Our eyes WILL see the GLORY of GOD!!! Light up the world with YOUR love Father!! Rain down on us like a flood!! I believe! I believe! I believe!!!! Send your GLORY!!!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Putting some things into perspective.....
So, I've really been hung up in my thoughts about how far a $1 goes in some corners of the world. I've been amazed by how much can be done with so little and far that $1 can be stretched. So I wanted to look further into exactly how these small $1 amounts can affect/change life for others. So I started searching and found some interesting things......
Of course I started with Haiti since that is where I will be in 3 weeks if God wills it. So about Haiti:
***The unemployment rate is over 80%.
***More than half of Haitians live on less than $1 a day.
***There are few paved roads, an inadequate supply of potable water, minimal utilities, and depleted forests.
***About 60% of the population lives in abject poverty.
***Less than 20% of Haitians age 15 and over can read and write.
***Fewer than 75% of children attend school.
***40% of the Haitian population does not have access to primary health care.
***One in twenty Haitians is infected with HIV/AIDS.
***Only about 50% has access to clean drinking water.
( go here for more info: http://www.wfp.org/stories/haiti-10-hunger-facts )
Yeah....so I saw on the wfp.org webpage a story about a 9 year old girl who raised money with her friends at school. They collected just over $1,600 and it will provide 6,000 meals. 6,000 meals!!! I have to say it one more time: $1,600 can provide 6,000 meals!! WOW!!! $1,600 to some may seem like a huge amount of money......but is it? What is $1,600 really to us who have so much? It is probably about what I spend each year on cable television service. It's just over $30 per week.....I'm sure I spend $30 per week on frivolous stuff. It is the cost of a week summer vacation for a small family. It is the cost of a nice new flat screen TV. Some blow that kind of money at Christmas time on gifts. $1,600 to us really isn't that much.......BUT if it can provide 6,000 meals, just imagine what kind of impact it could make on a family.
For example, if my family "adopted" a family in Haiti and sent them $100 every few months.....WOW!!! Can you imagine how that could impact their lives and health? We can't.....because $100 isn't really that serious in America. I was helping a friend with her yard sale today and a guy wanted to know if she had change for $100 if he bought something. Right there in his wallet was a $100 bill that could change a families life for months!!! But we are so accustomed to our way of life that we can't, don't, won't see that we can make a huge difference in the world out there! And God calls us to DO IT!!!
Matthew 25:34-40 says this....
""Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' ""
So we are to look after those in need, those less fortunate than us. We have the ability and capability to help.....so what is the hold back?
After this in Matthew it goes on to say: Matthew 25:41-46
'"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.""
It's there in the book of Matthew in black and white......we ARE TO DO FOR THE LEAST OF THESE. SO what are we gonna do??? What can YOU do? What can I do? What can we do together? Where can you plug in and make a difference?? And believe you me, we can ALL make a difference in some way! What are you willing to sacrifice to help?
Please email me or leave a comment if you aren't sure where to start looking to find somewhere to plug in. Pray over it, God will show you where you can begin. I have found so many that I am overwhelmed and need to thin them down to just a few so I can do them fully and give them 100%.
Of course I started with Haiti since that is where I will be in 3 weeks if God wills it. So about Haiti:
***The unemployment rate is over 80%.
***More than half of Haitians live on less than $1 a day.
***There are few paved roads, an inadequate supply of potable water, minimal utilities, and depleted forests.
***About 60% of the population lives in abject poverty.
***Less than 20% of Haitians age 15 and over can read and write.
***Fewer than 75% of children attend school.
***40% of the Haitian population does not have access to primary health care.
***One in twenty Haitians is infected with HIV/AIDS.
***Only about 50% has access to clean drinking water.
( go here for more info: http://www.wfp.org/stories/haiti-10-hunger-facts )
Yeah....so I saw on the wfp.org webpage a story about a 9 year old girl who raised money with her friends at school. They collected just over $1,600 and it will provide 6,000 meals. 6,000 meals!!! I have to say it one more time: $1,600 can provide 6,000 meals!! WOW!!! $1,600 to some may seem like a huge amount of money......but is it? What is $1,600 really to us who have so much? It is probably about what I spend each year on cable television service. It's just over $30 per week.....I'm sure I spend $30 per week on frivolous stuff. It is the cost of a week summer vacation for a small family. It is the cost of a nice new flat screen TV. Some blow that kind of money at Christmas time on gifts. $1,600 to us really isn't that much.......BUT if it can provide 6,000 meals, just imagine what kind of impact it could make on a family.
