FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY FIRE BIBLES SNAPSHOT OF MEDICAL MISSIONS Since 1983 Serving in over 50 countries 4th Quarter / 2004
Letter from the PRESIDENT DEAR FRIEND OF MISSIONS: IN GOD WE TRUST, ALL OTHERS PAY CASH! That s what the sign read above the cashier at a local grocery store. I burst out laughing. In a way, it also highlights the opposite of how we work in a Faith Based mission. We send out missionaries, plant churches, pioneer Bible Schools, establish medical facilities, and build schools, fund feeding centers and orphanages. But it s done in reverse. We believe God after the decision has been made. It s kind of like going around and gathering all our groceries in the cart and going up to the counter and saying: Put this on the Lord s tab! If we had the resources there wouldn t be any need for faith. If we had the cash we wouldn t need the Lord! But, because we are weak, just the opposite is true. We desperately need the Lord. We need to be in sync with Him and His will. So is it that this is our weakness and our strength. It is our weakness in that we cannot do this work on our own. It is our strength that we are totally and absolutely dependent upon the Lord. With God we can do anything! He isn t poor! He is able to pay for anything and do anything, anytime, anywhere. Learning this secret enables missionaries to do extraordinary things for God. Only God can do these things. This is also our weakness. That God would force us to confess our needs to others and ask for help. In such a way, we establish friends and partners in missions so as to build a strong foundation, binding our arms in order to carry the workload. It s an ingenious plan. But it s not mine. It s the Lord s. Our job is to be faithful to our calling and to manage the Lord s resources with as much integrity as is humanly possible. I hope that, after you read this magazine, your spirits will be lifted to what God is doing through YOUR Missionary Ventures and your confidence in MVI will be strengthened. We really have a great team (God, MVI and YOU!). Let s believe God for great things! Thanks so much for your partnership in the Gospel. It is working! Steven G. Beam President, MVI A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes. 4:12 2
MISSIONARY VENTURES INTERNATIONAL P.O. Box 593550 Orlando, FL 32859-3550 (407) 859-7322 / (407) 856-7934 F info@mvi.org President: Steven G. Beam MISSIONARY VENTURES AUSTRALIA P.O. Box 1483 Doncaster East, Victoria Australia 3109 (03) 9841-5069 / (03) 9841-5070 F info@mvaustralia.org ABN 59 457 658 962 Director: Phil Plowman MISSIONARY VENTURES CANADA 336 Speedvale Avenue West Guelph, Ontario Canada N1H 7M7 (519) 824-9380 / (519) 824-9452 F mvcanada@mvcanada.org Director: John Verdone MISSIONARY VENTURES EUROPE 34 Wood Street Lytham St. Annes, Lancs. England FY8 1QR 44 (1253) 727927 (phone/fax) enquiries@mve.org.uk Directors: Luther & Sandy Meier MISSIONARY VENTURES GREAT BRITAIN Suite 3 Champness Hall Drake Street, Rochdale England OL16 1PB 44(1706)639333 / 44(1706)642333 F mvgb@btconnect.com Directors: Rob & Erika Carter MISSIONARY VENTURES SOUTH AFRICA P.O. Box 15154 Farrarmere, Benoni 1518 SA (011) 849-7431 / (011) 425-3556 F info@mvrsa.org Director: Coralie Roets MISSIONARY VENTURES USA 5528 Commerce Drive Orlando, FL 32839 (407) 859-7322 / (407) 856-7934 F info@mvusa.org Director: Glen Dubois www.mvi.org FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY BY CYNTHIA WILLIAMS, ACCOUNTANT Missionary Ventures International, Inc. is pleased to announce our membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). MVI joins with over 1,100 evangelical organizations demonstrating compliance with ECFA Standards of Responsible Stewardship. Founded in 1979, ECFA is committed to helping Christ-centered organizations earn the public s trust through developing and maintaining standards of accountability that convey God-honoring ethical practices. Accountability has always been fundamental to our organization, in the office MVI'S ACCOUNTING STAFF: CYNTHIA WILLIAMS ACCOUNTANT: Graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration majoring in Accounting. NANCY LONG and on the field. Becoming a member of ECFA brings MVI to an even higher level of accountability, and we are delighted with this new step. MVI uses less than 10% of donations for administration. MVI will now be displaying the ECFA seal on all literature informing our friends and supporters that MVI upholds high standards not only in word but also in deed. The seal is an outward expression of our inner resolve to represent truth and integrity in all aspects of our ministry: our fund-raising, financial accounting and reporting, our governance, the stewardship of God s resources, and in our valued relationship with you, our supporter and friend. You may visit ECFA on the Web at www.ecfa.org. ASSISTANT ACCOUNTANT: Graduated Magna Cum Laude from Buena Vista College in Iowa with a Bachelors of Arts in Business Administration majoring in Accounting with a minor in Computer Science. Nancy Long and Cynthia Williams Both have prior experience in church accounting and in private industry and have had additional training for nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations. 3
WORTH the INVESTMENT I always looked forward to and enjoyed the visits. They were preceded by an upbeat and friendly phone call, Let's get together and have lunch. I have some interesting news and exciting projects to tell you about. He would meet with me and always had that big toothy grin and hearty laugh that let you know we were close in spirit and in heart. I just wanted to do anything I could to help out this young, energetic missionary! I first heard about Missionary Ventures twenty years ago through Bo Cooksey. Bo told me a little about Missionary Ventures BY JIM BIRD, MVI BOARD MEMBER and asked if I would be interested in knowing more and helping out. Of course, I said yes. Soon after that I had my first great meeting with Steve Beam. During those meetings with Steve, we would develop a plan of action for whatever project needed help through raising the financial support, planning a prayer meeting or helping to get a mortar mixer shipped down to Central America. The other thing I just can t do it now, maybe next time. 4 Construction site for the new hospital outside Matagalpa, Nicaragua with Glenn Nancarrow (left) and Michael Childs (right).
