Posted in General Posts by Olivee Hendricks on 10/1/2011
I was sitting on the Boston Commons, a busy pedestrian intersection in front of parks and subways stops waiting for a friend. While people watching I noticed an older man in a Steelers jersey, jeans and a baseball hat, walk the center of the intersection, bounce a tennis ball a few times and take out a book. He started to read and yelled so everyone could hear…
“You have heard that it was said ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. Wow, it’s all right there.” The Preacher said.
I cringed a little inside. I thought what do people think of this? What if a non believer came up to me and asked “Do you approve of this? This man screaming in the street at people, do you think this is right?” I cringed a little more. Now he wasn’t angry screaming, he was perfectly calm, but yelling scripture in public none the less. Feeling a little embarrassed for the Preacher and all Christians I figured my answer would be something non confrontational like “I believe in Jesus Christ but I wouldn’t present Him that way.”
But then a still small voice spoke: “Haile, you have done that very same thing.”
And I had. In Uganda I had stood on the corners of busy intersections and preached the Gospel loud and clear like the man before me. For the sake of the Gospel and the people who might come to know the Lord through it, I did what I and probably most people in America think is crazy: Stood on a corner and shouted the Gospel. Like this Preacher I wasn’t angry or mean or condemning, I spoke out of love but either way it is still so taboo.
A few minutes later as I watched Preacher, A man about 30 feet away from him started to yell at him. He yelled questions like “what about all the suffering in the world? What about natural disasters?” Preacher responded calmly to the man’s questions so being about 80ft away I couldn’t hear what he was saying. The man yelled back at Preacher a few times and again I cringed.
I began to pray: “Jesus it is your love that changes all things, pour out your love on these men, on this situation. Just your love Jesus.”
I prayed this for a few minutes and in a few minutes the man walked over to Preacher. The two spoke for a while, and again I couldn’t hear what they were saying, I just prayed for the Love of Christ to fall all over them. They were eye to eye, taking turns talking, listening and nodding, the universal sign for understanding and agreement. After a while they shook hands and the man went his way as Preacher stood in his spot to read some more.
What!? In the span of about 10 minutes I went from condemning a man to realizing I am that crazy guy and I should want to be like him, to feeling embarrassed because he kind of was asking for the fight that just started by putting himself out there like that, to seeing that fight dissipate to mutual respect and peace!
Only Jesus can open eyes this way!
Since being back in America, so caught up in restarting my “real life” many of my experiences on the World Race had been pushed aside. I forgot what I had done for the sake of the Gospel going forth. But now that I am home I couldn’t imagine preaching on the corner! Which is actually really sad. I seemed not to care about the opinions of others…until I got back home. Preacher on the other hand appears to put God’s opinion of him first and foremost.
This is for the sake of the Gospel. This is for the sake lost souls.
Instead of asking “Am I that crazy guys screaming on the street corner?!” I should be asking “Why aren’t I that crazy guy screaming on the street corner anymore?”
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Posted in General Posts by Olivee Hendricks on 7/23/2011
I have described to a friend that being distant from God feels like dying. David wrote such words as “My bones grew old through my groaning all the day long ”Ps. 32 and that’s exactly how I would describe it, an ach that wont go away. I imagine a small child frustrated and tired, tilting her head back with closed, eyes frowning from not getting her way, too exhausted to scream or stomp her little foot.
And that’s what it’s like. Other than brief insights here and there I have felt such a distance between my God and myself. In Cambodia I realized I had become too self-focused to connect with or listen to God and all that He was constantly doing in my life and all around me. Now I’m not angry at circumstances or Gods silence I just know I am experiencing the bare minimum, which after knowing the Lord and basking in His presence, could never be enough.
I’ve heard of God doing and showing people amazing things, things I can barely dream up and the main reason I came on this trip was to experience said “things” God, His glory, His power etc. Thereis more to this walk than prayer and reading a really old book, not that those things don’t bring awesome experiences in themselves but there must so, so much more. So here, month 10 I am wondering why I haven’t experienced God in all His fullness and power. I have seen people healed and seen God provide abundantly overnight but I still want more.
