1: Sexual Abstinence and Health Problems: Nancy Dyer was able to share with the kids about her personal experience in this topic and the kids were touched and made a big change in each of the kid’s life. Telling them how God helped her overcome and heal her sex phobia caused by a sexual abused she suffered when she was just a little girl and encouraging them  to save this precious gift of sex for marriage and how God has a purpose not only physical but emotional too for this act. Also sharing a health problem she had to go through last year and how in the midst she was able to seek the planner and not the plan and in prayer to be able to ask “what” do you want me to learn from this, instead of “why” is this happening to me.

2: Smoking, Drinking Abstinence and We are a 1 being in 3 Parts : Dr. Kent Dyer being a head, ear and throat doctor, had an amazing speech about how God gave us a mind, soul and spirit and how we have to take care of all of them and he went in depth in the physical part showing pictures of different types of cancers that can be the consequence of smoking and drinking, his speech changed lives forever!

3: Peer Pressure, Self-control (anger), Am I beautiful? And talents: Were just some of the topics their children, Kathryn (16 years old), Zaralyn (14 years old) and Christopher (11 years old) shared with the classroom making a great impact on them because the kids were able to hear how God helped them in each area that they were struggling with, from kids of their same ages of topics that they also go through. And making the kids able to take a decision and leading them through the prayer of salvation.

[View with PicLens]

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Our Experience

I will begin by providing a glimpse of the experiences of the week. I, myself, had no idea what to expect, and I think it will be helpful to describe what did happen.

Our time was basically split between talking to various groups in schools, talking business in the office, talking strategy over meals, enjoying the family at home and restaurants, and travelling between all of those places. We were fortunate to see schools in the city and in rural villages. We were able to see the Bolivian people in their homes, at church, and at work.

Tom and I spoke, with Joske translating, to 9 different groups of students ranging in size between 50-200. At first, I had no idea what to say, or what the purpose was of us speaking to these high school students. In the end, my “speech” consisted of the twists and turns that my life has taken, and the principles that I’ve used with God by my side to get through some of the hard times.  I also talked about how God worked the hard things for good. Tom spoke about the principles required to succeed in business, and how he couldn’t follow through with those principles without God’s help. Tom always invited the students to invite Jesus into their lives by repeating a prayer prayed by Joske. Most students repeated the prayer. Tom then instructed them that if they meant it, Jesus was there with them, and they should try to figure out what He wanted them to do. Amazing what you can say in the public schools!

One thing that is very important to notice is that opportunities to bring the gospel to students like the one mentioned above are different than the “drive-by evangelism” that can happen with short-term missions that provide no follow-up. POM is an on-going program.

I eventually realized that our speaking to the students had multiple purposes. What we were doing with them was describing an implementation in our lives of the principles that the POM program teaches. It took me a while to understand that these principles (love, creativity, purpose/planning, work, fruitfulness, government, marriage), which are straight out of the Bible, and which we think of as commonly understood, are not commonly understood at all by these young people and their parents. It was helpful for them to see how we applied them to our lives, and that they really did make a difference. Frequently, we could tell that the teachers were listening even more closely than the students. We were suggesting a different approach to life, one that was full of hope.

Another purpose of visiting the schools was to make the POM presence known, and to help the overworked principals and teachers know that the POM organization wants to serve them well. The faculty really appreciated our visits. At one point, we tried to cancel a presentation because we needed more time to discuss operational issues. Our cancelation was met with great resistance. We did end up going, and were very glad that we did. The principal was so grateful. The teacher in whose classroom we spoke had lots of questions. The students were some of the most receptive.

There are many teachers and principals who care deeply for their students and their schools. This became abundantly clear to me during the teachers training on which Joske and I worked together.  But, they are often working with one hand tied behind their back. The money for teachers is very limited. Schools are in disrepair.

