Beautiful Are the Feet

A Final Challenge

2010-04-08T13:24:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I last wrote, but I think this blog needs some closure; so this is going to be my last blog post about the Africa trip. It's crazy to think that 3 months ago today I was in Ethiopia spending time with some of the most precious kids I have ever met...eating ice cream, playing soccer, and just loving them. I can't help but wonder what they are doing right now. Some of those kids sell gum on the streets to help support their families. Some don't have families and have nowhere to stay. Some of the orphans are fortunate enought to be cared for by orphanages led by strong Christian men and women. Their situations are all so different and, really, anything can happen if you have no family to protect and provide for you. Can you imagine your child, alone and scared, living on the streets or...here's something we may not have thought about...in the city dump? Can you imagine your child eating trash just to survive or walking around in the dump barefoot, stepping in rotten food, stagnant water, and who knows what else? It is absolutely heartbreaking to think that millions...yes, millions of children are in that situation all over the world. Can you imagine how scared they must be or how it must feel for a seven year old child to have to sleep alone on the street cold night after cold night? As God's people, we have experienced Christ's deep, never-ending, and completely undeserved love. He has given generously to us, so why should we not also give generously to others? Did you know that there are approximately 147 million orphans in the world? That's a lot...except when you think about the fact that if somewhere around 8% of Christians adopted a child there would be zero orphans. Eight percent. So why haven't we stepped up? I don't think it's right that when there are hundreds of millions of Christians in the world, still millions of children are alone and hungry and never experience love or hope for their lives. So can I leave you with a challenge? Why not consider adoption or sponsoring a child or starting an orphanage? There's a lot at stake, you know. Our comfort, our money, our time...and a child's life. An orphaned child in Africa can't offer us anything...but we couldn't offer God anything either, and yet he laid down his life for us. I hope that we always remember that we were unable to pay our debt and yet were ransomed by the all-powerful God of the universe, and that we don't just keep it to ourselves.

"Home"

2010-01-20T16:37:00.000-06:00

It's so strange being back home and yet not really feeling "at home." It's difficult that very few of my friends or family truly understand what I have seen and heard and felt. For them, the excitement about my trip dies down and is forgotten but, for me, I will never forget because my heart has been so radically changed. One of the hardest things about being back "home" is trying to go back to my old routines, my old schedules, and my old plans when I am not the same person that did and wanted all those things a few weeks ago. I find that my desires have changed completely and, at times, I just don't know what to do with that. I'm considering moving to California to get a biblical counseling degree from the Master's College and it's not easy dealing with the different reactions I've been getting. Some of my friends are supportive and some are very against it. My parents (and I am so grateful for this) are so willing to support me in whatever God has for me . . . if they weren't I don't think I'd have the courage to go, even if I do come to the decision that this is what God is calling me to do. I still have a lot of prayer ahead of me on that decision. Anyway these are just a few of the struggles I've had since coming back to the United States, a place that used to feel like home but now . . . I'm not so sure.

What you want to hear about, though, are those precious and beautiful children we had the opportunity to love in Ethiopia and Uganda!

This little boy is getting his feet washed at Katie Davis' house so that he can get brand new shoes that fit him and don't have any holes or worn out patches. The kids were so proud of their new shoes - they didn't want to get them dirty at all.

This is the day we visited the Karamajong tribe in Jinja, Uganda. These kids are the poorest of the poor . . . most of them have families, but they live in one-room huts that are literally made out of mud, manure, and straw. When we stepped off the bus, the smell was almost overwhelming because these kids are dirty - but as soon as a sweet, shy little boy grabbed my hand, I forgot all about the smell because I loved him. I truly did. These kids have absolutely nothing. Some of them had just one shirt to wear and literally nothing else. Some kids that couldn't have been more than five years old were carrying their baby siblings on their backs, given more responsibility than some adults I know. And all they wanted was love. They didn't need someone to play with them or amuse them - they were content to hold onto you, hug you, lean on you . . . any kind of physical touch. The sweetest thing was when I would smile at a little child and get a small, shy smile in return. It made my heart melt and ache for them at the same time. Precious children living in such poverty with so many cares and so little love and affection.

