"WHAT CAN I DO NOW AS A KID?"

First of all let me congratulate you. Looking for an answer to this question indicates you are different from most of your peers. Most kids your age are interested in their own little world and doing their own thing. Showing compassion for others and wanting to do something about it is indeed wonderfully unusual!

Hopefully working with us across the border helped open your eyes to the needy all over the world. Our world in Mexico is a rough world, a dirty world and a poor world full of kids who didn't ask to be born poor. Now that you have visited this world, met the kids and worked with missionaries you have seen the needs . . . But what can you do, now that you are home?

I guess the answer depends on a lot of things like how old you are, your family, where you live and how creative you are. Also how determined you are to do something.

The simplest and easiest thing you can do to help us is pray for us. Your prayers are so important. Every missionary needs prayer for health and safety. The more people pray for us the more effective we are. Don't ever discount prayer. God answers prayer!

HERE ARE A FEW IDEAS.

Two girls I know are in poor health and can't travel to Mexico with us but they pray for us every day and save up their money between them then go to a department store with clothing sales and buy the cutest little girls clothing. Then they carefully box the dresses and send the package to us and we take it with us to Mexico. Because these girls are so neat I take photos of the little Mexican girls that are so happy dressed up in their new clothing. I send the photos back to the two girls.

Some kids I know are very creative and think up ways to earn money. From baby-sitting to making and selling home made cookies they earn money. Then they buy things they think the kids across the border will like and lovingly pack them and send them our way. Be sure you have your name clearly written on your return address.

Other kids tell their school or their Church where they went and what they did and ask them to help collect good children's used clothing and send the clothing to us.

Sometimes a Sunday School class or a youth group will put together a project to help us out. A group of kids can do together what one person can't do alone. You might be just the person who can spark the project!

Around November we try and collect as many new toys as possible. Each December we distribute more than two thousand little toys to the kids who will not have a Christmas in their home. You might be able to help us out with that big job. And it's a big job!

Of course we aren't the only missionaries in the world. You might ask your pastor or youth worker for names of other missionaries that you might help. Even sending a missionary a birthday card or a short and encouraging e-mail note would really be appreciated! Missionaries like Christmas cards too.

Remember your trip with us was sort of exotic. Different country and different people. But now your at home and it's not exotic, it's the same old world. Hey! There are things you can do right around your own neighborhood that can be real rewarding. It just takes being creative and persistent. A good question to start you off. What would Jesus do if He were in your neighborhood?

I was impressed with two American teenagers going to a missions school in Brazil. I challenged the kids in school to get into a ministry. The next year I returned and this boy and girl excitedly showed me an old and poor couple living in a dirty little shack on the side of the road. This was their old folks ministry. The old couple loved these kids so much! The teens would talk to them, read to them and bring them little goodies to eat. We had a great time. The kids also had two small Bible clubs they started to reach the street children there in Brazil.

Here's an idea. Is there an old folks home near you or an old person living alone near you? The answer is probably yes! It will take some investigating. Old people love to have kids visit them. They get so lonely. Just bringing them a little flower or helping them read from the Bible makes so much of a difference to them. Someone like you could "care" about them! It won't take much time but it will mean so much. Be sure to ask the administration how you can help.

We found a home for the retarded and mentally handicapped in our neighborhood. There may be one near you. We would go there every week and help out. They were so happy just to have us play with them and push them in their wheelchairs around the block. Goober was my special friend. He was a little short fellow about fifty years old but with the mind of a child. Goober always had a smile. When I came in the door Goober would grab my hand and pull me down the hallway and over to the swings and have me push him. He was so happy! God has a special love for those kind of people. You might be able to show your love for Christ in a place like that. Investigate and you will find there are places you and your friends can serve. Again, be sure to first ask the administration how you can help.

Be persistent! If you really want to serve Jesus by helping the old and crippled and handicapped ask your youth pastor if he could get a ministry like that started in your area. I'm almost ashamed to say it but the way I got started into ministry in Mexico was by one boy in my youth group who was so persistent. He kept asking me to go to Mexico. I kept saying no. Finally I gave in and we went to Mexico. If it hadn't been for that one teenager there would be no Spectrum. It pays to be persistent!

Get a reminder. Download a picture of poverty and place it somewhere that you can see it often. This will remind you to pray and it will remind you to be thankful for all God has given you. As an example here is a picture of a very poor "home" just a hundred yards from our border. If you want to know the true story of this picture, CLICK HERE.

You might want to be a missionary when you get older. That would be great. In Africa, India and the ghettos of Manila as well as neighborhoods of Haiti there are millions of poor around the world. There are millions that have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need missionaries.

What can you do now if you're interested in missions? Here are several things you might consider. Learn a language in school. Look up different mission agencies on the internet. Here is a great website to start you out, HTTP://WWW.NTM.ORG/. Locate and read missionary books. Look up some true stories I have written about our people. These short stories are on this website under "'STORIES FROM VON'S JOURNEL'." Here is another idea, when missionaries come to your church, listen to them, meet them and tell them of your interest in missions. They will be glad to give you some ideas.

You want to hear a great story right from the Amazon in Brazil? Each Month missionary Duane Howe writes a neat story about the jungle tribal people he works with. Just say you are a friend of von and want to get his stories. His e-mail address is duane_howe@ntm.org.

If you want to know what we always need, look at our 'HOW YOU CAN HELP' section.

Don't forget to look at our 'NEWSLETTERS' section. Each month we have a new story.

Don't forget to visit us again as we work in Tijuana.

OUR ADDRESS IS:

SPECTRUM MINISTRIES
2610 GALVESTON STREET
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA 92110