Extreme Generosity: How one woman rallied support to stop child trafficking
Mindy Lee Irvine had a vision to raise $40,000 to protect vulnerable children in Southeast Asia. On her 40th birthday, she did just that—and so much more.
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Show Notes
As a mom, Mindy Lee Irvine has raised her kids to have hearts of compassion and generosity towards others. She herself has been an example to them and to others in her life—especially when she set out to raise $40,000 on her 40th birthday to protect children in poor countries from trafficking, exploitation, and abuse. Hear her incredible dedication to the vision she had for making an impact, and how a chance encounter with a little girl in a remote village in Sri Lanka solidified her calling.
Extreme Generosity: How one woman rallied support to stop child trafficking
Cathy: Welcome to The End of the Road Podcast. My name is Cathy and I'm your host and tour guide as we journey together to some of the most remote, challenging places on the planet. I'm so excited to have you along for the ride. So, buckle up. We're going to the end of the road.
Cathy: Our guest today is Mindy Lee Irvine. Mindy has raised a family of humanitarians. She and her husband Doug and all three of their kids have such a heart for missions, for what God is doing around the world, and have been incredible supporters of this and I'm super excited to travel with you together with Mindy to Sri Lanka today.
Cathy: Welcome, Mindy. I'm super excited to have you today. Thanks for being on the podcast.
Mindy Lee Irvine: Oh, goodness. Thank you. How fun.
Cathy: It is fun. Yeah. This is going to be a great conversation, I'm sure. So, as I mentioned at the intro, you've got a real heart for people around the world, particularly children, particularly families living in extreme poverty. God really touched your heart as you were raising your kids and gave you a heart for people around the world. I imagine maybe it wasn't always that way. But, maybe there were seeds of this in your childhood or, you know. Tell me a little bit about how this passion in your heart started.
Mindy Lee Irvine: Yeah. Oh, that's... That's a good one. It's a good one because it... I... I guess as a child I wouldn't... I didn't really... I didn't... Was not raised in a home in which... I wasn't raised in a Christian home and so it was not... It... We didn't look beyond our own selves, if you will. And, it wasn't until becoming a Christian my senior year in college that it really was an awakening and my eyes revealed to, gosh, the pains of the world and... And then, that just slowly, through even sorting out my own story, just really provoked this heart for children.
Mindy Lee Irvine: And then, meeting my husband and him having a very, very tender heart and a mercy-filled heart towards children and families... It... You know, us combined together... If I were to say when the true spark occurred and when action came was really him and I talking through what does it look like to walk out the Gospel in our lives and that didn't include particularly being very comfortable. And so, what did...? Was that being uncomfortable with our money? Was that being uncomfortable with going places that didn't provide comfort out of this country?
Mindy Lee Irvine: You know, initially we talked about him and I getting married and talked about becoming missionaries. Now, at that point, our theology was a little whack-a-doodle, I will say, only because it was like we just kind of believed this theology that poverty was [inaudible 00:03:36], right? And so, we thought, "We're going to Africa. We're going to go sleep in the huts and on pads and embrace the people there because how could Americans live like this?."
Cathy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Mindy Lee Irvine: Well, God has his way with us in that and we've actually never left... We've traveled but we've never gone and become missionaries in another country. And, coming back full... Coming back to where our hearts really started to get moved in the direction of loving people who... Loving the unreached or loving people who lived at the end of the road or loving people who the average person never even thought about really became when we got introduced to World Concern. That was really my husband's doing and his heart string at the time, heart being pulled in that direction.
Cathy: Yeah. I remember the first time I met you guys. It was an interview sort of like this, although I think we recorded it on video because... And, your kids were little at the time and you guys had just taken a big leap of faith. You had made a really sacrificial gift to World Concern and I heard about that and wanted to hear the story behind that and what moved you to make that gift and I remember you guys talking about your hearts for children and how God had really changed your heart and brought you to a place of pain and of a broken heart for other people and it was... You know, at the time I remember thinking that it was a really interesting thing to hear about that journey of the heart, let's say, for you and for your husband Doug and for your kids as well.
Cathy: Yeah. That was an... That was an interesting conversation at that point and it's been fun for me to see that grow in you over the years and see that concern for other people deepen and just see you really wrestle with some tough issues. And, we're going to get into some of those later. We're also going to get into some of those travels into hard places and what you learned through that process.