I think to myself God I’ve traveled the world to be closer to you, where is your overwhelming presence? God I’m so tired from ministry and serving you, why aren’t you running to meet me? Lord I want you so much, to know you deeper and hear your voice why aren’t you speaking louder? Clearer? More? I’m asking, why aren’t you pouring everything into my hands? I’m seeking, why aren’t you easy to find?
In thinking this I noticed how lazy I am when it comes to pursuing God. If a man proclaimed his love for me and then pursued me the way I have been pursuing God I wouldn’t even give him the time of day. I would probably call him fake or a liar.
Doing ministry doesn’t instantly make you spiritual. Wanting something with all your heart doesn’t put it in your hands.
When I first came to Christ I didn’t know how to pray but I wanted a connection with Jesus so badly I got on my knees and decided I was going to read all the psalms as prayers God. At the time I didn’t know there were 150 psalms. It took hours. My knees hurt, the sun was coming up, I was so tired but I knew…I didn’t actually know, I had hope that it was worth it, that something might happen. Now? Now for some reason I expect God to just come at my call. It’s quite funny now that I’m thinking about it.
I thank God for His love for me. That the longing I feel isn’t just accommodated because I want it to be, but that God takes my walk and faith very seriously, perhaps more than I do. That I would never see those wonderful things I have heard about with a faith as lazy as mine. That He allows that distance and even that sorrow that comes from missing Him so that I might actually get off my butt and make something happen. That when I asked Him to change me and grow me into the person He and I both want me to be He said “ok, I’ll do it.” And He’s been faithful every minute.
Once again I have to praise God. It’s not easy to see, especially in the moment but it’s true that we can rejoice even in trials because He is always working, He is always answering prayers, He always loving on us!
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Posted in General Posts by Olivee Hendricks on 7/23/2011
So here we are in TANZANIA!
This month we have been doing the same things as the last 2 months here on the crazy continent called AFRICA. We usually don't know what we are doing until we arrive at our destination and then we are told to preach, share testimonies, and evangelize. It can be a bit nerve racking but for the most part we are used to it and it is just more opportunity for the Holy Spirit to guide us, especially when we have no idea what to preach on or what to share with a complete stranger that will speak to them in a personal way. But God is good and we have seen people physically healed and Muslims, "Christians" and people with no faith at all come to be born again!
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Posted in General Posts by Olivee Hendricks on 6/25/2011
on our way to ministry!
So here's the situation: The church we are working with here in Kampala, Uganda had mortgaged a plot of land to build a new church after their current church was ripped in half during a bad storm. The congregation had fallen behind in payments with more than a few members sleeping in the church with now only 2 walls and a spotty roof due to lack of funds, being kicked out of homes for their faith, and other such situations. Here in Uganda if you cannot make payments you are put in prison until you can and it was getting down to the wire.
Our pastor had gone to his court hearing for the late payments and had just a few days to get millions of shillings to pay the debt or else...
We watched sadly as our humble, sweet pastor quietly downplayed how stressed out he was getting, not knowing how her would make it out of the seemingly impossible situation. We tried to reassure him and his wife and prayed for guidance and provision.
With just a day left till his final hearing that couldn't be put off any longer millions of shillings came into the pastors hands overnight and it was enough to pay the debt, keep the land for the church and our pastor out of prison.
If felt like such a terrible position for our pastor to be in completely helpless and dependent on God but our God delivers, Our God answers prayers, our God loves us and even in the toughest situations He is willing to PAY CA$H MONEY!
Here are some photos from our month so far!
Childrens ministry. we are teaching them songs.
a boy we saw on our walk to church.
Me "open air" or street preaching.
orphanage ministry
prayer session at church.
All photos are by my super cool team leader MAC MITCHELL!
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Posted in General Posts by Olivee Hendricks on 6/11/2011
Any person of any age shouts "Mzungu!" meaning white person or foreigner when they see us. Even though we are only about 30 minutes outside of Kampala the capital of Uganda, Mzungus are so rare that even I stand out like a sore thumb. Little children follow us in hordes shouting, waving and giggling at how strange we are. I am now known as Mzungu...Welcome to Kampala!
