Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | March 10, 2013

Happy Birthday, Niki

New Delhi, India

I had originally planned to travel to India during the latter part of this month. I knew that I had to get as much done on this trip as possible, including meeting with our new partners at Disha Foundation in New Delhi. However, when I received an invitation from Vinita Shaw, Director of Disha, to speak at the International Women’s Day conference at St. Thomas’ Church on March 9 and 10, I was not sure I would be able to move the dates of my trip.

I was prepared to decline the invitation to speak because March 10 is my daughter Niki’s birthday. However, when Niki learned that I had been invited to speak concerning the abuse of young girls and women in India she told me that I had to go. “That is the best birthday present you could possibly give me this year,” she said. “Go and speak to the women at the conference,” she continued, “about these injustices.” So, with Niki’s permission to go, I accepted the invitation.

When I addressed the conference on March 9, I told them that Niki had encouraged me to travel to India even though the dates conflicted with her birthday. Afterwards several women made it a point to tell me to thank Niki. One lady absolutely insisted that I not forget to do so. “Please thank your daughter for me,” she said. “She has done something unselfish in releasing you to come to speak to us.” I promised her and the other ladies that I would pass along their messages to Niki. And, I did.

When I arrived to speak at St. Thomas’ Church this morning, a man immediately approached me and said that his wife had attended the meeting I spoke at yesterday. “She told me about your daughter. My wife was so encouraged by your words. So, please thank your daughter for allowing you to be with us on her birthday.” And then the lady that had been so insistent yesterday came around the corner and immediately approached me. “Did you give my message to your daughter?” she asked. I was happy to tell her that I had passed along her message.

When I was introduced before speaking this morning, Pastor Timothy also made reference to the fact that today is Niki’s birthday and that she had given me permission to spend her special day with their congregation in New Delhi. And, once again after the service, the good people in attendance made it a point to thank me for my message and added that I pass along their regards and thanks to Niki.

Niki sent me a text message this evening as I was leaving St. Michael’s Hostel for Girls where I spoke to 89 of the sweetest little girls. She wrote, “It’s hard as you get older and learn more to find injustices still exist in the world. I’m glad I have parents dedicated to making the world a better place.” And then she added that she and Cheryl were en route to Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi to take a picture. Niki was born at Spohn Hospital thirty years ago, the same hospital where Cheryl was born and given up for adoption.

Niki and Cheryl

Niki and Cheryl

I am grateful to Niki for her heart for the nations and especially for her concern for those who suffer abuse. I am glad that she understands and supports and encourages my work among the peoples of the world. It’s always easier to go when you know that those who stay behind love you and are cheering you on to do good for the kingdom of God. It would be difficult for me to go beyond without the support of my family. So, thank you Niki. I love you and wish you a Happy Birthday. See you soon.

PS | I still carry a little card that Niki gave me years ago to take with me on my travels. It has a little laminated photo of her taken during a church children’s musical. I keep it in my travel folder along with my passport. It’s been around the world with me umpteen times. It’s just another reminder to me that I am blessed.

IMG_2463

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Posted in Home and Family, India, Miscellaneous | Tags: ,

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | March 9, 2013

Seeing The World Clearly

New Delhi, India

This afternoon I had the privilege of speaking at the International Women’s Day Conference hosted by the women of the historic St. Thomas’ Church in New Delhi. The almost two-hundred year old church is named for Thomas the Apostle, traditionally believed to have taken the gospel to India. The church has a rich history of preaching the gospel and compassionately serving the people of their community.

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With Vinita Shaw, Director of Disha Foundation.

I met Vinita Shaw, the wife of Pastor Timothy Shaw, this past year at the Global Leaders Life Summit in Grand Rapids, a gathering of folks who are championing the sanctity of human life around the world. Vinita, a journalist, served as the CEO of TransWord Radio India for twenty-years. Most recently she has branched out and started a radio broadcast that specifically addresses women’s issues in India from a biblical worldview. The broadcast addresses everything from female feoticide, the killing of baby girls, rape, the dowry system, and other abuses of and crimes against women in India.

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Girls choir from the hostel supported by Disha Foundation.

Vinita made the decision to start her new broadcast as a result of reading the endless litany of depressing headlines in Indian newspapers about crimes against young girls and women. Because these headlines are so common in India, it’s easy to become desensitized to them or to read them and then move on without actually doing anything to address the problem. Vinita could not just read the headlines and move on to the next thing. She had to act. And, she did.