Cathy: But, kind of backtracking a little bit to your childhood, I love to ask this question of all of our guests on the podcast. What did you...? What did you want to be when you grew up when you were a little girl? What did you dream about?
Mindy Lee Irvine: You know, I was pretty certain and I would act this out often... I was going to be a sports broadcaster.
Cathy: That's great.
Mindy Lee Irvine: So, initially, it was going to be a news broadcaster and then I really fell in love with sports as I got older. Now, remember, once I was in college, I wasn't a Christian so my goal... And, at that time, women sportscasters were really like coming along. You know, really new kind of pioneering. And so, even some of the women that I will see now doing these NFL ones, I'm like, "Oh my gosh. I know her. She was dut dut." You know?
Mindy Lee Irvine: Anyway, I... I had a real agenda for myself and that was just to be seen and to be on camera and to make much of me.
Cathy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Mindy Lee Irvine: I never... I never ventured that direction. I got saved my senior year and as cheesy as this might sound, and it is just like I absolutely, totally feel that God said, "Yeah. When you get a microphone or when you get on camera, you will make much of me, not of you."
Cathy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Mindy Lee Irvine: And, that has been the case.
Cathy: I love that.
Mindy Lee Irvine: I haven't had a chance to talk about myself where it's like, "Oh, let me tell you this about me." Oh, no, actually God did that. You know? So, yeah.
Cathy: Yeah.
Mindy Lee Irvine: Which is great. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Cathy: Yeah.
Mindy Lee Irvine: But, it is a little... It's comical.
Cathy: Yeah. No, I love that. He does have a sense of humor. Doesn't he? Yeah. And yet, I've seen over the years that I've known you that he has definitely given you a platform and given you opportunity to share what he's doing. And so, I applaud you for following that call and for stepping out of the way and allowing the light to shine on him and what he's doing.
Mindy Lee Irvine: Thank you. It's a posture that I have to be intentional about.
Cathy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Mindy Lee Irvine: You know? It is. And, I've said to you before. "Cathy, please let me know if this is about me." I don't want... Like, if I'm showing this or if I'm becoming too much in this. And, I've had people hold me to that and I've been grateful because it's... That's what he's called me to do and I don't want to be out of line in that.
Cathy: Yeah. I think that's a struggle that most of our listeners will relate to and I think a lot of us struggle with that and it's being reminded and staying humble and knowing, yeah, that ultimately it's not about us. It's about him.
Mindy Lee Irvine: Yeah.
Cathy: And so, I think that's... That's hopefully a good... A good reminder for our listeners today to just sort of check ourselves constantly in that area. So, thanks for being transparent about that and being willing to share that.
Mindy Lee Irvine: Well, someone just... I just read something yesterday that said it's easy to get filled up on the accolades and the followers or the comments, but if you have to come to the space where you're reminded that before... Before maybe you were, quote unquote, followed, you were nothing. And, it was God and his creativity that has given me to be used by him in this way. So, I have to fill my mind with those reminders because it's easy to get caught up in the world's... Well, I want to be successful in what the world would deem successful. My flesh does, but the depths of my heart absolutely do not.
Cathy: So, there was a time in your life where I imagine you kind of heard God's voice calling you to not just have a heart for people around the world but to actually do something. So, do you remember kind of that call and do you remember your initial response to that or how you felt about it?
Mindy Lee Irvine: Yeah. Well, if I take us back to about 10 years ago when Doug got ahold of one of the global gift guides that World Concern gives out every holiday season. Or, Christmas season. Let's just call it what it is. Christmas season.
Cathy: Yeah.
Mindy Lee Irvine: He saw pictures in that and at that same time, he had been convicted of some money that we had put aside and I had just assumed we would use it for a house remodel or something of the sort. And, when he saw that magazine at a Christa event that we were at, I found him just sitting down, brokenhearted over these pictures. And, came home and we family meeting and talked about what to do with that money and had the kids look through that magazine with us and he said, "I've been wanting... I've been convicted about this money. I haven't let it go and it's because I think God's been wanting me to save it for this moment." Which is what you spoke about earlier.