Cultural Issues Affecting the Ministry

One reason for the sad physical shape of the school buildings is that multiple schools hold classes in the same building in 4 hour blocks. There is no “ownership” of the facilities. Consequently, there is little inherent motivation for upkeep. The concept of teamwork (in this case the students and faculty of different schools working together to keep the schools clean) is somewhat foreign in the Bolivian culture. The concept of working only for “my” good is the norm, as can be seen in business dealings, the drug culture, and the way many men treat women and children. Another reason for the sad physical shape of the schools is the poverty. People in the community vandalize and steal from the schools in order to meet their own needs.

The culture is a little different in the rural villages. Here, students, families and teachers know each other well. There seems to be more cooperation, and more pride (in a positive sense). We were very impressed with the quality of the students’ work in the rural schools, even though they often had even fewer resources at their disposal.

Cultural Issues and the Curriculum

When in the rural villages, Joske held a training session for the parents. The turnout was huge. These parents came tired, after working long days. They are clearly hungry for truth and for help in raising their children. Joske was fantastic with the parents. She is clearly passionate about what she teaches and she is a gifted communicator. She wanted these parents to understand the virtues and principles that that POM program teaches, and how following these principles can lead to a much better life. Again, I was stunned that the parents were lacking knowledge that I thought was common.

At one point, Joske asked the audience if love was an emotion or a decision. The room was silent except for a couple of people that tentatively suggested that it was an emotion. She creatively explained that it was a decision. It struck me what a difference understanding just that one concept could make in their lives and those of their families.

Illiteracy and lack of access to the internet for information and email exchanges present additional challenges for educating the parents regarding the content and benefits of the curriculum. For the program to work, parental buy-in is essential. However, because of the limitations, training sessions must be conducted in person. The need is great, but Joske has limited time. She (well, maybe just her skill set) needs to be replicated.

Cultural Issues Surrounding the Business

As passionate as Joske is about teaching, Rocky is about the business of evangelism. He wants to find the best way to reach the most people. Having immersed himself in the Bolivian culture, he recognizes that business in Bolivia is not the same as business in the US. First, there are differences with the employees. The Bolivian work ethic is different than in the US. Workers tend to function as individuals, not understanding the concept of doing something for the good of the whole. Honesty has been a problem. “Firing” employees who underperform comes with a huge monetary penalty imposed by the government. Second, the law of the land can change at the whim of a single governmental official. So even though you may have established a contract with the schools under a certain set of laws, those laws can be changed overnight rendering the contract null and void.

As is shown by the condition of the schools, Bolivians seem apt to care much less about things that they do not have a stake in. It is probably no different than in the US. Hence, the model of making the schools and parents pay something for the POM curriculum causes them to have a greater interest in it. Rocky and Carlos F. (POM administrator) are working hard to make POM self-sustaining. To do this, the native POM employees need to buy in to the ideas of teamwork, honesty, and efficiency. Really they need to buy-in to the principles espoused in the curriculum that they make and sell.

More on the Business Side

Tens of hours were spent discussing the business side of the ministry. We talked about fixed and operational costs. We talked about the structure of the POM organization, and the structure of the school system to which they provide the curriculum. These concepts fall more under Tom’s expertise. Here I focus on the most essential resource, the employees.

The Need for Good People

It became clear that good people are the key to the future of the ministry. Having a few quality people trumps having a large but less dependable work force. Carlos F. has recently cut the number of staff members significantly, and wants to rebuild with a solid few rather than an unstable many.

There was much discussion as to how these good people can be found and trained. Joske needs trainers that can effectively carry some of her load. These people would be able to train teachers in using the curriculum, and do some of the parent training as well. Carlos needs workers that are adept at selling the curriculum. They would need to deal with the schools, as well as the city government and financial officials.

One way to recruit good future employees might be to offer scholarships to students who show unusual interest in the POM curriculum as high school students. The government currently provides 10 scholarships per school to the public universities. The top students are awarded this opportunity. POM might be able to offer something similar. The thought is that students who have experienced the program might develop into good people to market the curriculum and train others in the program. The scholarships for salespeople might provide for a business degree, and the ones for training for a teaching degree. A paid internship, hopefully leading to future fulltime employment,  could also be a part of the plan. While an interesting idea, there are drawbacks along with the positives. One such challenge is that once the student becomes an employee, the government penalties for termination go into effect.  So, if the student does not turn out to be a good fit, money is lost.