we would always discuss was you need to join me on a long weekend trip down to Guatemala, you ll see amazing things and it will change your life! I heard that invitation and the hearty laugh of his everytime we met and I would always have a reason, excuse or timing problem as to why I just can t do it now, maybe next time. During the spring of 2003, I was having my quiet time one morning reading the book The Purpose Driven Life. I had just completed chapter thirty-eight, Becoming a World Class Christian, which encouraged taking a shortterm mission trip and asking God to help you understand what He wanted you to do concerning missions. I prayed and confessed that I had failed God concerning going on a missions trip and asked what He wanted me to do in the years ahead. I went on into my As another testimony, after our company started on the regular giving campaign in September of last year, our business sales volume increased nearly forty percent! office that morning and received a phone call from Bo Cooksey with Missionary Ventures I had not talked to Bo for several years! I told Bo what I had been reading and praying during my quiet time. God spoke to me that morning! The rest of the story is history. I have now been on two mission trips, and they have amazed and changed my life! I serve on the Board for MVI and my company is providing monthly financial support to assist the ongoing expenses and needs of MVI. As another testimony, after our company started on the regular giving campaign in September of last Top: Dr. Robin Dodd (left) and Dr. Mark Davis (right) from Grace UMC in Gainesville extracting a tooth from one of the many children who came to the clinic. Bottom: Small church north of Matagalpa, Nicaragua we used as a clinic where we treated 275 people in one day. year, our business sales volume increased nearly forty percent! That was certainly not at all expected nor a hoped for result from our new commitment, but I do believe that God does bless all who are faithful and willing to step out in faith! My encouragement is to go and follow our God and Savior to the remotest parts of the earth it will change your life! 5
ONE DOLLAR DOES M BY RAND MONTGOMERY, MVI REGIONAL DIRECTOR IN ASIA "Tears of joy ran when we held special prayer for FIRE BIBLES last night. One copy of the Holy Bible is more precious than gold and silver and we will try our best to get them to the needy. We trust the Lord for this project." God has an amazing way of touching your heart when you least expect it. That is what He did one day in February while listening to a man speak to us about having 10,000 Fire Bibles in a container, and having no way to get them to the people in China. The passion that the Lord had placed in his heart to get these much needed tools where they needed to go was contagious. Your heart is saying YES, and your head is saying, How can we help do this? Today, there is a great need for study Bibles, especially the Fire Bible. It is with great hope that 1,000,000 of these Bibles will be put in the hands of each evangelist, missionary, preacher, and teacher due to the wonderful study helps that will enable them to disciple their followers and equip them with a strong foundation. Cults are on the increase in China, and without solid teaching, many of the new believers can be deceived. Teaching and discipleship material is in such great demand, and these Bibles would help fulfill this need in a country where the government makes it very difficult. We cannot give the specifics or the routes taken, but these Bibles would have to be trucked, stored in safe houses (in two countries), carried by people in baskets through jungle terrain, mountains, across rivers, carried on donkeys and horses, stored again in safe houses, and smuggled to the destinations where they could be used to touch the lives of the believers. One Bible given to one leader, could affect one hundred people. This is a conservative estimate. When the cost was broken down (safe houses, modes of travel, countries to cross), we were told that $1.00 would get one Bible where it needed 6
AKE A DIFFERENCE! to be. Ten thousand Bibles would cost $10,000, and could equip a million people. So, we thought, Why not give people an opportunity to help the leaders in China equip their people to continue to bring in the harvest! YOU DID IT! The Fire Bibles are doing their job in China, because people like you decided to give a dollar! A quote from a brother in China who had been praying for these Bibles to get there: Tears of joy ran when we held special prayer for FIRE BIBLES last night. One copy of the Holy Bible is more precious than gold and silver and we will try our best to get them to the needy. We trust the Lord for this project. Below: Bringing the Bibles into the rural villages. Right: A Chinese Christian reading his first Bible. (Faces have been hidden and photos blurred for protection of these Christians.) 7