Mindy Lee Irvine: And, that was a real... I felt like that was one of those experiences where I just watched it happen because, one, I had a newborn and so was a little bit brain mom, or mom brain. I have brain mom now. And, just to see Doug's response to that and to see Doug be willing to give this amount of money that I thought we could spend just quite a bit better in different ways. But, when I followed through with World Concern and what was going to be... What that was going to be used for and then to hear follow up of what that money did, it just lined up with Scripture. Right? Of you've been given much and so give much and just the heart to give.
Mindy Lee Irvine: And, that... That stuck with me and continued to ruminate and it wasn't until maybe about four or five years later that I was going to be turning 40 for my 40th and I wanted to do something for my 40th birthday. And, everyone does all these... You know, let's all go to Hawaii together or let's have a big party. And, none of those ideas were just sitting well with me.
Cathy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Mindy Lee Irvine: I didn't. And then, I thought, oh, Doug and I will just go away for the weekend. Oh, but I have... I love parties. I love gathering people. And, as I just kind of thought through these things, I figured something would come together. Well, I woke up in the middle of the night. It was about... It was September. My birthday was going to be in January. I woke up and I had... I had this vision and I'm not... This is... This is new language for me. This is not something... I'm not... This has never occurred... I've never had a vision before.
Mindy Lee Irvine: But, what I saw before me was I was standing on a stage with all my friends surrounding me and I was holding this big huge fake cardboard check and it was written out for $40,000 to World Concern to help stop child trafficking. I didn't... I got up and I got some water and then I went back to bed and I thought, "I don't even know what that was about." And, sure enough, that next morning, it just... It was sealed in my heart, like that... That is what I'm supposed to do for my 40th birthday. Somehow, I need to gather my people and I need to get this check and it needs to say $40,000. This is what I'm supposed to do.
Cathy: Did that seem like a huge amount to you at the time?
Mindy Lee Irvine: You know, for a little bit, but it only seemed huge when I started sharing it with people because they thought I was crazy. But, God didn't allow me to sit in that long. It just... It's just like he brought me back and was like, "Doesn't matter. Doesn't matter what they say. I put this on your heart, you know? And, so, just... Just keep going. Just move forward."
Mindy Lee Irvine: I knew that God had given me that vision but I knew that I couldn't just sit back and let it happen. I knew there needed to be action in that. And so, right away, I made a video, sent it out to my friends and started a fundraising page. Now, this was now almost five years ago, six years ago. So, social media was I think at its real prime, not at... Yeah. At a good spot that I was able to hop on social media and pretty much shout out to the world that this is what I was doing.
Mindy Lee Irvine: And so, by the time my birthday party had come around, we had already raised $20,000. So, halfway to the mark. And, you know, at this point I had recognized that it actually didn't matter if I got to the 40 because one dollar that we had raised would impact lives. And so, God was growing me through this process too of it wasn't so goal focused as it was he really wanted me to understand what... Where and what this money would do and the impact it would have. And, also, "Mindy, are you still willing to stand up and say, hey, we can get to 40." Even though we were at 20. You know?
Mindy Lee Irvine: So, some people were like, "Oh my gosh. We're halfway there." And, I was like, "Oh my goodness. You know, we're only halfway there." So, you know, went on stage that night, again, surrounded by all my friends. We did a kind of a raise the paddle, had some fun games intertwined in that, some music. And, sure enough, at the end of the night, my friends handed me this cardboard check that they had filled out and it was for $41,000. And, I stood there in like this disbelief yet so much belief in this paradox of feelings and so overwhelmed and so humbled and so excited, and the excitement really came because I recognized the hundreds of lives that were going to be impacted by this night and by really the hundreds of people that had given.
Cathy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Mindy Lee Irvine: And, it was a rally and it was... It was incredible. It was really, really an incredible experience and night. And, I... And, I think others... I think others would say the same.
Cathy: Absolutely. I actually had the privilege of being there at that party that night and seeing that big check handed to you and it was a very emotional moment.
Mindy Lee Irvine: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Cathy: And, you know, even for me, being in this line of work, I had my moments where I was like, "Ooh. $20,000 in one night at a birthday party. Is this going to happen?." You know? But, at the same time, I remember encouraging you. Encouraging you, I encouraged myself to have faith, and so, I think it's really cool that God landed on that 41,000. Like, not just 40, but above and beyond what you could ask or imagine. Just seeing that celebration take place and the excitement around that and seeing you holding that big cardboard check. In fact, we have some photos of that, so we'll put those on the website and so those of you that are listening today, that'll be a little... A little bonus treat for you. You can go to the website and see those pictures of Mindy holding that $41,000 check on her 40th birthday at her party.
