Published in: Eurasia August 9, 2010

Shepherd on the Mountain

By Joshua MacLeod 1 Comment

Mountain View

We all have mountains to climb and burdens to carry. Last month I found myself climbing a steep mountain in a distant country. The undefined pathway pointed ever upward and my photography backpack added forty pounds to every step. I soon regretted the purchase of “slip on” walking shoes in lieu of the more cumbersome hiking boots.

The Muslim guide I was with spoke very little English, so the best witness I could offer was a gentle smile despite the constant complaining of my feet.

After three hours of arduous climb, we arrived at our destination and my eyes… followed by my camera… connected with a keeper of the mountains: a shepherd.

Shepherd

I couldn’t help but remember that it was to shepherds that the angels came announcing salvation and joy to the world. Even today the shepherd is considered an outcast. How beautiful that Jesus accepted the outcast and even aligned himself with them. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” – John 10:11.

Sheep on the mountain

As an act of hospitality, a young sheep was prepared for the American visitors. I had heard that a sheep is silent before the slaughter, but had never actually seen the process. The lamb, resigned to his fate remained silent, giving his life for the nourishment of others. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. – Isaiah 53:7 In order for our team to eat, the lamb had to suffer and die.

Facing the mountain

Travelling to foreign countries to serve others can be fraught with difficulty.  I have often felt that life would be much more satisfying if the burdens would go away and the mountains would level off. Wouldn’t there be as much satisfaction in the view if I could take an elevator straight to the top? Why is it that the “beautiful feet” which bring the good news of the gospel end up bloodied and bruised from the difficult journey?

I think that the answers to difficult questions are discovered through faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek Him. – Heb 11:6 It is through faith in God’s promise of heaven that we are able to endure (and even celebrate) the difficulties of earth. Without an eye to eternity, the investment in others at cost to ourselves might seem foolish, but when stacked up against the joy that will come it instead creates motivation. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. – Heb 12:2-3

There are many mountains to climb and burdens to be carried if we are to obey the great commission to go and make disciples. There is however a great joy in seeing Christ reflected in the journey and an even greater joy at the promises that are to come.

Which mountain will you climb today?

1 Comment
Published in: Sudan April 6, 2010

What they asked for in Sudan

By Joshua MacLeod 4 Comments

Soldiers in Darfur

This was my second trip into Darfur. The war and genocide in this region has caused many shortages. There is a shortage of food. There is very little clean water. Medicine is extremely hard to come by. There is however one thing that is not in short supply: guns and ammunition. Soldiers walking around with AK-47’s are a constant reminder that the war in Darfur is not over. Hundreds of thousands go without clean water and millions are without a home.

How do the people victimized by the genocide respond? What are they asking for?

I was asked for three things while visiting Darfur. The first request came from the local church. Having brought a guitar on the trip, I shared a few songs to a congregation worshipping under a thatched roof hut.

One of the songs that I sang was “Jesus loves me this I know”. After the service, the pastor of the church came with a request. “Can you teach me how to sing that song? We are going to use that at our church!”. I spent the afternoon teaching the pastor how to sing and play “Jesus loves me”. At the end of the trip I gave the guitar to the pastor’s son. The first thing I was asked for on my trip was to learn a song about Jesus.

The following day I received a second request. Having driven for hours through the bush, we came to a river where a community of people had assembled after fleeing genocide.

With no clean water, I watched as a young man drank from the muddy riverbank.

In an effort to bring joy, I again pulled out my guitar and began to sing. After a while, I asked the children to sing me their favorite song. “We don’t have any songs,” replied one of the children. I know that singing is a vibrant part of Sudanese culture so I asked again. But the boy only replied, “We forgot our songs.” The horror of being forced from their homes and losing their parents caused these sweet children to forget how to sing. After developing a friendship with the boy who said he had forgotten how to sing, I received my second request. The boy looked at me and asked, “Can you give me one bible?” I was surprised by this request. “Can you read English?” I said. He assured me that he could and one of our team members Alec gave him a bible. He was very grateful for the gift. The second thing I was asked for was a bible.

On the final day of my journey, I was out on the dirt strip airfield hoping to catch some video of our plane landing. A young boy came up asked me to sing one of the songs that I made up during the trip. After singing he asked me a question. “Are you coming back tomorrow?” I shook my head and told him that I wouldn’t be back the next day.  I then received my third and last request from this trip. “When you come back, can you please bring me one book?” Having visited the “school” in the area, I already knew that they didn’t have any books. I promised to bring a book when I come again. The third thing asked for was a book.

