blessing I will never forget. Thank God for this time.

SteveSteve Hyde | Having the men of Kingsland Baptist Church was a great experience for me. I have hosted and worked with dozens of mission teams with varying experiences but this team of guys, who regularly meet in a Bible study, really respected each other and worked well. It is easy to behave like a Christian in a nice church or among friends, but mixing concrete by hand, hauling stones in a foreign country when it’s 100-degrees you get to find out what everyone is really made of. After 5 days of working it was clear: they are full of love for others and servanthood is clearly a way of life for them.

It was hot and dirty work. Their clothes are stained beyond what Tide could cleanse, but the result is a completed exercise track around a pond in Poipet, Cambodia where families can come to relax at the end of a hot day. In our group we had no professional builders but we had geophysicists, engineers, herpetologists, entrepreneurs, car dealers and clergy. Yet they epitomized the character of Christ-followers: Servanthood. For years to come thousands of people will use the facilities built by these men and surely their love will rub off on those who use the exercise equipment at The Hope Center. Thank you so much Kingsland for sending your best!

Cambodian Crew
CityGates Crew

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Posted in Cambodia, Men on Mission, Sanctity of Human Life, Women's Issues | Tags:

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | February 4, 2014

Dirty for a Great Cause

Poipet, Cambodia

The heat in western Cambodia has been intense the past couple of days. Add to that low humidity, no breeze, digging holes in hard-packed ground, and mixing lots of concrete and you have the perfect formula for getting really dirty and tired. But in spite of the heat, our men and our Cambodian friends have installed almost half of the play and exercise equipment at The Hope Center campus in Poipet.

John and Dennis
The heat and the dirt is not the only thing we have had to contend with. We have also had to stop several times to repair our auger, cement mixer, and gas-powered tamper. One advantage of having a group of mechanically inclined guys is that they know how to MacGyver anything that breaks down. No panic. No whining. Just quick action and creative solutions and then back to work.

Poline
In many ways, installing the play and exercise equipment at The Hope Center is like planting trees. I mentioned in a post last month that tree planters invest in the next generation. They plant trees because they believe that someone in the future will enjoy sitting under the shade of the trees they have planted. They labor on behalf of people they will never meet. And so it is with our labor this week.

Dennis and Bill
The thought of the poor having a place to enjoy and to connect with people who will affirm their worth is motivating. So many people in this difficult place have never heard anyone tell them that God loves and cares for them. One good thing about The Hope Center is that this brick and mortar location will have permanence beyond our generation. It is a place where God’s love will be demonstrated and shared for years and years to come in ways people can understand.

Cement Mixer
We can take the heat, the sweat, and deal with getting absolutely filthy because we are laboring for a good cause — for a really great cause. Although we end the day covered in dirt and get up in the morning with a few aches, we are highly motivated to get back to work because we know why we labor. Ultimately this is all about the kingdom, bringing glory to God, and working toward the day when “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:9). We are ok with getting dirty for a great cause.

Dirty Clothes

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Posted in Cambodia, Justice, Men on Mission, Sanctity of Human Life, Women's Issues

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | February 3, 2014

The Devil’s Schemes

Poipet, Cambodia

A common fear among children in Poipet is that someone might take them away from their homes, do bad things to them, and never let them return home. At least that is what a thousand kids shared with our team when we led a Vacation Bible School at the Imparting Smiles Children’s Center in September 2012. The kids in Poipet know that bad people in this area harm kids, but they do not necessarily know the schemes used by these bad people.

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One of the most disturbing developments in Poipet in recent years is the gambling mecca that has been built between the Cambodian and Thai border crossings. An estimated 40,000-plus poor people cross the border from Cambodia into Thailand every day in search of work. Some of these parents do not make it home before the border closing, leaving their kids to fend for themselves — easy pickings for human traffickers.

