Tag » Theater « @ Backstage Blogsponsored child Archives -

Dec

08

What Does Jesus Want for His Birthday?

It was after a performance of In His Steps at a church in Southern California in August. With the challenge of the drama “what would Jesus do?” fresh on their minds, I shared with congregation about our work with the ministry of Food for the Hungry and left the platform to go wait at the display table, hoping that someone might stop and sponsor a child.

Gino approached with his fiancee, Mary. I began to explain the process: “Select the child you would like to sponsor and—“

Gino cut me off and said: “Just one? I was thinking maybe six.”

And he did… he sponsored six kids! He took the challenge of “what would Jesus do?” and did what Jesus asks of us all to do.

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40)

It’s Christmas time, and if you are like me you are probably getting swept up in all the activities of the season. One of those in our house is the making and checking of our Christmas lists. It is easy to get so caught up in the festivities that we can forget that it is a celebration of the birth of Jesus. While we “make our list and check it twice” we forget that Jesus has a list as well. Since it is His birthday we celebrate, it might be a good time to see what it is that He has on His list. It starts out: “I was hungry and you gave me food, thirsty and you gave me drink.” The list ends with: “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Gino’s response was a powerful reminder of why I do this ministry. Amidst the list of all I have to do—the traveling, performing, scheduling, writing and rehearsing—I need to remember what is on Jesus’ list. When it comes down to it, it is the very reason I started this ministry in the first place. The very name of this ministry “Master’s Image” was created as a reminder to be conformed to His image in the work we do. While at first glance you might think, “it’s just that Christian actor guy that does those plays in churches,” for me it’s about so much more. It’s about lives changed, it’s about people like Gino and the six kids whose lives were helped because Gino saw a play and was moved to do something that Jesus would do.

While I work on my Christmas list this year, I am also adding things that I am thankful for. This ministry turns 34 years old in 2018 and it could’t happen without the prayers and support of people like you. If you are reading this letter, you are one of those who have made this journey possible. That’s hundreds of performances and thousands of lives impacted like Gino and the kids he sponsored. Thank you!

As you look forward to 2018, we would be so very honored if you would remember us by giving a gift to Master’s Image Productions. We would be especially grateful if you could support us on a regular basis with a monthly pledge (if you are already doing that, thank you!). You can also designate your gifts for the benefit of a specific artist (Marcia Whitehead and Steve Wilent).

Merry Christmas!

One Time or Monthly Donations:

Your donations make this ministry possible! We welcome your participation. (You will be taken to a PayPal page to complete your contribution.) Master’s Image is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax-deductible.

P.S: If you would like to sponsor a child with Food for the Hungry you can do that here: www.sponsornow.info. (sponsorships through that link also help Master’s Image!)

Posted by Chuck Neighbors | 0 comments

Mar

17

A Visit to the Dominican Republic

Stories / Travels / Video Blog

As you may have read in my earlier post, Meeting Cristal, I had the privilege of traveling to the Dominican Republic with Food for the Hungry. It was an amazing trip. I came away very impressed with the work they are doing. I also got to meet a precious child that my wife and I are sponsoring. This video give a little overview of the trip.

If you would like to sponsor a child like Cristal, you can easily do that by clicking here: Sponsor a Child!

Posted by Chuck Neighbors | 1 comments

Jun

06

Sometimes They Cry

Blog Archive / Stories / Travels

I love observing people. It’s part of the job of being an actor. You become a student of human behavior.

Mari Luz and her Great Grandmother in The Dominican Republic. Mari is one of the children we sponsor through World Vision.

I enjoy working in partnership with World Vision, and have discovered the table where I display all of the children who need a sponsor is a great place to observe people. I try to figure out ahead of time who will be the ones to sponsor a child. You learn to read the signs. Some people avoid eye contact. Some pass by with only a glance. Sometimes they linger and pick up the folders and read more. Sometimes they ask questions. And sometimes they cry.

There was a young woman at a recent event who desperately wanted to sponsor a World Vision child. She lingered, picked up a picture of a child and cried.

I asked if everything was okay.

She told me that this child’s birth date was the same as her anniversary. She wanted to sponsor, but was uncertain because she is in a job transition and not sure she could afford it. She took the folder and went off to speak to her husband. The program was about to begin so I left to go backstage.

After the program I am back at the table. I noticed the picture folder has been returned and the young woman is nowhere in sight. I figured the husband said no.

Then a most beautiful thing happened. A man approached me and asked if he could sponsor a child for someone else. He said there is a young woman in tears because she wants to do this but can’t afford it. I happily explained that, yes, there is a gift sponsorship option that would allow for that. The man agreed to pay for the sponsorship until the young couple was able to take it over for themselves.

