I know I said I was disappearing, but I just wanted to share some books that the Lord has been using to change my life and my faith. I'd LOVE to know if you read them!
"Breaking the Rules - trading performance for intimacy with God" by Fil Anderson
"Life of the Beloved" by Henri Nouwen
"Turn my Mourning into Dancing" by Henri Nouwen
"Prodigal God" by Tim Keller
and of course lots of time in the word.....I've taken FB and Twitter off my phone so that I can pull up my Bible in all of my downtime. MAN, this has changed the time I spend in the word! I have fallen in love with His word all over again....especially reading the Psalms at the same time as 1 & 2 Samuel so you can read David's life and his heart at the same time. Wow.
I'm starting "Sacred Romance" and "Evolving in Monkey Town" as well as "What Good is God?" and "1000 gifts"....
I know I said I was going to continue to blog and just go private...but for now, blogging is off. I am taking a break from social media.
Just spending time "in the shelter of His wings".... would love your prayers. Life is beyond words hard and I am in need of so much of Jesus. He is completely faithful and more precious to me than I deserve. So, right now....it's just me and Jesus. I am in need of lots of His truth, instruction and healing and I'm going to spend the next bit curled up in His lap. I hope to come back to blogging, FB and Twitter, but for now it's safest to just sit with my Shield and my Refuge.
"I realized that healing begins with our taking our pain out of its diabolic isolation and seeing that whatever we suffere, we suffer it in communion with all of humanity and yes, all of creation...
...the way through suffereing is not to deny it, but to live fully in the midst of it.
Our efforts to disconnect ourselves from our own suffering end up disconnecting our suffering from God's suffering for us.
Facing our losses also means avoiding a temptation to see life as an exercise in having needs me. We are needy people, of course. We want attention, affection, influence, power. And our needs seem never to be satisfied. Even altruistic actions can get tangled with these needs. Then, wehn people or circumstances do not fulfill all of our needs, we withdraw or lash out. We nurse our wounded spirits. And we become even needier. We crave easy assurances, ignoring anything that would suggest another way.
I am less likely to deny my suffering when I learn how God uses it to mold me and draw me closer to Him. I will be less likely to see my pains as interruptions to my plans and more able to see them as the means for God to make me ready to receive Him. I let Christ live near my hurts and distractions.
Our choice than often revolves around not what has happened or will happen to us, but how we will relate to life's turns and circumstances...will I relate to my life resentfully or gratefully?
For in our suffering, not apart from it, Jesus enters our sadness, takes us by the hand, pulls us gently up to stand and invites us to dance.
It is here (prayer) that we find courage to face our human boundaries and hurts, whether our physical appearance, our being excluded by others, our memories of hurt or abuse, our oppression at the hands of another. As we find freedom to cry out in anguish or protest someone's suffering, we discover ourselves slowly led into a new place. We become conditioned to wait for what we in our own strength cannot create or orchestrate. We realize that joy is not a matter of balloons and parties...It has to do with a deep experience - an experience of Christ. In the quiet listening of prayer, we learn to make out the voice that says, "I love you..."
The gospel calls us continually to make Christ the source, the center, and the purpose of our lives. In Him, we find our home. In the safety of that place, our sadnesses can point us to God, even drive us into God's loving embrace. Here mourning our losses ultimately lets us claim our belovedness. Mourning opens us to a future we could not imagine on our own - one that includes a dance..."
Ok, wow. He's smart, huh? And deep. This is just a FEW of the underlined passages and I'm only on page 38! More to come...
My sweet friend, Layla, posted this on our "I am a WarriorGirl" yahoogroup. I just had to share
:-)
Dear Warrior Girls,
Thanks a lot. Thanks for taking my cozy, easy, half-convicted life, and turning it upside down. Thank you for allowing God to work through your lives in a way that has switched me from reading decorating blogs (and dreaming of billowy curtains, and glorious white dishes), and choking me with grim reality blogs. I really appreciate the way you took my shopping trips (*SIGH*) and made them seem so darn petty. Today I came home with a little pink bag of my favorite undies, and now all I can think of is how many bellies that price tag would have filled. Yeah, thanks for that. I would also like to thank you for introducing me to your children. Children that could have remained a mystery…unknown… Now my heart has been touched in places that I didn’t know existed. I sob over photos of these little ones, and the ones that peep through bars…waiting for their forever family. Yeah, thanks for that heartache. Now I cannot throw anything out without wondering how I EVER became so wasteful. I look at my stuff and wonder what my problem is. REALLY? Do I REALLY need another one of those? Great. Now I have more conviction…thanks. This is what I get for having a band of friends that care more than I knew was even possible. This is what I get for knowing a God that is SO BIG and AMAZING, that I have been smacked-down, face flat on the concrete. I have tripped on my own indifference. And you know what? I TRULY AM THANKFUL! I love you all so much. I wonder why God allows me to be in this group? I am SO stinking far behind where I should be! I don’t pray enough, care enough, give enough, try hard enough. I am so selfish that is nauseates me. Why on earth would God show me such mercy? There is so much mercy in pain and correction. My Father is so good. Yes, this letter started sarcastic and silly, but here is the cold hard truth: I want to know more. I want to hurt more, feel more, give more, break more. I need all of you to hold me accountable. I am not even close to making the cut. Thank you, Jesus, for your mercy and grace! I am nothing without the blood of Jesus covering my every sin. I needed (NEED) the reality and support that He has brought through all of you. I am forever grateful…even though I really liked billowy curtains and PINK undies.