IMG_1486
While driving through this area once again, Steve Hyde, our ministry partner, pointed out a new playground for kids. This beautiful play area is located across the street from a casino and immediately next to a strip joint and a brothel. Since this is the only play area of its kind in the entire area, it attracts kids like moths to a flame. Kids hang out there while waiting for their parents to return from Thailand. Bad people also hang out there.

Play Gear
This week, our men’s team is working with Steve to continue work on a project that will offer a safer alternative to the kids and parents of the area. We are installing more than a dozen new units of play and exercise equipment around the pond at The Hope Center. Our prayer is that this area will become more popular than the play area next to the strip joint and brothel. The dream is to make it a safe and friendly place for the people of the area to enjoy.

James
Mike
Our men worked hard today, in the heat, to move the various components into place and begin the process of installing the equipment. We have lots of work to do in the next few days but are highly motivated by a desire to foil the devil’s schemes in Poipet. This is only one small part of a bigger strategy to bring the good news of the gospel to a dark and desperate place. The Hope Center is the city strategically set on a hill in this area, working to illumine the darkness.

Finish
Boots

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Posted in Cambodia, Justice, Men on Mission

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | February 2, 2014

Gaining Insight Onsite

Poipet, Cambodia

Three flights and two layovers after leaving Houston, the CityGates men’s group arrived in Siem Reap a little road weary but happy to finally be in Cambodia. I am especially glad to be here with this band of brothers who have met together for the past six years. These guys know how to uphold one another through prayer and accountability and they also know how to serve others.

CityGates in Cambodia
The CityGates guys did not hesitate when presented with the opportunity to join Steve Hyde, our ministry partner, to continue work on The Hope Center. Our missions ministry has a strategic partnership with Steve to reach out to impoverished women and children in the city of Poipet — a dangerous place along Cambodia’s western border where the strong prey on the weak.

After arriving in Poipet, Steve introduced our men to the realities of life for those who call this hot-spot of human trafficking and depravity their home. As we drove through the area, we oriented the team to the hopelessness that keeps the poor here in a desperate daze. Our men asked lots of insightful questions that betrayed their troubled hearts. We discussed how human trafficking and injustice are the symptoms of a worldview that diminishes the sanctity of human life.

Something happens when we travel to places like Poipet to serve people in need — our perspective deepens. There is an insight that only comes from being onsite. It’s one thing to read about human trafficking and injustice but quite another to actually see the faces of individuals touched by these kinds of realities. The weak and vulnerable are, after all, human beings created in God’s image and deserving of respect. No one has the right to take advantage of or to abuse the weak in order to profit from them.

Over the next several days our team will work to help create a safe green zone or family park area at The Hope Center. A part of The Hope Center strategy is to develop a campus where the poor can safely enjoy time with their children and be exposed to practical expressions of our life-affirming biblical worldview. Our men will also have the opportunity to visit the homes of the poorest of the poor in the Poipet slums. Every day will present our team with new opportunities to deepen our understanding of why Jesus would be in places like this and why we should be here as well

Thanks for following our adventure and for praying for our team as we serve the interests of God’s kingdom in this difficult place.

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Posted in Cambodia, Justice, Men on Mission, Sanctity of Human Life, Women's Issues

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | January 31, 2014

CityGates to Cambodia

The men of CityGates have faithfully met once a week for the past six years. These men not only study the Scriptures and pray together, they also serve together. The CityGates guys help assemble 300 bicycles every Christmas for needy children in our community. They have served at Generation One in Houston’s Fourth Ward and helped people in need throughout our community. They also enjoy outdoor adventures like kayaking, camping, and sailing.

For the next several days, the CityGates guys will serve at The Hope Center in Cambodia. This life-affirming ministry center is strategically located in Poipet, one of the most dangerous places in the world for women and children. Our team will work with our partner Steve Hyde to put the finishing touches on the grounds of the center. Please pray for our team as they serve at te center, interact with the children at Imparting Smiles Children’s Center, and visit the poor in the slums. Watch for updates on our adventure.

