WorldHope.Us Blog

Introduction to Mama Agnes

Lincoln Smith — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 08:51:51 +0000

In Phokeng, South Africa there is a woman who cares for orphans and vulnerable children in her community. Mama Agnes is a true hero, sacrificing much to help these children have a better life.

Follow the link below to watch a video of Mama Agnes sharing her heart.

Mandela Day

Lincoln Smith — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 07:40:10 +0000

Last month we received a phone call that a local primary school wanted to make a donation to Mama Agnes. Mama Agnes is one of the ladies in the community that we work with. She helps feed between 80 and 100 orphaned and vulnerable children every day from her home.

The school was celebrating Mandela day. Every year South Africans celebrate Nelson Mandela’s birthday by encouraging people to participate in community service for 67 minutes, in honor of Mandela’s 67 years of fighting for social justice. I think that it is remarkable that Nelson Mandela did not want his birthday celebrated as a national holiday; instead he wanted it marked by service to others. Mandela is truly an extraordinary man. In honor of Mandela, every child in the school brought a food or toiletries item to donate to Mama Agnes and the needy children that she looks out for.

I thought that I was just there to drive Mama Agnes and to help her transport all the donations back to her house. When we arrived we were escorted in front of 1,500 students waiting patiently in the hot sun for the presentation to begin. Mama Agnes, myself, Rebecca (another missionary we work with), and my two oldest kids Madison and Kyler were brought to the front of the school assembly and asked to sit in the seats of honor for the presentation. For Madison, Kyler, myself, and Rebecca, it was a little awkward to be in front of all the students. We aren’t heroes, Mama Agnes is. I was just there to provide transportation.

Nevertheless, it was great to see Mama Agnes be honored with several speeches, and several songs from the choir. There were enough donations to completely fill my SUV and another pickup truck. We took the food to Agnes’ house and completely filled her living room. She was able to make little parcels to give out to all the children that she looks out for.

Part of the donation was canned meat that she fed to the kids the next day. That day the kids were in an unusually happy and energetic mood. Agnes told me, “The kids are happy because they got to eat meat today.”

Gehenna

Lincoln Smith — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:04:20 +0000

Last week I was in Freedom Park, a local squatter camp. I was visiting AIDS patients; praying with them, and bringing them food. I’ve visited hundreds of AIDS patients during my time in South Africa, but each time I’m shocked at the hopelessness that I find there.

Truly without hope, beaten down, defeated, no end in sight, despair.

The word most often used by Jesus to describe hell is “Gehenna,” translated literally, “valley of Hinnom.” In Jesus’ day the valley of Hinnom was an actual place. It was the city dump where a fire constantly burned and wild animals fought over the refuse, gnashing their teeth. When Jesus used the word “Hell” people knew what he meant; they didn’t have to imagine it, they could walk to the edge of town to see “hell.”

Imagine that you are a single mom, inflicted with AIDS. You are so sick, you can’t rise from your bed to care for your children. All day, all night, you lay in a 4ft by 6 ft shack with no floor, no windows and a low tin roof, baking in the hot African sun. You have no control over your bodily fluids. Your children cook their own food in the shack using paraffin, a waxy petroleum based substance that puts off noxious fumes, burning your throat and eyes.

I can’t help but think that if Jesus wanted to describe hell today he wouldn’t use the word “Gehenna” he would use the word “Freedom Park.” For those of us blessed with the opportunity to reach out to AIDS patients in Freedom Park, we know hell.

We’ve seen it, smelled it, touched it, felt it’s heat breathing down our backs, its stench has burned our throats, and its fumes have burned our eyes. To me, hell is not only just a place in the future. It’s a place here, now, with real people suffering.

Why is this important? I take the Lord’s prayer quite literally when he says, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” I’m confident it’s not the Lord’s will for this mother to suffer alone, dying of AIDS. I’m confident it’s not the Lord’s will for her children to live as orphans.

