Why Missionaries to America?

By Wanda Parker

A week ago I wrote about Josiah a boy with a great need.  As I continue to think about him my urgency grows to see missionaries in the field working with kids like Josiah. 

COULD YOU BE ONE OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS?

There are so many at-risk kids who need adults in their lives who can/will fight for them. 

If Christ is tugging at your heart that this might be His calling for you but you want more information take a look at the following links.

• Secondary Nurturers - is a White Paper on what the Missionaries/Secondary Nurturers will work with the kids and their families on the field.
• What are the steps toward becoming a missionary - at our website it will give you more detailed information on becoming a Missionary to America.

Once at the KidTrek website browse through it.  If you haven’t read through all our blogs take the time to do it.  Between the blog and the website you will gain a pretty good idea of what we mean by Missionaries To America.

Pray!

You may not be receiving a call from Christ to be a Missionary To America - but you know someone who is.  Please encourage them to check out everything. 

Pray that the Lord will raise up an army of men and women to work with at-risk kids and their families across America.

by Joseph Parker

Are you on Facebook?

Whether you are or not, check out the new “Cause” I started on Facebook to bring more awareness to:

“Missionaries to America!”

What do you think of this vitally important “cause” to build intentional, long term relationships with kids in such a way it will produce sustainable results well into adulthood?

Whether you support KidTrek, or some other ministry/program, is this possible?

What needs to happen in order to accomplish this?

By Wanda Parker

I just came out of a meeting where I heard the following story.

A Secondary-Nurturer has been wanting to meet with the teachers of the kids he mentors.  His purpose for meeting with the teachers is so he can learn what resources each kid needs to move forward.  One of the kids is a boy whose story I told last week - Change We Can Believe In.  This kid needs all the help he can get!

The principal won’t allow the Secondary Nurturers to talk to the teachers.  She has also told the teachers they are not allowed to talk to the Secondary Nurturers.

Yes every parent has signed a release that they want the Secondary Nurturers to talk to the teachers.

The Secondary Nurturers would make the time to find the resources that are needed - such as a nuerologist, a psychologist - whatever will help the kid.  These are things the teachers don’t have the time to do.  But the teacher is with the kid 6-8 hours a day and can give more insight into what the real need of the kid is.

When the public school leaders block those who want to find the needed resources for kids (and not at tax payer expense) it is no wonder that our children in the public schools are going backwards instead of forward.

These Secondary Nurturers will not give up!  They are committed to stand in the gap for these kids.  These kids deserve the best - just because their parents are unsophisticated and scraping by to exist is no reason to leave the kids behind.

Especially when there are loving adults willing to find the resources the kids need.

By Wanda Parker

The change I can believe in is when we stop looking for or believing in quick, easy fixes for life’s struggles.  Change that admits what the Invisible Children of America need is long lasting intensive relationships with mature adults. It is change that is intentional, that doesn’t look just at tomorrow but out into the future 30 years from now. 

There is a KidTrek Associate center I visit that leaves me drained and emotional when I get in the car to drive home.  It happened again last week.

The Secondary Nurturers are awesome - they pour into the lives of the kids everyday.  How do they do it?  Where do they get the energy, the emotional strength to keep on keeping on?  No easy fixes here - change comes but it is slow and requires sacrifice on the part of the Secondary Nurturers.

Josiah is a sixth grader that is mentally challenged.  He is so borderline that he will be expected throughout his life to perform normally - so many expectations he can’t meet.  When he reads he can’t remember what he has read.  His Secondary Nurturer had him stop after each sentence and tell him what he had read.  Josiah couldn’t remember.  The Secondary Nurturer said suddenly a light went on in Josiah’s eyes and he realized he couldn’t remember - his brain wouldn’t work - he began to cry.

Change for Josiah means adults who are able to pour into his life to teach him how to cope with his disability.  His parents are overwhelmed and can’t do it.  They are so thankful for the support they are receiving. 

There are thousands of Josiah’s across America - how do we provide lasting change for them?