I read this tonight and for me - it's a no brainer!! Wow! What a great idea. In fact, so great I totally want to use it. If you guys LOVE this giftbasket idea, let me know. We have some crazy cool shirts around HopeChest, plus necklaces and coffee and such plus we are making some crazy cool shirts for the WarriorGirls (may have an entire line...just sayin') and we could do something like this to fund, i don't know, rescues?! :-)
But for now...read what my sweet friend Kim has written and about this amazing way to not only help Korah but enter to win an amazing prize pack of 13 shirts plus a hat and tote! wow!! *PS this is possibly the longest post ever - but worth it to see all these cute shirts)
For those of you that don't know, much like myself a few months ago, "Korah" in Amharic means "cursed". Around 75 years ago, the Ethiopian government moved everyone with leporsy to this area of Addis Ababa . There are now approximately 100,000 people that live in the slums of Korah and are considered the "outcasts" The other thing that is located in Korah is the city dump. I have had friends say they could see parts of the dump moving and then realized it was people moving. People searching for food to eat and scrap metal to sell.
There is something else, or rather, Someone else, moving in Korah.
God.
He is stirring in the hearts of His people and people like pastor Sammy Liben and Project 61. There is now an education sponsorship program for the children of Korah. If you have not read this post this last week, I really encourage you to take the time to read it...it is a long post and yet leaves me speechless. Also, visit the Hoffman's blogas Laura just returned from there as well with Visiting Orphans.
So...while we have a bit of time to fundraise, the kids at Korah do not. They have a child sponsorship program that has a deadline of July 31. Yep...one week left. And it is $700 to sponsor a child in Korah for an entire year. They get to go to boarding school, have meals and and education. You can read what all that entails in Jody's post. Pretty amazing stuff. Made me realize my pitiful little TV was just fine-and-dandy-thank-you-very-much. (okay..I already realized that but just thought I would throw that in there...)
When we shared as a fundraising family a few months ago at a Show Hope event, we said we never want to be the endpoint of a gift...any gift. We believed it when we said it and we believe it even more today. We want to share the benefits of this fundrasier with Korah in whatever way God chooses.
SO.....
How does this "Dress for a Cause" the Sequel work? Easy.
All you have to do to have your name on a piece of paper in our bowl of wonders is purchase a piece of this picture of Korah Kids. Your piece, or pieces, will build upon other's pieces and together we will all have a part in God's work in Korah. As pieces are purchased, I will uncover more and more of the picture. Pretty neat, huh!
A picture tile of Korah costs 10.00.
2 pictures tiles of Korah cost 15.00.
You can enter by reposting the Dress for a Cause, the seqel on your blog , tweeting about it and of course, posting it on your facebook.
That is 5 ways to end up in our bowl of wonders and have your closet filled with adoption themed shirts. Can I participate? No. Can my daughter? No...much to her dismay. (She was counting her pennies.)
So, let's take a look at who is generously participating in the Sequel...
Show Hope. SH had actually wanted to participate in the first Dress for a Cause but I received their communication as it was ending, so I told them I would take a rain check. SH goes above and beyond in partnering with families with resources and adoption grants. That is just a small part of what they do. Show Hope would like to partner with your in your fundraising efforts with their merchandise affiliate program. Contact Lindsey at SH. She is your go-to girl. Oh...and how generous is this. They are giving a shirt, hat AND tote bag (I am so jealous...)
Heart to Home. The Dixon's are a fundraising family that has generously donated an Adopt. Pray. Support. shirt. They are a family of 10 currently on the wait for siblings from Ethiopia. Tricia is always full of support and encouragement so you will want to visit their site and bookmark this family. Take a look around their site for other items they are selling to bring their little one's home.
