There really is something we can do...

Got a phone call from a 'field op' the other day, "Hey Bobby, it happened again. A guy went in one of the girl's apartment, left about 30 minutes later, wasn't even ten minutes before she went to the grocery store to get food. What are we gonna do?" It's just a reality out here in the mission field... single moms often sell themselves for food and bills.

We had two initial reactions, anger and panic level concern. To be honest I wanted to hit the guy with a baseball bat, I was so angry. How could he prey on a needy gal who had run out of food?! But then what about her? I wanted to shake her... Where is your self-respect? Don't you know about disease and pregnancy and...

Maslow said there is a heirarcy of human needs. If hunger, thirst, bodily comforts and safety/security needs are not met, we are reduced to a lower level of self, more animalistic. In other words, the survival instinct kicks in... and we do what it takes. And predatory men in our town know that (not from reading Maslow, by the way) and take advantage.

James described it this way... "Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, "Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well" — but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?"

PS The answer is: None. Nada, it does no good at all to preach and tell 'em 'what for' or anything else until you meet their practical, primal needs.

Enter the church...

We can do this... we must. I've often heard the church saying that welfare belonged to us... well, where were we that night? What if we knew her, and she trusted us enough to call us instead of him? Thank God for my missionary buddy. He called. We acted. But you know.... there's so much left to do.

PS This has happened three times in a month that we know of, surely much more that we don't. Some of these guys you know. They have places of prominence and one exercised his power over a truly vulnerable situation.

You wanted to see the inside of an outreach ministry... there it is.

Church... please help.

BC