Next Step: The Refuge

On June 28th  I will be returning to Costa Rica to continue missionary work with chilcren. Costa Rica is a beautiful country and a popular tourist destination.  So what kind of mission work is there to be done?  Lots.

Jacó is a city located on the pacific coast and has a population of 5,000- 6,000 residents.  One of the major attractions in Jacó is surfing and it hosted the 2009 World Surfing Games.  Tourists in Jacó see a life of luxury, fun, and relaxation.  Residents of Jacó face issues of poverty, abuse, and exploitation.

Here are some of the identified risk factors in Jacó:

·         Poverty

·         Underage Prostitution & Human Trafficking

·         Abuse

·         High rates of school dropout (before 6^th grade), students falling behind or not registered in school

·         Breakdown of family structure

·         Lack of Creative nurturing opportunities

What connections, as Americans, do we have to issues such as these?

According to World Vision,

“It is estimated that U.S. citizens account for 25 percent of child sex tourists worldwide. Some Americans take advantage of prostituted children while traveling to impoverished countries for business, tourism and other legitimate reasons. Others travel abroad specifically for "sex tours."

Sex tourists travel to countries such as Cambodia, Thailand, Costa Rica, Mexico and Brazil expecting anonymity, low-cost prostitution, easily accessible children and impunity from prosecution.”

Shocking, isn’t it? 

Christians, churches and non-profits all over the world are getting involved in anti-trafficking organizations to create awareness, intervene, rescue and protect children, teenagers and young adults. 

Youth With A Mission (YWAM)  is an international, inter-denominational Christian missionary organization.  There are 3 missionary bases throughout Costa Rica plus the ministry location in Jacó.  

The Refuge is our answer to these issues and our way of becoming a light in the community. 

Prevention is the idea- while some work to rescue children that have already become involved in underage prostitution and human trafficking, The Refuge works to prevent children from ever getting involved. 

The Refuge works with children living in 3 different slums in Jacó.

Through kids clubs, creative opportunities, nurturing adult relationships, and providing a safe place for kids to play and grow, The Refuge becomes place where these children are empowered and protected. 

The Refuge is still in its pioneering stages.  We currently have kids clubs in public places, such has libraries, parks and the beach.  However, we are in the process of purchasing a property where we will build a tutoring center, skate ramp, run kids clubs and camps and start a community garden. 

Watch this video, and catch the vision for the impact The Refuge will have on the children living in the slums of  Jacó who are at risk of human trafficking and sexual exploitation :

Like us on Facebook to hear stories and stay connected:
 http://www.facebook.com/ElRefugioJaco

More about giving

If you look up verses about Jesus and compassion, you will find that many times Jesus was motivated by compassion to heal the sick, feed the hungry, teach people, and cast out demons.  To be compassionate is to share a quality that Jesus has.  And that's a good thing.  Many times our own giving is done because of compassion.  We see pictures of kids who cannot go to school- so we donate to an organization that pays for kids to be educated because of the compassion we feel.  Needy kids are fed, clothed, educated, trained, and taken care of all over the world because people have compassion.

But I want to tell you some more effects of giving on the mission field- effects that shock us!

Some friends of mine in Mozambique told me this story about a friend of theirs.  He came to Africa and lived in a small town for a short time.  He watched how hard the women worked- going to the river to get water and washing their clothes by hand.  He had compassion on them.  So he went back to his country, and was able to raise the funds to buy simple washing machines for the families.





...And just to add some personal experience of washing by hand- I spent 5 months washing my clothes by hand while I was in Africa.  It takes a really long time just to wash my own clothes- and is a multiple day process to wash sheets, curtains, etc.  Washing by hand is a really big job.

Anyways, the man was pleased that he was able to give the washing machines and let the women's work load be lighter.  He returned a few years later to that same town and was shocked to find the majority of women drinking heavily at a local bar.

He was shocked.  What had happened?

He discovered that the "local hang out" was the river.  The women would gather there to wash clothes, but it was also where they would socialize.  They would spend hours and hours each day washing, talking, and sharing life with one another.  But with a washing machine, there was no longer a need to go to the river.  The place where they socialized was gone.  So they found a new one: the bar.

When we give we have great intentions.  We believe that our gifts will better the lives of the people we give to.  And many times it does- when we give clothes to those who wear rags, when we fix the homes of those who live in shacks, when we feed the hungry and when we give to the poor we help them leave their current level of poverty and provide for real needs in their lives.

But so often, because we sometimes give without asking the people what their needs are (assuming we already know) we can negatively change a culture, waste money, and create opposite effects than what we intended.

Lets keep on giving, but lets ask the community we are giving to and let them tell us what their needs are.

TOMS Shoes

TOMS shoes have become quite popular over the past few years.  They make the statement that for every pair you purchase, they will give a new pair of shoes to a child in need.

As a missionary focused on working with children, I LOVE their one for one deal.  The knowledge that I was buying a pair of shoes for myself and for a child in need motivated me to buy  TOMS last year.   And when I was in Africa, I saw that  TOMS  had been donated- which was comforting to know they were doing their end of the bargain.