City Gates

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Posted in Cambodia, Men on Mission

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | January 29, 2014

Comfort and Hope

Almost 8 years ago our missions ministry formed a strategic partnership with Life International to start The Comforter’s Center, the first pregnancy help center in Uganda. Little did we realize at the time how God would use this brick and mortar location in Kampala to save more than 1,200 babies from being aborted and lead as many young women to faith in Christ. The Comforter’s Center has certainly lived up to its name over the years and continues to be a lighthouse for the sanctity of human life in East Africa.

From the beginning, we understood our mandate: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute” (Prov. 8:31). Children in the womb have no voice. They cannot speak up for themselves. They cannot say to an abortion-minded mother, “Please let me live. Please do not harm me. Please do not allow me to be torn limb from limb.”

God has always been concerned about the weak and vulnerable in society. A child in the womb is more vulnerable and at risk than any other members of society. If I am in danger, I can take steps to seek safety. I can move to a more secure home or neighborhood or community. However, if a child in the womb is in danger, it cannot move to a safer womb. We must therefore speak on behalf of the unborn.

Five years ago our missions ministry formed another strategic partnership with Life International and Steve Hyde, Founder of Asia for Jesus. Our mission: to spread the message about the sanctity of human life throughout Cambodia. Our partnership led to the realization of a dream called The Hope Center — a safe haven for the poorest women and children of Cambodia.

The Hope Center is located in Poipet, a hotspot for human trafficking, and will offer comfort and hope to the poor through pregnancy counseling services, a dental and medical clinic, a feeding center, and more. In the years to come we expect to see many women and children come to faith in Christ through the ministry of this strategic center for life.

Our next issue of the Go Beyond newsletter is dedicated to The Hope Center. Please look for this issue in your mailbox in February. Copies will also be available in the foyer and commons areas at Kingsland.

The Hope Center Cover

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Posted in Cambodia, Sanctity of Human Life, Women's Issues

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | January 26, 2014

Cold Weather Warriors

For the past eight and a half years, the people of Kingsland have faithfully served our community through our Saturday morning and weekday service initiatives. With an average of one-hundred annual initiatives (including Caring for Katy), our missions ministry has mobilized somewhere in the neighborhood of more than twenty-thousand volunteers since July 2005. In all those years we have only had to cancel less than five service initiatives due to bad weather.

The Race ABF
This past week was cold by Katy standards. But, the cold did not keep The Race Adult Bible Fellowship from their commitment to serve at the YMCA Day Camp on Saturday morning. Parents and kids showed up bundled in their jackets and eager to serve. These cold weather warriors worked for almost five-hours without complaint. From building a handicap access ramp to constructing shelving in a storage building, this hard-working team got the job done. And they did it all with a joyful spirit.

Gen One Text
A couple of weeks ago, I received a text message from my friend Mike Malkemes, founding director of Generation One, a ministry to at-risk kids in Houston’s Third Ward. Mike included a photo of some of Kingsland’s semi-retired and retired guys doing some flooring at the Generation One building. We love what Mike and his team are doing to reach kids who are facing some tough obstacles. I’m grateful for our older men who understand that there is no retirement when it comes to serving God. These guys are a blessing!

Last Sunday, a friend who had read my blog post on Elmo Johnson, pastor of Rose of Sharon Baptist Church in Houston’s Fourth Ward, approached me on Sunday morning. She shared that God had touched her heart to serve the elderly in the Fourth Ward. I arranged for her to connect with Pastor Elmo and plans are now in place for her to visit the elderly in the Kimball Retirement Home across the street from Elmo’s church. She will play the piano for the folks and just love on them. How cool is that!

I am thankful that serving our community has become an integral part of our DNA at Kingsland. Our service — whether by one of our small groups, a team of men, or a member who cares — continues to make a difference in our community. But it also continues to make a difference in the hearts of those who serve. A hammer and paint brush, flooring material, and a piano are tools in God’s hand, some of the vehicles that He uses to change hearts. I am thankful for our cold weather warriors and all who unselfishly give of themselves to love God, love people, and equip the generations.