Another approach to hiring might be to seek out more senior people. The Malloys are aware of a few people who might be a good fit. However, hiring top people comes with an additional financial burden.

The Need for Good Training

As mentioned, Carlos has already removed many staff-members who were underperforming, or not suited for the ministry. Those who remain and new people who are hired need more complete training. The salespeople need a deeper understanding of the curriculum that they are selling, along with the governmental system that they must navigate to complete the sale. There are a fewsalespeople who remain and could be utilized to train with regard to the governmental system. However, if the time spent training others takes away from the commission that they could earn by actually marketing the material, they might not look on this idea favorably. Carlos is trying to come up with an incentive program to curb this fear.

Perhaps the more pressing challenge is to help both the trainers and the salespeople to become experts on the POM curriculum, and to become passionate about it themselves.  If they embrace what the curriculum is teaching, they cannot help but become better employees, trainers and salespeople. As mentioned earlier it appears that many of the principles taught by the curriculum are foreign to the Bolivian culture.

Written training manuals for the salespeople and trainers could be a first step. With regard to the curriculum itself, these manuals should provide the research and rationale behind the principles and themes discussed. For example, when talking about the principle of marriage, the theme of gender needs to be considered. The concept that men and women think differently, have different needs, and approach life differently is a new idea to many in Latin America. This background information cannot be assumed, but needs to be explicitly taught. This kind of explicit background knowledge will help to build the confidence of both the salespeople and the trainers.

At the same time that the training manuals are being created for the trainers and salespeople, training manuals should be created for the teachers leading the curriculum in the schools. These should include explicit learning objectives for each lesson, along with brief additional background information to increase the instructor’s sense of expertise.

Perhaps even more essential that training manuals is for the employees to actually see the principles taught by the curriculum at work. Then, they can speak from personal experience.

During one of the discussions in the car, I mentioned to Joske a Bible Study group that I facilitate at my university. We study a book of the Bible using a study guide, and have a time of sharing and prayer. All but one of the women are from my building, and this study has served to be the foundation for a real sense of community there.

As I was describing this study, I could see Joske’s eyes light up. She came up with the wonderful idea of creating a discipleship group among the future trainers that she is working with. Rather than using a study guide covering a book of the Bible, the curriculum would be the basis of their study. Outside reading material, from both Biblical and non-Biblical sources could be used to augment the student workbook curriculum. This group, which she calls “Women in Education” would allow for personal prayer and sharing as well. The trainers would be experiencing community (and the values of the curriculum) and learning the material at the same time!

Why Bolivia? (or Latin America in general?)

While Rocky and Joske wonder why more people aren’t out on the foreign mission field, my question has been just the opposite. I have wondered why people go to the mission field when the spiritual needs at home in the US are even greater!?!  As I wondered this aloud to Tom he reminded me of these verses from I Corinthians 1:

19 As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”[e]

20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,[f] Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy[g] when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world,[h] things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

Those in Latin America are not the rich and the famous. Many would say they are the weak and foolish. Consequently, they may be the prime candidates to bring the world to its knees.

Why the Malloys?

The heart that Rocky and Joske have for the Bolivian people and for God is undeniable. However, there is more to this couple that prepares them for this ministry than meets the eye.

Joske grew up in a missionary family. She has training as a nurse which allows her to provide credible insights into the nutritional influences on learning and behavior. She learns languages fairly easily because of her willingness to risk making mistakes and because of the example of her father. She is passionate and tireless. She is an excellent communicator, and loves doing the research required for good teaching.

Rocky is driven. The word “can’t” is not in his vocabulary. He has vision that can’t be squelched. He is adventurous, and willing to take risks. At the same time, he is willing to listen. He trusts the expertise of others even though it might not immediately make sense to him.