For example, if my family "adopted" a family in Haiti and sent them $100 every few months.....WOW!!! Can you imagine how that could impact their lives and health? We can't.....because $100 isn't really that serious in America. I was helping a friend with her yard sale today and a guy wanted to know if she had change for $100 if he bought something. Right there in his wallet was a $100 bill that could change a families life for months!!! But we are so accustomed to our way of life that we can't, don't, won't see that we can make a huge difference in the world out there! And God calls us to DO IT!!!
Matthew 25:34-40 says this....
""Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' ""
So we are to look after those in need, those less fortunate than us. We have the ability and capability to help.....so what is the hold back?
After this in Matthew it goes on to say: Matthew 25:41-46
'"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.""
It's there in the book of Matthew in black and white......we ARE TO DO FOR THE LEAST OF THESE. SO what are we gonna do??? What can YOU do? What can I do? What can we do together? Where can you plug in and make a difference?? And believe you me, we can ALL make a difference in some way! What are you willing to sacrifice to help?
Please email me or leave a comment if you aren't sure where to start looking to find somewhere to plug in. Pray over it, God will show you where you can begin. I have found so many that I am overwhelmed and need to thin them down to just a few so I can do them fully and give them 100%.
Follow up to previous post......
So about 2 weeks ago I wrote about wasting food which is also a waste of money. I am happy to say that I went to the grocery last week and only spent $60. And it lasted all week, we made it work. And when I went today and came home......the ONLY thing I had to throw out was 2 rotten bananas and some Chinese food. Yeah!! It felt so good to know that spending less created less waste and more resources to put to better use!! It can be done, we just have to want to start making changes and making a difference! !!
Friday, June 25, 2010
My heart is going in so many directions!
So I already feel like I am on an emotional overly loaded roller coaster ride. My heart breaks daily, I get overwhelmed with thoughts and ideas and it's just well....a big pill to swallow some days. But then I am reminded ever so gently by my faithful Father that I feel this way for a reason. That because I care and am aware, I can help make a difference. I can BE the hands and feet of Christ and really answer a calling that I feel in my heart. I'm not sure what the "call" is yet, I am hearing so much all at once. I do know that my heart is so in love with orphans......with the families that give so much of themselves to bring one of these sweet children of God into their homes and lives. I admire the sacrifice and selflessness and energy that go into the entire process. Having a friend who already adopted and having several friends who are currently in the process......it such a beautiful beautiful example of TOTAL faith in God and all that HE PROMISES when we follow HIS word. And His word has been speaking so loudly to me more and more as I constantly keep seeing this verse:
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."----James 1:27
So I am 3 short short weeks away from my first one on one encounter with real life orphans. I know that sounds funny to say it that way.....but these aren't orphans in pictures or on TV or on a blog. They will be beautiful breathing children of God right in front of my face. I will be able to actually interact with them and embrace them. They will have faces and names in my heart. We are so desensitized by media, movies, internet......that it tends to lose some of the shock effect when we see things sometimes. I know that I was able to easily change the channel when one of those "Feed the Children" infomercials would come on a channel. If I can't see it, it goes away right? WRONG. I don't think I never really thought it would "go away" but I never really thought a $30 per month donation would do much for someone. I mean I grew up in a house where we spent $100 per week on groceries. $30 per month, that couldn't do anything worthwhile for a person.....change the channel. Yet I had no problem dropping $30 on wasteful "things" of this world back in those days. I say "back in those days" now because I am a changing loving child of God, who PRAYS and DESIRES to be so much more than I was......to give SO much more than I can.....to DO DO DO all that Christ calls me to do and to make what sacrifices are necessary for it to be done.
I think there has to be a change in heart to really BELIEVE that a difference can be made. One person can't change the world, but 100 people of God standing together on a mission to make a difference can make a HUGE difference to a group of people. I mean look at what has been done through our church!!! They started a Crazy Love Campaign, collected insane amounts of money and BUILT AN ORPHANAGE in Haiti!! I mean really?? A church in Hendersonville, TN has a congregation that gave enough of themselves to actually build an orphanage!!! That is CRAZY!!! SO crazy cool!!! I love it! Who can read that the congregation of a church felt the call and answered it and all these children will get to know the love of CHRIST because of it!!! I mean talk about answering when God is hollering!!! (On a side note, this is THE orphanage I will be going to on my trip.)