Cathy: So... So, just amazing that you took that risk and answered that call and did that and absolutely hundreds if not thousands of lives impacted from that gift that was made through you and your friends and through faith and prayer and all of that stuff.
Cathy: So, following that, you actually got an opportunity to travel with World Concern. You went to Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka's a nation with a really incredible and really heartbreaking history. World Concern came into Sri Lanka following the 2004 tsunami, which impacted that country and took a lot of lives there. The Indian Ocean tsunami. Continued there in 2009. There was a very violent end to a 25 plus year civil war in Sri Lanka where the two primary ethnic groups had been at war for many, many years. Many people lost loved ones in that clash. Many people were displaced from their homes and ended up in camps, in displacement camps, and World Concern was there in those camps.
Cathy: Our country director, Selena, at the time was instrumental in peacekeeping efforts and in ensuring that children and women and the most vulnerable were cared for and that families were reunited. So, a lot of work was done at that time to make sure that families that had been spread all over and didn't know where their loved ones were were able to be reunited.
Cathy: And so, Sri Lanka's a beautiful place and also a really hard place. There's a lot of conflict and religious persecution. There's a lot of poverty. Children are particularly vulnerable to things like trafficking and abuse and that sort of thing. And so, as a follow up to your incredible efforts around your 40th birthday, you had the opportunity to travel to Sri Lanka and to see some of the work that was being done to protect children in that country.
Cathy: Let's start with just kind of the moment you arrived in Sri Lanka. So, you step off the plane. What was it like? What...? Describe your surroundings and kind of that initial impression you got landing in that place.
Mindy Lee Irvine: Yeah. Well, you know, I don't think that I slept the whole ride there because I was so eager and had so much anticipation for such an experience that was before me. And, when I got off the plane, it... Well, the muggy... The, you know, kind of rainforest-y, just like, ugh weather hits you. Kind of humid and muggy and just kind of hot and it's a little bit of an open... Open-aired airport and it was late at night. So, yeah. Just to be there and it just felt like I had... I had just come to a place I had never been. You know? And, it was amazing, though. People would just... Right off the bat, people smiling and beautiful and lovely and of course all the welcome committee that came and picked us up from World Concern was full of joy.
Mindy Lee Irvine: But mostly, I just had this anticipatory feeling of I was just so ready to experience that country. Eager, excited. And, I'm not sure anything struck me other than the weather.
Cathy: Yeah.
Mindy Lee Irvine: The... You know, the different climate.
Cathy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Mindy Lee Irvine: Yeah.
Cathy: So, I imagine you landed in Colombo, the capital city. You actually traveled out to some of the more rural, more remote areas of the country. Did you...? You went by bus? Or, how did you get out there? Describe the journey to get there.
Mindy Lee Irvine: It was... So, the first night we stayed in Colombo, which was... Yeah, the big city. And, the next morning, we woke up early, had breakfast and... Which was curry. Seemed to be what they had for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And, hopped on a bus. Just a... You know, a typical-looking tour bus with Selena, the country director, and drove, drove and drove for I believe it was about... I think it was all day. It was an eight hour bus drive. Just through the drive, seeing different parts of the country where it felt jungle-y and rainforest-y and then kind of dry and desolate. I guess not necessarily dry, but definitely desolate, and felt more desert-y although it was still humid. The sun seemed hotter in some spots.
Mindy Lee Irvine: And, got to our first destination where we went to dinner and pretty much went to bed after that. So then, wake up the next morning to travel out to a village, a couple villages that were not far from where we were staying. Met the staff in this particular village and went to a goat farm and went to the milking station and went to where they were collaborating with another organization to be able to sell the milk, the goat milk, but have it in like a factory... Factory, Sri Lanka style. You know?
Mindy Lee Irvine: I do remember they offered us a little sample of the warm goat milk and all of us were sweet and kind and received it and drank it as if it was delicious. But, I have to say it's nothing I wanted to have again.
Cathy: Okay. Interesting. Yeah.
Mindy Lee Irvine: But... But, knew that it was something that that village, that those people would thrive on, is not only drinking the milk but being able to sell it.