As a couple, they practice the principles that they want to teach. While they share many of the same personality traits, in other ways they are extremely different. They acknowledge that the first few years of marriage were rough because of these differences and the fact that they are both strong personalities. However, they are quick to point out that in an environment of completely committed love, each has grown to be more of the person that God wants them to be. It is clear that they now deeply respect each other and each other’s abilities. The working relationship between the two of them is tremendous.

The home that they have built together is filled with love and respect. The children clearly care for their parents and for one another. I do not mean to paint a picture of robotically perfect children. They are encouraged to be their own people and have the ups and downs that we all experience.  But they all love God, are completely welcoming to strangers, and very proud of the work that their parents are doing.

Rocky and Joske have made some conscious choices to create the family atmosphere that they have. Although driven to be always on the go, Joske and Rocky both make a conscious effort to be home, and to let their children know that they are important. Business meetings are interrupted by children’s phone calls which are never put off. The Malloys recognize that they are the ones who decided to be missionaries, not their children. The needs of the children cannot be sacrificed for the cause. I greatly respect this.

Fundraising in the United States

As a final observation, I wanted to comment on fundraising efforts in the USA. Just as Bolivians need a sense of ownership to put forth their best effort, so do people in the US.

Recently, someone in the United States offered to pay the salary for an assistant to Joske. The assistant has been working with Joske for 6 months now and has been a tremendous help. Why was the donator willing to make this rather large investment? Because he or she wanted to see a very concrete need being met. The person took ownership of the need, and took great joy in meeting it.

One organization, I think Samaritan’s Purse, publishes a catalog of “gifts” that can be given in the name of someone at Christmastime. For example, you can give 3 blankets to someone in another country in the name of your mother, by making a donation of X amount of dollars.

Perhaps Mission Generation could follow this model. The gifts could be large (such as a salary), small, or anything in between. Givers could give enough to sponsor a training session, or the books for a particular grade, or to buy the office a new printer. People from the USA are generous, but want to know exactly how their money will be used.

