“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
While visiting churches in Texas recently, at the close of one of the services, I heard someone calling “Rev. Malone!” As I turned to answer, I was surprised to see a man with long unkempt hair, a beard and unwashed clothes. In fact it looked as if he hadn’t had a bath in days and was living on the street.
This man approached me and gave me an offering envelope. He stated that he had placed some money inside and he wanted it divided as he had written on the envelope. That night I had shared about the ministry in India. Then after the service, an announcement was made about the purchase of an electric piano for the church. This man had placed $1.50 in the envelope and designated $1.25 for Malone’s Mission in India and $.25 for the piano.
After having given me the envelope he walked away. I asked one of the church members standing by me about this man. I soon learned that he came fairly regularly on Sunday nights and that they were unable to learn much about him. They had tried to give him money and food, but he refused to accept any help or give them an address where he could be contacted.
I was able to catch him on his way out of church to ask about his relationship with the Lord. I learned that he is truly a believer in Jesus Christ. Upon learning this I asked if I could pray for him and he agreed. When I finished I was amazed that he immediately began to pray for me (eyes open looking around and somewhat timid and shy). After he finished I thanked him and we talked for a moment. I learned that he was intelligent and well read.
I left the service that night encouraged, but at the same time I was feeling a little shameful realizing that you can’t always judge a book by it’s cover. I still have questions: What would cause a seemingly intelligent person like this man to be in the situation he is in? Why doesn’t he change his situation? Why are we so quick to jump to conclusions about people?
One thing I do know is that God used a homeless man to encourage me and cause me to stop and think before judging someone in the future. One dollar and twenty five cents is small, but it’s a great gift in the eyes of the Lord. Thank you Lord for the encouragement.
Excerpt from a message by David Lawson, who participated in the Hope Bible Conference trip in 2010
I go to India and I see these children that are orphans. Man! I only want to adopt a few hundred of them personally, and bring back a few thousand so you can adopt a few hundred of them. It crushes you. It breaks your heart.
So what are you going to do? We’ve got to deal with the orphans. We’ve got to deal with the food problem. That’s the problem! Somebody has got to raise money and help out and start more orphanages and adopt more kids and feed these people. We’ve got to get on this problem.
I’m willing to step up and get engaged to the point that it would be a distraction. “No, David. Taking care of orphans can never be a distraction!” It can be. It can be.
Listen: I go to the doctor because my ankle hurts – it’s bothering me. I can hardly walk. He just keeps giving me pain meds. He’s helping the problem. My ankle doesn’t hurt. But is he really fixing anything? No. He’s not. It becomes a problem when I only deal with the symptoms and I never address the issue.
The issue in India is not orphans. The issue in India is a wrong religion, a wrong belief system. Yes, we help the orphans but we don’t let that distract us from telling the truth. They have got to be challenged with the Gospel of Jesus Christ because when they give their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, they become part of the solution, not part of the problem.
“If you’re a sheltered, comfortable, “Sunday Christian,” you’ll have no passion for the gospel. Apart from a personal, vital faith in Jesus Christ, it’s impossible to wage a successful Rescue mission in the storm-tossed seas of lost humanity. Like tiny islands of truth surrounded by a sea of paganism, we must launch our ships and cast our lines every day, “redeeming the time because the days are evil” Ephesians 5:16” Chuck Swindoll
The philosophy of Hope and Help has always been to come along side national pastors providing training, resources and limited support so that they are able to lead doctrinally sound churches, disciple new believers, continue to share the Gospel with those yet unreached and show compassion and kindness to the needy. Believing that India is a nation searching for TRUTH and having seem the faithfulness of the pastors we are working with it is our desire to see our training programs continue and increase but we feel we must also make it possible for those who are equipped and are already engaged in the battle for souls to be encouraged and given the means whereby they can dedicate themselves full time to the task that their Lord has called them to. Full sponsorship for a national church planter/pastor is only $84 a month or you can join one other sponsor and have a part in his ministry for $42 a month. Will you join us in Rescuing souls in India?
Entry by: Lori Overcash, Assistant Director of Hope & Help
I did not realize until recently that I have major trust issues. I didn’t think I was so much of a control freak, but there is some evidence that indicates otherwise. That’s not a description that I particularly like, but accepting the truth can be the first step in changing things that are undesirable. And this characteristic definitely falls into the “undesirable” column.
These trust issues affect my relationships with the people around me. I grew up believing that “if you want something done right, you’d better do it yourself.” Wow! Arrogance exudes from that statement!
During the past year I have become aware of how uncomfortable I am when I’m forced to trust other people. Hope and Help had a banquet and we asked our Board and Advisory Council to invite the guests. Totally out of my control. We hired a caterer, making our food quality totally out of my control. We hired a video production company to make a promotional DVD which was finalized the DAY OF THE BANQUET!!!! That was totally out of my control.
But, guess what? It all turned out great. I learned that we can have a banquet without me being in charge of everything. The seats were filled, the food was good and the DVD rocked. So things can turn out OK if I don’t do them myself? What? But I thought that I…
My trust issues also affect my relationship with God. I trust Him with my eternal destiny. I trust Him to overlook the greatness of my sin and see only the blood of His son whom He sacrificed to pay the price to ransom my soul from eternal destruction. But I can’t seem to trust Him with the little everyday things. Hmmm. This makes no sense. He can save “a wretch like me” but when it comes to overcoming difficulties and challenges that I face daily, He can’t be trusted with the outcome. Really? OK, that sounds even sillier typed out than it does in my mind!
In 2010, I want to learn to trust more. Not blind trust, but trust that people who love the Lord and love HHI are just as capable as I am (perhaps more than I am) of getting the job done. Mostly I want to trust God more. He sees the big picture and knows what my family needs, what Hope and Help needs, and He is able to orchestrate the circumstances so the result is beautiful harmony. I need to learn that if I want something done right, I need to let God do it!
It is hard to believe that we are already into December. It seems that the older I get the more time flies. This year has really seemed to pass so quickly but in reflection it has been a very rewarding year. Let me share just a few of things that have made it so encouraging. My family started 2009 extremely worried about our youngest grandson Micah Class. Micah was admitted to T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital on November 28, 2008. He was eventually diagnosed with Slick Gut Syndrome. Micah was in the hospital for about 5 weeks and had months of recovery ahead of him. We Praise the Lord for his recovery. Today he is very active and into everything.
January saw a team of eight ministering to over 500 pastors and their wives through the Hope Bible Conference. This past year we have been privilege to see God provide teachers and funding for four Timothy Leadership Institutes in four different areas of India. Our ministry held its first Children’s Camp where they ministered to over 800 children coming from slum villages.
During 2009 Hope and Help International held its first Banquet to acquaint the people of Chattanooga with the variousministries we are involved in. God blessed with a good attendance and positive results. In fact one of the pastors who attended is participating in the 2010 Hope Bible Conference.
As we contemplate on this season of the year, remember Christmas is a time for pausing to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to praise God for all He has given us. Hope and Help prays that you remember the true meaning of this Holiday season. May your Christmas be a True Celebration of the Savior.
By Larry Malone, 