Okay.....let me get my thought track back. Okay, so one person CAN make a difference and SHOULD. I should. You should. All God's children should work together to make a difference. I am blessed beyond measure. Now, I don't live in a huge house or just have bank accounts with large sums of money in them. We have to budget in a night out to eat and I make sure bills are paid before I splurge on a $30 pair of jeans. BUT I am still blessed......far more than most in this world. I feel like I hear so many complaints about what people don't have or can't do or can't afford or want or "need" and who has more and who's house is bigger. I used to be that person.......USED TO! And NOW, I think twice about "needing" something and "wanting" something and what that money could mean to someone else's life. I mean if you had a $100 bill just handed to you......what would you do with it? I'm guessing most would go splurge on something or have a night out on the town or pay a bill. But do we ever really stop and think about the money we spend and what we spend it on? Is it junk of this world or are we investing in God's world. It's God's money anyways right? He blessed us with jobs to provide income.....so if it's HIS money, shouldn't we be better stewards? I love in the Bible it says:
Once our eyes are opened we cannot pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows we know and holds us responsible to act. Proverbs 24:12
God has opened my eyes, my heart and my soul to the hurting and suffering people in our world. To the orphans and the mothers who had to abandon them because they couldn't care for them. To the ones with no food, no clean water to drink, no homes......and more devastating NO knowing the LOVE of Christ! So MY HEART IS GOING IN SO MANY DIRECTIONS!!! I just can't keep up! I see so many opportunities to do things to help, places to make a difference, ways to contribute and honestly I WANT TO DO THEM ALL!! BUT I know that God would have me slow down, breathe and find a place to plug in and give it my all. One thing at a time, one day at a time. But where to start???
Well, I say I'm starting with this trip to Haiti. I'm starting by being aware of so much work to be done with the hands and feet of Christ. So I'm going to Haiti in less than 3 weeks and I'm coming back with crazy love in my heart to help the nations.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."---Acts 1:8
But what can a stay at home mom of 2 from TN really accomplish? I am gonna show you.....stay tuned to see HOW YOU CAN HELP, CONTRIBUTE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE TOO!!! There is something for EVERYONE to do! I may not be able to do it ALL but I can do SOMETHING and that is A START!!
Not sure how much sense this all made, but it comes to me quicker than I can type and I lose my train of thought and I have 15 ideas at a time spinning around and well.....I hope you caught the gist of my heart going radically everywhere! <3
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."----James 1:27
So I am 3 short short weeks away from my first one on one encounter with real life orphans. I know that sounds funny to say it that way.....but these aren't orphans in pictures or on TV or on a blog. They will be beautiful breathing children of God right in front of my face. I will be able to actually interact with them and embrace them. They will have faces and names in my heart. We are so desensitized by media, movies, internet......that it tends to lose some of the shock effect when we see things sometimes. I know that I was able to easily change the channel when one of those "Feed the Children" infomercials would come on a channel. If I can't see it, it goes away right? WRONG. I don't think I never really thought it would "go away" but I never really thought a $30 per month donation would do much for someone. I mean I grew up in a house where we spent $100 per week on groceries. $30 per month, that couldn't do anything worthwhile for a person.....change the channel. Yet I had no problem dropping $30 on wasteful "things" of this world back in those days. I say "back in those days" now because I am a changing loving child of God, who PRAYS and DESIRES to be so much more than I was......to give SO much more than I can.....to DO DO DO all that Christ calls me to do and to make what sacrifices are necessary for it to be done.
I think there has to be a change in heart to really BELIEVE that a difference can be made. One person can't change the world, but 100 people of God standing together on a mission to make a difference can make a HUGE difference to a group of people. I mean look at what has been done through our church!!! They started a Crazy Love Campaign, collected insane amounts of money and BUILT AN ORPHANAGE in Haiti!! I mean really?? A church in Hendersonville, TN has a congregation that gave enough of themselves to actually build an orphanage!!! That is CRAZY!!! SO crazy cool!!! I love it! Who can read that the congregation of a church felt the call and answered it and all these children will get to know the love of CHRIST because of it!!! I mean talk about answering when God is hollering!!! (On a side note, this is THE orphanage I will be going to on my trip.)