I observed the reveal as the man shared what he was doing, the look of shock on the young woman’s face, the hugs, and yes, the tears.

Sometimes they cry… and sometimes I do too.

If you’d like to sponsor a child for yourself or as a gift sponsor for someone else I’d be happy to help you do that. Send me an email: info@mastersimage.com

Posted by Chuck Neighbors | 0 comments

Mar

06

The Child Who Wouldn’t Accept “No”

Blog Archive / Stories / Travels

“Daddy, can I have some ice cream?”

“No.”

“Daddy, can I have some ice cream?”

“I said NO!”

“Please, Daddy, can I have some ice cream?!”

Can you relate? We have all been there…probably on both sides. I’ve been that kid who wears down the parent, and the parent who is worn down by the kid. Sometimes it’s easier to give in than fight the battle. But if you’re saying “no” for the child’s good, for health, or discipline, or just not wanting to deal with a child on a sugar high…those reasons…you give in but feel guilty. Show of hands?

But what if the child was persisting not for selfish reasons, but for the good of another? What if the child was “nagging” you from a heart of love and compassion?

I saw just that recently. As you may know, I partner with the Christian relief and development organization, World Vision. After my performances I offer an opportunity for people to make a difference by sponsoring a child. Those who are interested meet me at a table afterwards where they can select a child to sponsor. It was at the table that I met Maria.

Maria made it to the table before I did and was holding a picture of a little girl from El Salvador. “I want her,” Maria says.

“That’s great!” I say to Maria, who looked to be about 7 or 8 years old. “Is your Mom or Dad here? You will have to ask them.”

“We’re from there,” Maria says.

“You’re from El Salvador? That’s awesome!”

Maria takes the picture folder and disappears into the crowd of people mingling in the foyer after the service. I visit with others at the table but also keep one eye tracking Maria. I spot her talking to what appears to be her mother. A few minutes later, her mother is escorted to the table by Maria. She watches as her mother asks me questions about sponsorship, how much it costs, and what the sponsorship does.

“We’ll have to ask your father,” she says and then lays the picture folder on the table and goes back into the crowd.

Maria snatches the folder back up and ducks away again. A child on a mission.

A few seconds later I spot her showing the folder to her dad. Dad is shaking his head “no.” Maria turns away. I am visiting again with more people but watch as her dad approaches the table and firmly sets the folder on the table and walks away… very much a “that settles that” sort of feeling. I continue to visit with others at the table.

Children in El Salvador show me their art work – World Vision Trip 2006

I turn back to see that the picture folder from El Salvador is once again missing from the table. Across the room I spy Maria showing the folder to an older couple and a few minutes later she has dragged them over to the table. The couple is Maria’s grandparents. Delightful people who share with me a bit about how they moved here from El Salvador and also share that they already sponsor a child with World Vision. They would love to see this child sponsored but can’t do it themselves and confirm that Dad has said no.

I look down at Maria, “I’m sorry Maria, maybe next time.”

“But I want her!” she says. With that she once again grabs the folder and disappears into the crowd. I go back to helping others at the table who are signing up to sponsor children.

A few minutes later I look down to see Maria once again at the table beaming a big smile back at me. Mom is beside her filling out the information to sponsor the child. Dad is nowhere in sight.

Maria’s persistence won! I don’t know if dad agreed or if mom just decided to do it anyway, and deal with the consequences later.

You could debate that the parents caved and gave in to the child. Or that the parents were being stubborn and should have said yes sooner. Maybe they could plead guilty on both counts.

I like to think that love won. I am pretty sure that at least two children will be better for it… and have a sneaking suspicion that probably mom and dad will too!

Would you like to say “yes” to a child in need? You can easily do so here by clicking here!

Posted by Chuck Neighbors | 2 comments

Mar

08

Meet Mari Luz

Blog Archive / Stories / Travels / Video Blog

We just returned from a wonderful visit to the Dominican Republic. Part of our purpose in going to this island nation was to visit our World Vision sponsored child, Mari Luz. She is a beautiful child and we are privileged to be a part of her life. Take a moment to view this video montage of our visit.

Working through an interpreter we were able to have a conversation with Mari, though she is quite shy. Her favorite color is pink. Her favorite subject in school is math. We found out that one of her favorite things to do is attend Bible Club (provided through World Vision). Though only 7 years old, Mari has a dreams. When we asked her what she wants to be when she grows up she said she wanted to be a doctor! Sometimes people wonder if their sponsorship really is tied to a specific child… I hope this video answers that question!

If you would like to make a difference in the life of a child, and quite possibly have your life changed too, I invite you to sponsor a child like Mari Luz. Click this link and get started in making a difference! Sponsor a Child!