Holding God's Hand in the Journey. Okay...I'm gonna be quiet and let you read the anonymous quote on Debbie and Jeff's shirts and water bottle.
"We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life, but those who make their journey home across time and miles, growing within the hearts of those who love them, are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us by God's very own hands." Oh, guys....this one is SPECIAL!! They are taking shirt orders right now and if I were you I would not wait to see if I won this ginormous prize, I would go ahead and bless this family with a shirt order...or two...and a water bottle...like the one I just ordered (Merry Christmas, Isabelle...shhhhhh)
The Walser Adoption Adventures. Let me tell you about this family. They are on the other side of Florida from me. I get the sunrises and they get the sunsets. Rachel is a busy homeschool mom with a side business and a pastors wife. She is always full of encouragement and has had quite a year getting to the waitlist...but guess what just happened, they made it! She is out of town at a convention and she only had a few minutes to update her blog but I thought she put it perfectly. Here is what she said: "For a year it's been a paper chase. I have known a child waits at the end of it but most days I have been lost in a cloud of notaries and background checks and references and authentications. Paper. But today, I feel the tangible love and longing for my child. I hear a heartbeat, I feel a kick. I feel a life growing and I sense our meeting is just around the corner" That is just a glimpse into the heart of the Mama of this family. Their shirts say, Love with Abandon..Love an Orphan.
Oh...they already do.
Ordinary Hero. Change the World for One. That says it all. Here we have the lovely Kristi Johnson aka Mama to many but especially one very cute Lucy Lane. Her sister, Kelly, has Ordinary Hero and if you have not been following along with their recent trip (very recent, like I think their flight is due in while I type this...) to Africa, then head over and see what they have been up to. The work they did recently with the flooding in Nashville was inspiring and reminded me there are opportunities everywhere and everywhere to change the world for one.
147 Million Orphans. Gwen and Suzanne need no introduction but I will brag on them still the same. These ladies and 147 Million are a pivitol part of the adoption fundraising community and orphan care awareness. The impact and influence their hearts and efforts will have with Amazima Ministries will not be known this side of heaven but I can pretty much say with certainty they will hear the words "Well Done." I had the privilege of hanging out at the pool with them a few weeks ago in Orlando. When they asked if we would adopt after "Hope" I replied I am getting "old" . "Better an old mama than NO mama" Gwen chimed in. These ladies know the realities of the orphan crisis. Aging parents and lack of funds are no excuse.
They are donating a 147 Million shirt (may not be the one pictured below, depending on availablity because these ladies sell A LOT !) and one of the wonderful magazine bead necklaces made by the women in Uganda.
Because we are led. This sweet family had adopted from China and and doing it again. This time they are adopting an 11 year old boy with mild cerebral palsy. You can read his story on their blog but in a nutshell his birth mother took him to the hospital when he was 6 years old and abandoned him there. They are a fundraising family as well and I would invite you to check out their blog. They have some sweet dresses up for auction to go towards their adoption expenses and they are selling tote bags as well.
Feeding the Orphans. Meet Sydney. She is 10 years old. Don't let her age fool you. She has a heart and spiritual maturity well beyond those 10 years. She becamed burdened at the thought of how we could live like queens and kings when there are others, especially in Africa, who have nothing. So, little miss Sydney started a blog, designed a t-shirt, and advocates for the orphan. Two of which will be orphaned no more. Her family is growing by way of Ghana! She is raising money for a well in her siblings village that was affected by a fire. When I asked Sydney to participate in this I told her I did not want her to donate a shirt, I wanted to purchase one to put in the giveaway. She said she wanted to donate it. Can you say "servant's heart"? (Oh...and Syd...I'm older than you and I say I am buying one..)
The Road Less Travelled . The Shubin Clan is another one of my Florida families. They have been so encouraging to me and we have had the opportunity to meet half way in Orlando a couple times to visit. They are currently getting their Dossier submitted and will soon be on the wait for their little girl...who will join their little Silas and their home grown kiddos. Erica has a fabulous blog that she updates regularly and is in a "humble attack mode" when it comes to fundraising. She knows how to get it done and if you need pointers don't hesitate to ask her. She is full of ideas. She has recently posted about the life journey they were going through as a family when they were adopting Silas. Pretty real stuff. Head over to their blog and become a follower if you are not already. They have some amazing new shirts and I love their design. One of my favorites is the Where you Live shirt. Check it out. And...in the spirit of guy talk and "manning up" their Pie hole shirt gets to the point. (The color of the prize shirt may not be the color Erica is wearing below)
And then there is us. No link...you are already here. The first shirt is what we call the "Lilah" shirt. Well...because the first one I made and sold was for Lilah. And she is beautiful and she is the same age as our little "Hope" will most likely be and if I lived close I would totally need a sweet hug from Lilah...but instead, we have named a shirt after her and have sold many. If you would like an adult Lilah shirt of a different color we can accomodate that!