What Stands out about Mission Generation

• Anyone that has spent any time with Rocky knows that he is driven and would run headfirst through a brick wall if that is what he believes God is telling him to do. I also found him to be refreshingly very open to new ideas and constructive feedback. It was great to get to know Joske and discover that she is just as dedicated, though in perhaps a softer way. Some days she translated for us all morning and afternoon as we spoke to the kids and then did a training session for the parents in the evening. While Lori and I got to trade off talking, Joske was always at it. Her energy level and passion for the message captured the audience and her heart shown through. Perhaps just as critically, we found that she provided a great balance to Rocky’s aggressive desire for action, with thoughtful consideration and confident assertiveness when needed. They seem to have great respect for each other and make a great team.
• Mission Generation/POM has a tremendous reach in Bolivia in terms of the locales they cover, the number of children, parents & teachers they reach and the apparent impact of their program. This is particularly impressive in consideration of the small number of people in the POM organization in Bolivia and the limited amount of funding they have for their operation. With just a double hand full of people in Bolivia they are attempting to reach somewhere between 1/3 and ½ of the country on a very slim budget compared to most international ministries.
• In general, the kids, parents and teachers seem to be much more receptive than what you would find in the U.S.  They don’t seem to suffer from the pride of self sufficiency we have in much of our country and are hungry for a message of hope. In the classrooms where we spoke it was typical for the majority of students to raise their hands when asked if they’d like to ask Jesus into their hearts. In a few classes it was almost unanimous. It is impossible to tell in these situations the full sincerity of their response but even if it is due to peer pressure it is peer pressure in the right direction versus toward destructive behavior. At the very least a seed is planted and the on-going POM lessons can reinforce the message on a daily basis.
• Many of the key recipients of the POM program have a huge desire to help & dedication to the kids. We met district directors, teachers and school principals that were extremely passionate about helping the kids in their schools and the potential for this program. One Principal, though she was within a few years of mandatory retirement, walked us around a school with broken windows, dirt blowing through the walk ways and open areas of the school and told us of her dreams of putting up a building to support vocational training on one end, a large play field on the other, and a solid wall around the school to reduce vandalism. A director for one of the rural districts proudly told us how, after getting his law degree, he returned to this locale and built the programs, how many of his students were going on to the University and how his son had followed in his footsteps. POM is not a program being forced on these people. It is a tool that they can use to help achieve their dreams for the kids.
• POM is a very family oriented program in a culture where so many of the families are broken and dysfunctional. Their curriculum for the kids emphasizes the importance of family and key principles on how to make family work. Their training for the parents – many of whom came from miles away, mostly walking or by bike, after a long day of working – dealt with key issues of marriage, love, respect and conflict resolution. There was a hunger in the parents who flocked around Joske afterwards with questions about their specific concerns. POM emphasizes healing at the foundation of the culture – the family.
• MG & POM seem to have a good reputation and respect in the country and with other aid organizations. For example, we saw where they are working hand in hand with World Servants, a Dutch group, to build a kindergarten at a rural school with the aid of labor and materials from the local community. All the school administrators and teachers we met, some experiencing for the first time an outside POM presentation, were greatly interested and supportive.
• Bolivian leadership of POM (particularly Erica & Carlos) seem to be highly capable, engaged and dedicated. They definitely seem to have a feeling of ownership for the success of the organization and have a good business sense. We understand that this is unusual in a country where the culture is to look out for yourself and take advantage of whoever you can. I did not sense an attitude of entitlement that we are told is the norm for employees in Bolivia. They seem entrepreneurial and enthusiastic about making POM a success.
• Unlike many aid organizations and missions, MG/POM emphasizes the model of helping the people help themselves. “Give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you’ll feed him for a life time.” They regularly bring in people like us from the U.S. and abroad to make presentations in the schools, and even sometimes municipal rallies, in order to bring attention to the program and overtly present the gospel. However, the heart of their program is a curriculum taught weekly in the schools by the regular teachers and purposefully tied to other subjects being taught.  In the evenings they have classes for the parents, led by resident Bolivians. POM teaches principles for living and shows how they are meaningful in the day to day activities and lessons that the kids, families and teachers are facing.

What is UNIQUE about Mission Generation?

While all of the above really stand out about MG, there are other ministries and organizations for which many of the same things could be said. However, there are a few things that are truly unique about MG, at least from my experience and observations:

• The heart of MG/POM is a program that gets almost daily reinforcement throughout a school year. It isn’t a one time, high hype event but rather a program that teaches God’s principles on an on-going basis, in the same environment and with the same credibility of the rest of the academic classes. It reaches children at an early age, before they are most vulnerable, and then reaches their teachers and parents through what they care about most – their children. Outside visitors, speakers and rallies provide a means of delivering the Gospel clearly and directly — hooking the students and teachers into the program — but the meat of the ministry is the regular lessons taught by the regular, indigenous teachers. Biblical principles and teachings are woven through these lessons and the prayer of salvation is as close as the back page of the text book. These principles are expanded and reinforced over and over throughout the school year.
• In the spirit of “teach a man to fish”, MG sells and implements much of their program through POM, a nonprofit NGO made up of Bolivians. In this way, it is not a bunch of outsiders telling them what they should think, do or say, but their own people working day in and day out to spread the program.
• Government and local school support for the program are essential elements to POM’s success. The districts, schools, parents and students feel ownership for the program and material because they have invested in it. The government certification of the program and insistence that its key principles are taught throughout the country provides a barrier to entry for other, competing philosophies or agendas. In fact, the government requirements are often used to win over reluctant participants. Joske told us of one teacher who argued against the God/spirituality part of the program. Her response to him was to read the government requirement that such things must be part of the curriculum and ask how else he was going to meet that requirement. The main thing that sells the program to often agnostic teachers and administrators and totalitarian government officials is the success it has brought in reducing unwed pregnancies, school drop outs and drug problems as well as the self-worth built into the students that has led to their becoming valuable, contributing members of society. This is then a direct, positive reflection on Jesus and the Bible from which the principles are derived.
• Mission Generation is now in a unique position to take this outreach to all of Latin America.  The certification of the program by the Bolivian government makes it automatically accepted in other Latin American countries. They already have multiple other countries begging for the program. The approval by the Catholic Church as well as protestant evangelicals makes it universally accepted in the region.
• Perhaps most impressive, God’s Spirit must be moving in a mighty way. For a program to grow out of a “mom and pop” operation in one of the poorest countries in Latin America, with an essentially totalitarian government run by the president of the cocaine growers union can only be attributed to the glory of God and the working of the Holy Spirit. The fact that these governments and some of the poorest people in the region are helping to fund the program so that the cost is minimal can only be a God thing. As I Corinthians 1:27-29 says: “but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.”