These are just two pictures and two small explanations. I will post more later, but I think this is enough for now. Can I tell you my hope for you though? I truly hope that you won't read my blog and read the stories of these children and the ones I will tell you about later and then forget about them and go back to life as you know it. Let their smiles and their stories touch your heart. Let yourself love them and let that love change your life. Go to Africa . . . but I'll promise you one thing. If you do, you will never be the same.

Africa Trip

2010-01-12T11:39:00.001-06:00

I'm sorry I haven't gotten to blog about the trip yet . . . I think I had internet for a total of twenty minutes while we were actually in Africa. But I'm going to start now and share some things that I learned and experienced in Ethiopia and Uganda.

God has blessed me and broken me on this trip. He has convicted me, loved me, shown me mercy, grace, and compassion, and He has been faithful – just as He always has and always will be. He has shown me poverty and riches, joy and sadness, despair and yet great hope. He has asked me to walk in obedience and take steps that I want to resist with all my strength, but I know that, no matter how difficult and painful it may be, God blesses obedience and even in my weakness He is strong. My prayer is that, by sharing my story, God will touch your heart and He will continue to work in mine. He is so good and deserves all praise, honor and glory. I praise you Lord; I thank you for heartache and hardships because they bring us closer to you and I thank you for victories and joyous moments because in those moments we can point to you and give you all the glory for the work that you have done. Please continue to break me and build me back up piece by piece to look more like your holy son Jesus Christ.

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: the Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for a man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting, the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. The Lord has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, O my soul.
-Psalm 103

Africa, Here We Come!

2009-12-30T13:50:00.000-06:00

Well, as I type this I'm sitting in the airport in Washington D.C., waiting for our 8:30 flight to Ethiopia. I am already having a great time with the team - I love all of them. And of course a lot of bonding happens when you spend 24 hours traveling in close quarters together . . . it's a blast! This is a short update, but I just want to ask for your prayers as we travel. We will arrive in Ethiopia at 11:30 AM (Central Time) and it will be 7:30 PM there on December 31st. Then on January 1st we fly to Uganda. Please be praying for safe travel and for each of us to have faith and for God to use us in a mighty way while we're on this trip. Also pray for all of us to have patience and to love and support each other in everything we're going to experience together. Thanks so much and I'll try to update again soon!

A Little Something to Share . . .

2009-12-14T15:31:00.004-06:00

It’s funny what God can use to teach us. Today my car broke down in the middle of the road and, just being honest, I was feeling pretty inconvenienced. But two people just passing by stopped to help me push my car out of the middle of the road and onto a side street so I wouldn’t get hit. It may sound like a small gesture, but I am so thankful for their kindness; it was a HUGE deal to me. And it made me think – THAT is what it looks like to be the hands and feet of Christ in everyday life. I am so excited about Africa but I don’t want that to be the extent of my obedience to God. There are countless opportunities each day to help people and glorify God; I want to be less wrapped up with myself and what I “need” to get done and start to make a point of watching out for those chances and taking advantage of them. Even the smallest act of kindness can make a big difference in someone’s day, which I experienced firsthand this afternoon.

Remember when I mentioned in a previous blog that Simon, my team leader, warned us that Satan would be doing his best to steal our joy and faith in the upcoming weeks so that we won’t be focused on doing God’s work? Well, it’s not going to work. In the scheme of things, this breakdown is no big deal. There are so many things to praise God for – the fact that an accident wasn’t caused when my car died in the middle of two lanes of traffic, for the two strangers that were willing to stop and help, and so much more. So glory be to God – He is forever faithful!

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100

God is Good

2009-12-10T23:05:00.002-06:00

God is so good. He is good all the time and my heart feels like it is overflowing with joy and love for Him right now! I am so grateful for the family that He has already created in our team that's going to Africa - and I haven't even met everyone yet! I love them though and I am so excited to see how God is going to bond us as together as one to work for His purposes and to spur each other on. Do you know what really just makes me want to dance around the room? Jesus Christ has won the victory. We don't have to be afraid and we don't have to doubt because our God can do anything. It is so freeing to be able to pray and act and go completely outside of my comfort zone in faith because I am not the one who is going to make things happen - God is! He has all the power and I just need to be obedient and follow His lead. Knowing that and really, really grasping it is like having a weight lifted off my shoulders . . . what in the world should I ever worry about? That's not to say I shouldn't pray about things though. I'm learning a lot about prayer right now through a book called Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets; our team is reading it together before we go to Africa. Honestly, I have seriously underestimated the power and the absolute necessity of prayer in my life. There are so many things I have learned so far that I want to talk all about but there is one thing in particular I really want to share. This is a quote from Sheets' book that I read today:

