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The Trip to Kenya That Changed How a CPA Saw Ministry · Kenya Kronicles

• Ken Peel: welcome to Kenya Kronicles I'm Ken Peel. Thanks for joining us here today. And also, of course, the Joshua: You Ken Peel: president and founder of Fishers of Men Ministries, Joshua Ngao is here with us. And we've got a special guest with us on this episode. His name is Tom Hammar and he's been involved with the ministry for a number of years in a number of different capacities. Tom has been the CPA for the firm and is still working in that capacity, as well as a former TRIP participant and also on the board here for Fishers of Men Ministries. So thanks for joining us, Tom. Appreciate you being here with us. Tom Hammar: My pleasure. Ken Peel: So Tom, let me let me ask first of all, how did you first get connected with Fishers of Men Ministries? Tom Hammar: Well, it was one of those coincidences that maybe it wasn't a coincidence in looking back, but I had a CPA colleague of mine that I didn't know super well, but I knew of him and he knew of me. And he had been the person preparing the tax return and and doing the review of the books, and then his firm got sold, so he's the new firm didn't want to do as many not-for-profits, so he called me and said, Hey, will you will be willing to take on this particular tax return and and work with this organization. Called Fishers of Men. I will say I had absolutely no knowledge of the entity at that point. It didn't know anything about them. But Joshua: you Tom Hammar: I said, something said, told me I should give them a call and and and just introduce myself and see if I could be of any assistance. So that that's how I got involved initially, about probably about twelve years ago or so. Ken Peel: wow. So before you actually ever went to Kenya and went on the trip, you were doing the books, you were helping with the financial side of the ministry. So just from that perspective, what did the ministry look like to you from a numbers side of things before you actually got involved with the trip and everything else? Tom Hammar: I guess the thing that comes to mind was it was very low overhead. They didn't have they had like a volunteer bookkeeper and I I always liked that as a as the CPA looking in, they really had a had an eye towards keeping costs down. But they had a really good part-time kind of volunteer that that did the books, which was very helpful. And so I like that. I like the fact that I could see that the number of expense the as far as the expenses go, there was very lean it was very lean organization you could tell. And I was surprised with the the size of the organization and how many dollars were running through there. So I was kind of impressed with that. And then the other thing I was very impressed with is they had the the kind of the seal of approval from the evangelical financial accountability organization which I'd never worked for a not for profit that had that so I so I was very I was impressed and I was very impressed with Joshua in going in going through and talking about his vision and the the history of the organization just kind of intrigued me and I wasn't expecting to be intrigued. I I just was kind of thought I'd have a tax return to do out of this thing, but it kinda has grown from that. Ken Peel: Yeah, so Joshua, let me ask you kind of the same question in a way. So what was it like working with Tom before he actually went to Kenya or got involved on the board? What was that relationship like for you? Joshua: Tom is one of the board members who is right now kind of key helping us to be accountable. But some time back, many years ago, the CPA that I had was good, but he sold his company and he said, there's nothing I can do. I tried to talk to him whether he can do it when he's gone. He said, no, I can't. But he said, I'm going to introduce you to a friend of mine. he introduced me to Tom, and Tom called me, and we met, and we talked. And since then, he took over the books, and one of the things that he liked is the accountability is how we spend the money. So he was impressed with it. And he, he was commenting about how accountable we are. we spend dollar to dollar for what is supposed to go. So with that, he scared me. when he said, I'm going to retire. So I thought, wow, Ken Peel: Yeah. Joshua: I've had him for long time. What am I going to do? But he said, yes, I'm going to retire, but I feel the Lord calling me to just serve in a different capacity, But he introduced me, he said, I'm going to give you. somebody else to do the same. So he introduced me to a very good CPA who has been very, good and, and honoring him. he was going back to him back and forth just to make sure that she understood what she was doing. But, and then it came to a time to go to Kenya and he went to see the country himself and we came back and said, I'm in. I want to be a board member. And since then now he serves as a board member in charge of the finances and he has access to the computer even remotely to make sure that everything is spent the way it is done. And I thank God for giving somebody like that