Okay.....let me get my thought track back. Okay, so one person CAN make a difference and SHOULD. I should. You should. All God's children should work together to make a difference. I am blessed beyond measure. Now, I don't live in a huge house or just have bank accounts with large sums of money in them. We have to budget in a night out to eat and I make sure bills are paid before I splurge on a $30 pair of jeans. BUT I am still blessed......far more than most in this world. I feel like I hear so many complaints about what people don't have or can't do or can't afford or want or "need" and who has more and who's house is bigger. I used to be that person.......USED TO! And NOW, I think twice about "needing" something and "wanting" something and what that money could mean to someone else's life. I mean if you had a $100 bill just handed to you......what would you do with it? I'm guessing most would go splurge on something or have a night out on the town or pay a bill. But do we ever really stop and think about the money we spend and what we spend it on? Is it junk of this world or are we investing in God's world. It's God's money anyways right? He blessed us with jobs to provide income.....so if it's HIS money, shouldn't we be better stewards? I love in the Bible it says:
Once our eyes are opened we cannot pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows we know and holds us responsible to act. Proverbs 24:12
God has opened my eyes, my heart and my soul to the hurting and suffering people in our world. To the orphans and the mothers who had to abandon them because they couldn't care for them. To the ones with no food, no clean water to drink, no homes......and more devastating NO knowing the LOVE of Christ! So MY HEART IS GOING IN SO MANY DIRECTIONS!!! I just can't keep up! I see so many opportunities to do things to help, places to make a difference, ways to contribute and honestly I WANT TO DO THEM ALL!! BUT I know that God would have me slow down, breathe and find a place to plug in and give it my all. One thing at a time, one day at a time. But where to start???
Well, I say I'm starting with this trip to Haiti. I'm starting by being aware of so much work to be done with the hands and feet of Christ. So I'm going to Haiti in less than 3 weeks and I'm coming back with crazy love in my heart to help the nations.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."---Acts 1:8
But what can a stay at home mom of 2 from TN really accomplish? I am gonna show you.....stay tuned to see HOW YOU CAN HELP, CONTRIBUTE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE TOO!!! There is something for EVERYONE to do! I may not be able to do it ALL but I can do SOMETHING and that is A START!!
Not sure how much sense this all made, but it comes to me quicker than I can type and I lose my train of thought and I have 15 ideas at a time spinning around and well.....I hope you caught the gist of my heart going radically everywhere! <3
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Heavy heart in the heat of the night......
So last night I woke up at 2am. I mean I was wide awake. I laid in the dark for awhile and thought I would drift back off to sleep. It was pitch black, no TV, no radio......just the calming hum from the ceiling fan. But, then I became fixated on the fan. The cool breeze it was blowing down onto us was so refreshing, especially since it was 93 degrees yesterday. I was so thankful to have that fan......which led to being so thankful to having the electricity for it to run on.......and then my mind spun out of control. Because then I started going through the whole list of things I should be thankful for that allow me to enjoy that ceiling fan on a hot summer night. Tony providing income so we can pay for the rent on this house that has a ceiling fan that requires a bill to be paid for the electricity to run it. Then laying there in the dark I found a room full of things I should be thankful for, everyday things that most of us are just "used" to having. I should be thankful that I have an incredibly comfortable mattress and pillow to rest my tired body on each night. I think that it becomes routine to just climb in the bed and get comfortable and go to sleep. Why wouldn't I every night climb in that bed and pray instantly for all God's people who are sleeping in ditches and under cars, in cars, under bridges, on streets, in the dirt......that may they have as restful a sleep as I? I say I don't pray for that because I am not as grateful for that bed as I should be.....it is just a normal part of my world. I've never NOT had a bed to sleep in or a pillow to put under my head. So from there.......mind and heart were in total overload.
