by Sharron Pankhurst

When I first sat down to read Hope Lives, I expected it to be another book about Africa. Not that I mind another story on what’s happening in that beautiful country, but lately I’ve heard and learned a lot about Africa. Many churches are involved in mission work there and “Not Just Another Cup of Java” in MAP’s MAY/JUNE 2008 publication opened a completely new avenue of thought for me regarding business-mission activity in the world.

Boy, was I wrong!

Six years ago, a seed was planted by God in Amber Van Schooneveld’s heart through a personal experience in Amsterdam. It became a pivotal point in her life, leading to the book, Hope Lives. Amber began a personal journey, a long walk through her mind and her heart, and out of that experience she wrote a 5 week rite of passage. By the time I was reading her “On the Other Hand” section in the book’s Day 1 reading, it had become my journey too.

I was convinced Amber had read my mind because she was asking and finding answers for the concerns in my heart. The further I read, the more it became OK to admit those thoughts out loud; thoughts that I would normally have set aside as too hard to deal with or too difficult to find doable solutions.

After reading the book’s Introduction, I felt like we were friends—Wednesday morning kind of friends that meet once a week for coffee at Starbucks. It made me ready to tackle the first section, “WEEK ONE, Day 1.”

I could hardly wait to interview her about the book, Hope Lives.

A CONVERSATION WITH THE AUTHOR

Your book gave me a couple of sleepless nights because it was difficult to put the book down. Thank you for writing it in 1 day segments so I could get some sleep. I think it’s the way your heart came through to me while I was reading. It felt like we were good friends talking about something we knew we wanted to take care of, but didn’t quite know how to begin.

On the first page of the book, you state what I consider the tone for the entire book: “THE FIRST STEP on the journey is to understand the poverty of the heart, to search our hearts and ask why it’s sometimes so hard to help those in need. How are things like materialism and individualism stifling compassion? On the journey, we’ll set down the burden of guilt and pick up God’s grace instead.”

Let’s begin with something personal. We all have that someone who has influenced us. What two people have influenced you the most as you were growing up?

“Hmmm, I haven’t been asked that question before. I’d have to say the number one influence has been my mom and dad, they always believed in me.” She laughed, “My dad had a nickname for me…he called me his little Angel Girl. Growing up, I remember him being very encouraging and supportive. Having someone believe in me like that…someone thinking I was incredible. That grounded my perspective on the world.

I read the autobiography about Amy Carmichael—her life influenced me a lot. She was a woman who had such single-minded devotion to serving God and to serving those girls in India in a desperate situation. Sometimes her life can be an intimidating example. She was an all the way kind of woman—an extreme person like that can be hard to relate to. I’ve had to go through the learning process telling myself that I am not Amy and I’m not moving to India. In spite of all that, God used her story to convict me through her passion.”

Dr. Wess Stafford, president of Compassion International, writes your foreword—do you work for them?

“When I started writing the book, I didn’t work at Compassion. I had prayed about the book for a while and felt God was leading me to write it. It was while I was doing research for the book that I learned a lot more about Compassion International—our family sponsored kids when I was growing up. I was impressed by how it was run, that it was focused on the local church and on development. When the manuscript was finished, I applied for a job there.”

Why not become a full-time Missionary?

“I see my skills more in the realm of writing. I think I am much better used when I am writing to serve God rather than being in the field. I consider this my ministry that God has gifted me for.”

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Excerpt from Hope Lives
—Several years ago, I lived in the beautiful city of Amsterdam…Prostitution is technically legal in Amsterdam, as whatever is done behind closed doors is considered to be your own business…One day I walked home with a friend, past the chocolate shop and the grand church I passed each day. She told me about an experience she had had the day before. She had been walking down the crowded narrow canal streets near the red light district and a woman, walking in the opposite direction, pressed a note into her hand as she passed by. And the note said this:
Help me. I’m being held as a prisoner, forced to be a prostitute. Me and four other women are kept locked in a room. They force us to prostitute, and they won’t let us out.

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In Hope Lives, you write a tragic story about something that happened in Amsterdam. You seem to have your finger on the pulse of the American reaction to that deeper level of poverty and pain in the world.

“When I lived in Amsterdam, I learned about women who had been trafficked there as sex slaves. That was a BIG moment in my journey, but I didn’t do anything about it at that time.

It struck me, affected me, but I didn’t know what to do with the information. I chose to stuff it. In fact, at that time, I had not heard about the issue of human trafficking before. A couple of years later, I read a couple magazine articles about sex slavery…saw a couple documentaries. And, that is when God brought the memory of what I had heard about in Amsterdam back to me. It was a definite turning point, but it took several years before I would listen to it.

In the beginning writing the book, I wasn’t sure what my focus was, human trafficking or the big picture of the needs in the world. The big picture became the focus of Hope Lives, but I still have a passion for women and children who have been trafficked into or sold into sex slavery.

It was what I learned in Amsterdam that eventually compelled me to want to take action to help those in need."

Hope Lives reflects a lot of maturity and yet you are a young woman. What in your life has helped you develop such a mature perspective and deep insight into this problem?

“Good question, I think just relying on God through prayer—that is what happened while I was writing this book. Prayer began my journey. Before writing the book I was praying to God, how do you want to use me? Where can I invest myself?

So it was truly born out of prayer. A simple prayer to God, “I just want to be used by you.” I believe going to God is the key. I didn’t know much about poverty; it is such a huge and complicated problem. It can be intimidating even for the experts. I would say to ask God to guide you and ask for his wisdom.”

Your book emphasizes that the Scriptures in the Bible are full of words about loving others. What does the Bible say about serving the poor, the widows, and the orphans?