in the ministry. Ken Peel: Yeah. So Tom, let's talk about that trip to Kenya. So what happened to you and your faith and your walk to really lead you to to take that trip to Kenya? Tom Hammar: Well, it was daunting at first I will say that, 'cause I never set foot in with the whole continent of Africa and so I I really didn't have a lot of frame of reference of what I was getting myself into. And I thought it was interesting, Ken Peel: Right. Tom Hammar: that was kind of an ask, or it wasn't more than an ask, it was if you're gonna be on the board, we really and strongly encouraged you to to to take a trip over there. So I was at a point in my business life I think I I could carve out the time. It was done to the right time of year for it. And so So I said, yeah, I I think I can do this and I've never had to raise support for a trip and so it was really a lot of new experiences for me, but I think it was really a stretching experience. I already believed in the ministry at that point when I was going to be going over there and I was really hungry to find out more about it. I will say for anybody out there that when you write checks to not for profits, that's great. We need people writing checks. But when you get like that next level of real involvement, that's when kind of the the the kind of the lights turn on and you can really see what you could do, what the ministry is doing. And that's certainly what I experienced when I when I went over to Kenya. It was it was it was very much life-changing and I look back with great fondness on on that it was now eight years ago but it was it was just a wonderful experience for me. Ken Peel: I know when I went on my trip, there are still moments of that trip that are are like they happened yesterday to me. Tom Hammar: Yeah. Yeah. Ken Peel: describe one or two of those experiences for you that still feel like they're fresh in your mind? Tom Hammar: Yeah, yeah. I think I could give you a lot of but what the couple that come to mind is when we when we we landed in Nairobi Joshua: you Tom Hammar: and then we drove to the western the school and western Victory Academy in western Kenya and I that's a very rural setting. It f in fact it looked like I could be back in the Quad Cities when we were there. And when we were approaching so we'd gone from this huge city to we're we were driving up to the academy there and As we kind of went over a hill, we could see the school, a beautiful picture of the school, with all these wonderful children, had to be hundreds of children, in their full uniforms, singing to us. And it was just something that it was very beautiful. And a and a similar experience was actually when when we were at the academy, they were gonna do graduation right then. And the graduation Kenya style is very different than graduation here. It was the the students walking in from the kind of outside, walking into the academy with their parents singing and dancing right behind them. And it was just a beautiful experience to see how proud the parents were and and there was just a sense of joy there. And so those are a couple memories that I just I can still think back like they're happening right now. Ken Peel: Yeah. So let's look at this trip. And while you were on the trip and even after, did that change how you understood the financial side of the ministry afterwards when you went on that trip? Tom Hammar: Yes, very much so. 'Cause it's one thing that you're dealing with and over there, they have it they have like an accountants over there that work on the books. And so, w we we l examine them and they have a an actual audit over there, and then we do a review here. but it it can just be numbers on a piece of paper, as far as we're spending this on that and this on this and Ken Peel: Yeah. Tom Hammar: and it it really just said, Okay, why are we spending this money? And it it really put a f a human face on on kind of what's going on over there. my wife and I were had begun sponsoring a little boy named Daniel over there and I got to meet him, so just things like that it was really, really cool. It's it's 'cause all of a sudden we s we met the little boy and now he's a teenager now but you can't without going over there I couldn't have experienced, kind of a lot of what I experienced by going over there and I I I highly recommend it for those of you working with not for profits, overseas. If you have the opportunity to do it, take it. Ken Peel: So let's talk a little bit about the board member side of things and how did that come about where you became part of the board of Fishers of Men Ministries? Joshua: You Tom Hammar: Well, as a C P A that's done lotta work in not for profits, you're asked to be on a lot of boards and and there's a lot of different reasons to go on boards. some people I'm pretty sure do it kind of the bolster up a resume or something like that. But the f the Fishers of Men board is a bunch of just wonderful people that are very committed to the ministry with a lot of different life experiences and all that. So our board meetings are we're just have a of a like like mind w when we gather together. Our our common goal is to is