My mission is to bring Heaven to earth. Or more accurately, to destroy Hell with the incredible, overwhelming, life changing, life bringing, renewing, sustaining, healing love of God.

I’ve seen hell.
I’ve seen God’s love.
Love wins.

~Lincoln

South Africa Video Overview

Lincoln Smith — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 19:57:28 +0000

Here’s a video overview of the work that we are doing with kids in Phokeng, South Africa.

Lincoln Smith
SmithSA.blogspot.com

New School Uniforms for Orphans

Lincoln Smith — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 08:43:02 +0000

Recently we were fortunate to be able to provide new school uniforms for the children that we work with in Phokeng, South Africa. In South Africa, public school is free but school uniforms are required to attend. Many kids don’t have the resources to buy new uniforms every year. For orphaned and vulnerable children getting a decent uniform can be an insurmountable task. This year a generous donation allowed these kids to get new school uniforms. This is such an incredible blessing for children in need.
~Lincoln Smith
Missionaries to South Africa
www.SmithSA.blogspot.com

What are you doing?!

Mike Randerson — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:04:49 +0000

Just think about it all the stuff that you’ve got to do. You’ve got to sleep six to eight hours. You’ve got to take a shower, brush your teeth and floss your teeth at least a week before you go to the dentist. Then there’s time spent in and on the car. The average person spends six months of their life at stoplights. You will spend 3 years commuting. You will also spend time to put in gas, getting tune ups and oil changes. You’ve got a job or go to school or are a parent; that takes about 9 hours out of your day. You’ve got to take care of stuff around the house. It takes time to clean, fix and buy stuff. Somebody’s got to make sure that the grass is mowed; clothes are washed, folded and put away. Somebody makes sure the bills are paid, the checkbook is balanced, the house gets dusted, vacuumed and the furnace filter changed. (Better do that last one today now that I reminded you. Winter is coming.) Of course you have to eat and that takes time to buy, prepare and clean up. In case you are looking for easy solutions, it takes 38 seconds for the perfect Oscar Meyer Weiner in the microwave.

Then there are social obligations. You have places to go, people to see and things to do.
If you’re single, you may go on dates and you have to get ready for dates. If you’re female it takes more time to get ready for the date than it does to actually go on the date. Sometimes it’s more fun getting ready than it is actually going on the date!
If you are married you have your spouse-enough said. If you have children there is feeding and diapers and playing. Until they get older then there’s school, home work, sports, sleepovers, disciplining and being a part time taxi driver.

Then there’s recreation. You have to have some fun. There are also vacations and holidays. Then you add to that schedule the unexpected things that happen; somebody gets sick, the car breaks down or there’s a crisis at work. THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING.

There was an article in USA Today where they interviewed experts from all different areas of life how much time does the average person need to devote to just to get by. When they added up the minimal time it totaled out to 36 hours a day. This is not a small problem. In the midst of our business we get stressed, forgetful, tired, impatient, and angry. And even worse, we can easily lose track of what is most important. It’s easy to lose our way; to get our priorities get mixed up and forget what we want our life to be about.

What should your life be about; really? Come up with an answer in your mind before reading on.

Jesus put it like this in this; “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” I’d like for my life to be about more loving God and people the way I should.

The apostle Paul says that our danger is that the world will squeeze us into its mold. Friends, the danger is that we will lead busy, tired, frustrating human-powered lives that are far more about us than loving God and others. That’s too big of a price to pay-wouldn’t you agree?

What if you were to do a really radical thing? What if you said today; I’m going to commit myself to really love. What changes? Make the greatest commandment your highest priority. It’s a mad, sad world out there. Your heart is needed!