Leaving Kenya was hard and it was a long 14.5 hrs on roads so bumpy that more than a few times I flew out of my seat and landed on a friends lap with at lease one foot in the air, and that was when we were on the "paved" roads. It had been such a fruitful and challenging month among people thirsty for the transforming love of Christ. I entered Kenya having realized that somewhere along the trip I had gotten overwhelmed by ministry and lost my focus on Jesus. I wasn't excited about sharing the Gospel because I wasn't focused on the Gospel, I had become so self centered that Jesus seemed to slip away and everyday was about me and how my needs were or were not being met. After receiving some hard feedback from a teammate who called out the fact that our team wasn't Jesus focused I realized the truth and went running back to my first love. Since then ministry has become life giving again, not just draining work, but life changing for me and the people we are ministering to. We had seen people of all ages coming to Christ wholeheartedly and having met wonderful people and made great friendships we left on a bittersweet note
Kibera slum. The biggest slum in Africa.
It has only been a few days here but I have not experienced anything like Uganda. Yes it's cute when the kids follow us but then they start playing in and chewing on trash for lack of toys, food and parental guidance. I have never seen poverty like I'v seen here, not even in rural Cambodia where we had Cambodian Market Crisis 2011 - VIDEO. Trash is strewn everywhere, literally everywhere and open sewers line the sidewalks. Our contact Pastor Joseph has been kicked out of his house 3 times this year for not being able to pay the rent. His kids miss school for lack of fees. These people are already living by faith everyday, more so than I ever have and I wonder what I could possibly bring to them.
It is overwhelming in wonderful and terrible ways to see great faith and love among great poverty and pain. The atmosphere is so spiritually charged that my teammates and I have already experienced feeling excited and moved by the presence of the Lord and just as quickly will feel attacked with irritability and discouragement by the intense need here. It is impossible to deny being thrown into the middle of the battle between good and evil but is it so exciting and inspiring to know that there is nothing I can do of my own works here. There is nothing I can bring these people and absolutely no way that I can meet their needs. Only God can make a difference here and for the first time really all I can do is turn to Him.
It is terrifying and exhilarating to have to rely on God in such a way and there is no doubt in my mind that this month we will see God do amazing things!
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Posted in General Posts by Olivee Hendricks on 4/15/2011
In the beginning of this trip there was God. God and I and I recall several times when my teammates were less than happy about a given situation and my response was " man I just cant get over how blessed we are, we were hand picked by God himself to spend a year with Him, to be his apprentices and be taught by Him personally without the stresses and distractions of everyday life! No bills or rent, everything has been provided for us! And we get to see the world! And we didn’t have to do any of the booking or planning or bargain hunting! It’s all been done! He even provided travel companions, the exact ones we need to be challenged and grow! And our trip was paid for! How could anyone be more blessed than that?!
So why is it that going into month 7 of the race I’m ready to go home? I’m not going to drop out, I know I was called to start and finish the race, but I have been looking forward to home and leaving all this behind more than ever. Lately every morning I wake up feeling almost refreshed from a fair night’s sleep and then a wave of weariness washes over me nearly gluing me to the bed. I think of all the things I don’t want to do, people I don’t want to deal with and I just feel sad. Another day I don’t want to start.
How did this happen?
Well, in the beginning there was God. It was me and God and I just couldn’t take my eyes off Him. He was so captivating and changed my world. Even through really hard times that have made me want to scream and strangle people somehow He brought so much Good out of it. Not only were my problems resolved somehow I ended up blessed after the ordeal. Somehow the vices I couldn’t kick were loosing a grip on me and were soon gone. Somehow I was slowly but surely changing into the person I always wanted to be but thought I could never become because that person was simply too kind, too honorable and too wise.
Then I started the world race and still, it was me and Him and a new family He chose for me, 6 people to share my life with and learn from for 11 months. Then there were all these brilliant distractions, new people, new food, new smells, new clothes, new sights, new lessons, new faith, new love, new pain, new everything. All these things and all their wonder took adjusting to, and each month more adjusting to, and then the next month catching up on sleep, and after that pushing through and continuing to push through till somehow each day became a routine of practicing patience, getting over frustration and trying not to fall asleep midday. This isn’t bad but when that is all you can see it’s not healthy.