Today, Vinita’s Disha (from the Hindi word for guidance) Foundation is proactively working to champion the rights of Indian girls and women. In addition to the radio program, the Disha Foundation also sponsors youth camps, family conferences, helps provide meals for street kids in Delhi, sponsors vocational training programs to give young women a hand-up, and other initiatives to create awareness about crimes against Indian women.

This afternoon I challenged those in attendance to see the world around them with greater clarity. Seeing the world clearly precedes responding intentionally and compassionately. I referenced the three attitudes displayed in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and how we tend to play one of those roles when we come across injustice or need in our world.

The first attitude is that of the robbers who beat the man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. Their attitude was, “What’s yours is mine, I’ll take it.” This is the attitude displayed by those who are strong against those who are weak and vulnerable. Every day someone who is strong will rob someone who is weak of their rights, their dignity, their security, and their possessions somewhere in the world.

The second attitude is that of the religious leaders who passed the man who had been beaten but did not stop to render aid. Their attitude was, “What’s mine is mine, I’ll keep it.” This is the attitude displayed by those who are indifferent and who don’t want to get involved. Every day, those who are indifferent turn their eyes away from things that are disturbing and then walk away, never doing anything to help.

The third attitude is that of the Good Samaritan who saw the man who had been beaten, felt compassion, and stopped to help. His attitude was, “What’s mine is yours, I’ll give it,” This is the attitude of those who feel a personal sense of responsibility to right a wrong. These are the folks who give their voice to those who have no voice, who lend their strength to those who are weak, and who champion the rights of the most vulnerable among us.

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Vinita (far right) with the women’s ministry leaders at St. Thomas’ Church.

If the injustices we see do not prompt us to act, then have we really seen things clearly? Vinita could not stand to look at one more headline or hear one more story about crimes against girls and women in India. So she made a bold move that led her in the direction of those in need of a champion. I applaud Vinita and those who are standing with her to bring about much-needed changes in India in regard to the treatment of women from the womb to the tomb. We need more champions like Vinita.

Shaw Book

Vinita’s first book. Stories of lives changed through the ministry of TransWorld Radio.

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Posted in India, Justice, Women's Issues | Tags:

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | March 8, 2013

The Gulabi Gang

Dubai, UAE en route to New Delhi, India

Henry David Thoreau once said, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” And indeed, what we see, what we really see not just with our eyes but with our heart, matters. That is often what motivates people to go beyond any concerns for their own safety in order to do something courageous to help others. That’s what happened in the life of Sampat Pal Devi, an Indian women who lives in a small village in the rural hinterland of Uttar Pradesh.

Sampat is no stranger to difficulties and challenges. Denied the opportunity to go to school, she learned to read and write by eavesdropping outside the windows of the local boys’ school. Her parents, fearful that Sampat’s desire to get an education might lead her astray, married her off to a man nine years her senior when she was just barely 12 years old. She had given birth to five children by the time she was 20.

At 43 years of age, Sampat saw a man in her village publicly beating his wife. Many others saw what was happening but turned away. “I’d seen this happen before,” Sampat confessed, “and hadn’t reacted, but this time for some reason I became infuriated to see the man assaulting his wife.” Sampat could no longer remain silent or indifferent. She had to do something.

When she asked the man to stop beating his wife he refused and then cursed her. The following day, Sampat gathered some women from the village and armed them with lathis, long bamboo sticks. She led the women to the home of the man who had abused his wife. The women dragged him out of his house and thrashed him with their bamboo sticks until he promised never to hit his wife again.

That incident convinced Sampat that there is power in unity. As a result she formed a permanent band of women vigilantes to confront wrongdoers in their community. Sampat decided that the group would dress in pink — “gulabi” in Hindi. The Gulabi Gang started with five members in 2006. Today, there are more than 20,000 women in chapters in villages across India.

Gulabi-Gang
Sampat’s pink vigilantes are committed to championing the rights of women and children and the weak. They are fearless! “We fight for the oppressed,” Sampat explains, “and confront those who misbehave with women. We have dealt firmly with people who would kill their newborn on finding she is a girl. … We challenge stereotypes and intervene where the law refuses to help us and age-old traditions exploit women.”