“The Bible really does give verse after verse about the poor. The God of the Old Testament comes across sometimes as the mean God, but when you read it, when you study it, you begin to see how much love and compassion God has. He is the same as the God of the New Testament.

God condemned the Israelites in the Old Testament—because of idolatry. But also, several verses say he condemned them because they ignored the poor, the needy, and the orphans. AHA! That’s what angers God. He really cares about those in need. In Old Testament law, you see that caring so often.

Throughout the Scriptures, God is really concerned about the aliens, the poor. You see it in his laws of gleaning … leave enough in your field for the alien, widow to have a livelihood. In tithing, he provides for others through our excess. In the year of Jubilee—we free the slaves and forgive debts. Throughout the Old Testament you see God looking out for those who would otherwise be overlooked…it’s clear that it is a big concern of his that we take care of those who struggle, who are weak, or need some form of assistance.”

I think we’d both agree that every person is wired differently. Are there specific ways that all people can “be the change,” regardless of their passions and talents?

“It’s easy to assume that either I have to be a missionary, or a nurse, or have a particular skill or heart to serve those in need. It’s not true—God has many ways to serve him. For me, it’s speaking out through writing. Other people must determine how they are gifted to serve—a teacher can volunteer as a tutor, someone who loves to cook can volunteer to do a meal once a week for a couple or a family with short-term needs.

There is a woman who volunteers at Compassion International. She has never married and has no children. But she did have a deep longing to share her love with someone. She just didn’t know what to do about it. Compassion International has a correspondence program—when someone can sponsor a child but has no time to write to the child--the correspondent writes letters for them. She writes to dozens and dozens of children. Each day she uses a calendar so she knows who to write to and when. She’s using her gift of writing to share love and encouragement for these children.

It’s an example of how simple it is to use our gifts to touch others’ lives. God can use us in all kinds of ways.”

In your book, you emphasize that, “Above all, this is a journey toward Christ.” What does that mean?

“It is so easy to get interested in an issue and then after a time, lose interest. It’s easy to slow down and lose my momentum because I am being powered by my own human power. What God wants from us is a journey toward Christ. I like the Scripture, Jeremiah 22:16, 'He defended the cause of the poor and needy…is that not what it means to know me?’ declares the Lord.'

So often we say, 'I want to know Christ.' This verse tells us how we can know Christ. And that is what my book, my journey is all about. As we get to know him, he will transform our hearts to act and think as he does.

It isn’t and should not be ‘guilt’ that motivates us. It is God. As we know him more, we want to do the things he would be doing if he were here.”

The statistics are overwhelming. How do we develop a heart for the needs of the world and not become numb by all the statistics?

“Instead of focusing on statistics, I think going to God in prayer is a big part of maintaining our balance. I ask God to transform me, so that I can care for those he says to care about, so that I see what he sees.

When we look at statistics, all we see are the numbers and our hearts don’t understand numbers. We weren’t created to care about numbers; we were created to care about people. It’s not numbers that God created; it is people. I think it’s very important as a Christian that I ask him to show me his perspective when I look at the world.”

How can you make sure your love for the poor is rooted in the love of God, not in guilt or obligation?

“Stay aware of your motive. We don’t want to be motivated by our human strength—even for things that seem like a good cause. But God can transform our guilt. Guilt is never a long-term motivator. I think it becomes a matter of turning to God in prayer.”

In the book, there are several five-week kits that can be ordered—Youth Ministry, Small Group, Children’s Ministry, and a Pastor’s kit that is everything you need to launch a five-week campaign.

“What a lot of pastors feel is they don’t want just a 5-week campaign. I think they want to see lasting change. They don’t want to have to keep talking on poverty every year to remind their congregations to care about the poor. They are looking for a true, lasting change in their congregation’s lives.

That is the idea behind this series—not just telling you about the issues, but it is focused on asking God to change our hearts as we follow him, each of us taking our own journey.”

What do you want to say to a small group leader or a pastor who wants to move their congregation or group toward involvement?

“Asking God to transform you to care for those he cares about—the poor and needy—is a life-changing journey. It was for me and will be for them."

RAISE YOUR VOICE
(Isaiah 58:1-3, 5-7 NIV)
Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.

For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.

“Why have we fasted,” they say,
“and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?”
Yet on the day of your fasting,
you do as you please
and exploit all your workers…

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice and
untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

DAY 22, PRAYER
Dear Lord,
I praise you that you want to give me a life with purpose and filled with joy and peace. I want to find my peace in serving you. I want to know your joy through serving others. I give myself to you to be the person you created me to be and to do the things you prepared me to do. Please help me to be your faithful servant.

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PLACES TO GET INVOLVED:
--Compassion International—a Christian child-advocacy ministry that releases children from all forms of poverty and enable them to become responsible fulfilled adults. www.compassion.com

--Group Workcamps Foundation—provides short-term domestic and international mission trips to serve people in need. www.groupworkcamps.com

--Habitat for Humanity—a Christian housing ministry that seeks to eliminate impoverished housing and homelessness from the world by making decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. www.habitat.org.

--International Justice Mission—a human rights agency that rescues victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery, and oppression. IJM documents conditions of abuse and oppression, educates the church and public and mobilizes intervention on behalf of victims. www.ijm.org

--ONE—a campaign to make poverty history, raising public awareness about the issues of global poverty, hunger, disease, and efforts to fight such problems in the world’s poorest countries. www.one.org

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Amber Van Schooneveld coaches a team of writers and photographers all over the world for Compassion International She has visited Kenya and left a part of her heart there. She’s hoping her next trip will be to India to meet her sponsored child. To order her book or to find out more about “Hope Lives,” please go to www.group.com/hopelives.

To learn more about Compassion International and how you can become involved go to www.compassion.com. To learn more about the Hope Lives church kits, go to www.group.com/hopelives