to further the ministry's objectives and all of us at some point have been to Ken Kenya so we have that connection as well. So it's a different feel for the the I guess the Fishers and Men board than many of the other boards that I serve on that have value. But I mean this this just kinda puts stuff at a much higher level, let's put it that way, as far as kind of ownership and and sensing the importance of what what the ministry does. Ken Peel: Sure. Joshua, so give me your side of the story of that trip that Tom went on with you. because you have a different way of looking at somebody that's on a trip because of knowing the culture, you grew up there, and you see things from a different perspective when you take people on trips. Was there anything that you noticed about Tom before he went and then during and after he went on the trip to Kenya. Joshua: Yeah, think personally one thing that I wanted him to understand is there are many organizations that raise money and they say how the money is being spent. But if you go to their books in Kenya, in the country, they will not show you the real books. They will try to hide what they do. Being a CPA and he knew what is being sent from this side, I wanted him to go and verify and sit down with the one who does the books. He got the books in Kenya and he sat down and looked at them himself. And I wanted him to see the other side, to see, yes, this was sent from here and that's how it went there, the money that is being sent. And that's one of the things that I wanted him to come back knowing as he serves in the board and especially being in charge of finances, he knows that what is happening, who does it, and if there are things that he wants to implement so that they can be done in a right way. So that's one of the things that I wanted him to have that piece. And I was happy when he sat down. for a days and he was able to look at all those and he was able to point out some things that he needed, he was saying they needed to be done right. And even after that, the budget, it has been easy for him to guide us on the budget. Where can we work on this? Let's cut this, let's work on this. So it helped, it helps when you go with somebody. who is doing what we do here and they take what they do here in the US to go to Kenya is like the way Ken you did. You went there, you saw that, and that's where it grabbed you, all those things that you saw. So he went and I was happy that he was able to understand the culture. He was able to see. When we talk about children, can see the joy of those children when they went dancing and just all the other things that we did. it gave me peace that somebody who went to Kenya and everybody was going to Kenya with us. It makes them to understand what the ministry is about. We are not just raising money here. but we are meeting the need and it's met, we don't spend any money with anything else. So that's for me with him, that's what I thought that it helped for him just like the way everybody else, all the other sponsors who have gone, they know what is there. But for him, he is more a inside man who knew the books and then goes to see what. what has been reported here so that it's not a lie like the way other organizations do. So that's what, I feel that because when we tell the ECFA that we are accredited by them and every year we tell them that, we are accountable because it's the accountability. They all are, they check everything and they make sure that what we do here and the accounting in Kenya, they match. So I'm happy to have somebody him in the board. Ken Peel: Yeah. Tom, I want to get your side of that particular part of this story, and that's the EFCA, which stands for Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. So from your role as the CPA or the bookkeeper for Fishers of Men, talk about how that's so important for people that are watching or listening to this podcast to understand that that is super important for a ministry. To be accredited by somebody like them and tell them why that's important, Tom. Tom Hammar: Right. as we give to no lot not for profits, I put myself in a donor chair, I I I try not to hold on to dollars too closely. Becoming a Christian really changed my view of of that and but I'm always been adamant that I want to make sure the dollars I'm sending the charities are going to what they should be going to. And and so that was a very important component. And a lot of a lot of ministries, probably don't don't have the a great deal of oversight. So you're kind of trusting on some, hopefully honest people that are working w within the organization. With this accreditation that Fisher of Men of has had for many years now, for one thing I found it w interesting that we found out we're the smallest organization that went through all the hoops you have to go through to get that accreditation, which that that really spoke to me as far as, okay, it wasn't something we you gotta do it 'cause you're getting big enough. No, we wanted to do that before we got to the size that maybe we we had to do it. But it really gives for me as the kind of the outside CPA, it's just that other level kind