What are the Key Challenges?

Based on Lori and my observations over the week, there are a few key challenges that stood out to us:

• MG/POM is currently limited by resources, both money and people, not opportunity. They operate on a very small budget and yet need additional people to get the message about the curriculum out to the schools, sell them on its efficacy, and train the teachers and parents. This is largely a cashflow issue. Once the material has been picked up by a school or district it quickly pays for itself (i.e. the money received pays for the material used) but the expenses of meeting with the various government and school officials to initially sell the concept and then train everyone to use it must be spent before the payments for the material are received. Thus, as with any growth venture, the cash to grow must be provided up front. Some of this funding goes to material but most of it goes to the people that sell and initiate the program. Attracting, training and retaining the best people for this endeavor are the biggest challenges.
• As mentioned above, Bolivia presents a challenging environment. While it is a testament to God’s power that such a program is distributed with the approval and support of an essentially totalitarian and often corrupt government, these conditions none the less present real issues. When an official that has signed off on bringing the programs to their district is jailed for political reasons, the process must begin again from the start and the funds expended to date on that thrust are lost. Laws can change overnight. It is very difficult to let someone go once employed, no matter their performance. Bribery and fraud are part of how business is done and government decisions are made. Culturally, they are an expected part of the process. Temptations of kickbacks and corruption from this process are constant challenges to the POM staff that are out selling the program.
• Our conclusion was that the training that Joske leads (mostly by training the trainers) is one of the most critical factors in the success of the program. Most of their trainees (teachers, parents, trainers) don’t know many of the things we take for granted. When a group of parents was asked if love was an emotion or a decision, all who were willing to venture a reply said “emotion”.  The idea that it could be a decision, without always involving emotion was novel to them. Rocky & Joske have worked hard to make the material and training positive in a culture that emphasizes what not to do. Thus learning how to present a positive, upbeat message in training is essential and not readily understood. The trainers must be engaging (in different ways for different audiences) to be successful. Many in their audience are tired from hard physical labor and discouraged and will not be reached by dry and strictly factual presentations. Joske is key to the success to date in Bolivia, in our opinion. Her knowledge, passion, skills in presentation and heart make it work. To multiply the ministry she needs to find and train others with similar make up and motivations.
• Mission Generation has an aggressive and far reaching plan: to reach Latin America through their program. While God can and will miraculously empower them, they must still be of sound mind and balance the opportunity and passion for Latin America against overreaching and the risk of not being effective because they are spread too thin or because they moved too soon.

Suggestions

I am currently reading a book called “When Helping Hurts” (by Brian Fikkert, et. al.).  One of the main points of the book is that “the economically rich often have ‘god-complexes,’ a subtle and unconscious sense of superiority in which they believe that they have achieved their wealth through their own efforts and that they have been anointed to decide what is best for low-income people, whom they view as inferior to themselves.” So it is with some trepidation that I offer any feedback. Let me first acknowledge that I have been exceptionally blessed by God and all that I have and am are the result of skills, knowledge, upbringing, family, training and opportunities that were given to me by grace alone. None the less, Rocky asked for my feedback so I offer the following for consideration with the caveat that it is based on a limited, one week exposure and should be filtered through those with “feet on the ground” day in and day out!