Today, at age 50, Sampat has received numerous recognitions and has traveled to the United States, France, Sweden, and Italy to speak about the discrimination of women. All of this because she saw a woman who was being publicly beaten by her husband and decided it was time to act. Whether or not you agree with Sampat’s methods, you have to admire her resolve. Sampat and her pink vigilantes, armed with their convictions and lathis, are making life safer for women in India.

So, if you are a man living in India and thinking about harming a woman — be warned! If you make these ladies see red you will likely be seeing pink.

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Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | March 7, 2013

Off To A Bad Start

Houston, Texas en route to New Delhi, India

The year 2012 did not end well in India. The sub-continent was embroiled in public protests and impassioned debate triggered by the brutal gang-rape and subsequent death of a 23-year-old medical intern. The horrid details of the violent attack on this young woman and her 28-year-old male friend are beyond comprehension. The young woman struggled for survival for thirteen-days before she died of the injuries she sustained in the attack.

Outraged protestors throughout the nation demanded better police protection of women and tougher laws against rapists — laws that match the crime. Every newspaper in India and news services around the world covered this story for weeks. Yet, in spite of the widespread news coverage and protests, little has changed. In the weeks immediately following the death of the young medical intern, these are some of the headlines that dominated the news in India.

January 6 | 2 Year-old Girl, 4 Minors Raped in India
January 6 | Indian Woman Jumps from Train to Escape Rape
January 12 | Seven Year-old Raped and Murdered
January 13 | India Gang Rape: Woman Assaulted by Bus Driver, Conductor
January 25 | Man Held for Raping, Killing 5-Year-old Navi Mumbai Girl

These are only a few selected headlines of many other similar ones from Indian news sources. So, in spite of the outrage and protests, India is off to a bad start in 2013. To add to the problem, female gendercide is at an all-time high in India. Gendercide is the silent elimination of females through sex-selective abortion, infanticide, or death through various forms of neglect.

murmadi rapeRape and the abuse of women is not endemic to India. It is a world-wide problem that must be addressed. What is especially troubling about India, however, is the number of very young girls who are brutally abused. One of the most disturbing stories this month is that of three sisters (ages 11, 9, and 5) that were raped and murdered. Their bodies were found at the bottom of a deep water-well near their home.

When our first daughter was born, I was thrilled when the doctor announced, “It’s a girl!” I could not have been any happier than to know that God had blessed our family with a daughter. The three words that brought so much joy to my heart however, are perhaps the three most dangerous words in India. Being a girl in or outside the womb in India these days is a dangerous thing. And unless laws concerning the treatment of women are changed and are strictly enforced, newspapers in India will continue to carry disturbing headlines about the treatment of little girls and women of all ages.

Changing the laws of India however will not be enough to bring about change. All those guilty of abusing women, regardless of where they live, share one thing in common — a disregard for the sanctity and value of life. This is, at its very core, a worldview issue and a problem with the heart. Changing laws is easier than enforcing them and enforcing laws is easier than changing hearts. As a Christ-follower, I believe that God can change the heart of even the most vile individual who willingly submits to Him. Only as hearts are changed will the headlines of our newspapers carry better news. I am committed to working toward that end.

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Posted in Current Events, Women's Issues

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | March 6, 2013

Wordless Wednesday

Emir of the Blind

Blind Town (community for the blind / lepers) | 09 September 2008 | Jos, Nigeria

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Posted in Nigeria, Wordless Wednesday

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | March 4, 2013

A Day On The River

Preparing for the 2013 Texas Water Safari

With each passing week, the pressure is mounting to prepare for the 260-mile Texas Water Safari ultra-marathon canoe race. Although the start of the race in June is still months away, my opportunities to train are limited because of my travel schedule. I leave for India on Thursday and will be away for ten days. That’s why I thought it wise to take a vacation day today to do one more training run with Doyle before I leave the country.

As more and more folks follow our training adventures on my blog, I get lots of questions about the race and about our training. So, I thought I would answer some of those questions in this post.

Omar at Cummings

At Cummings Dam along the San Marcos River.

Q: Is everybody doing the race in a canoe?
A: No. While many racers opt for a canoe, many race in kayaks of various lengths — some with solo and tandem paddlers and some with as many as six paddlers. And, for the first time last year, my new friend Shane Perrin did the safari on a stand-up paddleboard, making safari history!