And then we have the one that started it all for us. We designed this shirt a year ago. I can't believe it has been that long and I am humbled that I still get orders for them a year later. We have loved them and have loved seeing others wearing them on their return trips from Africa with their babies. That is fun.
Finally, (whew...I'm tired..and old Gwen.;) is our Love is Not a Color shirt. The video was great fun to make and I have once again been humbled by the number of orders that continue to come in for this shirt. You never know when you do a design but you know it was placed on your heart and you just go with it.
We will run this through the week and dig into our name-filled bowl on Friday. I will update our picture of Korah throughout the week as your pictures are purchased. Please comment on this blog or facebook me or skywrite above my house and let me know how reposted. You can purchase your Korah picture with the button on the sidebar. Please feel free ask questions
So often when I put out fund raising requests I get overwhelmed....what if no one gives? What if they are tired of me talking about it? What if I've asked, one too many times? This was the case this week. I mean, come on, $8,000 is a lot of money. a LOT of money. Truth is, I was worried. But I kept reminding myself and others that "God scattered abroad His gifts to the Poor" (Psalm 112:9)
I'm not fundraising. I'm not begging and pleading and scraping money together. I'm just looking. Treasure Hunting if you will... for where HE has placed HIS gifts to these girls. And then, giving these people the privilege and opportunity to give. You know - I've never regretted giving. I certainly don't miss the bday presents or anniversary presents I gave up this year. I know my Brayden doesn't miss the gifts he gave up on his birthday so that kids in Africa could eat. I have, however, regretted NOT giving. I saw a need, meant to give, but just got busy. I missed out on an opportunity to be a part of a miracle. I truly believe this is the greatest gift He gives us. The opportunity to be a part of HIS love letter to those He finds precious.
Well guess what? I got a call this afternoon from a precious friend. She's a blog friend who I've never actually met in person but have spent hours with on the phone. She actually left me a message that went something like this: "I just read your blog and my husband and I would like to give. Call me back and let me know if paypal or a check would work best. Looks like you need $7300 - so we'd like to give that amount." I dropped the phone and jumped around screaming. You should see me do my happy dance...It's quite lovely. (ok, maybe not). I called her back and told her our need right now is actually only $6500 and she said she'd send the check right now. And you know what? She was THRILLED. We were both practically in tears on the phone, so very thankful that the Lord allows us to be a part of this. She was SO excited to give and be a part of the rescue of these girls.
I hung up the phone and did a LOT more dancing and jumping and screaming. HE DID IT!!! AGAIN!!! Blew me away one more time. Not only do we have the funds needed to pull off a rescue, but we have the funds to provide a Christian counselor for these girls for a whole YEAR!
AND, the money is still coming in. People across the country have said - "we want to give. These girls are worth more than our comfort, our stuff." Girls in Kansas are having a huge garage sale. (Details on Tom's blog) Lindsey is selling her coach purse (go HERE to win a chance!). I'd LOVE to sell anything you want of mine...leave me a comment :-) We are over $500 PAST our goal and will be funding the NEXT rescue! KEEP giving!!! Our goal is to match our sweet friends' $6500 and have 2 rescues funded by Monday night! Will you join us? Will you give up some of your comfort so a little girl can be rescued? Will you give up lunch out on Sunday afternoon? Will you sell something? Offer to trade babysitting with a friend and send the money instead? I PROMISE you won't regret it. I can not fully explain the joy it is to be a part of HIS rescue of the oppressed.
A woman who is the head of a women's organization - a woman who should be defending women's rights.... and yet, what does she do? She runs a brothel. Not only a regular brothel....right? because that wouldn't be bad enough. No, she runs a brothel that SPECIALIZES in selling virgins to VIPs, politicians and police officers. Oh wait, it doesn't stop there....not only does she hold what appears to be 4-5 minor girls as sex slaves in her brothel. She ALSO has a lovely photo book of the girls available for purchase from the local boarding school. If a client wants one of those girls she can simply go to the boarding school, pick them up for their "appointment" and then bring them back to school.
What a hypocrite. Does this just make you steaming mad? It makes me want to SHUT HER DOWN. Oh the EVIL.
And just as I rage over the injustice of it all. The situation itself and the hypocrisy of parading around as a good upstanding citizen.... and then I remember.
Isaiah 58 again...For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God."