I don’t know when but at some point it became just me. Not that God had left but I had become so self focused trying to make sure I wasn’t wasting a minute or missing out that my focus completely shifted. Instead of "rejoicing in trials" which build up patience, character and hope, I was letting annoyance and frustration build up...instead of trusting God to change me as He always had in the past I was caught up in keeping up with everyone else’s transformations and trying hard to do everything needed to ensure my own. The routine of ministry became exactly that, a tiring routine that I was just trying to get through instead of drawing from. I was disappointed with myself for being disappointable and keeping track of everyone’s shortcomings which only magnified my own. I was totally self-focused, looking at and to myself for meaning, fulfillment and strength. What a sad and disappointing picture that is after having looked at the King of Kings who cannot disappoint. Don’t get me wrong, I laugh everyday and there is so much joy in this trip, but that joy is fleeting when the root of it all seems lost.
That is how it happened, a slow and barely noticeable chipping away at the relationship that sustains me until...I just want to go home.
I can’t express how thankful I am that I worship the God of restoration. That "He works all things together for the Good of those who love God". Even as I write this I feel my eyes being opened to a problem I didn’t know how to fix. Our God give us truth because He continues to give Himself over and over again, day after day even after rejection and falling away. This in itself gives me motivation and faith to press in and keep going, to keep searching for Him because He never leaves nor forsakes us. No matter how faithless I am He is faithful and that grace is the transforming power that brought me to the race in the first place. Praise God!
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Posted in General Posts by Olivee Hendricks on 4/6/2011
Our short time with the women, often referred to as "Bar girls" in Thailand was peppered with joy and sadness. We got to know some wonderful people but left seeing very little fruit in their lives. My hope is that we encouraged them to want more for themselves and to know that there is hope and people who will help them should they want change. I'm so thankful that there is a permanent ministry that was there long before I came and will be there long after I'm back home in the states. Its times like this where all we can do is trust God to bring love and healing in places and ways we simply cannot.
Goodbye Thailand! Hello Malaysia!
It was a 23hr bus ride to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and another 7hrs to Kuala Krai where we spent a week with Pastor Yesudasson. After Kuala Krai was Kuantan, Kuantan to sitiawan and sitiawan to Nilai with many stops in between. Myself and Team Refresh had the privledge of traveling from the East to West coast of Malaysia and visiting 4 different Tamil Methodist Churches (TMC) with about a million house visits throughout the trip. We did such things as preaching, sharing testimonies, activities for a youth camp, a healing service, prayer, fellowship and trying to express how much we absolutely loved the food but there was simply no way any more could be squeezed into our bodies, but my favorite moments of the month were...
Pastor Yesudasson
Sitting at midnight on a pitch black plot of land with Pastor Yesudasson eating sunflower seeds and sharing the numerous and miraculous ways God had shown up time and time again in our lives followed by jokes and worship. Pastor Yessu had put a down payment on the plot of land planning to build a children's home, youth center and church but was still waiting for another 10,000 Ringet (Malaysian currency equal to about $3333) just to pay off the land. He shared his vision and his heart with us. As I listened to his painful testimony of abuse, forgiveness and deliverance I understood why he labors so hard for Christ amidst so much opposition. It was such an inspiration to persevere through setbacks, disappointment and pain. We spent the ride home in fits of laughter with one of the happiest souls I have ever met! oh, just a few weeks later he is only in need of about 1000ringet for the land to be paid off!
Youth camp at Kuantan
A sweet and humble Pastor Samuel opened his home to the 7 of us strangers and the people of Kuantan TMC trusted us to teach their youth. The kids were 13-17yrs old so there was no shortage of awkward moments between boys and girls while doing trust falls, the human knot and other such activities they had never heard of. It was great and full of laughter but closed on a serious note as we left the ball in their court challenging them to make their faith their own because salvation is their choice, no one else's. After team building, self-esteem and explode for Christ workshops we asked the kids if they would like to rededicate their lives to Christ or pray for a closer relationship with Him. I will never forget a young man that look like and Indian version of Harry Potter coming up for prayer. He openly confessed to feeling like he had many enemies and often intentionally making people mad. He wanted more of Christ and blessings for his studies. There was something so innocent and trusting about him that moved my heart so much and it was an absolute joy to be an ear he could confidently confide in.
