Mike McDonald | Executive Director and Founder of Hear the Cry: Compassion and Justice | hearthecry.org
Did you miss Part 1? Read it here.
I had the rare privilege to interview a dear friend and man of God who is making a difference around the world. The following is Part 2 of my interview with Mike continued from last week. I’m confident you’ll find his story and world travels as interesting as I did!
Ann: Would this be a good time to talk about the corruption that comes into a foundation from an outside source? Russia, Estonia, and Latvia come to mind because I have spent quite a bit of time in each country. I see how many women walk the streets and will do anything to marry an American. Is this similar to the other countries?
Mike: Yes, it is, but it’s a different animal, and sex trafficking is very large often due to poverty. But you find with these countries that they are harder to work with because their government structure is in place, yet somehow there is so much corruption.
For example, when you have children born in the eastern block countries with disabilities, they will often get put in a ‘quote on quote’ orphanage (what they call it at least). It’s really just a huge brick building where a hundred kids are put with schizophrenia, downs syndrome, cerebral palsy, or whatever, all together and the government just kind of puts their hands up in the air. This causes so much more abuse. It’s horrific and yet, it’s all government run.
So, you have a lot of these organizations coming in and wanting to help, but it’s tough trying to do something different because the government is in control. This makes a lot of sense in America where we have systems set up…not that there isn’t brokenness, but at least there is a program in place, for example, child welfare. With these eastern block countries, it’s tough. We have fought to get into these countries and help, but it is extremely difficult. Remember, you are going up against these governments, their laws and the power of corruption. Even in these countries with so much poverty, even the poorest countries, there is also great wealth.
Ann: You know this is another area that is near and dear to my heart having our oldest grandchild who suffers from autism. He is non-verbal, but yet, being here in the United States he is loved, protected and has a chance. These children do not stand a chance to ever get out of the chains of their afflictions. Thank you for sharing what is happening in these countries.
Also Mike, coming from a world of travel my entire life, I have seen the world, I have seen the tiny villages in these remote places, for example in El Salvador. There’s a price to pay for all that travel. It has opened my eyes to so much, but my question is how do you manage coming back to your home base and decompressing. You have a wonderful wife, she is amazing in every way…how do you manage the travel?
Mike: Yes, we both carry the same values thankfully. We have high, high communication when it comes to this stuff. Our marriage is unique in this. We both are different people, but we both have values that are similar. We can have a really great conversation around our values and why we do what we are doing, but yes, it can take a toll. We feel that it is a life worth living, though. It’s life changing. It’s become a part of our DNA. It’s not so much about the travel, but sitting down with these people, and listening to their stories, drinking tea and crying beside them, and once we come home and a few months go by, we feel we need to do it again and again.
Remember, I’m lucky because this is what I do for my work, so I know I will be back in a few months. If I did this once every few years, I think it would be a lot more difficult on the re-entry. Re-entering after a life changing trip and seeing all the American commercialism…it would mess me up much more if I wasn’t doing it frequently. I can go back enough times that I stay in the zone a little easier than what some people experience who only go a few times.
Also, remember, I’m not going as a tourist to see what is happening and get angry by what I can’t do, but I am working on things that can make a change. I don’t leave with despair, but I leave with hope. I leave with hope in the things we are doing – knowing we are making a difference.
Maybe that is just me…Melissa is different. She sees that we are helping 10 out of the 100, but then she sees the 90 that aren’t being helped. It is the injustice to her. I leave knowing we helped the 10…yes, I want to help the other 90, too, but I leave with the hope of knowing we helped the ten. I fight the same things at times. I have the ups and downs with consumerism. I’m human, yet I know this is truly a life worth living.
Ann: It puts things into perspective. How about partnerships? I know you and Bob Goff work very closely together. If anyone hasn’t read his book, Love Does, I urge you to read it. If you ever get the chance to hear him speak…go! Who else do you partner with Mike?
Mike: Generally, what we have done with Hear the Cry is to make it sustainable and long term, but also, if God decides to shut the doors on A Jesus Church tomorrow and Hear the Cry, all these things will continue to happen. They are all partnerships with local on the ground indigenous leadership type partnerships. Even with Bob, our school in Uganda is run by a Ugandan teacher. In Somalia, it is run by an amazing Somali woman. In Iraq, it’s all run by local people. In India, we partner with Happy Home for the Handicap, an amazing organization run by Roshan, Irene, and Rose, and they have one hundred plus kids who are 50% disabled and 50% orphaned from the streets. In Iraq, we work with Bob, The Refuge Initiative and Restore International, all the refugee camps and the school partnerships.
In Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar we partner with Remember Nhu, another amazing organization which is preventatively rescuing kids from the sex trade. IJM (International Justice Mission) is going into the brothels and rescuing the kids there. Remember Nhu is going to the hill tribes, the villages, building relationships with the chiefs and families so when a brothel is coming into the village to buy kids, and the village is in a state they can’t survive, or unable to feed the kids, they won’t sell them to the brothels, but instead, they give the kids to us at Remember Nhu where we can give them an education, take care of them and feed them in our homes while keeping the relationships with their families, only if the family is healthy.
If they can make it to the university level, or past 18 years old, a very, very small percentage will go into the trade, the rest will go forward into productive lives. It is all about preventative measures to keep them out of the brothels. Remember Nhu has over 30 plus homes around the world.
Ann: This is exciting to hear Mike. Each one of these organizations will continue to grow. There is hope. If someone is interested in Hear the Cry, how to be involved financially, be a prayer partner, or travel to serve, how can they get involved?
Mike: They can go to hearthecry.org This is a really good gateway to understand and see what we are doing and get involved. You can see the countries we are involved in and what we are doing here locally with the foster care system, the anti-sex trafficking, refugees and globally, we have all our trips online. I think we have twenty plus trips posted online right now.
People can give online. There are projects that one can give to specifically. Also, sponsoring and engaging with kids to support around the world is a big need. There are a few hundred kids right now who need support. We have a lot of kids in Iraq, at Happy Home in India, also at Hands of Hope in Zimbabwe – there are endless ways you can partner with us. Projects, giving, trips – these are huge!
Ann: Hands of Hope plays a big part in my novel, Exposure to a Billionaire. It is a very special place and becomes a part of the storyline in the sequel, Daughter of a Billionaire. Can you tell us a little about this amazing group in Zimbabwe?
Mike: Yes, Hands of Hope is a big deal to us, too. They have four homes in Zimbabwe right now. Primarily, children are the main focus who have lost parents to the AIDS/HIV crisis. Hands of Hope has over 20 homes there. They are the largest orphanage rescuing kids off the streets, getting them to go to school with an education base, and hopefully getting them to go on to University.
They are in an extremely tough situation having one of the worst economies in the world. They literally have the fastest inflation in the world and now use the American dollar for their currency. Job situations are tough. It’s a very hard place.
Hands of Hope creates a family for these people. They would either be dead on the streets or who knows. I am thinking of one girl whose parents died. She was ten years old strapping her three-year-old little brother on her back. She would steal so she could go to school. Then she would sleep out in the woods at night under a tree so she would not be raped in the city in Harare. This was a little ten-year-old little girl who is taking care of her three-year-old brother that was born with HIV because her mom had AIDS and died. Hands of Hope thankfully was able to find her and rescue both brother and sister. This is just one story out of hundreds. This is happening out there…it’s very real…
Pastor Matatu and Irene. They are a big part of Hands of Hope. They are one of the church partners in the city. They have three homes they specifically run and operate. They have a big vision for the country. They have another school, as well as doing farming wanting to provide jobs and sustainability for the people in Zimbabwe. Both of them are incredible. The home started because they had their own kids and they started pulling kids off the street.
You never knew who were their own kids or kids off the street. Many times their home was filled with 12 kids. We really love partnering with them. They are a part of Hands of Hope.
Ann: Mike, seriously…what’s next for you?
Mike: Oh my gosh. You know, we are not really looking to add more countries, but instead to go deep into the places we are serving right now. This is a year of pouring in and creating stability in the relationships we have.
We have had a lot of growth over the last eight years. Starting with one country and now we have nine. Depth in the places we are at is key… helping people partner with the things we are doing. It has felt at times like a big race over the last few years. This is the first year I am really excited to be able to look forward and hunker down doing some long term sustainability for these organizations.
Ann: I can’t let you leave this interview without letting people how you pack. I saw how you packed when I was with you in Haiti and let me just say, I was impressed. How do you pack? What do you bring? What’s the most important thing for you?
Mike: I know this sounds cliché, but it is so true, less is more. You just don’t use half the things you bring. Carrying that around is a hassle and you can’t keep focused. So, I actually carry one small bag.
I generally bring two pairs of pants, five to six shirts. I primarily wear Filson stuff, it’s really great high-performance wear. My Filson cotton shirts are easy to wash. They are light and I can layer them. I try to create simple changes. I always carry my camera – a Leica Rangefinder… super easy. It’s really light and easy to carry around.
Probably the most important thing to bring on these trips is a really good pair of shoes for the work we do because you are on your feet the entire time. If you can survive without having any pain in your body while doing this work you will be way more focused. I always have a pair of boots that I bring with me.
I also have my AeroPress for coffee. Coffee is important, of course. Oh, you know what has been really good for staying in communication back home is this little charger that I bring. It can charge my cell phone and my iPad. I bring one wire for all my devices.