Q: Why did you choose to do the race in a canoe?
A: Because an aluminum canoe is very tough and more forgiving than boats made of other materials, which is great for newer paddlers like us.


Q: What is a typical training day like?
A: Well, today Doyle and I did the first sixteen miles of the course once again. Below is a timeline of today’s training.

Loading Canoe

Loading canoe and gear at 6:45 AM.

Buc-ees Sign

Love Buc-ee’s!

5:30 AM — Wake up
6:45 AM — Load canoe and gear onto Doyle’s truck
7:00 AM — Leave my house
7:05 AM — Stop for fuel
7:09 AM — Quick breakfast at Whataburger
7:23 AM — Head for San Marcos
8:56 AM — Stop at Buc-ee’s
9:07 AM — Leave Buc-ee’s
9:41 AM — Arrive at City Park in San Marcos
9:57 AM — In the canoe
10:06 AM — First portage at Rio Vista Dam
10:20 AM — Second portage at Thompson’s Island Road Bridge
10:55 AM — At the Blanco River confluence
11:05 AM — Third portage at Cummings Dam
11:44 AM — Paddle past Don’s Fish Camp
12:00 PM — Run Cottonseed Rapids (somewhat inelegantly today)
12:15 PM — Study rapids from bank and then leave Cottonseed
12:21 PM — Paddle past Skull’s Crossing
12:37 PM — Fourth portage at Martindale Dam
12:50 PM — Paddle under FM 1979
1:09 PM — Paddle past the “Texas Flag” barn (one hour from Staples Dam)
2:05 PM — Arrive at Staples Dam
2:10 PM — Call cab to drive Doyle to City Park to get his truck
3:34 PM — Load canoe and gear
4:02 PM — Lunch at Luling BBQ
4:30 PM — Stop for fuel, Diet Dr. Pepper, and Kettle Corn at Buc-ee’s
6:30 PM — Arrive home and off-load gear

Q: What do you talk about while you train?
A: When Doyle and I agreed to do the safari, we felt that the only way to enjoy our training and our time on the river was by not turning our canoe into an extension of our offices. So, we do not talk shop! Period. If we ride together to and from training we listen to iTunes and TED talks. On the river, a typical conversation sounds something like this:

Doyle: Let’s paddle toward the vee in the current up ahead.
Omar: Ok.

Doyle: Hut (voice command to paddle on opposite side).
Omar: I see a sub (submerged log or object) ahead. I’m gonna’ draw slightly right.

Doyle: Ok. Stay right and then follow the current to the deeper water near the bank.
Omar: Got it!

Doyle: Hut.
Omar: Feral hogs ahead on the left bank. They do lots of damage!

Doyle: Look at that thing run up the bank. Looks like a locomotive.
Omar: Powerful animal.

Doyle: Hut.
Omar: Water looks really shallow ahead.

Doyle: Let’s veer left and keep this line toward the opposite bank. Hut.
Omar: Got it. Love this cool weather. It’s gonna be super hot when we do this in June.


Doyle: Hut. Yeah. I still can’t wrap my mind around this race.
Omar: Just think that on race day we will be in this canoe for at least four days!

Q: How many more training runs will you do before the race?
A: We are trying to squeeze training runs in wherever we can on our calendars. We have already registered for the Texas River Marathon race in May. This is the preliminary race to the water safari. We hope to get a better starting position at the safari as a result of doing this race. We also have training runs scheduled with my son Jonathan and his safari paddling partner, including paddling the San Antonio Bay crossing to the finish line.

Doyle's Scar

Doyle’s cool souvenir from today’s training run. Paddling under tree branches can hurt!

Q: Are you afraid you might not be able to finish?
A: Anything can happen along the way that can unexpectedly throw a wrench in the works. But, barring nothing like that, we are determined to make it to the finish line in the allotted time.

Q: Do you feel that you have made progress in the time you have been training together?
A: Absolutely. We both feel stronger after each training run. We are also being very intentional about our paddling technique. We will paddle an estimated quarter-of-a-million paddle strokes during the race, so we want to make sure we paddle as efficiently as possible.

Today's training run as plotted by our Spot Tracker.

Today’s training run as plotted by our Spot Tracker.