I laid there thinking about a conversation I had with a young lady this last week. She herself is headed to Haiti in July. She will go just before me and be back just before I leave. We were discussing how incredible it will be and different details of the packing challenge. I told her leaving out my blow dryer, flat iron and makeup will free up much space that I am not used to having in my suitcase. So we began discussing the blow dryer issue. I told her I wasn't sure we'd even have access to use one but beyond that I didn't care to use one while I am gone. If I am to truly go and take away as much as I can from this.....I think I need to give up such small luxuries. No fresh running water, no blow dryer, no special perks.....all these things will just make me so much more appreciative of what I have at home. But then on Thursday that got flipped into something else.
On Thursday I needed to go to the grocery. I told Tony last week that we needed to buy LESS at the grocery and really eat all our food between visits to the store. No waste, no food spoiling, no throwing anything out. So I went to the store and spent about $25 less than normal and came home to put my items away. It never fails that there is ALWAYS a vegetable or pack of meat that has spoiled and needs to be trashed. Wasted food, wasted money......I am ashamed. As I cleaned a few items from the fridge, I threw out half a package of bacon, a few squash, a zucchini, and half a pound of lunch meat. I actually teared up thinking how many starving children this could've fed. Then I added up that it was probably about $10 wasted. If I waste $10 per week in groceries, that's $520 per year. WOW!!!! Now, when you look at half a package of lunch meat, it doesn't seem like much. To some starving child, it may keep them alive until their next meal. Plus, when you add up the money being wasted.......that's money that could be put to doing Kingdom Works for Him. Right? But I've heard people say "The people in starving countries don't know any different." This just makes me more angry at myself. Shouldn't I WANT them to know something different? Don't ALL God's children deserve a fair shot at a wholesome meal every single day? As a child of God, shouldn't I work to do better so I can do something more pleasing with that wasted money?
I was awake until almost 4:30, that was the last time I glanced at the clock. Ceiling fans, blow dryers, bacon.......all have new meanings now. God can show up anywhere you are (or are NOT) looking to find Him. <3
I laid there thinking about a conversation I had with a young lady this last week. She herself is headed to Haiti in July. She will go just before me and be back just before I leave. We were discussing how incredible it will be and different details of the packing challenge. I told her leaving out my blow dryer, flat iron and makeup will free up much space that I am not used to having in my suitcase. So we began discussing the blow dryer issue. I told her I wasn't sure we'd even have access to use one but beyond that I didn't care to use one while I am gone. If I am to truly go and take away as much as I can from this.....I think I need to give up such small luxuries. No fresh running water, no blow dryer, no special perks.....all these things will just make me so much more appreciative of what I have at home. But then on Thursday that got flipped into something else.
On Thursday I needed to go to the grocery. I told Tony last week that we needed to buy LESS at the grocery and really eat all our food between visits to the store. No waste, no food spoiling, no throwing anything out. So I went to the store and spent about $25 less than normal and came home to put my items away. It never fails that there is ALWAYS a vegetable or pack of meat that has spoiled and needs to be trashed. Wasted food, wasted money......I am ashamed. As I cleaned a few items from the fridge, I threw out half a package of bacon, a few squash, a zucchini, and half a pound of lunch meat. I actually teared up thinking how many starving children this could've fed. Then I added up that it was probably about $10 wasted. If I waste $10 per week in groceries, that's $520 per year. WOW!!!! Now, when you look at half a package of lunch meat, it doesn't seem like much. To some starving child, it may keep them alive until their next meal. Plus, when you add up the money being wasted.......that's money that could be put to doing Kingdom Works for Him. Right? But I've heard people say "The people in starving countries don't know any different." This just makes me more angry at myself. Shouldn't I WANT them to know something different? Don't ALL God's children deserve a fair shot at a wholesome meal every single day? As a child of God, shouldn't I work to do better so I can do something more pleasing with that wasted money?
I was awake until almost 4:30, that was the last time I glanced at the clock. Ceiling fans, blow dryers, bacon.......all have new meanings now. God can show up anywhere you are (or are NOT) looking to find Him. <3
Monday, June 7, 2010
I give all myself.....to YOU!
This is my desire.....to give ALL myself to YOU! To follow you into the homes of the broken, to follow you into the world. To meet the needs of the poor and needy.
"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:40
How could I NOT give it away so freely!!! How? Why not? Use my hands and feet to make YOUR kingdom come!!! Until your work is done, I will go to the corners of the earth. Faith WITHOUT works is dead. How could we not give it away so freely?