When I lay everything out, I always think, what can I take out. That is the most fun thing about traveling now…to have a tiny little bag. It is something I have taken back home with me, not having to think about what you are going to wear. When you eliminate choice, you eliminate stress. So, instead of taking everything with me, I have come to realize that wherever I go, there are people that are living there and they have lived there a long time. That means, that if I really need something, I can either borrow it or go buy it. My guess is that if there is anything you forgot or need over there, it will probably be there. You know like a toothbrush…
Ann: Well, what about Jose Zayas?
Mike: What happened?
Ann: He thought he had his toothpaste in Uganda, but instead it was Preparation H!
Mike: Anything we can share about Jose in that way is helpful! I love it.
Ann: So, one last question Mike…if someone wants to see some of your pictures, where do they go, or for that matter, I want a book with your amazing photography, when can we expect that?
Mike: Well, the book is coming. It’s very close. On Instagram, you can find me at @MichaelDeanMcDonald, or my website, MichaelDeanMcDonald.com. Yes, we are within a few months of this happening. The photos are picked and I am excited to share these pictures with people.
Ann: I can hardly wait to see the book on my coffee table at home to share with all our friends. You truly have a gift for capturing the perfect picture. Thank you, Mike, for taking some time out of your day to share your story and give a look into Hear the Cry with me. My hope and prayer is that people reading this will fall in love with working to end the injustice locally and around the world. Yes, every single person counts. You, Mike, inspire me and I am fortunate to call you a wonderful friend.
**GIVEAWAY**
Mike’s favorite bag is the Filson 48 Hour Duffel. He never travels without it. He has been so kind as to offer a FREE Filson bag to one of our readers! These bags typically retail for $395.
How to Enter:
- Leave a comment in the comment box below with your answer to this question: What is your favorite travel destination?
- Don’t forget, include your email address in your comment so we can contact you if you win!
- Like my author page on Facebook (yes, I will be checking!!)
We’ll pick one lucky winner to receive a FREE Filson bag for your travel adventures!
The giveaway will take place on May 3, 2016. Comment for a chance to win and share the contest with your friends! But more importantly, check out hearthecry.org to learn more about this awesome organization.
**WINNER UPDATE: By random drawing….Whitney Depaoli is the winner of the Filson travel bag! Congrats Whitney! Cheers to many fun travels and adventures in the future 🙂
24 comments
I haven’t traveled much out of the United States … So my favorite travel destination at this point would have to be Banff, Canada.
I love Banff! What a great reply!!!
I loved traveling to France
France it at the top of my list. We have a family home in Normandy and my book ends in the Cote d’Azur…I love exploring all over that area.
My email is mandaoverturf at yahoo dot com
Got you email and will submit!
I lover traveling just about anywhere and seeing new places and meeting new people and talking to random strangers wherever we are!
I love your answer. I agree…I just love to travel and that’s why I made a career out of it, but I do tend to like warmer destinations with oceans, hmmmm??
Northern Iraq is unbelievable in the spring!
I like your choice!
My favorite travel destination has been Siem Reap, Cambodia. tylerhanns@live.com
Tyler, I have been to many areas around there, but never here. Why is it your favorite?
Just outside of Siem Reap is Angkor Wat, an ancient temple site built in like the 12th century. The old architecture and ruins are set in a rural landscape that is warm and tropical. It is really beautiful and quiet. You can spend days there without seeing the same temple twice. I highly recommend visiting!
Sounds wonderful. I will check it out.
I love going everywhere! There’s always something new to experience and this back would be great to do that with!
@inbredhybrid
Domcloutier24@yahoo.ca
I love your answer. I have always said that each place has something special about it and for me, it’s going home. I love seeing the world, and of course the amazing destinations in the books are favorites, but something about going home is very special.
So far my favorite travel destination has been Utah. I love the landscapes and the weather. It is just so beautiful and relaxing out there!
It’s hard to pick just one favorite! But I think I can safely say the cayes in Belize 🙂
have never been Out of the United States, but have lots of locations on my bucket list, really want to go to Costa Rica!
I want to visit San Sabastian, Spain again! Thanks Ann for sharing your interview with Mike.
Must I pick only one?
Traveling to Haiti with my (then) 10yo daughter and Hear the Cry was very enriching; seeing Europe and Ireland with my wife was magical
I think the trip I am most looking forward to is planned for next year, 4 weeks in Thailand serving Remember Nhu with my wife and 4 kids (ages 4,8,10,15), will be awesome to expose them to real life outside of the USA and see how it shapes their lives.
Loved this interview so much! My fave vacation destination is always where I am going next which is Alaska in September. It is all the anticipation and planning that makes it my new favorite place. I don’t vacation to the same place. I dream travel at manningtalk@frontier.com.
P.S. 36 more sleeps till your book comes out!!
I hope you have the most fantastic trip to Alaska Leslie. It is such real and very raw beauty up there…takes your breath away!
Can you tell us more about this? I’d love to find out
more details.