Cathy: What was your impression of those villages? Or, maybe think of one of the villages in particular. What was your impression of that village? The people, the circumstances, maybe some of the visible challenges that they faced. Poverty and that sort of thing. What was...? What was your initial impression?
Mindy Lee Irvine: Yeah. Well, one of the... One of my favorites was stopping at... I don't know what they had called it exactly. I called it the Women's Club, you know, where they got together and discussed finances and plans for the upcoming sales at the market and discussed how that village was going to be using all of its land to produce crops or to raise goats or cows. In that particular village, there was this one building that was probably the size of just kind of an old, old-school schoolhouse and they all sat in a circle and they looked... They had this beauty about them but they looked rugged at the same time and I guess what I mean by that is I knew they had just gotten off work of working in a field but their beauty and their smile and their excitement to see us, but then to show us all that they had been working on and what they had accomplished.
Mindy Lee Irvine: And, one in particular said, "You know, because of World Concern, money... Money has come. You guys... You guys have sent your people and money has come so you could show us how to use this land to best benefit our village. And, now look what we've done. We've got goats here and we've got produce in this one and we're fixing this. We're tilling this one right now because if we get these seeds in by this time...." Their knowledge of farming and how to use this land... They were so proud of it and I was moved by that.
Mindy Lee Irvine: And then, the women get together and they figure out the books and they're working all together. Even though they're not all family members, this one village is all... Working all together and they all benefit from when they go to market and sell their items. And, that... That is the kingdom of God right there.
Cathy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Mindy Lee Irvine: Where we're all working together to bless and honor each other. And, you're good at doing the goats. You go and do that. And, you go over there and you... You till the land. And, you... And, these are women doing this and... Which was just like, oh my goodness. Yes. Way... And, especially in a country where women are not esteemed. Right? And so, to see them not believing that narrative and I am capable and I can do this and I'm going to show up for my village and for my family and for my country who's just ended this war and we're on the desolate side of things... Yeah. Their vim and vigor was so impressive and I... And, I know that was because World Concern came in and said, "No, I... I see you. I see you ladies. I see this land. Now let's talk about what we can do so you can thrive and not just... Not just survive here."
Mindy Lee Irvine: So, that one is strongly imprinted in my mind when I am even just get frustrated with my own family dynamics or situations and that those women... They're just... They're... They're... They're just standing up for themselves and going against what the world is offering them and saying, "No. We're going to do this different."
Cathy: Yeah.
Cathy: I want to just pause for a moment and thank our listeners for joining us today. If you're just hearing about World Concern for the first time and you're curious to learn a little bit more about who we are and what sets us apart from other organizations you might be familiar with, please visit worldconcern.org/podcast and learn a little bit more about what we do.
Cathy: And now, let's get back to our conversation.
Cathy: So, yeah. How did that experience of seeing those women, their circumstances, the work that they were doing, how far they've come...? Yeah. How did that impact you as a woman, as a mom? How did it change you?
Mindy Lee Irvine: That's a good question. You know, there is a narrative that can play in our minds as Christian women and a story that is written and maybe even the evangelical world would look at and go, "Oh, good. You're doing Christian right." That can look different for people and when I saw those women working their tail off in the fields to provide for their family and for their friends in the village, it opened my mind to the capabilities I have, that have... I have made small so that I can fit into this box of what the American evangelical Christian can look like.
Mindy Lee Irvine: And, now our stories are different. Right? I'm not fighting for my life. I'm not trying to stay safe in a hut. I'm not digging my food that I'm going to eat that day. I'm not looking for clean water. But, it inspired me to really think through what is it... What does a woman, what does a mother, what does a wife look like and where am I falling into a conformity? That might be a strong word. But, maybe... Probably not. A conformity to what an American Christian woman looks like.
Cathy: Hmm. Hmm. Wow. That's really powerful. I think that's... I think that will really cause some folks to reflect and think about that. During this trip to Sri Lanka, you had a pretty incredible experience. You met a little girl there that in some ways you already knew. She was very close to your heart and yet you had never met her until this trip. So, tell us about that experience.
