Diving
in
for
60Years
By Warren Hardig, Executive Director,
Men for Missions
In the early days, MFMers lifted the
load of missionaries by providing cars for
OMS personnel at home and overseas.
Groups of men began to pray across the
United States, and it spread into Canada,
then to the United Kingdom, Australia,
and New Zealand. Coin and stamp collections were traded and sold among the
men to earn money for missionary projects.
MFMers have also been involved in many
OMS construction projects, including six
youth camps on three continents, numerous churches and bookstores, and to date,
more than 60 homes for earthquake victims
in Haiti. Faith and works are combined on
the job site as Haitian construction workers
Kent Eller, you, and many others. I want to
say thank you while I still have a chance.
I know there have been many ups and
downs, but when I look at Bill Evans’ report
from early March 2014, stating that more
than 800 people have already participated
on Homes for Haiti trips since the project
began, it brings tears as I think of the people
transformed as a result of those volunteers.
Warren, there will be many in heaven because of what God has done and is doing
through the ministry of MFM and the people
involved with it.
One of the things that I love about MFM
is that you can stick your toe in the water or you can jump in over your head.
Hundreds of people are coming to Christ
through MFM medical, evangelism, work,
and prayer teams. Yes, the best days are
before us if we will follow in obedience and
dive in.
Men for Missions is ordinary men doing God’s
extraordinary work around the world.
Men (and women) from all walks of life
have sweat and, at some inconvenient
times, shed tears over individuals and
multitudes without the Gospel. MFM is
a conduit that takes ordinary people to
countries they may not have known existed and opens their hearts to share the
love of Christ any way they can.
Dwight Ferguson founded MFM in
1954. In his early days, Dwight lived for
fast horses and faster motorcycles. He
swam at the YMCA in Chicago with movie
star Johnny Weissmuller, better known as
“Tarzan,” who encouraged Dwight to dive
from high in the rafters into the swimming
pool far below to conquer his fear.
Dwight’s conquered fear carried over
into his spiritual life. He had a reckless
abandonment to the will of God. And that
was contagious to the men who joined
him. Lives of men were sharpened by one
another as they gave their businesses to
God. One farmer sold his farm and built a
road in Haiti, one worked in Colombia, one
built a seminary in India, and one planted
churches in Russia. Having grown up on
a farm, I can understand why these four
farmers could have been considered crazy
by their neighbors. Yet, in God’s eyes, they
were obedient servants.
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respond to the testimonies of MFMers and
come to faith in Christ.
Going on an MFM ministry team trip
can be hazardous to your ambitions. More
than 30,000 men and women have gone
on MFM short-term trips, and hundreds of
participants have responded to the Holy
Spirit’s prompting to become career missionaries or enter other ministry-related
vocations.
I recently received this testimony from the
man who sold his farm and went to Haiti:
In 1974, God began my 40-year journey
with MFM, and it is not yet finished. I am
challenged each day, but I know where I
am heading and the person I want to be. I
don’t want to lift MFM above God’s work,
but I do know what God has done in my
life and many others’ because of men like
Bob Taber, Howard Young, Dwight Ferguson,
photos page 14, top: An early MFM team, with Dwight
Ferguson in back row, arms crossed. bottom: An MFM
team member in Ecuador photos page 15: MFM continues to provide short-term trips for those who want to
share the love of Christ in various ways, such as work,
evangelsim, medical, and prayer teams.
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