I believe that what we ask for shows our heart. In their petitions, I saw strength, dignity, hope and focus on what is true and right. I was impacted that rather than asking for food and clothing, the people of Darfur were asking for a song to sing, a bible to read and knowledge to be gained. Even as Solomon asked for wisdom instead of riches and was blessed with both, I pray that the same scenario will be played out in Darfur.

I created the following slideshow shortly after returning from my trip:

Will you please contact me about giving instruments, bibles and books to the children in Darfur?

Tagged: , , 4 Comments
Published in: Sudan February 10, 2010

Saving 100 Lives in Darfur

By Joshua MacLeod No Comments

Did you know that for $30, you can give someone clean water for their entire life in Darfur Sudan?

The Watermelon Ministries team recently completed the 100 Wells Campaign for Persecution Project Foundation. We decided not only to provide creative media for this campaign, but give financially as well.

Our Goal

Our team is reaching out to our friends to give 100 people clean water in Darfur! Will you join us in this opportunity? For a $30 dollar donation to Watermelon Ministries, you can give an individual in Darfur clean water for their entire life. For five dollars more ($35 dollar  donation), you will give clean water, but also help spread the word with a 100 wells T-shirt or Bracelet. We will provide you with business cards to hand out when you wear your T-shirt or bracelet. You can be an advocate for the people in Darfur!

How can it be so easy to give clean water for such a small price? Its not easy at all! The only reason this campaign is possible is through the years of sacrifice and difficulties overcome by the staff at PPF. They have acquired the connections and resources to build the wells, but they need our assistance to serve more people. PPF always shares the gospel as they serve.

When making a 100 wells donation, please add a note that says “100wells” in the memo line.

Donate $35 and save a life! »

So far 56 of our friends have agreed to help give clean water through Watermelon. Will you give clean water for life?

Here’s what the shirts look like.

Tagged: , No Comments
Published in: Ghana February 5, 2010

A Prince Indeed

By Joshua MacLeod 1 Comment

I had never met anyone with the HIV/AIDS virus before visiting a School in Sunyani Ghana. The first thing that I saw on Prince was an incredible smile. The second thing I noticed were the scars on his arms. Prince was born with AIDS. His parents had died from HIV/AIDS and through no fault of his own, he was forced into a life of suffering from the disease.

Through gifts from the Mocha Club, Price was able to receive love and care and schooling.

When I think of the words that I might use to explain Price, I would say, Kind, Strong, Hopeful, Grateful, and Compassionate. I have never met a person afflicted with such a terrible disease, and at the same time I had never met a person with such a beautiful soul and spirit. You could sense the Spirit of God while you were around this young child. Price told me of His love for Jesus and that he didn’t blame God. He looked forward to growing up in Ghana and ending up in heaven.

His trip to heaven came sooner than expected. A year after visiting Prince, I received word that he was dead. His young body had finally succumbed to the terrible HIV/AIDS virus. I remember holding his hand and hugging him and telling him that God loved when I had visited.

I have seen many beautiful things in my travels, but I have never seen anything as beautiful as the life of this young man with HIV/AIDS in Ghana. His response to pain and suffering could be summed up in a single word. Christlike. There are many people who say that there can’t be a loving God because of the great suffering in the world. And yet it was through the suffering of Jesus that an eternity without suffering was made possible.

It is not the absence of suffering that proves there is a God, but rather the response of a beautiful soul to suffering that shows a greater reality than our world. I thank God that HIV/AIDS was not Prince’s destiny, but instead a painless heaven with great reward.

One day Jesus met a man who was also afflicted from birth. He had been born blind.

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. – John 9:1-3

Tagged: , 1 Comment
Published in: Sudan January 18, 2010

A Prayer for Compassion

By Joshua MacLeod No Comments


Imagine if water were so valuable, you wouldn’t waste if washing your face. As I stepped off the plane into Sudan, I saw the dusty faces of those who have suffered under the terrible genocide happening in Darfur. It is one thing to talk about the 400 thousand people who have died and 2.5 million people displaced, but it is a far different thing to see the reality of lost lives and hardship on the faces of those in Darfur.