A Snapshot of Medical Missions BY DONNA CAPPS, RN, MVI MEDICAL CO-DIRECTOR If you would like a picture of MVI medical missions, I would have to describe it as groups of caring Christian medical people sharing the love and compassion of Christ and being the visible hands and feet of Christ. We help relieve physical suffering through the medicine we We help relieve physical suffering through the medicine we bring, and share the gospel for the eternal healing of the soul. bring and share the gospel for the eternal healing of the soul. In a recent planning session for medical missions we discussed the many medical projects MVI has been involved in over the past eighteen years and the constantly growing number of medical people involved in missions. MVI medical missions began as a small group of friends interested in helping the medical needs of the Mayan people in Guatemala. As a result of each medical team traveling to Guatemala, new people were introduced to missions and became involved in the work of sharing the love of Christ with those in need. People whose hearts were touched by the need they saw while participating in medical teams have been and continue to be a major force as we move forward in medical missions. In 8 addition, the people who have become involved in medical missions have been sustained by the prayer warriors who go before the Lord each day on their behalf. There is no doubt, that the prayers and labors of all who have been involved over the years have been important. However, without the financial means to accomplish the work, all of the good intentions of the world would not have built a hospital in Guatemala, a clinic in Honduras, the maternity center in Peru, the Renutrition center in Nicaragua or sustained the teams of indigenous leprosy workers in Nepal. As we look to the future of medical missions and sharing the love of Christ there are many new projects on the horizon that need faithful supporters. Without financial support for those projects there will be unmet needs and lost opportunities to share the gospel. We need each of you to continue this important work. Dr. Larry Capps, MVI Medical Co-Director examines a patient in her home as she is too sick to come to the clinic in Nicaragua.
A SUCCESS STORY Mario is a success story. He is a passionate preacher, a great c o m mu n icator a nd a lover of God. He has been a good steward of the fu nds G od is providi ng through the financial support he is receiving from MVI. BY JACKIE JACKSON, MVI PROJECT COORDINATOR There are godly men and women around the world who have answered God s call on their lives and serve Him sacrificially in impoverished countries. Their means of earning a living is very limited and as a result they survive on a minimal income. Yet they do not allow this to stop them as they pastor churches, feed the hungry in their communities and in other ways live out the Gospel among their fellow countrymen. Pastor Mario is one such pastor. At first Mario lived in the slums in a small shack consisting of two bedrooms and another room that served as a kitchen/living room. The house had a dirt floor, plastic to cover the windows and salvaged scrap metal for the roof. There was electricity but no running water. This is what Mario, his wife and four children called home. Then he moved to El Cacao into a house that was built for him and his family. This house had not only electricity but also running water. When Pat, who was in Honduras on a short-term mission trip, first met Mario, his house was empty except for a few chairs and a table. The little bit of money Mario was able to earn went to help with the needs of the church he pastured. They were struggling so badly financially that Mario and his wife were not eating on a regular basis. What money they had they were using to feed their children. At this point their family was receiving no financial support. Pat asked Jim Hartsock, MVI missionary in Honduras, what would be a suggested amount to begin supporting Mario financially? Jim suggested $50 per month. Mario is very industrious and a man with vision. He had a long-term plan of how with this financial support he could begin providing a regular income for his family. El Cacao is a very remote village. So one month with the $50 he received Mario purchased a stand-up freezer. He used it to begin a little mini-mart out of his home. He would purchase meat, keep it in the freezer and sell it to the villagers. This was a welcome addition to the community as it saved the villagers taking a day-long bus trip into the city to purchase meat. Now with this micro-enterprise in his home Mario is able to provide for the needs of his family and continue his work pastoring his church. Mario is a success story. He is a passionate preacher, a great communicator and a lover of God. He has been a good steward of the funds God is providing through the financial support he is receiving from MVI. He now has a daily radio broadcast where he teaches the Bible over the airways reaching people in remote areas where they may not have a church available to attend. This is just one example of how someone saw Mario s faithfulness in ministry and chose to come alongside him by making a monthly financial commitment to support him in his ministry. This freed Mario to focus his time and energy on pasturing his church and ministering to the people in his community. Financial investments made through pastor support are strategic in furthering the Kingdom of God around the world. 9