• I think an operating plan – essentially a planned budget for the fiscal year vs. expected income & cashflow statement – would be helpful in managing POM throughout the year as well as communicating current status to the BOD. I provided some input on what a “dashboard” might contain in a separate email to Rocky.
• Rocky has bemoaned the fact that when he presents MG to businessmen they start evaluating it too much as a start up company and when he presents it to normal church goers they also sometimes view it as more of a business than a ministry. In both cases it may get in the way of fund raising. I would suggest that it be presented as a ministry augmented by government and individual support primarily for their ownership/ valuation of the program and materials. The in-country NGO can be explained as helping the indigenous people help their own vs. a “business venture”. I personally believe that while the program material, distribution and portions of the maintenance and training could become financially self-sustaining as Rocky envisions, there will always be a need to augment that with funds for training the trainers to keep the heart of the program pure and motivate the passion in the trainers. I also believe that funding of visiting speakers and rallies should continue to be funded through MG so that the direct presentation of the Gospel is never controlled by the government and schools and momentum lost. I believe sometimes a different perspective, (e.g. as a start up company that just needs to get to sustainability), can detract from the desire of donors and the above could help mitigate that. (P.S. I would avoid referring to the POM staff tasked to get schools and municipalities to buy into the program as “salespeople”. No one wants to make a donation to a “salesman” J).
• Focus on excellence in the training program. As discussed above, this seems to be one of the most important elements to making the program work. This needs to include not only the information and skills to present the program but also the heart. Finding ways to disciple the key leadership of POM so that you are developing their hearts as well as their business skills could yield great dividends.
• A closer tie to local churches would be a big plus. There seems to be a great need for a spiritual “home” for the children and families as they grow in their faith. Perhaps training programs in the churches could help align the way they view POM and tie into what it is doing in the schools.
• Finding ways to hire new sales & training personnel from POM success stories could help. Getting people that have grown up with POM and had it make a big difference in their lives would likely lead to staff that are passionate about their jobs. One win-win-win approach might be to offer scholarships & internships for students in the POM program – pay for university costs as well as offer an intern job and potential long term employment at POM. This could help generate excitement for POM in the schools, provide a good opportunity to select the best students early, give the students motivation to work hard and pay attention to the material, and even be a good way to raise funds (“sponsor a scholarship/internship”).
• Finding ways to tie fund raising initiatives to specific, tangible allocations. I think the “$1/child” to share the gospel through the POM material, or sponsoring a class or school or district, are powerful draws but I think some people also like to know that their donations are going to something more tangible or someone specifically. The risk, of course, is that this designated giving will leave the basic day to day needs of the ministry under funded as they may seem less exciting but, if done right, hopefully this could be avoided. Some specific ideas are:
  • The scholarship/internship described above.
  • Another might be paying the salary (or part of the salary) for a key POM staff member.
  • One time rallies and visiting speakers is yet another.
  • Establishing campaigns to bring MG to a new Latin American country might be especially powerful and provide a focused drive beyond the on-going MG giving. By “campaign” I mean a one time global emphasis for a period of time on raising the funds required to get a solid start in a country such as Chile or the Dominican Republic. It should:
    • Paint a picture of that particular country, its needs and how MG will address them
    • Show the growth curve and likely outreach numbers
    • Show that you already have the right leadership (ideally by name & description) and government support in place and all you need is the initial funding.
    • Maybe a “push it to the finish line” campaign for Bolivia might also be helpful to get to the sustainable level and get the right leadership staff in place so Rocky & Joske can move their focus to other countries.

Any numbers that can be provided to back up the claims of major reductions in unwed pregnancy, school drop outs, drug abuse, family problems, etc. as well as children, parents and teachers reached would be helpful. One of the responses we hear most when discussing MG (or after Rocky has given his impassioned vision) is that “it sounds too good to be true”. I think some of that is unavoidable as a powerful movement of God is always going to seem “too good to be true” but verifiable facts to demonstrate the results you are seeing would likely help.