Haiti is just the beginning of something so much bigger.....right? It has to be. As much as I feel and as much as I cry. As much as I am on fire to serve these people without even knowing them. As much LOVE as I hold in my heart for them.....it's only the start. I want to give ALL MYSELF to HIM!!! Whatever that means! WHATEVER it means! I see these pics and it is incredibly overwhelming to know I will see it with my own eyes in 38 days. I cannot wait to see the babies and children that will have their lives forever changed by this orphanage. I cannot wait to meet them face to face.....to hug them, love on them, laugh with them. What an amazing gift that God will share a piece of them with me! I pray that I take this blessing to the fullest extent.....that it doesn't just become some summer mission trip I took. That it forever changes me, I pray it forever changes my heart......that it has the power to forever change hearts around me with a story God will give me to share. I sometimes wonder if I'm asking God for too much in this....and then I remember that God is bigger than anything we could EVER ask from Him. He IS who He says He IS!!!! And He can DO all that He says He can DO!!!! And I believe with all my heart.....this is merely the beginning of something bigger than I can imagine. I pray for it every single day and night. It's overwhelming and exciting and it's more than I ever imagined it would be.....and I haven't even packed yet. I sometimes wonder if my head will spin off or just explode instead. I know it sounds crazy talk to some......but I don't care!! It's honestly HOW I feel and it's honestly what God is doing in my heart that is CrAZy!!!! I LoVe It!!!
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Proverbs 31:8-9
Father we will lead them home. We will pick up the crippled man!!! There are TEARS from the saints for the LOST and UNsaved......we are crying for them to come back home! Your children will stretch out their hands!!!!
"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:40
How could I NOT give it away so freely!!! How? Why not? Use my hands and feet to make YOUR kingdom come!!! Until your work is done, I will go to the corners of the earth. Faith WITHOUT works is dead. How could we not give it away so freely?
Haiti is just the beginning of something so much bigger.....right? It has to be. As much as I feel and as much as I cry. As much as I am on fire to serve these people without even knowing them. As much LOVE as I hold in my heart for them.....it's only the start. I want to give ALL MYSELF to HIM!!! Whatever that means! WHATEVER it means! I see these pics and it is incredibly overwhelming to know I will see it with my own eyes in 38 days. I cannot wait to see the babies and children that will have their lives forever changed by this orphanage. I cannot wait to meet them face to face.....to hug them, love on them, laugh with them. What an amazing gift that God will share a piece of them with me! I pray that I take this blessing to the fullest extent.....that it doesn't just become some summer mission trip I took. That it forever changes me, I pray it forever changes my heart......that it has the power to forever change hearts around me with a story God will give me to share. I sometimes wonder if I'm asking God for too much in this....and then I remember that God is bigger than anything we could EVER ask from Him. He IS who He says He IS!!!! And He can DO all that He says He can DO!!!! And I believe with all my heart.....this is merely the beginning of something bigger than I can imagine. I pray for it every single day and night. It's overwhelming and exciting and it's more than I ever imagined it would be.....and I haven't even packed yet. I sometimes wonder if my head will spin off or just explode instead. I know it sounds crazy talk to some......but I don't care!! It's honestly HOW I feel and it's honestly what God is doing in my heart that is CrAZy!!!! I LoVe It!!!
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Proverbs 31:8-9
Father we will lead them home. We will pick up the crippled man!!! There are TEARS from the saints for the LOST and UNsaved......we are crying for them to come back home! Your children will stretch out their hands!!!!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
HE is my JOY!!! He has SET ME ON FIRE!
And He set me on fire
And I am burning alive
With His breath in my lungs
I am coming undone
And I cannot hold it in and remain composed
Love’s taken over me and so
I propose the letting myself go
I am letting myself go
You are my joy
You are my joy
You are my joy
You are my joy
I need to catch my breath, I need to
I need to catch my breath, give me a moment now
Emotional overload......is an understatement.