Q: Will we be able to follow your progress during the race?
A: Yes. We are hoping that many of you will make it to some of the checkpoints along the course. And we will also have a Spot Tracker during the race that will send our position every few minutes to an online map that you can follow on your smart phone or computer. Also, my daughter Niki who will serve as our team captain has set up a Lone Star Pastors (our team name) Facebook page where she will post our video updates recorded at checkpoints during the race.

More in the weeks to come. Thanks for following our adventure as we continue our preparations for the Texas Water Safari.

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Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | March 3, 2013

Caring for Katy 2013

Our annual Caring for Katy day is one of my favorite days of the year at Kingsland because we don’t have to go to church! Instead, we close the doors to the building on Sunday morning and go out into the community to be the church — to be a living sermon among our neighbors. Today, for the sixth year in a row, we sent all of our members to serve the community.

One lady showed up this morning expecting to attend our first service of the day. Our greeters told her that we were not meeting for worship today but instead were serving in our community. She said, “This is exactly the kind of church I am looking for.” So, she put on one of our Caring for Katy t-shirts over her Sunday clothes and joined one of our teams.

Kids at Williamsburg House
Clad in our distinctive neon lime green Caring for Katy t-shirts, our folks are easy to spot throughout the community. Today, Kingsland members participated in more than fifty local service initiatives throughout the community. For many of the people we served, our presence was like a soothing balm as we offered timely and much-needed help. For others, especially the lonely, our presence brought much joy. To each of our members who served, today was a reminder of what it means to love God and love people.

Kids at YMCA Day Camp
One of my very favorite things about Caring for Katy is watching kids serve alongside their parents. Some of the kids who served today had not even been born when we had our first Caring for Katy day six years ago. And today, these kids took part in serving the people of our community. That is beyond exciting to me! We are helping to equip a generation to love God and to live out their faith by serving others.

Sorting Clothes
Garden at KCM
Taking Aim
On the practical and behind-the-scenes side of things, it takes a lot of work to mobilize and provide supplies for our almost two-thousand volunteers to serve the community. I am grateful to Jon Davis, our Missions Associate, for once again serving as our point man for Caring for Katy. Jon coordinates hundreds of details to make Caring for Katy a success. He makes it all look really easy, but I know how hard he works to make sure everything goes according to plan.

Jon
So, thanks Jon, for helping us to care for our community in such a meaningful way. And thanks to each of you who donned your Caring for Katy t-shirts and who did so much to serve the people of our community. Thanks for bringing glory to God beyond our campus.

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Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | March 2, 2013

Man of La Mancha

Man of La ManchaI enjoy good stories but I love a really great story. Those who know me well will tell you that Don Quixote is at the top of my list of favorite stories. Written in 1605 by the Spanish novelist and playwright Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote is considered to be one of the world’s greatest literary works.

On Friday evening, Cheryl and I had the privilege of going to Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars to see a theatrical adaptation of Cervantes’ imaginative tale. A friend who had heard how much I love this story surprised us with two tickets. This gift could not have come at a better time. “I am thirsting for inspiration, “ I told Cheryl on our way to the theatre — “something to remind me of the importance of seeing what others do not see.”

Don Quixote certainly saw the world and the people he encountered in a different way than those around him. This theme is beautifully portrayed in the encounter between the Man of La Mancha, dubbed the Knight of the Woeful Countenance, and a common prostitute named Aldonza. When Don Quixote first sees Aldonza, he respectfully lauds her as “My Lady.” He sees in her what no one else can or is willing to see.

When Aldonza hears the Man of La Mancha’s greeting, she sarcastically responds by saying, “Me a lady? I was born in a ditch by a mother who left me there, naked and cold and too hungry to cry. I never blamed her. I am sure that she left, hoping that I would have the good sense to die. I am no lady. I am only Aldonza.”

Undaunted by her bitter reply, the Man of La Mancha insists, “Your name is not Aldonza. I give you a new name. You are my lady. And I give you the name Dulcinea.” The name Dulcinea is a name that means something sweet and good, essentially everything that Aldonza was not.

Later in the story, the Man of La Mancha again encounters Aldonza immediately after she has been raped in a barn. When Don Quixote approaches and addresses her as “My Lady,” she screams at him, “Don’t call me a lady! Won’t you look at me! I am only a common prostitute reeking with sweat. A thing men use and forget! I am not a lady. I am Aldonza. I am nothing, nothing at all!”