of a seal of approval Joshua: you Tom Hammar: that the okay they're asking all these questions and some of our very general questions about do we have a board that's active that that meets in and a lot of things like that, but it gets into the numbers as well. How much of our dollars are going to like fundraising versus how much is going to ministry. So they're asking the real good questions of the ministries. They give good suggestions when they see things that maybe need to be tweaked. And I I just am so I'm very blessed that I've come to full circle. I didn't know a whole lot about that accreditation before I got to Fishers of Men I just said, boy, if I'm gonna give into a charity of any sizable amount right now, I'm gonna make sure that they are on path to getting getting that for the reasons of just better accountability. Ken Peel: And I think that's important to relay to those that are watching or listening to this podcast, which by the way, this is the Kenya Kronicles podcast. It's episode number six. And we thank you for watching or listening to this podcast today. And you can always go to our website, which is FOM Ministries dot org, and at the top of the page there's a red button that says the Kenya Kronicles podcast, and you can click on that and you can watch or listen to other episodes that we've done and the ones we'll do in the future as well. but as a donor or as somebody that's watching and maybe considering giving to a ministry like this, I think that EFCA accreditation is super important. And if you know anything about ministries and and how they handle their finances, when you have that seal of approval, You know that the money is being handled in the right way for the right things, and it's going to the things that you believe in. And so we hope that that's something that you'll check into if you're thinking about or wanting to get involved with this ministry in any capacity, which we'll get to here in just a minute. We're talking about water wells, we're talking about sponsoring children, we're talking about an overall involvement in the ministry, whether you just want to give a general donation to use wherever it's needed. Joshua: You Ken Peel: you can do that and we'll tell you how in just a little bit. But but Tom, let's talk a little bit about your experience with the ministry from a perspective of now that you've gone to Kenya, you've done the books, and now you've also, like you said, have sponsored a child. What are some stories that you can share with us about that child sponsorship over the years that you've sponsored that child? Tom Hammar: Mm. Well, it just gives you a real connection with a with an actual human being over there that's actually going through the school that that all of a sudden I know something about the school. I know some I've met some of the teachers and the and the and the administr the the headmistress of the school and things like that. So it just it really puts a a a face on that in i in a really, really neat way. And then as you do it for a few years, you see that the the the the child growing into, in my case the Daniel's becoming a man now and and it's a different opportunities, different problems, things like that. So you really get a connection and and then you c you have the decision to make, can I help them go to a trade school or can I do this? Can I do that? And it's just it's just a tremendous feeling to to be able to do that. So my wife and I are very happy that we've done it. My my daughters they they do that. Our church is very active and our Sunday school class I used to teach is sponsored two kids for a number of years right now that we is growing up as well so so it's just i it's wonderful. Ken Peel: And being able to get the letters and and and all of that and being able to send them gifts and cards and things like that. I mean it's it's a real relationship. It's not just sending a check Tom Hammar: Right. Ken Peel: or and sponsoring, but you actually get involved with the children's lives. So Joshua, let's turn to you for a little Joshua: What the... Tom Hammar: Right. Ken Peel: bit. I mentioned earlier that there are child sponsorship and there's water wells. Give everybody that's watching or listening that hasn't watched before or listened before the different areas that Fishers of Men operate in, and then how people can get involved with with sponsoring any of these different outreaches. Joshua: as I tell people that I see there's a church called Full Gospel, but Fishers of Man is the Full Gospel. We, we kind of take care of everything. People ask me, what does Fishers of Men do? I tell them we take care of the body of Christ. We have water wells and the water well is a place that you go, they go 20 miles away for drinking water and the Lord provides money. We go dig a well and all that community gets water in their own place. Those people who, spend all the time without being able to do their businesses because women have to trek all the way with donkeys and then they come back. When I was growing up, we were having our our shower after three months because there was no water until the rain comes So, when I look at that and then we are changing all these communities. we have eight deep water wells and a lot of shallow water wells. with that, I'm thankful. We have 11 churches around the country where many people are being gospeled. And we have what we call mission of communities. People are being gospeled and prepared for the kingdom. So we don't just, even the children. our schools. have two schools. both of them we have about 600 children. And of these 600 children we started with nothing. 