Update #19

“This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.” Revelation 14:12

Thanks Jess for the picture....

Africa. You say the word and millions of pictures pop into your head – mud grass huts, desert scenes, kids in mismatched shrunken clothing, body piles from genocide, lions, a runny-nosed kid with his ribs poking out, funny land rover type vehicles with shotguns fixed to their hoods, giraffes – the picture that often doesn’t come to our mind is ‘African business’.

What does African business look like? It may come as no surprise, but it looks just like it does here – some are poorly run, some are manned by overzealous luminaries with 40 million ideas and no direction, some are on track but are strapped by man power or financing...they have the same questions, the same considerations, and at the end of the day, want the same thing – to feel good about what they do and have a profit vs. a loss.

I have had several tough questions posed to me last week – two, I will address here – 1. Why are you serving there when there is so much need here? and 2. Why are you raising support when other people have a greater need than you do for the money? Good questions. Without pulling Biblical mandates into the equation, I will address them as simply as possible.

As I said above, African and American businesses are very similar. What I have learned, used, practiced, taught I take with me and implement. Business theory, guidelines, principles, rules that work here usually work there. I am serving here, I have worked here, I am furthering business’ here – I am just choosing to spend some of my time abroad sharing what I have learned...spreading the intellectual wealth if you would. Not that I am the ultimate business expert – I’m not. There are MBA’s and other business school graduates swimming circles around me. I just take the time to share what I have learned. I am giving back, not just here, in the greater Seattle area, but in internationally as well.

There are several ways I could address Question #2: Money. I could say that the money given to me goes farther because I teach how to profit vs. just giving money (‘teach to fish’ vs. ‘give a fish’ theory) – but the real reason I fundraise is simple. Humility. Fundraising keeps me very humble. Asking for a donation is hard, seeking financing isn’t what Americans were brought up to do. We are an independent nation; ‘do it yourself’ is our motto. My question is, if we are providing, attaining, achieving, and accomplishing all on our own, where/how does God fit in?

Due to my present life circumstances (seven months of unemployment) God has had a chance to move. I have seen God’s provision in miraculous ways, and am still seeing it. Asking for monetary support is counter-cultural and shamed in our society, especially by those who don’t understand how God works. “How dare you ask again?” “What entitles you?” are remarks I have fielded. How dare I? God told me to. What entitles me? God has. Brazen and bold statements I know, but they are true. When you walk intimately with God your life doesn’t make sense all the time – look at the mainline Bible characters (Abraham, David, Joseph, Paul, Peter) for the truth of this statement.

There are other reasons I fundraise...Accountability to and Inclusion of Others hallmark the list. But that discussion is for another time. This update is long enough and this last week has been overwhelming, a bit painful, but, thankfully, God’s presence was palpable.

Thank you to those who have been lifting up my upcoming travels in prayer. Fundraising was at a standstill until just last week and now I am closing in on the goal. Only a few have donated but the donations have been significant (thank you) – I truly believe it is my prayer supporters that make things really happen and move.

In light of that, when you pray, please lift up the traveling teams from the US...three out of the four teams are short US consultants. JHB only has 3 at this point....we need 11 (optimally) for a full team. Thank you for your prayers.

If you would like to partner with me financially, please see the ‘how to’s’ at the bottom of the page.

Please feel free to post a comment, if you have one, the link is at the bottom of the page.

Blessings to you, and thank you for walking on this journey with me,

Dena