Renewing Minds and Changing Lives Around the World.
A few weeks ago while updating one of our supporting churches, a question was asked that has really stirred in my spirit before and after it was asked. A gentleman asked, “What is the major issue that you face daily in overseas missions.” There are countless answers to this question but mine was fairly simple – poverty.
The statistics of global poverty are astounding and honestly they caught me off guard; I didn’t know it was that bad. I have lived among it and never fully understood the foot hold it had in the lives of so many people around the world. The statistics state that those that make $15,000/year are in the top 10 percentile of global income and those that make $45,000/year are in the top 5 percentile. In the rural areas of Zambia, the average income of a working male is $1.25/day or $456.25/year if he worked 365 days. In rural Nicaragua the statics are slightly better but not by much. It’s estimated that every second child is living in poverty. Yes, 50% of the children of the world are living in poverty! 1 in 3 children live without adequate shelter. 1 in 5 live with no access to safe water. 1 in 7 live with no access to health services. These statistics directly affect the children and future of the world.
You may be asking what causes this poverty? While there are several factors that can lead to it the main cause to all of it is sin. Before the fall of man poverty never existed. Physical poverty is a direct effect of spiritual poverty. Our programs at Project Samuel are not only impacting the physical poverty of the people but the spiritual poverty as well. We don’t leave them after introducing them to Christ. Reconciliation is the beginning to the solution but not the complete solution. We continue ministering to children and adults while seeking full restoration in their lives.
At Relationships for Christ Ministries we don’t see these people as statistics. They are real people and they deserve a future, but more importantly they also have an eternity. In order to change the world you must first change a generation and this is why Project Samuel is so important to me. Through Project Samuel we are able to minister to the complete child: mind, body and spirit. With our discipleship, educational tutoring, and self sustainability projects we will be able to empower these children to break free from the bondage of poverty and enable them to become transitional leaders for their countries.