A Week in Saint Charles-Part 1

THE CHURCH HAS EARNED ITS CRITICS

I know that throughout history Christians and the Christian Church have done awful things. The most famous are probably the crusades, the inquisition, and the burning of thousands of women who were accused of being witches. Those are ancient examples, but it is easy to find modern examples as well. It seems Christians, individually, and the church collectively, have a hard time living in kind and loving ways. However, more often than not, the church is generous and kind rather than cruel and thoughtless. I think these moments of goodness often get overlooked in history and by the media.

THE CHURCH HAS MORE FREQUENTLY EARNED ITS APPLAUDERS

I spent last week in Lake Charles, Louisiana, working with six Airmen from Cheyenne rebuilding homes that were destroyed by hurricane Laura in 2020. Our efforts were organized and supported by Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian non-profit organization which does disaster relief all over the world. They work in countries where there are active wars, famine, and natural disasters of all kinds. They have had a team in Lake Charles since 2020 helping people rebuild their lives.

HELPING MRS. W.

I was helping build a house for Mrs. W. When she returned to her home after hurricane Laura, she discovered that a tree had fallen on the back of her house, taking out the entire back of her home. She had no idea what to do or how to begin to repair the damage. She saw large trucks in the neighborhood which had Samaritan’s Purse written on them and approached some of the volunteers to find out what they were doing. They explained that they had come from all over the country to just help anyone in need. They asked her if they could help, and she explained her predicament. Immediately a group of volunteers came over to her house, removed the tree, and secured a tarp over the exposed house. She was very grateful for their assistance.

In 2021, someone from Samaritan’s Purse called to check on Mrs. W. and once again she expressed her gratitude for their help in 2020. They asked her if she had been able to repair her home, and she explained that she worked driving a school bus and was unable to afford any of the repairs. They asked if she would like some assistance assessing the extent of the damage and get help with the repairs. She said she would be grateful for any help they could give.

Mrs. W. told me that the tarp that was installed immediately after her return was good protection against the elements, but it couldn’t keep the rats and squirrels out of her home. She explained that at night she could hear the creatures running across the ceiling and across the floor. She told me she would pray every night, “Lord Jesus, don’t let the rats eat me.”

Engineers from Samaritan’s Purse inspected the house, concluded that it was beyond repair, and it would have to be torn down. So, in the fall of 2021, Mrs. W and her family found temporary lodging with relatives while Samaritan’s Purse took her home down to the foundation. Next week she will move into a brand-new house.

The entire project was funded by donations of cash, materials, or labor. A woman I met, Lisa, has donated her time cooking two meals a day for all the volunteers, (she has been doing this for a year), and the food she served was purchased with donated cash. The infrastructure needed to build a house has all been purchased with donations: the trucks and the trailers (filled with every tool needed to build a home), housing for the volunteers, case workers to coach the people receiving the assistance and more I don’t even know about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samaritan’s Purse will build at least 28 new homes in Lake Charles. In addition, they are doing rebuilds in western Kentucky, Breathitt County,, and disaster relief in South Dakota. They have set up medical facilities in many parts of Ukraine and are providing food and relief in Ukraine and Moldova. They are able to do all this because Christians give their hard-earned cash and time.

MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE

Fun facts (maybe).^[1] According paddockpost.com, Samaritan’s Purse reported total revenue of $894 million in 2020 (compared to $734 million

in 2019 and $700 million in 2018)most of which came from cash contributions ($583 million), non-cash contributions ($215 million) and government grants ($67 million). According to definefinancial.com, Americans gave $471 billion to charities in 2020. Those making less than $50,000 a year give more in relation to total income than those in all other income ranges except the highest earners. Finally, giving in 2020 rose despite the pandemic putting millions out of work. Because a lot of people, many of whom identify as Christians, and are by no means wealthy, give, the world is a little bit better.[2]

But statistics really aren’t the point. I got to meet Mrs. W. and hear her story. I am a very small part of her getting a new home. That really feels good, but I could not have had that experience if it had not been for the generosity of thousands of people that I don’t know and a few that I do. Through people I know, six Airmen were able to travel with me to Lake Charles for a week. For over 40 years people have generously supported our ministry with Cadence International, and as a result thousands of soldiers and airmen have had their hearts refreshed and their spiritual life challenged. Like all of you who read this blog, every month I give money to churches, missionaries, and other non-profit organizations. I seldom get to see exactly what that money is used for; I give in faith that good people spend that money wisely to help others and build God’s kingdom.

Last week I got to see how some of that money was spent, and I am overwhelmed by the generosity of God’s people.  Yes, there has been, and will continue to be, times when the church spends donated money unwisely, and it is easy to point to the corruption and abuses of the church. But I don’t want to live in a world without the church, and I am sure Mrs. W. doesn’t either.

Thank you for your generosity wherever you give. Never doubt you are making a difference in the lives of others with your generous gifts.

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Maybe because websites don’t agree on how much money was donated to charities and I have no way to verify these statistics.

[2] It is impossible to just google how much do Christians give to charity and have a lot of confidence in the results. Although it is not hard to determine just how much was given to specific non-profits, knowing just where the money came from is more difficult (Christian or non-Christian). Statistics and definitions can be misleading. According to Non-Profit Source “3 out of 4 people who don’t go to church make donations to nonprofit organizations.”  This website also reports religious groups were the number one receivers of donations:

 

“Historically, Religious groups have received the largest share of charitable donations. This remained true in 2016. With the 2.9% increase in donations this year, 31% of all donations, or $127.37 billion, went to religious organizations. Much of these contributions can be attributed to people giving to their local place of worship.” This is hard for me to sort out.  I know that for myself, I think that without the encouragement from the church, I would give a fraction of what I give now. I give to my place of worship, but I also give to a lot of other charities because I hear about them at church. Without my involvement in church, I think I would only give a few dollars once and a while. I would never fight about the truth of the statistics I have in this blog. I could be wrong or misled. However, for myself, there is a strong connection between my faith and my charitable giving. And I think that is true for many others. But I could be wrong.