Mike Randerson
WorldHope.us

It's a mad world

The Dance of Hope

Mike Randerson — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 23:42:13 +0000

In the book The Dance of Hope, a story is told of a young man who became blind as a result of a tragic accident in his teenage years. He describes being “bitter and angry with God for letting it happen, and I took my anger out on everyone around me.” He felt he no future. This surprised the author since he was not angry now. He asked him how he changed.
It all started when his father decided he wanted his son to learn how to get on with his life. He told him to get the storm windows on because winter was coming. “Do the work before I get home or else.” The father slammed the door and left. The son reacted with anger and self pity. “They’ll be sorry when I fall off and break my neck.” But he didn’t fall off. Slowly but surely he got the windows in place. And, for the first time, the son realized he was still capable and his life was not over.
Years later he found out the rest of the story. “I later found out (his blind eyes now misted) that at no time during the day had my father ever been more than four or five feet from my side.”
The father had no intention of letting his son fall.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24

Michael Randerson
President;WorldHope.us

Reaching for Hope

Squatter Camp Photo Studio Day

Lincoln Smith — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:49:50 +0000

This past August we had a team working with us here in Rustenburg, South Africa. Everyday we were working in the squatter camp of Freedom Park. One day we did an outreach where we set up a makeshift photo studio, took people’s pictures and gave them a print out of their picture.

While they were waiting to receive their picture, they heard the gospel message and had the opportunity to pray with a pastor. It was an incredible way to show the people God’s love through the simple act of giving them a picture. Those of us that have grown up with cameras, computers, and printers, can’t imagine the dignity and respect that a person feels by receiving such a gift.

Click here to watch a video from the outreach.

~Lincoln Smith
SmithSA.blogspot.com

The Ripple Effect

Mike Randerson — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:36:42 +0000

The Ripple Effect

I have a large pond in my backyard. We had some friends over a few weeks ago and the younger kids, the boys especially, loved to throw rocks in the pond. And when they did I found myself reflecting about how fast time goes by. I remembered very vividly loving to throw rocks as a boy.

As they were throwing I found myself watching the water. Each small stone that was thrown created ripples that made its way to the other side. A choice was made to throw one small stone and the whole pond was affected.

The same is true of humanity. One man and one woman made a choice to take what was forbidden. To this day the world still feels the impact of Adam and Eve’s choice. The curse still exits. Many years later another man (Jesus) decided to die for our sins. To this day, as a result of his choice, our sins can be forgiven and we can be given a new life.

You have been deeply impacted by the choices of others. You have been impacted by the choices of the adults who raised you, the teachers that taught you, and the peers that influenced you. The choices that others made in many ways made you who you are today.

And there is the whole world of people who will be impacted by you. You have choices to make that will have a ripple affect on the lives you touch directly and indirectly. You create ripples!

Today, tomorrow, and the next day; make the choice to live the life God is calling you to live. BELIEVE he wants to use YOU to make a difference in this world!

Hate well!

Mike Randerson — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 22:50:59 +0000

Hate well
Now some of you are probably really struggling with that word hate.
In your head you are saying; this is wrong- hate is bad and something you shouldn’t feel and never express. Give me a few more minutes and I think I can change your mind.

Henry Cloud author and Christian psychologist says this about hate; “in reality, hate is a crucial ingredient in a good person’s character. If you don’t hate you are not balanced or healthy.”

Some of you are still not convinced so think about this.
What would you think of someone who hates arrogance, lying, or injustice?
Would you trust and maybe even admire that person?
Would you consider hating those things to be a good character quality?

God hates certain things.
If you don’t like the concept of hating well this is one of those passages you will want to pass up because it doesn’t fit with your concept of God. But God sees the destructiveness that results from the actions on this list. “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him; haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” Proverbs 6: 16-19

Every time one of them happens it destroys the beauty and wonder of someone.
They cause pain and can destroy people’s lives. To hate them well is to take a stand against them whenever they occur.

One of most important things you can do is get Gods answer to what you should hate
and then to take the next steps to get His answer about what you should do about it.

What do you hate?
Children without guidance, drifting teenagers, sex trafficking, broken marriages, the neglect of the orphans, injustice or poverty? What it is when you see it, hear it or are around it- creates a response in you? Whatever it is, begin to pray what God would have you do because it breaks His heart and he is looking for someone to do something about it!

What I hate