Tour of Hope

Earlier this week I had lunch with a young man who will be going to the Dominican Republic in late January to lead a group of American travelers on a tour of hope. If ecotourism is about building environmental and cultural awareness and respect, hope tourism engages its participants first-hand in the stories and lives of people and communities transformed by compassion and truth. As it turns out, both compassion and truth are critical elements in the transformation process.

When supporting the needs of developing countries, some organizations provide compassion -- humanitarian relief. This is good and yet is typically short-lived and often perpetuates dependency. Some organizations provide truth -- coaching and instruction on business, agriculture, economics, government, etc. This too can be good, teaching long-term self-sufficiency and yet may lack the jumpstart assistance needed to help the people who need it most urgently. Some realize that for change to be sustainable, for communities to improve measurably for the long term and for individuals to become free in every sense of the word, both compassion and truth are needed.

HOPE International offers both. Its mission is "to invest in the dreams of the poor in the world's underserved communities so that they might be released from physical and spiritual poverty." HOPE International provides small business microloans, business training and mentoring based upon the ancient wisdom and practical principles found in the Bible. (If only this month's big newsmakers in American politics and Wall Street finance would have heeded such wisdom!) 

HOPE's message and motivation isn't just about small business or money; the truth they point to and their motivating example of compassion for the poor and oppressed is found in the person of Jesus.  Built upon this foundation, HOPE has helped some 30,000 microloan "clients" through their Bank of Hope in the Dominican Republic alone, with operations in 13 other developing countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe.

We look forward to our trip and coming alongside to support Jose and Carmen Rodriguez who have brought compassion and truth that is likewise providing real hope to their neighbors in need.

Questions to ponder: What hope do you need most? What hope can you offer, to whom and when?

May we all discover Hope abounding and abiding.

Merry Christmas!