the Orphanage in Nilai
For only 3 days we lodged at an orphanage in Nilai with 4 girls and 1 boy. "They hunger for love." we were told so we knew the youngsters would be important to pour into during our short time there. I was so tired and literally falling asleep while sitting up in the early afternoon from the heat and a stomach way too full of food but the kids weren't tired, they are never tired so we played. I haven't spent an afternoon running around playing freeze tag, musical chairs or patty-cake games in years and it was so worth it. Not only did we conquer the language barrier we brought so much joy to the kids there and they brought so much joy to us! I felt like a kid again and we got to spend nearly all day lavishing them with attention they rarely receive.
there is just too much to write but God moved so strongly and brought us so much joy that we got to lavish on others all over Malaysia.
Cambodia is coming up next! stay tuned for an update.
Photos again by Mac Mitchell :D
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Posted in General Posts by Olivee Hendricks on 3/21/2011
Yeah, its true.
It costs 80 baht, almost $3 for a coke that I have to buy just to talk to a "bar girl". If I dont buy another in about 20 minutes the manager who is watching us, already annoyed that I bought the cheapest drink on the menu, will ask me to leave.
They know who we are and they know what we do.
We are those strange "tourists" that dont come for sex & don't come to get drunk. We talk to the women a few nights a week to empower them to leave the bar scene and sex trade.
If a woman we meet speaks decent English and if she is willing to risk not being able to send money home to her parents or children and if she can believe there is something better for her she might meet us for lunch to talk about her options. Thats where SHE comes in!
SHE is a ministry aimed at empowering women to leave prostitution. Women have the option of leaving the bars, moving in at SHE for free, taking a 3 month course in various areas of business and upon completion being placed with a job.
So why dont they all leave? Because after being treated like and object designed solely for the service of others it can be hard to believe that they are worth or can accomplish anything. Most of the women we talked to felt stuck. One was overseen by her brother who was there to make sure she was working. Every woman I spoke to was sent by her parents to earn and send money back to her family or to provide for her children living with other relatives.
"I do everything but I dont like."
Can you imagine if your job was to be used like a toilet by countless strangers? Enduring it day in and day out with no forseeable end? That is what people in the sex trade live everyday.
Hope (not her real name) is a young woman we had the privilege of meeting for lunch. She opened up to us, new friends who surprisingly just wanted to get to know her, and told us about her line of work. Throughout our conversation she was called by a client and continuously she made excuses to stay in our gentle company a little longer. "His penis kaput. No work. We not have sex, just watch Grace have sex with friends" She pointed to her friend sitting with us. This is just one women and one client. Almost all women we spoke to had one to a few regular clients and multipule one-timers. We were told our work in Thailand was the tip of an iceberg. The people we met though under extreme pressure did have a choice to leave their jobs. There are so many more who don't have that choice.
"There is a high demand for 2-7 year olds for the sex trade."
This was told to us by a friend of the chief of police when he was warning us about certain areas we were working in. For our own safety a number of bars were off limits because the people behind closed doors were in fact trafficked. Because Phuket is world-renown for sex-tourism people come from all over expecting to indulge in any type of desire they may have. This is a reality for more people than we know, men, women and children. The one street we worked on, about 3 blocks had over 1200 women stuck in prostitution,
But thank God there is hope. People like our ministry contact who have dedicated their lives to helping this taboo population.
Please consider finding a ministry or organization of your choice and supporting them in the fight against human trafficking. If you would like to help SHE or have any questions email me at Ohhendricks@gmail.com
Photos of our ministry were taken by Mac Mitchell.
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Posted in General Posts by Olivee Hendricks on 2/5/2011
Highlights from January in Manila, Philippines: Loving The Lice!
This month in manila, Philippines 3 teammates and I are living with 8 teens ages 13-16, helping them learn to live independently. This means giving them responsibilities (chores and curfews) and holding them accountable for following through with the tasks that have been entrusted to them. Needless to say we are not always their favorite people and a lot of attitude gets thrown our way. But God teaches us to show love in the most unlikely of places.