Mindy Lee Irvine: Yeah. Well, to back up just a little bit, I remember sitting in your office, Cathy, and saying, "Hey, I want to put a little girl's face on the screen at the birthday party. I want to... I want to speak to... I've really come to this place that we have helped one child and that is... That is enough. And, I want to choose that one child." And, you showed me some sweet photos that you had of some of the girls and I... I just put my finger out. I go, "Oh, how about this gal?." And, you said, "Okay. Let's call her Mala." And, I said, "Great. I'm going to talk about Mala." And, I did that night. I said, "Mala lives in Asia and she lives in a village that's not far from the beach and Mala is often visited by fishermen that come in and sometimes her mom works for these fishermen and actually cuts fish and does some, quote unquote, boat duties for the fishermen and sometimes Mala is offered to those men because Mala's mom is so desperate for food that she's willing to give up her children to be used by these men."
Mindy Lee Irvine: I shared that story, you know, almost just in disbelief. Like, is that really even a true thing that happens? And, when I went to Sri Lanka, I saw that that is actually the true situation, that people get so desperate that they'll do anything and offer up their children for food, for water, for safety. And, we had one last stop on our second to final day there and our leader at the time said, "Oh, we're going to stop by a village that's not too far from the beach. It's really known for the fishermen to stop in and take advantage of the women there."
Mindy Lee Irvine: And, I... I thought for a minute. I thought, wait a minute. That sounds a little bit familiar to me. That story is somewhat familiar. But, it just kind of passed. And, we got out of the bus and all these kids come. All these kids coming running up and I get out of the bus and my eyes just lock eyes with this little girl and it was Mala. It was who I chose the picture on your desk that day and said like her to be at my birthday party as a visual. And then, I got to see her in the flesh and her sweet face.
Mindy Lee Irvine: And, I didn't know what to do other than at that moment, I knew that I had heard correctly, that my doubt of what am I doing, am I doing this birthday party, how did I get here... God affirmed, confirmed you heard right and here she is.
Mindy Lee Irvine: So, I just watched her and she was running around and she was smiling and happy and you and I had talked months back about how far she had come and the rescue that had come for her because her mom since then had left and left with the fishermen and left her to be raised by her grandparents. And, that was devastating to that whole community and the World Concern community, yet she had come so far since then and she had on a pretty purple dress and her smile... She was shy but her smile was... She couldn't help but smile and she was... They sang a song for us and she was proud in her shy proudness.
Mindy Lee Irvine: And, of course, there's a language barrier but they were so eager to show us their village and their goats and all around their farms and... But, that moment for me... I didn't know she lived in Sri Lanka. I didn't know we were going to go to that village. I didn't know that I would ever see her. She was just a representation to me. But, she's real.
Cathy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Mindy Lee Irvine: And, there's more of them.
Cathy: Absolutely. Yeah. And, I just... I just want to say that for the listeners, that moment was not orchestrated at all. I didn't know. Nobody with World Concern knew that Mindy would visit that village and by chance see that little girl. I mean, World Concern serves thousands of children every year all over the world and so, it's... It's so clear that that moment was orchestrated by God because it... Yeah. It was not planned at all. I just want people to know that and hear that. But, it's just such an incredible story even for me having heard it before. Hearing it again now, you got me teared up and just thinking about how incredible that is and that, praise God, she's... She's safe and thriving and growing up healthy and...
Cathy: So, how does that make you feel, knowing that you had a part in that, had a direct impact on her life? Not that you did anything directly like went and rescued her or knew that your gift from your birthday would go directly to her. Like you said, she was just a representation of the type of child or of life that your friends could impact through your birthday and through their giving. But, when you realized that direct connection to your giving and her having an opportunity for a different story, a different life, how did that make you feel?
Mindy Lee Irvine: Gosh, I was... I was flooded with... I mean, in that moment, I was flooded with all sorts of emotions and no one on my trip that I was with, traveling with, were people that I knew to begin with and so they weren't at my birthday party, so that night... They couldn't understand why I couldn't really talk. I couldn't get it together. I was kind of a mess as we're looking at these goats and they're trying to take pictures and I'm just... I don't even know how those pictures turned out. You know?
Cathy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Mindy Lee Irvine: It just... Well, it's just like holy ground. I just couldn't even... I couldn't process it. It's twofold because like I said earlier, it was a solidification of, yes, Mindy, you have the Holy Spirit and you don't need to fear that what you hear is outlandish or crazy. You just go. You said here I am and so I'm telling you to go on these crazy adventures that I'm going to have you go on.
