Barrett Ward

God has clearly demonstrated his intense compassion for the poor… those that are sick, persecuted, imprisoned, orphaned, homeless, widowed, and lonely. We ought to follow that lead. Two reasons why: one, you can and will make a difference. Whether your selfless act causes a stream of one person talking to the next and he/she to the next, or by your service you change the life of one individual because of your compassion to them in their lowly state, these things resonate through the kingdom with great celebration. And at the very least, you’ll be transformed. And that’s the second ‘why’. You will peel off the layer “I don’t feel like it”, and you will find that “he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed”. And then, we’ll all be that much closer to knowing who Jesus was, and why He was.

My job is “Director” of Mocha Club. First, some background. Mocha Club started as a way to equip young people to make change, an age group that often feels marginalized by what they perceive to be their inability to make an impact in Africa. We’ve shown them that they can by, one, that the cost of 2 mochas, or $7, can make a huge difference in Africa. $7 will put two children in school for a term in Zimbabwe. $7 will provide life saving medication to someone in the Sudan. And $7 will give clean water to 7 Africans for a year. Secondly, we show them that as a tech savvy generation, they can have a huge impact through spreading awareness by simply using the tools Mocha Club provides… our “invite system” to share with their friends and family the work they are a part of; and banners and videos they can place on their personal web spaces. In Mocha Club’s growth, we are focusing in on 6 different areas: Education, Child Mothers, Job Creation, Sudan Regrowth, Orphan Care, and HIV/AIDS. These areas give members an opportunity to choose where they want to make their mark.

My job, the Mocha Club staff’s job, is to help members stay engaged and in the know. As they become a part of Mocha Club, they will start receiving updates on the project that they choose to support. Whether it’s working to rehabilitate former child soldiers in Northern Uganda, or aiding refugees of the genocide in the Sudan, our staff labors to send updates of pictures, videos, and stories of how are members are making a specific impact.

I live in Ethiopia with my wife, who helps to direct a home where babies and children live that are being adopted. I will travel to Mocha Club’s various projects in Africa to continue the development of reporting, as well as check on the effectiveness of the work being done. While I’m not traveling, I will be on my computer developing those reports, helping to direct member care, and playing in my favorite sandbox of how we can better equip young people to make a difference in Africa. And then I’ll walk across the hall and play with those babies and kids. So, I’m lucky. I get a good mix of the areas I like to serve.

In my twenties, I’d been making good money and doing my best to play with it. I was good at that. When I was 29 I started going to church because of a girl, and there I saw an opportunity to go on a trip to Peru. I like to travel! Why not? I learned that it was more of a “mission trip,” a concept that was vaguely familiar to me. What the heck, it will be a good way to meet people. Oops. I walked into my first slum, full of tin shacks, boxes that were no more than 6’ X 6” X 6’. Then, out of one of those shacks walked a girl, beautiful, about 5 years old. I was stunned, and mesmerized… in that overwhelming moment, I felt that nothing made sense. I just stared at her. She became my face-to-face reality with a couple of truths about my pursuits to this point in life. First, where I was born led to my financial prosperity, not me. All my, “I’ve worked hard for this’”, and my “I’ve earned it’s” didn’t make sense anymore… this girl would never have those financial opportunities because of where God placed her. Secondly, I realized how ridiculously self-absorbed I was. I started tearing through the Bible looking for some answers, and began with Matthew. And He kept telling me that my rewards are paid in full on Earth when I seek the approval of man, but that what I did in private to please God would gain my rewards in Heaven. Dohh. I’d been missing that one hard.

As I returned to the states, this trip started me on a difficult train of thought that I often wanted to jump off of. As I wanted to stay in my seemingly comfortable life, I felt God consistently and gently prodding my thoughts away from my pretty convincing justifications like “that’s just the way it is. They were born there and I was born here. God wanted me in the United States for a reason.” I didn’t want to explore WHAT that reason was though… I would have rather gone about my work, celebrating the dream car I had just bought. But He kept tapping. Long story short I left my job about 10 months after that trip, and headed for Africa for two months. And as I have learned now, the unsettledness I experienced for so long, in the midst of my “comfortableness”, was a set up for a great resolution. As a spent time in Africa, I found my spiritual home, and in this service I was most alive… and settled. Oh man, what a feeling. Not that it was easy all the time, but to “suffer is His gain”, and “counting it all as joy” started to make a whole lot more sense.

I joined up with African Leadership, and a year later God planted a vision for Mocha Club and we pursued it. I continue to do it because I believe that this is where God wants me to be. I love it most of the time, I hate it some times, but I always know that I am home, at my spiritual home, as God continues to reshape my self absorbed little heart.

How can others Give Back through African Leadership?
We provide the opportunity for people to get involved in three ways:
“In solidarity, give” – sacrifice $7/month. Half of Africans live on $1 a day.
“Multiply awareness” – Through the website, start your profile and invite people to join your efforts.
“Go, see and serve” – Go on a MC Trip to Africa to see what God is doing through African Leadership and the Mocha Club, and be changed by those you seek to serve.
If you would like to learn more about joining Barrett Ward in his work with Mocha Club you can visit Mocha Club or e-mail us at Giving Back and we’ll connect you with them.