This is KidTrek’s passion - to bring positive, lasting change to the lives of America’s Invisible Children.  We want to raise up an army of dedicated Secondary Nurturers who are there to fight for the unique needs of each child.

When that happens I will see change that I can believe in.

by Joseph Parker

I realize I am a few days behind on this “story,” but as I was walking my dog this morning I had an epiphany.

Why aren’t Christians as passionate about the Gospel as Americans are about politics these days?

I was blown away when I first heard that Barack Obama raised $4 million in one day and I think a total of $7 million in the course of two days.

Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian, Green Party, etc., why do Evangelical Christian missionaries struggle so hard at raising the funds they need to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Obama gets up and says he has a need and instantaneously has $4 million.

A missionary stands up and says s/he has a need and is met with questions, and statements of financial struggle.

I am not saying that ALL Christians do not give, even sacrificially…many do!

But I find this curious, if not perplexing, to see the vast paradox here; I would imagine a good number of people that gave to Obama were/are Christians.

And the vast majority of them, as I understood it, were under the age of 35.

We are told it is the Baby Boomers with all the money; that is who you go after.

Yet, of that $4 million Obama raised most individuals gave between $25-$100…that’s it!

Obviously, you get enough people together, regardless of age or means, you will raise $4 million pretty fast.

So why do I continually hear of churches struggling to meet their budgets (assuming the budget is not outlandish), or missionaries struggling to raise enough funds to be able to invest in the life of people who have NO idea who Jesus is?

Whether for your local church, World Vision, Mission to The World, OC International, New Tribes, KidTrek, etc., consider your passion as a Christian.

Are you placing it in the right place?

Do we think Obama, Clinton, McCain, Huckabee, or whoever we are “pulling for” is going to “save us?”

Politics will come and go…Presidents will come and go…but the LORD God Almighty and His Gospel message will last for the ages!

Please…weigh in on this…and let me know what your thoughts are on this topic.

Regardless your view, God bless you!

by Joseph Parker

What makes a missionary?

Have you ever thought about that?

Share with me your thoughts and tell me what you think about KidTrek’s plan to “call” men and women to an American mission field.

The first “missionary” of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was the Apostle Paul…where did he go…who did he serve…what was his message?

Not only did he seek out the lost and “unreached people groups” of the known world at the time, he went to the urban epicenters of our world.

Not that people living in remote jungles and isolated islands do not need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ…they DO!

But why, if a person has felt led by the Lord to an urban mission field, are we told it is JUST “evangelism?”

Is that not what “missionaries” are doing in their remote jungles and on their isolated islands?

And…just because a family lives right across the street from a “local-church,” why do we deem them to have ACCESS to the Gospel?

Unfortunately, in my experience, I have come to find a family living right across the street from a local church has more barriers to hearing the Gospel than someone, say, living on a remote island.

America needs men and women “called” to a mission field that may be in their own backyard…just down the street…or possibly across town.

KidTrek is seeking men and women right now who are eager to intentionally walk with “at-risk” families through life in a long term manner.

Just as missionaries are “called” to walk through life with natives in foreign countries, who speak other languages, and possibly living on some isolated island…

…KidTrek is seeking missionaries to walk through life with families in America who may know Jesus name purely as a cuss word.

We are looking for missionaries who desire to build intentional long term relationships with American “at-risk” families…

…just as missionaries are doing with “at-risk” families in Africa, Asia, South America and other parts of the world.

We desire to see sustainable outcomes as a result of these relationships built and developed over time…

…so thousands of children will grow to become Christ-changed, hope-filled, productive adults.

Are you one of these missionaries?

Do you know someone who would be passionate about such a “call?”

If so, click here to learn more about the process.

Or, click here to contact us to learn more about what this entails, where we are going, and why we are going there.

by Joseph Parker

Take a look at this diagram…

What does this mean to you?

Is this important in “reaching” kids? Why or why not?

If it is important, how do we do it?

By Wanda Parker

Life is difficult! But God is there if we reach out to Him as this child did.

Do your children know where to go when in the midst of pain?

They will go somewhere!