Horrific descriptions of poverty and injustice have become fairly common, so much so that many Christians are numb. Today I want to tell you a story about five people in their 20s from central Illinois who are combating this numbness. It begins with a journey across the sea.

Welcome to Mitumba, one of the smallest and most neglected slums in the city of Nairobi, Kenya. Widows and orphans compose a vast majority of the slum’s 12- to- 15,000 inhabitants. There are no government schools, and while 70 percent of the population is HIV positive, no medical help exists. Flushable toilets and clean water are not part of Mitumba’s reality. Children without shoes run through streets filled with garbage, broken glass and feces.

Prior to March 2006, Chad Parker had never heard of Mitumba. The 25-year-old entrepreneur knew a lot about business, website design and baseball … but not about Mitumba – that is, until God sent him and four friends to Kenya. Many people question the value of short-term missions, but for Chad and his friends, this trip was more than just another “eye-opening experience.”

As is the case with any mission trip, this team found themselves in numerous unexpected situations. One of the most memorable was the day they spent with Pastor Shadrach in Mitumba. Pastor Shadrach and his wife began Rural Evangelistic Ministry, which is currently the only Christian organization serving the people of Mitumba. This ministry provides church services and weekly a Bible club for children, while also striving to fulfill physical needs. On a budget of only $60- to- $70 per month, they began a school in Mitumba that educates 120 of the slum’s 3,000 children and feeds each child two meals a day of either rice or porridge.

During his afternoon at Shadrach’s school, Chad noticed that most of the children were sick with colds. So the next day he purchased an $8 case of cough medicine. Within a week, nearly all the kids were better. For a person living in Mitumba, this medicine is very expensive, yet the $8 was a meager sacrifice for Chad. He began to see how easy it is to make a difference.

The team of five boarded their plane home with images of Mitumba etched in their minds. An eight-hour layover in London found them brainstorming ways to help Shadrach’s ministry. Chad had met with Shadrach to go through the ministry’s budget and knew that the biggest needs were money and volunteers.

This group of young people returned to their jobs, friends and families with a commitment to continue serving the people of Mitumba. From this commitment came an organization called GOYA Ministries.

GOYA is working to obtain non-profit status, but has already begun sending donations abroad with the help of HighPointe Community Church in Bloomington, Illinois. In hearing about the organization, people often ask, “What does GOYA mean? Is it a tribal word for ‘Jesus?’” The answer is no. GOYA is an acronym that stands for “Get Off You’re A--” It is a response to the apathy with which many Christians address problems in the world.

GOYA has numerous projects underway. For example, plans are being made to sell ornaments, soapstone jewelry and angels carved out of wood – all handmade by women in Mitumba – this holiday season. Bracelets, T-shirts and other merchandise will be available soon as well, with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly to Mitumba. (To learn more about other projects, visit GOYA’s website.)

Preparation has also begun for three future trips to Mitumba – in March, May and August 2007. Tentatively, the March team will start a building project and implement new grade school curriculum. The trip in May will be a medical mission. GOYA hopes to send several doctors as well as a team of people to assist the physicians.

Lincoln Christian College, along with two churches in central Illinois and a church in rural Idaho have already partnered with GOYA and are helping to elicit awareness and support. With money that is raised, GOYA hopes to provide food, clean water, clothes and shoes for the children, school curriculum, teacher salaries and medical supplies. Eventually, the organization also intends to help with community development and work toward better living conditions in Mitumba.

A short trip to Kenya and a whole lot of faith has propelled these central Illinois twentysomethings into action. It’s easy to read this article and think, “Good for them! I’m glad someone is helping all those poor people without any food or medicine or a roof over their heads.” But the point is that God calls all of us to be people of action.

As is written in the book of James: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if people claim to have faith but have no deeds? ... Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (2:14-17, TNIV).

So “GOYA” and ...

... Encourage your small group to donate funds or help in other ways.

... Get your local indie band involved.

... Get your co-workers involved (whether they’re Christians or not).

... Go on a trip to Mitumba.

... Buy GOYA merchandise to support fair trade in this impoverished place.

... Encourage your local coffee shop to donate proceeds from their African blend coffees.

... Come up with other creative ways to educate people and raise money for Mitumba.

... Spread the word; tell someone else who might care.

... Or don’t have anything to do with GOYA, but get up, and do SOMETHING!!!

“If God says go, ask how far. And when He says ‘around the world,’ just know that with His help, any idiot can do that,” Parker says. “I am proof positive!”

For more information, visit www.goyaministries.org, email the author of this article or email info@goyaministries.org.