Near the end of the story, the Man of La Mancha is bedridden and dying of a broken heart. When Aldonza approaches his bedside he does not recognize nor remember her. Not until she reminds him that he had given her a new name does he start to remember. After his death, Aldonza weeps over his body and finally refers to herself as Dulcinea. This woman who had been filled with so much self-loathing finally becomes the person that the Man of La Mancha had always envisioned she could become. The story ends, leaving us thirsting for more, wishing we could continue to follow the new story of Dulcinea.

I love the story of Don Quixote de La Mancha because it inspires me to hope and to dream impossible dreams and to see the world and people not just as they are, but as what they can become. The Man of La Mancha also challenges me to persevere in spite of hardships and challenges. But ultimately, the Man of La Mancha reminds me of the importance of living in such a way that I might, as he said in the play, “add a measure of grace to the world.”

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Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | February 27, 2013

Send Us Out

In July of this year, 384 Kingsland students and 84 adults will pack 468 suitcases to travel to 7 destinations in 3 countries in order to participate in 22 missions initiatives over a period of 2 weeks. Our students have developed long-term relationships with those we serve every summer — from Houston’s inner-city neighborhoods all the way to the streets of Kolkata. They prepare all year for their summer missions adventures by studying the Scriptures together in small groups and learning how to share and live out their faith.

This summer our students will return to Houston’s Third Ward to serve with our partners at Generation One; to Arlington, Texas to minister to the poor; to Waco, Texas to serve the homeless; to Chicago to do inner-city service projects; to Montana to help reach one of the most unchurched areas in the country; to Costa Rica to participate in evangelism initiatives; and to Kolkata, India to serve the least of these at Mother Teresa’s homes and girls rescued from sex trafficking.

JStewart Night of WorshipEvery year we take up a special “Send Us Out” offering to help offset the cost of these trips for our students. And every year the Kingsland family generously gives to support our students and to encourage them to go beyond! This month, Josh Stewart, our Worship Pastor, wrote a special song entitled “Send Us Out.” Josh and our music team introduced this new song in our worship services this past Sunday morning. Our students joined our band on the platform at the end of the song. What a powerful morning it was!

I am grateful to Josh for writing the song for our students. The words of the song inspired and challenged us to join God on mission. I especially like that he included our Go Beyond theme in the song, challenging us to step across the line that defines the farthest we’ve ever been and the most we’ve ever done for God and His purposes. I have included a link below to the song. I hope you will take a moment to listen and to pray for our students as they continue their preparations to go to the nations with the good news of Jesus Christ.

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Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | February 25, 2013

Water for Kids

Just for Kids Water IssueEarly yesterday morning, a team of Kingsland volunteers boarded a flight to El Salvador where they will drill our eighth water well in cooperation with our good friends at Living Water International. I am grateful to Jason Hall for serving as point man for this trip.

The exciting thing about this particular water well is that it was funded by some kids at Kingsland. After reading our Go Beyond Just for Kids issue on the global water crisis, some moms and kids got together and came up with a plan to raise $5,000.00 to sponsor a water well in El Salvador. By making small sacrifices and changes in spending and eating-out habits, these kids and moms collectively saved the money to fund the drilling of a water well.

Last night, Jason sent me a text message informing me that the team had arrived safely in El Salvador. He also said that the team will drill a water well in the little town of Aguacayo or “water blister” — named after a woman who was always asking people to bring her water. Jason added, “The well funded by Kingsland kids will be drilled at a school!” This water well will serve 253 students between the ages of 4 and 17 years old and their 4 teachers. How cool is that! Kids helping kids.

I am so proud of our Kingsland kids for the many ways they have made a difference among the nations. Even though they are young, our kids have demonstrated their concern for the kids who live in the places where we serve around the world. Over the past several years they have found creative ways to raise funds to help kids in Mongolia, India, Cambodia, and now, El Salvador. Kingsland kids continue to demonstrate that you don’t have to be a grown-up to make a difference. You just have to be willing to go beyond — to do more than you have ever done for God and His purposes.

Thanks, Kingsland kids. And thanks Jason and team for serving the people of El Salvador. You can follow our team’s adventures this week at our Go Beyond Water blog.

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