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Never tire of doing good

 

On October 22, 2022, our district association celebrated its 17th annual mission festival in Trossingen. This year's festival was based on the verse , "Let us not grow weary in doing good" (Galatians 6:9a). Current and past aid projects in various countries were presented, highlighting how much God can bless us in times of crisis.

The current crisis situation

Each of us has experienced one or more crises, but very few have experienced several crises in quick succession. Due to the global pandemic, our mission festival was postponed for the past two years. This health crisis was followed by a political upheaval, the future course of which no one can currently predict. The war in Ukraine triggered another refugee crisis. We are currently observing rising energy costs and fear this will lead to economic stagnation. As early as September, the inflation rate was at 10%, the euro is weakening, and a currency crisis is looming.

While we in Europe fear a cold winter, the sun is scorching entire regions of East Africa. Just last week we visited villages in eastern Uganda where hundreds of people have died of starvation in recent months.

If we were to delve deeper into politics or economics, we could certainly identify further crises. But today we don't want to focus solely on crises and paint a bleak picture of the future. Jesus Christ says, "You are the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13) and "you are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). When do we need this light? When darkness falls.

The clear mission of Christ

Jesus says: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). In this time of increasing crises, the church of Christ plays a special role. It has a clear mission.

Crises also reveal positive aspects, for they show us how we deal with crisis situations. They test our resources, demanding everything from us. It's easy to give something away in times of plenty. But what happens when our reserves are depleted, when the 10% we usually give is distorted by inflation? Do we take this as an opportunity to reconsider our lifestyle, to examine our habits in the light of God's word? Are we prepared to curb our consumption in order to follow God's command?

In Matthew 25:34-40, Jesus says:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

Every beginning is…

There's a saying that every beginning contains a spark. This means that a certain euphoria often prevails at the start of a new task or project. But, as is so often the case, initial enthusiasm is followed by a period of disillusionment. This phenomenon is well-known in social psychology. At the beginning of a crisis, people are eager to lend a hand and donate generously. But this initial willingness to help quickly turns sour, and soon the question arises: Does all this – the helping, the donating – even make sense?

This is the moment when the Bible reminds us of the verse from Galatians 6:9: “Let us not grow weary in doing good.” Anyone who has ever sprinted knows this feeling. Our heart beats faster, our breath deepens, and joy floods our body. But after only a short time, our energy reserves are depleted, we gasp for air, and we have to take a break. The opposite is a marathon, in which our energy is carefully paced. In mission work, we run a marathon, not a sprint.

Looking back on blessed years

We are all the more indebted to our missionary friends and look back with deep gratitude these days. Together, through God's grace and your tireless help, we have been active in over 10% of all countries in the world for the past 17 years, preaching the Gospel, distributing aid, building schools, orphanages, day centers, rehabilitation centers, and numerous churches – in short: doing good.

In recent years, a particular focus of our work has been on the refugee camps in northern Uganda. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to donate over 50 tons of food to one of the world's largest refugee camps, distribute over 1,000 goats to widows, and fund school fees for 569 students. In addition, we offer various training programs, such as sewing, agriculture, and computer courses. We use all of these activities as a way to share the Gospel. While the COVID-19 restrictions prevented us from holding large-scale evangelistic events, the training programs have allowed the Gospel to spread, and we have already been able to establish over 50 small groups in the refugee camps.

But there was much to do not only in Africa, but also in other countries: At the beginning of the year, we asked ourselves whether the ministry of transporting aid supplies was still relevant and helpful. Here we experienced that God draws on resources that we sometimes consider no longer usable or outdated. Thus, after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, thanks to numerous contacts and years of experience, we were able to load and ship trucks with aid supplies such as sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, food, and bandages.

For the past three years, we have been supporting a daycare center in the city of Leova in Moldova. We are deeply impressed by the dedication of our team, as the hardworking staff have used the resources provided to them in such a way that one project has led to the creation of two more daycare centers in the surrounding villages.

In Kyrgyzstan we supported the community of Bishkek and its pastor, in Armenia we visited 65 families, including the sick, widows and families with many children.

Heavenly Perspectives

In mid-October, one of our teams returned from East Africa. It is truly distressing to hear about the impact of the current crises there, at the edge of civilization. At the same time, we are delighted that God is using these crises to open avenues to reach previously unreached peoples, such as the Karamojong, with the Gospel.

As an aid organization, we would like to turn this guiding verse into a prayer: “Lord, help us to fulfill your mission in this special time and not to grow weary.”

Mission Council District Association Trossingen

Reinhold Helm

Further information about the projects of the Trossingen district association can be found on the website:

hilfswerkstephanus.de