2001. And the first class, a podcast, that we did last was from Amos, who is a principal of one of the schools, we got him when he was three years old without shoes, very dirty, but now he's the principal and we have educated him, went the same sponsor all the way to high school and to teachers college. And in that school we have six teachers who are all our children. So when I look at that, when Tom was there we went with a sponsor called Cindy Temple and she sponsored our only one who went to medical. She's now treating a lot of people and even our kids so it's so good to see the product of what Fishers of Men is. So child sponsorship is the big thing because after all this, if you don't prepare the children, People say they are going to be the future of the country, but unless you prepare them, and prepare them in Kenya is to get a sponsor. a sponsor, for $60, $50 to sponsor a child and $10 to sponsor a teacher, to co-sponsor a teacher, that gives that child education in, school all the way to ninth grade. And you sponsor them, they write to you, and you write to them, you celebrate Christmas with them, you get Christmas cards from them. Our children are real. If the Lord ever opens a door for you to go for a mission trip to Kenya, you go and meet the child like the way Tom met Daniel himself. and was able to touch a child that you can touch, you can eat with them and all that. our ministry is the credibility that we have is just to serve the Lord faithfully So the sponsorship of the children. Right now, one of the schools, We have 296 children, but 20 need sponsors in that school. And we are believing that the next sponsorship that we are going to go at Edgewood, that we can be able to finish those sponsorships. So sponsorship is just like me. I got my first pair of shoes when I was 16 years old. I grew up very poor and I can identify with those children when they say they don't have food. We used to trek 11 miles away every morning to school without breakfast, without showers. And then we have to come back without knowing whether we have food or not. when we get back home. And the following day we have to go. So it is, I feel that for them, and I don't want them to be able to pass through what I passed through. So that's why my calling is for these children and the community to get water because I did not have water. they say 25 % of... waterborne diseases happen, there are many kids who die, 25 percent, in that community because of waterborne diseases. But our Ken Peel: Well, Joshua: water wells eliminate that. Because people start taking showers, they have clean water. that's what we, I feel that the ministry, what we are, we are touching a lot of lives. Ken Peel: Yeah. So if people are watching or listening right now, Joshua, and they want to find out more about sponsoring a child or helping to dig a water well or or just to give a general donation on a regular basis to help wherever it's needed, tell folks how they can do that. Joshua: Yeah, they can go to FOMministries.org and just on top there, there is child sponsorship. You children needing sponsors and they're there. You can pick a child and you pick a child, you go through sponsor now and you pick a child and that will be your child from now. so you can be able to pick what you want to do. can do donation, you can sponsor to do a water well if those people want to but the other best way is just to either send us email and you know through the website you send us email. and we can be able to get back to you or you call us 563-823-5819. With that, we can be able to connect you or to guide you in a better way or you come just to the office here at the center and we sit down and talk because that's what many people do. They want to discuss things, especially during this end of the year, just as people try to. trying to make some decisions, please consider Fishers of Men Ken Peel: Sure. Yeah, because, it'd be good if they want to talk with you and sit down with you because maybe they're undecided whether they want to sponsor a child or a water well or just be a general donor to see where God's leading them and how it fits into their financial situation. and so it'd be good to to talk with you and and just go to FOM Ministries.org. We'll have that as well on the screen if you're watching this. or we'll have it in the description of this podcast as well if you want to click on the link to go to the website to find out more. But Tom, let me ask you, so if there is somebody that's watching or listening to this podcast that is a CPA or a financial professional that's considering getting into helping a ministry such as this, what advice would you give