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Posted in Local Missions Initiatives

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | January 24, 2014

The Faces in the Frames

My home is filled with faces — or rather the portraits of people I have met around the world. These photographs are generally the only souvenirs I bring home from my travels. They are important to me because they keep me connected to those who live in difficult places. At least once a day, even the slightest glance at one of these faces in the frames will stir a memory. Sometimes I feel compelled to pause and just stare at one of the faces looking back at me from its place on a bookshelf or a wall.

Slum Kid Beauty
The faces in my home not only remind me that I am blessed, but that I am blessed to be a blessing. As a Christ-follower I feel a sense of responsibility for both the spiritual and physical welfare of those less fortunate. I cannot justify living my life with disregard for those who struggle just to exist from day-to-day. I believe that one of the quickest paths to displeasing God is to make my life all about me and mine. In the words of an old preacher friend, I do not want to become the person who gets all they can, cans all they get, and then sits on that can.

Slum Girls
The faces in my home also remind me of the beauty and diversity of our world. I love the nations — the many people groups who call our planet home. Looking at all of the faces in the frames reminds me that “God so loved the world” — the whole world and not just the people in “my” world. And although the good news was intended for those “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9), millions around the world have never had the opportunity to hear this wonderful news. I am reminded of that fact daily by the faces in the frames.

South Slum Cart Driver
The faces in the frames will not let me forget that those live at the other end of the Great Commission are waiting for those of us who live at this end to fulfill our obligation — to go beyond by praying, giving, and venturing both near and afar to show and share the good news. God can use us to change the world one life at a time if we will put ourselves in a context where He can touch others through us. And, as I have discovered over the years, the faces in the frame remind me that God changes us as venture forth to serve Him among the nations.

India Omar

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Posted in Missions Musings | Tags: ,

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | January 21, 2014

A Band of Brothers

The work of God’s kingdom is big — too big for any individual or any church or any denomination to tackle alone. That’s why it’s important to be a part of a kingdom team and to cooperate with other believers in bringing glory to God in our neighborhoods, community, and world. The world needs to see not only that those of us in the Christian community love one another, but that we are committed to demonstrating God’s love and concern to those around us in meaningful and practical ways.

A few years ago I had the wonderful privilege of meeting Nikki Richnow, wife of the Senior Associate Rector of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church. Nikki and I met at a meeting of folks from the Houston area concerned about addressing the issue of human trafficking. I was impressed by Nikki’s big vision to help start an aftercare home for girls rescued from the darkness of domestic trafficking — a vision that is now a reality called Freedom Place.

Omar and Doug
Through my friendship with Nikki I met Doug, her husband. He is a kindred spirit with a thirst for adventure. Doug has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro with his son (how cool is that!) and wants to climb it again with his granddaughter. He also has a passion for helping the people of our community and for encouraging the men of his church to do the same. The men of St. John’s are actively engaged in demonstrating God’s love by meeting practical needs in our community. These men not only care about people in need, they demonstrate the depth of their concern by doing something to meet those needs.

SJD Men
This past weekend, I had the privilege of speaking to the men of St. John’s at their annual men’s retreat at Camp Allen in Navasota, Texas. All of the men made me feel welcome and were so kind and encouraging to me. I absolutely enjoyed every minute with them. God opened doors for lots of meaningful personal conversations and group discussions throughout the weekend. And, our worship times were uplifting with some really great music.

DSC_2846
I am thankful for Doug, for the men of St. John’s, and for their partnership in the  gospel. These guys are a band of brothers who love Jesus and who love people and who are working to make God’s name famous in Houston and beyond. We are fortunate to have such a great church like St. John’s in Houston. Our community is a better place because of their commitment to love and serve God and to grow His kingdom.

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