John introducing the dictionaries
In the public eye, there is a clear distinction between non-profit organizations – faith-based or secular. The former engage in proselytizing activities while the latter focus on providing basic human services or raising awareness for a cause. Often however, the distinction is not so black and white. MAHI International is one of the organizations that falls in the gray area. Described as a “Christian-driven” organization, MAHI focuses on providing for the needs of the islanders, in areas such as healthcare, education and energy.
From a personal perspective, I believe sharing the Gospel is one of the most valuable services you can provide. In the same breath, I believe it’s possible to live out the Gospel by helping others in different ways. MAHI has done this by donating beds to a hospital, working to improve literacy in the schools, and installing solar panels on outer islands, just to name a few. This reflects one of my favorite quotes from St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
This past Wednesday, the MAHI team assisted in the delivery of new dictionaries donated by the Rotary Club to all 8th graders on Pohnpei, visiting over 15 schools. Many of the kids were absolutely stoked to receive their early Christmas present. In one school, the teacher told all her students on Monday that they needed to have a dictionary by Friday. We asked how many had purchased one yet – we saw no hands. Shortly thereafter, the teacher said we were “sent from above!”
That wasn’t the first time I have heard such a comment. Indeed, as a Christian-driven organization fulfilling secular needs, I always smile when I’m reminded that we are doing God’s work. While it would be great to hand out Bibles, the majority of these students are reading three grades or more below grade level, as found by our student reading level assessments. Mind you, that assessment was only testing if the student could read the words – comprehension wasn’t even a factor.
Distributing dictionaries won’t educate these students and send them to college, just like handing out Bibles won’t immediately lead to spiritual revival. Both are only mere steps in a long journey. I went to college in a campus that can fairly be defined as liberal, like most college campuses. Every year the Gideons came to town and handed out free pocket Bibles. I was always excited to receive a free Bible, but was disappointed to see other students take the Bible and throw them out, or openly ridicule the people distributing them. While in theory handing out “the good Word” is never a bad thing, it was obvious that it was going to take a lot more than handing out a book to convert anyone that day. Similarly, we have a lot more work on our hands to combat illiteracy on Pohnpei than just handing out dictionaries. There is no silver-bullet solution, but these dictionaries are another tool in our arsenal.
We are moving forward in our education program, working out logistics regarding our community night with all the schools, where we plan to present all our results and galvanize support for education among the parents and community leaders. The Christmas spirit is in the air, which is weird for me given it's over 80 degrees every day!
From a personal perspective, I believe sharing the Gospel is one of the most valuable services you can provide. In the same breath, I believe it’s possible to live out the Gospel by helping others in different ways. MAHI has done this by donating beds to a hospital, working to improve literacy in the schools, and installing solar panels on outer islands, just to name a few. This reflects one of my favorite quotes from St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
This past Wednesday, the MAHI team assisted in the delivery of new dictionaries donated by the Rotary Club to all 8th graders on Pohnpei, visiting over 15 schools. Many of the kids were absolutely stoked to receive their early Christmas present. In one school, the teacher told all her students on Monday that they needed to have a dictionary by Friday. We asked how many had purchased one yet – we saw no hands. Shortly thereafter, the teacher said we were “sent from above!”
That wasn’t the first time I have heard such a comment. Indeed, as a Christian-driven organization fulfilling secular needs, I always smile when I’m reminded that we are doing God’s work. While it would be great to hand out Bibles, the majority of these students are reading three grades or more below grade level, as found by our student reading level assessments. Mind you, that assessment was only testing if the student could read the words – comprehension wasn’t even a factor.
Distributing dictionaries won’t educate these students and send them to college, just like handing out Bibles won’t immediately lead to spiritual revival. Both are only mere steps in a long journey. I went to college in a campus that can fairly be defined as liberal, like most college campuses. Every year the Gideons came to town and handed out free pocket Bibles. I was always excited to receive a free Bible, but was disappointed to see other students take the Bible and throw them out, or openly ridicule the people distributing them. While in theory handing out “the good Word” is never a bad thing, it was obvious that it was going to take a lot more than handing out a book to convert anyone that day. Similarly, we have a lot more work on our hands to combat illiteracy on Pohnpei than just handing out dictionaries. There is no silver-bullet solution, but these dictionaries are another tool in our arsenal.
We are moving forward in our education program, working out logistics regarding our community night with all the schools, where we plan to present all our results and galvanize support for education among the parents and community leaders. The Christmas spirit is in the air, which is weird for me given it's over 80 degrees every day!
With all the 8th Graders at Pohnlangas Elementary School
A little roadblock on the road to Salapwuk Elementary School