I wonder if we, the church, are any better than this brothel owner??? Parading around as a people who care about justice and turning to look the other way when a situation like this comes out. It's been a full day - we have $700.
It's one thing to talk about it. To look like a person who cares about justice. It's a whole other thing to "loose the chains" of injustice with my actions, with my sacrificial giving.
First, you establish yourself as a respected community leader who heads up a women's rights group in India. This will solidify your reputation as someone who protects and defends young girls.
Next, you need to really specialize in something to keep the customers coming back for more. You need, as the marketers call it, a "unique value proposition." You decide to focus on virgin girls. Highly prized and more expensive than girls with experience.
For clientele, you cater to corrupt police officials, local authorities, and the occasional visiting VIP or dignitary. That way, you'll always remain safe from raids and prosecutions.
Last, and most importantly, you need a good supply of virgins. For that you have an arrangement with the local boarding school for girls. Potential customers browse through your photo book of potential child sex victims. Once they make their choice, you bring the girls to your brothel to be raped for profit.
Sadly, this true story is unfolding right now in India.
A well-respected women's leader and her husband run a trafficking and prostitution ring specializing in virgins and young girls. The description above is true in its details, documented by our partners in India.
A rescue operation is in the works, and I am raising funds through this blog to free as many girls as we can. Will you help us?
They have documented at least five minors--all girls--being held as slaves. The rescue plan involves using the local television station to expose the operation, and thereby force the police to conduct the raid.
Will you join me in supporting this rescue operation? Here are the details:
Rescue Operation: $1,250 - ($125 per girl we plan to rescue) If we successfully rescue 10 girls, that's just $125 per child saved. This involves setting up the rescue operation, getting the investigative team in place, coordinating with the media and police, and conducting the raid itself. Even if $1,250 rescued only one girl, it would be far worth the investment.
Rescue Kits for Each Girl: $450 - ($45 per girl up to 10 girls) These kits are the first step in restoring a girl's dignity. They contain clothing and personal hygiene supplies. The girls are taken immediately to a government after-care facility, and these kits provide each girl with needed supplies for the long journey ahead.
Professional Social Worker: $6,000 - Salary for 12 months Once in the government after-care home, our partners will send a Christian social worker to meet with each of the girls and begin to counsel them toward long-term recovery. Until the girls are allowed to leave that facility, our partners will provide consistent biblical counseling from a licensed and educated social worker. Providing this victims' advocate is critical because in many cases girls are returned to the parents or relatives who sold them to the brothel in the first place. Our goal is to rescue up to ten girls. Although in a similar attempt a few weeks ago, only one girl was freed from her captors. I will keep you posted, and encourage you to continue to pray, to spread the word, and to give as you are able.
Here are two ways you can be involved:
Join our Prayer Conference Call Today Our prayer team, iFast58, will pray for this operation on their weekly sex trafficking prayer call. Please join them today (July 21) at 1:30pm Eastern Time. Call 760-569-9000 ID: 968101. If you can't make the call, please commit to pray for this rescue.
Make a Gift to the India Rescue Operation Click the donate button at the top of this post to make a gift toward this rescue operation. A gift of any size will make a difference. Give even $5 to stop this horror. A $45 gift buys one girl a rescue kit. A $125 donation helps rescue one girl (if we are successful in freeing 10 children). A $500 gift pays for after-care social work for the girls. Make a gift today. All donations are processed by PayPal and received by Children's HopeChest, a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit corporation. We are members of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability also. For more information about our ministry, please visit http://hopechest.org.
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Those of us who spend our time focusing on the poor, the oppressed and those who serve them are sometimes confronted with grim realities.
The fact is that there are too many problems out there...there are too many children that need help...there are too many women and children who are stuck in sex-trafficking and too many people starving. So, you read a book or you adopted a child or you went on a trip and you were overwhelmed with poverty and injustice. You never imagined that things were so bad. You couldn't believe how cheap it was to solve individual problems - medicines for less than $10, mosquito nets for $5, school fee that are less than your monthly starbucks budget. You thought to yourself - I have to do something - I am GOING to do something.
You return to America or you finish your book and your mission begins. You start telling your spouse or your best friends. This is unbelievable - we have to do something now. We have to act. Some of them seem interested but most of them try to wait it out hoping you will get over this latest obsession. But you know in your heart this is not an obsession - it's a calling. It is a new awareness that the kingdom of God has to extend out from you and reach the least of these. You keep going.