I visited an orphanage run by Kimberly Smith. At the time there were 800 children living without any shelter…the number one cause of death being wild dogs. I found my self in a state of numbness. Having recently visited Northern Uganda, I was shell shocked that such devastation was happening on our planet.

During this “numb” state, I started feeling guilty. I expressed my numbness to a Sudanese pastor named Tito Abaha. “You should pray”, he said…and I did. I said a simple prayer asking God to give me compassion for the children.

A few minutes’ later I was approached by three young children. I picked up a guitar and started playing “Father Abraham”. We started marching around in a circle as I sang.

I asked the oldest girl how she had come to the orphanage. “The soldiers came in an shot my mother an father, and so I came here”, she said. The other children looked up when she had finished speaking, both of them with the same reply…”me too.” The little girl then asked me a question. “Do you have a mommy?”. “Yes”, I said. “Do you have a Daddy?”. Yes. “Ohh”, was her response. I held back tears.


A friend of mine had given me a children’s book about how God is the creator. I took the book, sat the children on my lap and told the children about a father in heaven who loves them and created them to be with him forever.

“Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the orphan and the widow in their distress, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” -James 1:27

It is easy to quote this verse without visiting the orphan. It is also easy to get “spotted” by the world and become so busy that we neglect those who are closest to God’s heart.


God answered my prayers when I asked him to give me compassion for these young orphans. You can get involved in serving orphans in Sudan by contacting me.

Tagged: , , , No Comments
Published in: Uganda January 18, 2010

I Want to Thank You for Changing My Life

By Joshua MacLeod No Comments


It is hard to put into words the things that have happened in northern Uganda. An unimaginably evil man named Joseph Koney led by “7 spirits” decided to attack the Ugandan government. He formed a cult rebel group and named it “The Lords Resistance Army (LRA).” His tactics for gathering troops included the kidnapping of young children and forcing them to join his militia. Young women were captured from villages and forced to be the “wives” of rebel soldiers. Many horrible and demonic things were done to these children.


Seeing only the devastation that the war in Uganda brought, I began looking for signs of life. I found light in the eyes of the missionaries at “The Village of Hope”. Missionaries Jerry and Candice Bingham have been serving the people of northern Uganda for years. They reach out to persons infected with HIV/Aids and other diseases and bring healing to the victims of the LRA.


The hotel that I stayed at was called “Jo Jo’s Palace”. You can imagine what the rooms looked like! On the day before we left, a young man named Peter approached me asking for money. I felt like God wanted me to share the gospel with Peter, so I asked a question. “Did you ever tell a lie?” I said. He looked me right in the eye and said yes. “Have you ever stolen anything?” I said. “Yes.” Then I told him about a savior who died for liars and thieves and that he could spend eternity with Jesus. We knelt down and prayed for him to receive Christ and one of our team-members took this photo. I gave him a few dollars and asked him to spend half of the money giving water to the poor, and the other half he could keep for himself.
On the next day as we were preparing to leave, Peter came running up to me. “You changed my life yesterday!” he said. “I went to church this morning! I took half of your money and delivered it to the very poor. They were so happy! So, I took all of the money that you gave me and bought more water, “ he said. “I want to thank you for changing my life!” With that he walked away smiling.


It is impossible to make sense of the horrors of this life, without taking into consideration eternal purposes. The young women at The Village of Hope and Peter may have an extremely hard living condition today, but I know that they will spend eternity in peace.

Tagged: , , , No Comments
Published in: Kenya January 18, 2010

The Happiest Person in all the World

By Joshua MacLeod No Comments

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.  Open your mouth, judge fairly and defend the rights of the poor and needy.” -Proverbs 31:8-9


I asked a missionary in Kenya to help me understand the rights of the poor and needy. “Everyone has the right to hear the gospel” she said. “Jesus paid for that right when He died on the cross. If a government is so corrupt that people are beaten down and not allowed to listen to the gospel, or people are so hungry that they cannot hear the gospel over the growl of their stomach, it is our job as Christians to defend their rights and share with them Christ’s love”.

I had never considered that Jesus paid for the right for His gospel message to be shared. I think we need to step forward in boldness in proclaiming the gospel and “speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”.


I spent a few days on this trip visiting the Kibera Slum, the largest slum in Africa. I met a young man named Moses who formerly lived on the streets but was now living at a youth hostel supported by African Leadership. I asked him about his former life and what difference it made to get off the streets? “If you ask me, I am the happiest person in all of the world.” I could tell by his face that he was telling the truth.
Someone had spoken up for Moses and given him a chance. Before he was living on the streets sniffing glue, but someone decided that they would go and reach out to him. Are we willing to do the same?