Posted by Chuck Neighbors | 0 comments

Dec

20

The Gift of a Child

Blog Archive / News / Stories / Travels

It’s the season of Christmas and we are busy with the hustle and bustle of getting ready for the big day. But if you are like me, you need to be reminded that Christmas is first and foremost a birthday celebration. We busily search for just the right gift for Mom and Dad, Billy, Suzy and Uncle Joe, that we can often overlook giving a gift to the one whose birth we are celebrating.

Last weekend I saw a beautiful example of a gift given to Jesus.

After my performance at a church in Elk Grove, California, where I had shared about the work of World Vision and their sponsorship program, there was a young girl who really wanted to sponsor a specific child. She waited around clutching a the picture folder, waiting to talk to her parents. Her father finally came over to the table, but told the girl they would not be able to sponsor the child and placed the folder back on the table among the other pictures of children needing sponsors. The little girl walked away, heart-broken.

Another lady from the church observed this scene. She pulled the father aside and there was a brief conversation. With the father’s blessing this lady sponsored the child as a gift to the little girl. That picture folder was going to be under the tree waiting for that little girl on Christmas morning.

What a great example of the true meaning of Christmas!

How do you give a gift to Jesus on his birthday? This girl, and this dear lady know the answer to that question. Jesus gives us his very own Christmas “wish list.” He is very explicit in how we can give him a gift. It is found in the parable of the sheep and the goats. It goes like this:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25: 34-40 (NIV)

If you would like to give a gift to Jesus this Christmas, sponsoring a child with World Vision is one excellent way you can do that. You can even do it as a gift to another person—you pay the sponsorship and let the gift recipient participate in the relationship with the sponsored child. What a great gift for a parent or grandparent to give to their children and grandchildren!

Merry Christmas!

Posted by Chuck Neighbors | 0 comments

Feb

26

World Vision and the Gospel

Blog Archive / Stories / Travels

Occasionally people ask me if World Vision is really a “Christian organization.” For some feeding the poor and caring for orphans and widows isn”t enough… they want to be sure the Gospel is being preached as well. I understand the concern. While World Vision”s primary mission is to address the root causes of poverty, as a Christian organization, it might encourage you to know they are also pro-active in spreading the Gospel in other ways as well.

This email came in from one of World Vision”s church relations team members traveling in Ethiopia, and I thought you”d really enjoy hearing it, too:

We visited a community that over 10 years ago was holding a 40-day prayer vigil. On day 37, they received a “word from the Lord” that an organization was coming to their area to help them preach the Gospel and save lives. Within a few months, World Vision began work in a village near where they prayed. When WV arrived in the village there were three Christians meeting underground because of persecution. They had been beaten and even jailed for their faith. World Vision began its work with the poor in the name of Jesus living out the Gospel and pointing people to Christ. Today, there are four churches in this village with over 1,000 in attendance. The surrounding community where the church met to pray has grown from four churches to over 70 and there are 30,000 Believers. The lead pastor over these churches told me it was WV that was responsible for teaching them how to spread the Gospel. He said that it”s easy to preach the Gospel, but it”s hard to live it and that”s what World Vision does. Last year, World Vision partnered with the local churches to hold an evangelistic outreach to the entire community. They trained hundreds of volunteers to go from house to house sharing the Gospel and 850 people accepted Christ. World Vision provided funding and leadership for this campaign – it”s a modern day revival.”

I think this is pretty cool! You can be a part of this great work by sponsoring a child!

Chuck Neighbors

Posted by Chuck Neighbors | 6 comments

Jan

22

Uganda Part 2 – A Chicken Story

Blog Archive / Travels

I think we Americans take chickens for granted. We eat their eggs, make a pillow out of their feathers and eat them deep fried, baked and stewed. We don’t get to know our chickens and very few of us have held one and even fewer have actually raised a chicken.

In Uganda a chicken is not only food, but is lifeline, not taken for granted. A bird of great value that is given as gifts and used as currency. This the story of one such chicken.

We visited a grandmother who is caring for her four orphaned grandsons. A grandmother raising four young boys would be tremendous task in our own country and for this grandmother it is monumental and amazing that she is able to do it, because this grandmother is in poor heath herself and nearly blind. In our own country we would be caring for her, but in Uganda she must push on for the sake of her grandsons. The family lives on one meal a day. The boys spend a good portion of that day walking to find water and carry it back to the village for their daily use.

World Vision has just recently discovered this family and is scrambling to their aid. Soon the boys will have each of their faces on one of those picture folders. An opportunity for one of us to be Jesus to one of “the least of these.”

