Where would you go for help?

We live in a world full of pain. Our struggles come in many shapes and when one problem goes away there often is another coming. As a ministry, we feel the weight of how broken the world is by the sheer number, depth and variety of issues that we receive. 

As believers, we understand that the only true source of healing, forgiveness and peace is Jesus. People bringing their problems to Need Him Global offer us an opportunity to meet them in love and share truth. 

Recently, I was updating our list of outside resources that we can offer to people with issues that require help our volunteers are not capable of offering. Things that may require trained counselors or someone with special experience. As I was reviewing some of those organizations, it hit me how many help lines exist in this country. There are organizations specifically dedicated to helping with abortion/pregnancy, abuse, addiction, cancer, domestic violence, eating disorders and gambling. In addition, you can call for help with grief, homelessness, poisoning, runaways, self-harm, substance abuse, and suicide.

One interesting option was a relatively new service called Woebot. Their mission is to make mental healthcare radically accessible. Sounds encouraging as the idea is you can log into their site for counseling whenever you need help. However, once you do, a charming robot will use your answers to questions to offer you strategies to improve your mood. After your free two-week trial, you can keep getting this computer-generated help for $39 a month.

We like data and believe in using artificial intelligence to better train volunteers and improve the experience of a user. However, some of these help lines miss what people are truly seeking. So many people are lonely, afraid, ashamed, and hurt. They have no one to talk with and want another human being to listen and offer hope. We are grateful that there are some experts out there that can help with the very serious and difficult challenges people face. We also thank God that He keeps bringing us volunteers that want to talk with people and share the love of Jesus Christ into whatever challenges the seeker may be experiencing.