Tagged: , , No Comments
Published in: Chile January 18, 2010

She Prayed for the First Time

By Joshua MacLeod No Comments


Stepping off the bus at the Jogar Girls orphanage in San Tiago Chile, we were met by the cutest little girls you ever saw!  They were so excited to see us coming and greeted us with hugs and kisses.  How anyone could have ever abandoned or abused these precious children was beyond me.

As I looked around, I noticed bars on the windows.  I learned that men from the adjoining slum had formerly broken into the orphanage and sexually assaulted a four-year-old girl.  Vision for Chile had come in and built several safe dormitories for the girls to stay.  Our short term team was going to build the foundation for a third dorm.


On the first day there, one particular girl caught my attention as she looked out through the bars of a window and I took this picture.  The girl’s name was Jacqueline and throughout the week she watched us intently as we worked.


As with any “short term team”, there were a lot of blood sweat and tears as the different personalities learned how to work together towards the common goal of serving the orphans.  Often times in Christianity, we have a comfortable church structure where the “professionals” handle everything, and the body never needs to work side by side.  This is definitely not the case on a vision for Chile trip.  Differences are overcome in order that the girls would have a safe place to stay.

At the end of the trip, Jacqueline came up to me and asked if we could talk.  She didn’t speak English, so we had a young missionary girl named Suzy translate.  Jacqueline said that she wanted what we had.  She saw Christ in the short termers and she wanted Him for herself.  I explained the gospel and told her that she could pray to receive Christ.  She told me she had never prayed before…and then she prayed to God for the first time in her life.  I snapped this picture later on that day.

You can watch the current vision for chile video below:

Tagged: , No Comments
Published in: Kenya January 16, 2010

The Unity of Humanity

By Joshua MacLeod No Comments


I wasn’t supposed to be on this trip. I had intended to fly into Sudan to scout out land for a medical clinic with a Sudanese lost boy. I was immensely disappointed when our “friend on the ground” suddenly needed an extra $3,000US once he found out I was an American citizen. Welcome to African politics!

I was, however, able to connect with an old friend serving at AIM who put me on a “puddle jumper” airplane with a retired missionary couple to visit an extremely remote part of Northern Kenya named Log logo (good luck finding it on a map).


Logo was dry, extremely dry. In fact it had not rained for over a year and many villagers had taken their cattle several miles away in search of water. I had never seen such poverty. The child in the above picture was so malnourished that his hair had turned red.


As I walked around Log Logo, I noticed three girls in matching dresses. When they saw me, they giggled, and I caught the moment on camera. Having my own two daughters, I suddenly realized that there was no difference between these little girls and mine. They giggled just like little girls do. The only difference between these girls and mine was that they were born in Log logo Kenya and mine were born in Tennessee. In Proverbs 22:2, king Solomon makes this point when he says “The rich and the poor have a common bond, The LORD is the maker of them all.” Even though they are poor, they are still valuable.


Later on that day, I saw that there was a difference between us. I saw the same three girls drinking water out of an animal trough. For some reason, I was born in America, and they were born here, to live and die as generations had before.

Except for one small house, there was no electricity in the village. When the sun went down, I understood what Abraham saw when God told him to count the stars and consider his descendants.  Being the rare guests, we were invited to share a dinner at the small house. As I walked into the house, I was shocked by the familiar device that sat in the corner. There, in the middle of Log Logo Kenya, in the only house in the village with electricity was a television set. The fresh prince of Bel Air blared loudly as I entered the living room. The irony disgusted me. After watching three sweet little girls drinking water from an animal trough, now I was seeing the best that America had to offer this village was the cheap entertainment of a sitcom TV show. I knew that I had made a good decision to use creative media to help people like these.


The western world has largely lost its passion for God because we have become intoxicated by entertainment. What would happen if rather than watch TV for a week, we went to go find someone to needs served, and served them. After the week is through we might judge which brings more joy, serving or entertainment? I know from experience that service brings about more lasting joy? How is it that we have time and money to watch TV…and not go out and serve the poor? It boggles the mind.

I have not been able to visit Log Logo since, but I was able to show the picture of the three girls to some friends and we sent $500 dollars to help them with schooling and food.

Tagged: , No Comments