031 Becoming a 7-Day Hero – Jerry Huson

This week Kevin talks with Jerry Huson of 7 Day Hero, an organization that takes American Christians to overseas mission fields.  Jerry has found many ways to occupy himself throughout his life, from coaching high school and college sports, to earning a PhD, to driving floats at Disneyland.  But there is one pursuit he will never be able to give up: ministering to the needy in far-off places.  Jerry has been to over 40 countries, and has seen countless transformed lives among both the impoverished people in need of aid, and the volunteers who come along to help them. Jerry’s organization, 7 Day Hero, is all about teaching people how to be a hero seven days a week.  What is a hero?  Someone who gives himself away, helping those who can’t help themselves, without expecting anything in return.  This is something that can (and should) be done around the world, but it can also be done in one’s own neighborhood, street, and household.  Those who go on Jerry’s trips experience what it’s like to be a hero by helping people with no resources to help themselves, including blind people who can’t afford simple eye surgeries and lepers who have no access to treatment.  But instead of simply leaving the trip behind them, they are encouraged to think about how they can still be a hero once they return home.  The simplest acts, like performing a chore for a loved one to conversing with a stranger, can have an unforgettable impact on another person’s life. Two millennia ago Jesus Christ walked the earth, cleansing lepers, giving sight to the blind, and most importantly, showing love to the outcasts.  He told his followers, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12) To this day, followers of Jesus are called to participate in his works.  We have the ability to provide treatment for lepers and surgery that can restore sight to blind eyes; will we take action and put our resources to work for the Kingdom of God? “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” —Luke 14:26 Learn more about 7 Day Hero and their mission to restore sight to 20,000 eyes by visiting 7DayHero.org. This episode first aired on October 18th, 2015. We make video lessons to raise up confident Christians: https://educateforlife.org/