them? Tom Hammar: Well, I think the first thing I would say is, really get a lot of information on the organization. Find they should have a like a tax return you can go online to get the nine ninety, the annual tax return for not for profits. actually look at that. That's published by the IRS, so and it's a very good accountability tool. Joshua: you Tom Hammar: So I would start with that. And if you're gonna, go a little bit deeper with the organization, it's n asking for their budget, asking for the mo most recent yearly financial statement it would be a really really good thing and kind of look at what their fundraising costs are compared to how much is coming in that way. There's some metrics you can apply to that to say, yeah, this is an organization that's not self-serving but serving serving others. So and then get to know some people in the organization too on whether it's on the board, you'll get a good feel by talking to board members. if they if they really want to talk about the ministry and they and they really have a lot of information and are actively involved in it, you'll you'll be able to tell right away And and the and most all of these ministries are need people on the board, especially people with some financial acumen. so the need is great, but but pick the right one so you can strategically do the most good. Joshua: Ken, if they want to know more, if anybody goes to ecfn.org and just type Fishers of Men every year our accounts are there. They are open book. Everybody can see ecfn.org, type Fishers of Men, and you'll see our financial reports. Ken Peel: No, that's good. That's good information to have. E F C A dot O R G. And then type in Fishers of Men Ministries and you'll find that information. If you're wanting to check and and see if this is where God's leading you, and that's a good resource as well to check that out. But Tom, before we wrap things up, any other stories or or anything else that comes to mind that you'd like to share about your experiences with Fishers of Men Ministries? Tom Hammar: Well, I call this almost like a haunting story. I mean it's not a it's not a a happy, sunny picture I have, but as we were working in both of the locations in in western and eastern Kenya, outside the schoolyard of where the academies were, there was a always gathered a bunch of children that were on the outside looking in. You know, they they were had a great interest in the ministry, but had no connection because you know there there weren't sponsored children at that time. point and the resources are limited so we can't just sponsor everybody. And so that was a real that was a image I still have vividly in my mind saying, boy, what what's going to happen to these kids? Because we know if they're part of Fishers of Men, they're going to be getting good square meals, they're going to be getting a great education, a Christian education, and an introduction to the gospel, and just really great teachers that care about them. So the the difference between being on the inside and being on the outside of gates there is huge and so and we'd like to have many more sponsored kids. The the the need is is almost overwhelming but God's given us provisions to to do great things. Ken Peel: That's right. Well, I think of that scripture that talks about the harvest being plentiful but the laborers are few and we need we need more people to be the laborers to to help and to get those kids that are on the outside looking in, giving them an opportunity to have their life transformed. You wanna see a story about a life transformed, Joshua mentioned it earlier, go and check out the podcast where we talk with Amos. And how his life was totally changed and totally radicalized Joshua: You Ken Peel: for the gospel because of Fishers of Men ministries and because of what the Lord has done through Fishers of Men. Let me point that out first. It's the Lord doing the work. We are the vessels and we're the tools that are helping these kids and these families and their lives. But it's so important to be able to change a life because The the outlook for a lot of these kids, if they aren't sponsored, is pretty bleak. and there's a lot of different roads they can go down, other than the right road with Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And so it's super important. So please pray about it, check it out, and contact Joshua and the ministry if you're interested in learning more or you already know God is leading you in a particular direction. Again, you can go to FOM Ministries.org and click on child sponsorship. You can click on Waterwells. You can click on the link for the f different podcasts or just general information and get the phone number, give us a call. We'd love to to talk with you more about how you could get involved and change a life for eternity. So Tom, Joshua, as always, thank you so much for being on this podcast and and making a difference in lives for eternity yourself. And so thank you very much, Tom, for joining us. Appreciate that so much. Joshua, a pleasure to to have you on. Again, this is Kenya Kronicles This is our podcast and we thank you for joining us today.