After visiting the grandmother we journeyed on to meet Olivia, the sponsored child of one of our team members, Mark Anzelon, who was unable to make this trip at the last minute. While this family is poor by anyone’s standards the contrast between this family and the grandmother’s is striking. They have a home with more than one hut (once a boy reaches age 15-17 they usually build their own hut). This family has 8 kids, 5 girls and 3 boys. And extended families often cluster together so we are in a spot in the bush what has about 4 or 5 huts. The children are dressed up in beautiful dresses, some shirt and ties are seen on the older boys and men. They have more stuff in contrast to the grandmother’s stark living conditions…and they have chickens, several in fact.

A beautiful visit. The girls sing for us. Olivia is given gifts sent by Mark, and not only gifts for her but gifts for everyone in the family as well. There was love all around. There was pride on the part of the father and smiles and hope exuded from each family member. Then Olivia tracks down a chicken, a good size one. The feet are bound with duct tape and the chicken is presented to Matthew Paul Turner on our team who is acting on behalf of Mark. On the practical side of things I think we are all thinking: “What in the world are we gonna do with a chicken… don’t think we can clear customs with that!.” But yet we know we have no choice but to accept the chicken to refuse it would be an insult. So we say our goodbyes and leave with live chicken in hand.

A decision is made.

We journey back to the grandmother. We find her napping alone in the shade outside her hut. She seems a bit confused that we have returned. Sam, the 13 year-old son of team member, David Konstantopoulos, is elected to present her with the gift. At first she doesn’t understand. Takes the chicken from us and possibly thinking we just wanted to show-off the gift we received tries to give it back. Then she understands that we are giving her the chicken… a smile… a big smile. She is so very happy.

I think the boys will be too… that chicken stew will be one of the healthiest meals they have had in a long time!

“I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.’
“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.” The Message, Eugene Peterson

Sponsor a Child in Uganda

Posted by Chuck Neighbors | 0 comments

Jan

20

Uganda Part 1 – Children of War Rehabilitation Centre

Blog Archive / Travels

It is hard to know where to begin in describing my experiences here in Uganda. We began the trip with some casual sight-seeing, and while I enjoyed that, the real reason I am here is to experience the work of World Vision in this country devastated by 20 years of war with The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)–that on top of a country struggling with poverty and disease… it is hard to fathom from my recliner at home… Seeing it first hand is mind boggling.

We visited the Children of War Rehabilitation Center (a project of World Vision). Over the years over 14,000 abducted children have come through the gates of this facility to receive health treatment for physical wounds and emotional and spiritual treatment for the psychological damage inflicted upon them. Imagine being attacked in the night your adult family members beaten and murdered. The children abducted and along with other children tied together in a human chain. As the rebels take off with the children the army attempts to rescue but the children become a human shield and many are killed or wounded in a failed attempt. These children are then forced to become soldiers themselves and even attack their own people to survive. Unthinkable. Yet it was the reality in Northern Uganda. While the LRA has moved on the after effects are long lasting.

We walked into one room where the events I described above are told in paintings on the wall. We view the dorms which at times have housed hundreds of rescued children at a time. In World Visions work to rehabilitate this children they have them draw pictures to describe the things they remember. On a table we view hundreds of these pictures. It is heart breaking to say the least. (On my Facebook Photo album I have shared a few of these pictures).

Samuel and Grace are two formerly abducted children we are privileged to meet. Samuel was one of those who was shot in the stomach in the crossfire. He is doing quite well today. Grace was abducted when she was 13, managed to escape when she was 18. Last year Grace was named Woman Achiever of the Year in Uganda.

Currently there are only about 20-30 formerly abducted children in the Center. LRA is still active but they have taken their terror to other countries–at least for now. We asked one of the directors of the center if this work was being phased out. Her answer: “Not until the last child is returned home.”

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep”
Luke 15: 4-6

Sponsor a Child in Uganda!

Posted by Chuck Neighbors | 2 comments

Jan

16

Parables come to life in Uganda

Blog Archive / Travels

Rescue a lost sheep. Sponsor a child in Uganda with World Vision!

Posted by Chuck Neighbors | 0 comments

08

What Does Jesus Want for His Birthday?

One Time or Monthly Donations:

One Time Donation

Recurring Donation

Donate by mail:

17

A Visit to the Dominican Republic

06

Sometimes They Cry

06

The Child Who Wouldn’t Accept “No”

08

Meet Mari Luz

20

The Gift of a Child

26

World Vision and the Gospel

22

Uganda Part 2 – A Chicken Story

20

Uganda Part 1 – Children of War Rehabilitation Centre

16

Parables come to life in Uganda

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