The World Health Organization reports that nearly half of the worlds population is at risk for malaria. Nearly 1,000,000 people die yearly from this disease. And every 30 seconds a child in Africa dies from malaria.......about 200,000 infants a year! So with this in mind, let me tell you where I was mentally today:
I have to take malaria pills for my upcoming trip. 1 pill a week for 7 weeks, 2 before I go, 1 while I'm gone, and the 4 weeks after I come home. So I called Walgreens to check to see if they had them on hand or if they had to order them. The girl informed me they have them in stock and to bring my prescription to be filled. I inquired about the cost of these pills.....thinking they were to be costly for something so out of the ordinary. The young lady on the phone says $32.39. I said "Per pill?" "No ma'am, total". As I hung up, I had to pull over the car and take a deep breath. I am going to spend less than $33 on pills that will keep me from getting this deadly disease. HOW is it that this many children DIE from a disease that can be prevented so cheaply? WHY can we NOT get them what they need to not die needlessly? HOW can we sit here and do nothing? HOW can we make a difference.....a REAL difference? KNOWING there is a problem is the start.....but where do we go from here? I WANT to know!!!
Beyond the malaria, it took me to a new place. I thought about how that $33 is equivalent to one lunch per week for the 7 weeks. And then that thought led me to another thought......how many times have I said "I'm starving", when it has been 5 or 6 hours since my last meal?? How many of these babies go 5-6 DAYS without a single meal? So "starving" doesn't really MEAN "starving" to me does it? Can I ever truly know the meaning of that word? Can you? I don't mean that to be ugly....I just really don't think most of us know what "starving" truly is. I mean how much food do you toss out when you clean out the fridge? For us it is more than we should! Should we really waste any food? Is it just that easy for us to just toss it out without a thought? For me it used to be.......but it is harder and harder. And now we make a conscious effort to eat all that we buy and to not buy more than we will eat. I mean the store is only 3 miles up the road. Can't I go every 4 or 5 days instead of every 7-10??? Can we be inconvenienced to not be wasteful? Then the money we save instead of throwing away food can be sent to help feed STARVING children? Just a thought. Just a plethora of thoughts......so much swirling in my head.
After that, I went on to think about how so many of us can complain of boredom? Really? Is it even possible to be bored with so much to do around us? Bored? There is always something to be done....get in the word? help someone in need? In Proverbs 6 it warns us against FOLLY. Folly is defined as "a foolish action, mistake or idea". Ouch.....that's all I will say, ouch. I'm doing some soul searching and making some changes.
I have to take malaria pills for my upcoming trip. 1 pill a week for 7 weeks, 2 before I go, 1 while I'm gone, and the 4 weeks after I come home. So I called Walgreens to check to see if they had them on hand or if they had to order them. The girl informed me they have them in stock and to bring my prescription to be filled. I inquired about the cost of these pills.....thinking they were to be costly for something so out of the ordinary. The young lady on the phone says $32.39. I said "Per pill?" "No ma'am, total". As I hung up, I had to pull over the car and take a deep breath. I am going to spend less than $33 on pills that will keep me from getting this deadly disease. HOW is it that this many children DIE from a disease that can be prevented so cheaply? WHY can we NOT get them what they need to not die needlessly? HOW can we sit here and do nothing? HOW can we make a difference.....a REAL difference? KNOWING there is a problem is the start.....but where do we go from here? I WANT to know!!!
Beyond the malaria, it took me to a new place. I thought about how that $33 is equivalent to one lunch per week for the 7 weeks. And then that thought led me to another thought......how many times have I said "I'm starving", when it has been 5 or 6 hours since my last meal?? How many of these babies go 5-6 DAYS without a single meal? So "starving" doesn't really MEAN "starving" to me does it? Can I ever truly know the meaning of that word? Can you? I don't mean that to be ugly....I just really don't think most of us know what "starving" truly is. I mean how much food do you toss out when you clean out the fridge? For us it is more than we should! Should we really waste any food? Is it just that easy for us to just toss it out without a thought? For me it used to be.......but it is harder and harder. And now we make a conscious effort to eat all that we buy and to not buy more than we will eat. I mean the store is only 3 miles up the road. Can't I go every 4 or 5 days instead of every 7-10??? Can we be inconvenienced to not be wasteful? Then the money we save instead of throwing away food can be sent to help feed STARVING children? Just a thought. Just a plethora of thoughts......so much swirling in my head.
After that, I went on to think about how so many of us can complain of boredom? Really? Is it even possible to be bored with so much to do around us? Bored? There is always something to be done....get in the word? help someone in need? In Proverbs 6 it warns us against FOLLY. Folly is defined as "a foolish action, mistake or idea". Ouch.....that's all I will say, ouch. I'm doing some soul searching and making some changes.
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