If you know me well then you know that anything that comes off of or out of a person's body (scabs, boogers, dandruff) grosses me out in the worst way. Hair is by far the nastiest, especially when taking it out of your food. So spending an afternoon deliceing 8 kids with kerosene and then picking the eggs out by hand, one at a time wouldn't sound like my favorite afternoon, but actually its up there with the top 3 this month!
One of my love languages or ways of expressing love to people is acts of service. I enjoy showing people I care by doing little things for them here and there that they might want or need. I didn't want to end my shift early so for the last 30 minutes I pulled up a chair and started the egg hunt. We definitely looked like primates grooming each other. So much of the month has been reprimanding the kids and reminding them again and again to follow their first rule: obey the first time. Again, attitude accompanied by murmuring under breath and words in Tagalog. It is incredibly difficult for them to understand that we are only trying to help them, that all of this is really for them. So when I had a chance to tend to their needs and help them in a way many wouldn't I was super excited⌠not at first but eventually.
As a friend put it âdoing mindless tasks, like weeding a garden or stuffing envelopes keeps my flesh busy so my spirit can thrive.â I totally enjoyed the effortless chore of: find an egg, pull it out, find an egg, pull it out. As my hands were working God was showing me love in such an odd place: lice eggs, and whether the kids realized it or not it was awesome to love on them more than I usually take the time to.
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Posted in General Posts by Olivee Hendricks on 2/5/2011
Highlights from December: Praying for the least
Costa Rica was a slow month with the holidays but of course God is always present and willing to work in and with us as much as we let Him. A moment that stood out âŚ
There is a weekly feeding center at 6:8 ministries, a ministry based on Micah 6:8. Most of the people that show up are those we would call the least, not just of the kingdom but of the world. The people you try not to make eye contact with when they extend their hand for change, the homeless, drunk, sick, dirty, crack addicted, prostitutes and destitute. They come in for their meal, usually still reeking of alcohol and pain. We hand out the food and chat just trying to love on them.
A man stammered in balancing on crutches, trying not to use a foot that looked like it might be beyond saving. Clearly drunk and struggling he sat down and with some prompting from the holy spirit through a teammate I went over to him, kneeled at his feet, took his hands and prayed for him.
To be perfectly honest I was repulsed by him. He smelled of body odor and stale alcohol. He slopped up food and looked like a child with a runny nose, some of his meal going in but plenty falling out of his mouth down his chin, a bit onto my food. He seemed contaminated, physically, mentally and spiritually and I didn't really even want to be near him but I took his hands, supposedly God loved this creature.
Quickly after I started we were both in tears. I was overwhelmed with how much love God had for this child of His, so lost and whether he believed in his Father or not, some part of him believed in booze more. I think I got a glimpse of a smidgen of how God feels about his children who don't have the strength to take a step in faith and trust that our God is greater than everything including our fears and vices.
At some level he too was deeply moved. His drunken stupor disappeared during the prayer and he wept from deep inside of himself. He didn't understand what I was saying but for a moment he seemed to pour it all out to God with deep moans and tears, not holding anything back. Towards the end of the prayer he smiled a genuine smile that reflected relief and hope, even joy. We stared into each other's still tearing eyes and smiled over the love and peace God had poured out one us. There were no words to be spoken in that instant and the prayer was over. Within moments a haze seemed to descend over him, his eyes glossed over and pupils dilated. He looked as if in his intoxication he hadn't noticed me and took the opportunity to ogle the young woman that had just appeared in front of him. That was it; the spirit had left or at least seemed to.
 When Jesus walked on this earth he spent time with these people because as he said they were the ones in need of a doctor. Now you rarely see this population in church I think mostly because they don't feel welcome, church seems to be a place for respectable people who for the most part âhave it togetherâ or some myth like that. Is it possible that this man is just as valuable as I am? Jesus seemed to think so. We can think of the most logical arguments and sound judgments to rationalize why this man is or isn't valuable in society or why he may not even be worth the food that he eats but
âWhen we stand before God we cannot say âbut others told me to do thusâŚ' or' virtue was not convenient at the time.â â" Kingdome of Heaven
This isn't meant as an accusation but an honest question: what do you believe?
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