HOW DOES MISSIONARY VENTURES INTERNATIONAL FUNCTION? Missionary Ventures International (MVI) is made up of Offices and Mission Bases. An Office sends missionaries, short-term mission teams, support, sponsorship, supplies and resources. Mission Bases receive the missionaries, short-term teams, resources, etc., and knit them into our mission of assisting Indigenous Christian Leaders reach their own people with the love and message of Christ. Much of which involves ministries like Bible Schools, church planting, hospitals, schools, and feeding centers. MVI ensures the integrity and accountability of this infrastructure worldwide. Plus it enables special ministries to work within this infrastructure to focus on developing specific projects and programs. MVI also oversees the training and pastoral care of missionaries, keeps projects and teams in sync, and provides for continued growth and expansion. MISSIONARY VENTURES INTERNATIONAL OFFICES PR MINISTRIES ADMIN MISSIONARY CARE FIELD DEVELOPMENT MVA AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR MINISTRIES (ARM) MISSION BASES CHILDREN/YOUTH MVC CONSTRUCTION MISSION BASES MVE CRY OF THE BRETHREN BIBLE SCHOOLS MISSION BASES MVGB EQUIPPING EVANGELISM PASTORS' CONFERENCES/ LEADERSHIP DVLPMT MISSION BASES MVSA MEDICAL/DENTAL/ SURGICAL MISSIONS MISSION BASES MVUSA THREADS OF HOPE MISSION BASES CONSIDER BECOMING A SPONSOR Your donation will make a difference in someone's life. Sponsor a Child for $20 a month Sponsor a Pastor for $50 a month Sponsor a Feeding Center for $200 a month Sponsor a Christian School for $300 a month Visit www.mvi.org and make a donation today. 10
Kingdom Investment Perspectives What is Our Treasure? BY BO COOKSEY, MVI MINISTRIES DIRECTOR Pastor Dan Benally and his wife Emmeline are Native American founders of Church of the Redeemed on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. God is enabling the Benallys to defeat terrific obstacles while launching their church and jail ministry. Resistance to Jesus is high. For instance, Navajo Reservation rules prohibit a Cross or Christian signage on the church building. Temperatures can be extremely hot or cold on the Benally s stark, wind swept corner of the reservation. Their home and attached church building had no air conditioning or heat until recently. It s no wonder only fifteen to twenty people have braved attending Church of the Redeemed. Maybe more will seek Jesus now that a Pine Castle United Methodist/ Missionary Ventures short term team and supporters embraced the Treasure Principle and installed central heating and air for the buildings. Yet, when I asked Dan to tell me his greatest challenge, the ready answer was helping my people understand stewardship and giving in their Christian walk. With all his other obstacles and challenges, that s an intriguing answer so similar to the dilemma facing most other pastors and ministry leaders I talk to. Perhaps you as a pastor, small group leader, or missions team leader grapple with Dan s greatest challenge. Perhaps you would like those you lead to have a Jesus inspired answer to the question, what is our treasure? A.W. Tozer answers the question with four more questions: What do we value most? What would we most hate to lose? What do our thoughts turn to most frequently when we are free to think of what we will? And finally, what affords us the greatest pleasure? Randy Alcorn writes that most people would list people and relationships as their treasures. But if we re honest, we d also include money and possessions. When spent on earthly treasure, money is only of temporary value unless it s spent with a view toward heavenly treasure. Moths destroy fabric, rust destroys ʻprecious metals, and thieves steal almost anything. Jesus could have gone on fire consumes, floods destroy, governments seize, enemies attack, investments go sour. No earthly treasure is safe. Jesus invites us to choose our treasury. Will we invest our treasures on earth and lose them when we die? Or will we invest our treasures in heaven, where they will be ours for eternity? If you would like a free copy of Alcorn s edifying little book, The Treasure Principle, stuffed with radical teachings of Jesus a secret wrapped up in giving, send an email with your name and address to me, bcooksey@mvi.org, and I will snail mail you a copy. Once you pass along the book s secret to those you influence or lead, their lives will never look the same and they won t want it to! Bo Cooksey Pastor Dan and Emmeline Benally and their children Donna, Dana and DinahJoe. 11
MY MOST VALUED ASSETS Face it, we seldom see folks showing pictures of their homes or cars to their friends. Yet we all delight in showing off our children and grandchildren our most valued assets! HAVE YOU PLANNED ADEQUATELY FOR YOUR MOST VALUED ASSETS? HAVE YOU PROVIDED FOR A GUARDIAN FOR YOUR MINOR CHILDREN? DO YOU WANT A STRANGER DECIDING THE BEST OPTIONS FOR YOUR CHILDREN? There are many questions when planning for your children. The first one is "how do I get started?" Missionary Ventures International has a Will Planning Guide that can help you get started. The kit will give you the basic information you need to get organized and consider the important issues you will need to decide. CALL US TODAY AT 407-859-7322 OR 800-929-1684 AND REQUEST YOUR FREE COPY OF THE WILL PLANNING GUIDE