Your friends initially tolerate you and then some just quietly phase you out but you are undeterred initially. You press on KNOWING people will want to make a difference. You start reading the bible with fresh eyes and asking yourself why you had never seen that or read that before? Why did I not hear this in church? You listen to sermons with fresh ears and you hear the repetitive beating of a drum that seems to resound with a self-centered rhythm. It isn't supposed to be all about me is it God? Why are we only focused on making our great lives even better when kids are starving, when young children are being prepared for sexual exploitation every two minutes? I guess that will all just go away if I can truly develop the purpose driven life right? Or if I just keeping doing more bible studies with my accountability group?
For some of us, the hard reality is that we simply need to move on from some of our old ways and old friends into the fullness of the gospel. The true religion that we know He is calling us too. You won't be popular but quite frankly neither was Jesus among the religious crown. You may find yourself test the patience of some of your closest friends who would just rather plan their next big vacation and not hear about the sexual exploitation of children or starving kids or children who are alone and with love or hope. That stuff is just too hard and depressing and doesn't fit with the trajectory of my life that God is making so pleasant and easy.
I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that everything we do will have an eternal impact in the lives of individuals and it matters. Your small choices can make a big difference in the lives of the hurting. The bad news is that you will not be popular, it will not be easy, you will lose friends, people will tire of you constantly beating the drum for the cause of justice. People will avoid you and criticize you and tell you to lighten up. But, I want to challenge you. I want to challenge you to be a louder voice than you have ever been. I want to challenge you to scream for those who have no voice. I want to challenge you to ask God to use you in places and in ways that others don't want to. I want to challenge you to fight agains the apathy that plagues our churches and society. I challenge you to be His hands and feet to the least of these. I challenge you to allow your life to be a seed - which falls to ground and dies and in so doing it produces much fruit. I challenge you to swim against the current of our church culture that seeks to find comfort in a personal gospel and personal salvation and passionately pursue God with a reckless abandon for those that are helpless.
I pray that we would fast today with the spirit of a warrior that has counted the cost and said with boldness - Lord I give you my life today - ALL of me - spend me extravagantly on the poor and the oppressed.
Needs:
HopeChest Pray for Indian Rescue Mission and the fundraiser Tom is starting on his blog tomorrow morning for them. We will be raising $8k for an upcoming rescue. The rescue is for a brothel owned and operated by the head of a women's organization. There are at least 5 minors being held there. This brothel "specializes" in selling young virgins to politicians, VIPs and Policeofficers. She also has a book of photos of the girls in the local boarding school and runs a prostitution ring using those girls.
Please pray that the money will be raised to rescue these girls as well as to provide a social worker to meet with them each week and work to provide their healing over the next year.
We also have a trip going to Haiti in August and several of our leadership will be traveling over the next several weeks.
Please pray for the following organizations:
The River in Kalamazoo is sending a team into Uganda for a month
I've updated you a lot about all our sweet new children friends...but I haven't talked a lot about my new girlfriends. Last week I got to spend a good bit of time with my new girls :-)
Wendi (moved here in January), Amy (moving here very soon!) and Jody (moved here last week).
What a fun time to just be. These girls know and live my motto "go deep or go home" :-)
I just about died laughing when we were shopping in this little store in downtown Monument and Wendi picked up a shawl to see that it said "made in China" and commented "probably by slave children" and roller her eyes. I just started giggling and couldn't stop. I told her we were some of the only girls who would ever celebrate that as an appropriate comment on a girls night out! It was a great night of laughing, talking and raging about injustice :-) Yes, my favorite kind of night!
Yesterday was a tough day....truly, a deep and dark day. We wrestled. We battled. We approached the throne feeling battle worn, bloodied and bruised. And in as far as we can see - this battle was lost. We prayed for the rescue of 2 specific girls (ages 14-15) from a brothel and begging for the 6 others we knew of....and yet, there was a tip off. No rescue. I literally laid my head on my desk and wept. I felt the oppression, frustration, enormity of this broken world all over again. I felt hopeless - or maybe felt their hopelessness. I was truthfully mad at God...You say you are the rescuer of the oppressed ----so RESCUE!!!
There is a whole other post in this journey - a raw post about what it has done to me to walk the halls of injustice. It's shaken my faith and brought me to new depths of intimacy. A friend recently said that through the past year - she is at a point of more reckless faith than ever before. More depth of intimacy. More of Jesus plain and simple - and yet - it's also the point of greatest doubt. The greatest test of her faith. I thought it was such an amazing point. Kind of like the thin line between love and hate....the thin line between faith and doubt. So often we are afraid to tread into these dark places b/c the faith of our childhood can't handle it. So, instead of walking with fear, trembling, tears and lots of wrestling - we hide. Because when you walk out far enough - when you tread into places where great, great faith is required it makes you stop and think - is this real? Because there is no safety net here.