Cathy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Mindy Lee Irvine: The second part just gave me the passion to come back and say, "People, okay. Look at what I just saw. This is what I experienced. World Concern is doing this because I just saw this happen and I've seen this money is...." I... You know, a lot of... A lot of pushback from friends early on. "Well, tell me about World Concern. Who are they? What are they about? What does the money go to?." Just to witness... I mean, to bear witness of this little girl's smile and all the other villages, too. This one just happened to be particularly potent to my heartbeat because it was Mala.
Cathy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Mindy Lee Irvine: But, that trip solidified this is no... This is no joke. They are on mission and they see people. They see the people we don't ever think about. They go to the places we've never even thought existed. Never once these places crossed my mind. It's just... They're doing the job they say they're doing.
Cathy: I want to kind of bring it back home a little bit. You're a mom and a wife and your whole family, I would sort of describe as having just a giant humanitarian heart. You've really cultivated a heart of concern and compassion in your kids, both you and Doug have. I, again, have had the privilege of seeing your kids from time to time over the years and watched them grow up and it's really amazing. So, when you... When you think of your kids... I'm going to give you a chance to share your mama heart a little bit. When you think of them and just how they perceive and approach the world, what makes you most proud when you think about that?
Mindy Lee Irvine: I think what makes me the most proud about my kids right now and how they view the world is they see beyond the person standing before them. And, what I mean by that is that there's more to them, just the... Than just the... They see that there's more to them just... And, the smile that they might say, "Oh yeah. Hi. I'm doing good." That they are curious about, no, how are you really doing. And, empathetic. So, scenarios that they've maybe seen in their jobs or at some of the school activities that they've done.
Mindy Lee Irvine: There's been times when they've come home and said, "I know there's... I know there's more to this person than what I just experienced, Mom." If it's been a rough day. I think just looking beyond the person and wanting to know more about that person. It does fall back into early on, I worked hard at... My early mothering years, I worked hard at working through my story as a child and I have... I have some of these in my backstory that needed the attention that it got in my first five to 10 years of mothering.
Cathy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Mindy Lee Irvine: And, they saw me walk through that and process it from... I mean, from afar. I wasn't in depth with them about it by any means. But, when it was time and appropriate, I was able to share with them my story and I think... Well, my life first is what the enemy intended for evil, God intended for good, to save the lives of others. And, I... They see that, that I didn't have a voice or I wasn't protected, and know that there's other stories like that.
Mindy Lee Irvine: So, even when we started talking about World Concern, it wasn't a huge... And, the stories of World Concern and the kids of all the countries that World Concern serves. It wasn't a shocker to them, but it was more of a like, wow, this really is... This really does go on in other places. This isn't just Mom's story or this isn't just this kid at school. This is... This is worldwide and how do we see these people and then what does it look like to love them, whether it's offering them mercy and grace, whether it's saying, "Hey, I want to raise some money because I know these kids need it." It's just a curiousness that they have, an empathy, a willingness to not just be satisfied with someone's answer, trite answer of how they're doing.
Cathy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Mindy Lee Irvine: They know there's more there.
Cathy: Now, I imagine that some people listening today might be thinking, "Wow. Okay. This Mindy Lee is amazing. She's incredible. She's done some huge things in her life to impact the lives of others." You know, they might be thinking, "Yeah. I don't... I don't have it in me to try to raise tens of thousands of dollars for a good cause or to travel to some place that's really remote, really hard, really hot, really sad."
Mindy Lee Irvine: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Cathy: "I don't have it in me to do those things." But, we all feel the prompting of God at different times to think beyond ourselves, to want to be a part of the story, of God's story and what he's doing in the world. So, what would you say to those folks that are just feeling like I want to open myself up to what God's doing in the world?
Mindy Lee Irvine: I feel it was God's grace that he introduced us to World Concern, and so, that was a... That happened and then it was a prayer and my husband's heart to say, okay, what does it look like to join what they're doing. They're... How do we...? How do we join that? I think it can look different for a lot of people, you know, whether it's joining a World Concern prayer team, whether it's participating in the Freedom Five K, you know, whether it's buying a goat from the global gift guide.