Does it surprise you that the word used for 'intercession,' paga, is also translated 'boundary'? It really shouldn't. It only seems logical to me that perimeters of protection be linked to prayer. I want to state emphatically: We CAN build boundaries of protection around ourselves and others through intercession. What a comfort to know that this truth is inherent in the very meaning of the word . . . All promises from God are attached to conditions - governing principles. Most, if not all, of these conditions involve responsibility on our part. Protection is no exception.

He goes on to talk about the fact that we have a responsibility to pray, both for ourselves and others, and that through our prayers we can build up walls of security and protection from Christ. If you want to check out some of the verses he uses in this chapter they are: Matthew 17:20; 21:21; Mark 11:22-24; Hebrews 6:12; Psalm 91:1; Matthew 6:6. Those are just a few but I would really recommend reading the book - it will change your outlook on prayer. I want to be so much more intentional about my prayer life because of it. Anyway, that's what's been going on with the team and myself in the past week or so . . . we're all excited and we've got about two and a half weeks until we leave so please be praying for us for protection and for faith.

Power in Christ

2009-12-03T23:10:00.000-06:00

Sometimes it’s incredible (and not in a good way) how little faith I have that God will come through for me. Tonight on our weekly team meeting/conference call, one of our team leaders, Simon, challenged us to start expecting things from God. How often do I pray for God to move but then go on with my day without really believing that he will? I need to pray with true faith and really expect God to answer…even if it’s not with the answer I want or think is best. God loves his children and will come through for us but we need to have faith – and what reason do we have not to?

We also talked about how we can claim power over Satan in the name of Jesus Christ. One thing I knew before but have been seeing firsthand in the past weeks is the fact that spiritual warfare is very real. The last thing Satan wants to happen is for God’s kingdom to be advanced in the world or for a group of God’s children to come together as a mighty force to work in Christ’s name and share the good news or for us to truly have faith and courage to follow Christ. Simon told us tonight to really be careful to watch how we relate to our family and friends and to each other as a group because Satan will be trying everything he can to steal our joy and our faith. Already he is attacking members of our group with illness, with financial difficulties, and with events that can be absolutely devastating and are totally unforeseeable. But we are not intimidated and we will not be stopped because Jesus Christ is Lord – He is all-powerful and Satan cannot stand against the power of God. We will not sit back and put up with his attacks either. Even tonight as we prayed together as a group…as a family…Simon stated that we will not back down – we stand together, united as a family of brothers and sisters in Christ that will not be bullied and held back by the enemy. We stand on the rock that is Christ and claim power and authority in the name of Jesus to do his work and advance His kingdom in spite of any obstacles that may come our way. It’s a little bit scary but it’s also incredible to know that my Heavenly Father is the king of kings who defeated death once and for all and who holds the universe in the palm of his hand and I do not have to be afraid. God is now and will continue to work in mighty ways.

The Countdown Begins

2009-12-01T13:45:00.000-06:00

29 days. I can't believe that our team leaves for Africa so soon. We are getting down to the little details...who will carry what supplies in which bags, what vaccines do we still need to get, what kind of clothing do we need? What I am most focused on, though, is pressing into God. I want to know Him a little more each day, be filled with His Spirit more and more so that, when I get to Africa and look into those precious children's faces, I will be full of love and compassion and tenderness to give to them with no reservations. I want Christ to continually fill me to overflowing so that I can empty myself into their lives and be refilled yet again. I know He is faithful to be strong in my weakness, a promise that I am incredibly grateful for because, as I contemplate what our twelve days in Africa may hold, I can't say that I'm sure I'm ready. What if I don't know enough or can't love enough or am not strong enough? But all of these things don't matter. Christ can do these things through me - I need to be faithful and follow after Him and He will provide for me whatever I need to do what He calls me to do. That is so incredible! As these last four weeks go by and the trip gets closer and closer, I'm sure there will be obstacles to overcome because I'm dealing with some already. But I know that everything will work out and that God is going to do some amazing things in and through our team. I can't wait to share all of it with you and I'm glad you're going to keep up and see what He'll do in the next couple months.