But there is something they don't know.  Something shocking about those shoes in the small African country, Lesotho. As you know, I spent 3 months in the country of Lesotho at an orphanage.  The children live from what is donated- clothes, food, bedding, etc.  They often receive donations of old, tattered clothes that they burn instead of use.  If use saw the things that people donate, you would be shocked (and horrified!).

Sometimes my work at the orphanage involved separating donations of shoes & clothes into 2 piles: burn, and keep.  The first time I did this, the 24 year old who grew up at the orphanage helped me sort the clothes and shoes.  I saw Toms in the donation pile, and commented, "Wow, how cute! I love TOMS!" The 24 year old just rolled her eyes and told me to throw them in the burn pile.  They weren't wanted.  "Why?" I asked, "they are good shoes!"

She then explained to me that everyone knows that TOMS gives shoes to orphans.  Therefore, by wearing TOMS, you announce to the world, to your friends, to your neighbors that you are an orphan.  "We don't want to be labeled any more than we have to be, so we don't keep these shoes.  They might be nice and cute, but we don't want to wear them. I don't like that people know I have no parents and live in an orphanage."

And then she took them from me and put them in the pile to be burned.

 Are they ungrateful for burning what is given to them?  No.  They are kids that don't want to be labeled.

Giving is a good thing- it is Biblical to provide for those who don't have, to "clothe the naked," and to "feed the hungry."  So how can we balance our giving?  How can we make sure that what we are giving is put to good use- that it is wanted by the people we are giving to?

I don't have all the answers- but one answer is simply to ask.  Ask the people what they need, ask them what affect the donation will have on their community and their reputation.

Home and busy!

I've been home for 2 weeks, and it feels like my time here is already flying!

You may wonder what I do while I'm home... and the answer is, a little bit of everything! 

I've been honored to speak to different groups in the area, and have been setting up other speaking engagements to share about my time in Africa, and also what I will be doing in Costa Rica.  This Sunday I will be speaking with a Sunday School group at local church here in my hometown, First United Methodist, and next Sunday I'll be speaking at the children's church of my home church, Christian Life Center.

I've recently finished writing my May newsletter.  If you are on my mailing list, you should be receiving it soon.  If you would like to receive my newsletter through mail, or email, please let me know at kemcnerney@gmail.com.

One thing I was quite busy with my first week home, was helping my parents with their ministry.  They help with a medical missions organization in Swaziland, Africa, and were loading boxes and supplies onto a huge shipping container that was shipped out to Swaziland.  We loaded box after box, and with the church community helping, were able to fill up the container & ship it out.  It was a HUGE job that involved many hands and many hours of work.

But for me, the best part of being home is spending time with my family and friends.  I've had a great time catching up with my parents, hanging out with them, visiting with friends from high school, and with friends of our family.  Last year I was only in the US for 3 weeks, which didn't give me a lot of time to spend with friends and family. There is a lot of catching up to do & I'm thankful to be here long enough to meet with everyone!

Home sweet home

I arrived home last Thursday night and have had a wonderful past few days with my family.  My younger sister flew in to surprise my mom, and so my whole family was together for the first time in a year.  Whenever I come home it feels as though I never left.  I think that's one of the greatest things about coming back home.

A lot of people talked to me about the culture shock I would experience upon arriving in the USA.  But I think I experienced the most culture shock back in Costa Rica.  I cried almost every day for the first 5 days...not because I was sad to be in Costa Rica, but because I felt guilty not being in Africa where there is so much need.  I know that my next step is to be in Costa Rica and not in Southern Africa.  I know that God will continue the work he started, and send workers into the fields.  But it is a hard transition to go from a ministry where there is so much need, to a ministry where a lot is being done.  

I had the privilege of sharing with people from my church last Sunday about my experiences in Africa.  It felt really great to be able to share with them, and to know how they (along with many others) have been partnering in prayer with me for the past several years.  

For those who have not yet seen the video of our time in Southern Africa, here it is below!

USA Bound...and a little bit about the future!

After 10 months of being outside of the USA, I'm finally going back home tomorrow!  I'll be in Ohio for a month, and then to Texas & Colorado for a few weeks.  It will be so nice to see my family and friends after being gone for so long!  Also I am praying for different opportunities to share with churches and groups about the work I've been doing in Africa and the work I'll be doing in the future in Costa Rica.

In June I will be coming back here to Costa Rica to continue working with YWAM Costa Rica.  I will be working full time in the community of Jaco.  There are lots of details about what I'll be doing- which I'll share later on.  Scott & Leslie Freeman are missionaries from the USA who started working with the children in Jaco a few years ago.

Broken families, drug addiction, dropping out of school, underage prostitution, abuse and poverty are some of the risks the children in Jaco face.  The Freemans have begun a project called "El Refugio/The Refuge."  During my time in Jaco I will be helping them pioneer the project & disciple young girls who have a high risk of being trafficked into underage prostitution.

Check out their page: www.fivefreemans.wordpress.com for more information about Jaco, El Refugio, and the work I'll be doing when I return to Costa Rica in June!