Mindy Lee Irvine: And, all those are wonderful and lovely and great. And yet, I think we can dig deeper because it... I think we can dig deeper in us to seek God on what that is for us. I'm not saying he's going to tell you it's something magnificent and wild and throw a 40th birthday party. But, if we're not seeking him first, we're missing out on the relationship and I just... That's another cheesy Christian word I have a hard time with. But, through this trip and through my experience with World Concern, it is so clear that he wants to just connect with me on a personal level.
Mindy Lee Irvine: I mean, he showed me Mala. That was so personal. That's why no one else in my group could get it, because it was just about me and Jesus and him communicating with me. And so, sitting and actually processing like, "Lord, you want to use something to get with me and to get closer to me and I want to be open to that." It doesn't need to be... And, that's just not... I, like, have experienced that. That's not coming from just a Christian-ese thing. That's like, no, I... And, I want that for people and I want them to experience it.
Mindy Lee Irvine: And, the other part is his promises. He promises to restore and I get excited about being part of that restoration for people and if that looks like me giving money on a regular basis to World Concern so that they can take what they need to these people to bring restoration, then I'm all for it.
Mindy Lee Irvine: I remember this one gal and for my birthday, she was like, "Oh, Mindy, I'm so sorry. I can only give $20 and, which... I'm just not in a good budget." And, I said, "Oh my gosh. That's... That's wonderful. That's what you can give right now and I trust that you're giving out of the little or the abundance that you have. That's what God's asked us to do." But, when I came back from Sri Lanka, I went back to her and I said, "I don't ever for one minute want you to think that that $20 isn't enough because I met a girl in Sri Lanka that, with your $20, got shoes and you can't go to school in Sri Lanka if you don't have shoes. And, she got shoes so now she's going to school, which puts her on a complete different trajectory than all of the other girls that are on the street right now without a school uniform, without shoes, that are trying to make their ends meet by selling themselves on the street."
Cathy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Mindy Lee Irvine: So, that $20 might not seem magnificent to my friend who gave it, but my gosh, that is... It's magnificent to this young girl and if we think little... That's just a... It's a false kind of humility that we need to be called out of because I'm going to give because I know that it matters and it's going to make a difference in someone's world. And, I will fight for that. I will fight for that story of being part of restoration and just the little because I've seen a little get someone off the streets.
Cathy: That's incredible and I think it's such a good reminder that, yeah, you don't have to raise or give $40,000. I mean, I know we've had envelopes that come from sweet older ladies. I remember one. There was two one dollar bills wrapped in a napkin and sent in an envelope to World Concern and there was just a little note from this sweet old lady that said, "This is all I can do right now but I wanted to help kids." And, you know, my thought was, okay, God sees that the same as a 2,000 or a 20,000 or a $200,000 gift. Those two one dollars bills she gave sacrificially just like the widows might. And so, I love that.
Cathy: And, it doesn't even have to be giving. You mentioned praying, praying alongside or praying just on your own even for people that are suffering in the world or... Yeah. That just need prayer. Just opening yourself up to that. That's kind of the takeaway I took from what you said, was just to open yourself up to what God wants to do in your heart in alignment with what he's doing in the world. So, I think that's really powerful. I think that's a great takeaway for folks listening today to consider. So, thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for just reminding us of the little things and the big things that we can do. And, what an incredible story and so excited for people to hear about your meeting and sort of a reunion with Mala and all of the things that God has done in and through you because you made yourself available to that.
Cathy: Thank you for being with us today, Mindy.
Mindy Lee Irvine: Oh, man. Thank you so much for the opportunity and for allowing me to contribute and to share and to voice again how mighty God is and what he can do through people who just are trying to help make a change and... Yeah. It's the willingness, you know? Here I am, Lord. Send me.
Cathy: I want to thank our listeners for joining us today. I hope that your mind has been opened up a little bit, your heart has been touched through some of the stories that you have heard today. As I mentioned earlier, if you're curious about learning a little bit more about World Concern, about our work beyond The End of the Road, you can visit worldconcern.org/podcast to learn more.
Cathy: I want to thank CRISTA Ministries, World Concern's parent organization, for making this podcast possible. And, I also want to thank Casey Helmick and the whole team at Terra Firma for their production and editing and consulting expertise, for helping us bring these stories to life and bring them to you. Thanks again for joining us today. We look forward to more stories at the end of the road next time.