In the midst of this dark day - my friend Wendi posted this - I thought it was worth simply reposting for you to read all of it.
…but I’m not sure what it’s full of today…madness, confusion, frustration, anger, skepticism, expectation, hope, faith….
There is so much pain, so much injustice, so much persecution and oppression, not just today, but everyday…and we’re left in a difficult place – the tension between these two worlds: good and evil.
Ecclesiastes 7: 7 Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
I am reminded like it says in Proverbs 13: 23 “The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice.”
and we ask you Lord, to intervene – to keep the ground fallow and to produce fruit for your glory – keep injustice at bay.
When I think about verses like 1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” I think, how true that is in the world of trafficking humans – where even children are bought and sold for someone to stuff their pockets with evil gain.
And I read, Proverbs 16: 8 “Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.” God, I want them to know this!!! Show this to those who make money by oppressing others.
I recently attended an SCTNow (Stop Child Trafficking Now) event…
as a side note, I love this organization because their premise is that “until we look for the people doing wrong, we aren’t going to stop this train,” because a victim rescued can be replaced within a few hours….so with their military, law enforcement, CIA, and special ops backgrounds, they hunt down the perpetrators.
…at this event, I learned things like:
the second largest enterprise in the US next to drugs but quickly approaching equal is human trafficking
that the US spends more in 1 day on the war against drugs than they do in an entire year of spending to fight trafficking
that the street value of a woman or child’s life in places like Nicaragua or El Salvador is between $5 and $10 US. And that value increases with each border they cross until they are worth between $8,000 to $10,000 by the time they cross our US border (yeah, “the land of the free, home of the brave” border). these lives are reusable resources that can be sold over and over again.
sheer evil…and I’m left saying what? doing what? When God doesn’t make sense, I have to cling to what I have and know of Him:
Job 5: 15 But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth and from the hand of the mighty. 16 So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts her mouth.
Psalm 94: 16 Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? 17 If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. 18 When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. 19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. 20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute? 21 They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. 22 But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge. 23 He will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out.
And I think, maybe instead of praying for you to feed and save and rescue, I should be asking for your justice to fall on those who are mongering injustice and oppression. Maybe, like David and others in the Bible who cried for you to strike down their enemies, that I need to ask the same. God, I want these evildoers to know you and for you to be glorified in their lives. I want them to know the truth that “better is a little with righteousness…" (Proverbs 16:8) and to act accordingly. But honestly, God, if they will not yield their heart to yours…If they will not acknowledge you and turn, then I pray that you would wipe them out. I claim your promises in verses like theses where they reap calamity, and woes and are found out.
Proverbs 22:8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.
Jeremiah 22:(the whole chapter is good) 13 “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages,
Proverbs 10: 9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.
And then, I rest in the comfort that You are God and I am not and that it does not depend on me. You are changing me through these pangs and showing your power that YOUR NAME (not mine) will be proclaimed and made great.
Romans 9: 14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
You are warring in the heavenly places constantly on our behalf. Help me not to get wrapped up in all the things I do not see happening and complain, which I really wanted to do today when two girls were not rescued from their brothel due to a tip-off…grrr…
And thank you for the girl that was rescued even before she could be sold! Your purpose and plan for her is immeasurable. Let her feel and know you today – Abba.
And help me to hold fast to your word of life….
Philippians 2:14 Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
John 14:13-14 "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." I am continuing to ask for the $326,000 necessary to care for the 1500 children in Gulu, Uganda--the school, the clothes, the borehole, the food, the medicine. I know He loves them more than I do. And I know He has opened my eyes to their plight. So, I am asking in His name.
HopeChest:
Pray for the many upcoming trips! Pray that the Lord will bring exactly who He wants to be involved. Pray that our leadership will have wisdom about where to reach out, who to invite and when and where to plan trips.
Pray for the new country launches and all of the details that go into planning these.
Pray for communities to step forward for the following sites: June Amagara in Uganda, the 5 sites in South Africa, The Friends of the Good Samaritan in India, the 2 safe houses in Moldova and the grad programs in Russia.
Pray for communities that have carepoints where not all of the children are sponsored - pray that a fire will be lit in these churches and they will rise up to meet the needs of their orphanage/carepoint.
Indian Rescue Mission -
As I write, they are approaching the police to request a rescue. They have found 8 minor girls (ages 14-15) in brothels throughout the red light district of Pune. The police are considering a rescue for 2 of the girls. Pray for this rescue happening hopefully next few hours. Also pray for mercy and release for the other 6 girls. Pray that the police will shock everyone and desire to rescue all of the girls.
