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On The Finish Line Podcast you\u2019ll hear challenging and inspirational stories of tremendous generosity. You\u2019ll also learn from experts in multiple fields about topics like setting a financial finish line, giving efficiently and effectively, and teaching generosity to your children. More than anything, though, you\u2019ll see how God is constantly at work redeeming the world He created and loves. Dr. Ravi Jayakaran, President and CEO of Medical Ambassadors International, was invited to be a guest on the show. Listen to this encouraging and informative episode on podbean by clicking below.<\/p>\n
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WHAT WE\u2019LL COVER<\/strong> Founded in the late 70s by Dr. Ray Benson, Medical Ambassadors International began as a traditional medical mission-trip style organization with U.S. surgeons providing medical care in Vietnam and several other countries. When Dr. Paul Calhoun took over as President, MAI began to shift from a provision-style ministry to prevention, with notable success.<\/p>\n In the ensuing years, that focus began to expand well beyond medicine to a broader community health model now known as community health evangelism (CHE). Today, MAI\u2019s model involves beginning with a community assessment, identifying several village leaders who can take an inventory of the community\u2019s raw material, learned skills, and human resources. Those leaders then identify their community\u2019s greatest needs. Once those needs are identified, MAI provides training so that the community can work towards meeting its own needs with as little external support as possible.<\/p>\n Most importantly, each training curriculum is fused with gospel teaching that points to Christ as the ultimate provider and savior. In each community where the CHE process is implemented, MAI routinely sees large numbers of people come to accept Christ as their own saviour as they work to build and strengthen their community.<\/p>\n Over the last few decades, MAI has amassed lesson plans on over 10,000 topics from rabbit rearing to mushroom harvesting to microenterprise to serve over 2600 communities in 75 different countries. And each village has at least 20 native volunteers leading the change in their community. Ravi has amazing insight into what it takes to drive sustainable change and gospel rootedness. Listen now to hear all he had to say!<\/p>\n QUOTES TO REMEMBER<\/strong> LINKS FROM THE SHOW<\/strong> BIBLE REFERENCES FROM THE SHOW<\/strong> 13 \u201cYou are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people\u2019s feet. 14 \u201cYou are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On The Finish Line Podcast you\u2019ll hear challenging and inspirational stories of tremendous generosity. You\u2019ll also learn from experts in multiple fields about topics like setting a financial finish line, giving efficiently and effectively, and teaching generosity to your children. More than anything, though, you\u2019ll see how God is constantly at work redeeming the world […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":11737,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"meta_box":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.reliantcreative.org\/medical-ambasadors\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.reliantcreative.org\/medical-ambasadors\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.reliantcreative.org\/medical-ambasadors\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.reliantcreative.org\/medical-ambasadors\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.reliantcreative.org\/medical-ambasadors\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11736"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dev.reliantcreative.org\/medical-ambasadors\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11736\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16702,"href":"https:\/\/dev.reliantcreative.org\/medical-ambasadors\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11736\/revisions\/16702"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.reliantcreative.org\/medical-ambasadors\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.reliantcreative.org\/medical-ambasadors\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.reliantcreative.org\/medical-ambasadors\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.reliantcreative.org\/medical-ambasadors\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nRavi Jayakaran is the President and CEO of Medical Ambassadors International which works to sustainably transform communities around the world through Christ-centered partnership, resource assessment, and customized training. Ravi\u2019s story begins with his grandfather who left behind a 2000 year family tradition of Hinduism to become one of the first Christians in his community in India. Growing up in the faith, Ravi went on to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine before transitioning to full time work with World Vision. In 2017, he took over leadership of MAI full time.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWord and deed need to be in balance. We call that integral mission, or wholistic mission.\u201d
\n\u201cWith the resources that they have, what is the best thing to do?\u201d
\n\u201cThe drive is constantly to see how we can be more efficient and effective.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat you put into the center of your development is what drives it. If it\u2019s community resources, community ownership, community capacity, that\u2019s what will drive it. If you bring in an external big box and drop it there, that\u2019s what they\u2019ll wait to see driving the process.\u201d
\n\u201cA community must own its own transformation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nMedical Ambassadors International<\/a>
\nDr. Ray Benson \u2013 founder of MAI<\/a>
\nDr. Paul Calhoun \u2013 second president of MAI who shifted focus to prevention<\/a>
\nGlobal CHE Network<\/a>
\nMAI\u2019s specialized programs for women, men, the disabled, and children<\/a>
\nWhen Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett<\/a>
\nThe Chalmers Center<\/a>
\nMAI Video: CHE Explained<\/a>
\nMAI Video: From Then to Now<\/a>
\nMAI Book: Healing Lives: Post Crisis<\/a>
\nMAI 2020 Return on Investment Report – ROI Ministry\u00a0<\/a>
\nMAI\u2019s virtual vision trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/a>The Finish Line Community Facebook Group<\/a>
\nThe Finish Line Forum<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMatt 5:14-15 | The Salt and the Light<\/p>\n