Gold Coast Orphan Alliance
Gold Coast Orphan Alliance. We are doing a We Heart Orphans party in an outlying town tomorrow night and there will be people there from various churches in that area. Please pray that God will move in the churches represented on behalf of orphans and allow our ministry to expand into that community. Also, there is a possible opportunity for travel to Ghana.. Pray for wisdom and discernment.
Join us tomorrow morning first thing for a time of corporate prayer. I promise, you'll be blessed!
Wednesdays 9:30 AM (eastern) at CALL IN # : 760- 569- 9000 ID: 968101 We are also adding a NEW CALL!!! This one will be at 1:30 (eastern) and will focus on prayer for those who are being trafficked into the sex trade. Join us!
We got a lot of prayer requests in this week! No need for my words - it's time to get praying, people :-)
Remember the Poor:
"We shall not let go of God until He makes this place a place of praise." Those are the words of our partnering pastor in Gulu, Uganda. (paraphrase of Isaiah 62:7) I don't have any new news to report this week, but we are pressing on in prayer, asking the Lord for all that is needed for the people of Kochgoma (Gulu). We think we're asking for $326,000...but He knows the needs better than we do.
HopeChest:
Praise for the India Trip - God did remarkable things in and through this team. Pray for the ministries they encountered on the ground that are doing amazing things with tireless effort. Continue to pray for freedom from oppression and bondage and the chains of injustice that so tightly hold many of these places. Pray for the Spirit's work that was obvious to our team as He pursues the hearts of the people.
Pray for the leadership as decisions are made about partnerships and new county openings
Pray for churches / communities to step up for communities in Uganda, S. Africa, India and Russia
Pray for the churches/ communities with low sponsorship - pray that their leaders will once again light a fire in their people to stand up for the fatherless.
ABBA Fund / Together 4 Adoption Conference
From Dan Cruver - head of T4A
I have this strong inward sense that God is going to awaken people who attend the T4A conference in a significant way. So please pray to that end. That God would awaken his people to care for orphans in a way he has yet to do.
Asha Mission - Delhi, India
prayers
1. the need for land at asha mission: wisdom in searching out property (especially for Pastor Babu and his wife Lijy), financial provision for it, trust in Gods timing, faith to step out
2. there are 3 street girls who I (Jessica) am going back to a specific train station in N India to look for with another asha mission leader, amanda (another volunteer). i will have to share more of this story later, but we met these three girls last fall, have been burdened ever since, and are hoping to find them and possibly get them into an asha mission home. the chances are sooo tiny...but possible. and God is a God who saves! so we are resting that case before Him!
3. for the salvation of all the children at asha mission
4. for rest, encouragement, and strength in saji and gracie at asha mission delhi. and for sam and his wife (leaders at asha mission kolkata)
5. for asha mission to be a Light in a dark place
6. for saji phillip and his wife working in brothel areas
Indian Rescue Mission
Please pray for Indian Rescue Mission, for the Investigation team as they will be investigating on brothels in Karnataka State. The team is not getting access into the brothel as the manager and the brothel keeper is objecting. Please pray.
Orphan Relief and Rescue
After injuring her foot, Ashley traveled safely home last week -- thanks for your prayers there -- and it's a good thing because it turned out to be broken. Please pray for a speedy recovery so she can return to her kids in Liberia, where she so desperately wants to be.
Another of our team, Andrew, is traveling to Canada tomorrow to try and finish the immigration process to the U.S. so he can join the office team in Seattle. An unfortunate and unforeseen expense, but God is already providing! Please pray that the paperwork will soon come to an end!
With most of our field team now gone for R&R, please pray for the kids. Pray they don't feel left behind, especially now that school's done and it's pouring rain every day in Liberia. Pray that those at home get the rest they've earned, and those still in Liberia have the strength and grace to carry the extra burden.
Personal - from iFasters
Jason Wert - This is going to sound rather selfish but if you could pray for me as I work on a challenge to go a month never doubting that God is there I'd appreciate it.
Pray for Ben and Amy Savage who are moving out to Colorado to work for HopeChest - pray that their house will sell!
Pray for the many iFasters who are in the process of adoption and waiting that is so hard and painful.
Thanks as always for your protection and provision through prayer.
Join us tomorrow morning first thing for a time of corporate prayer. I promise, you'll be blessed!
Wednesdays 9:30 AM (eastern) at CALL IN # : 760- 569- 9000 ID: 968101 We are also adding a NEW CALL!!! This one will be at 1:30 (eastern) and will focus on prayer for those who are being trafficked into the sex trade. Join us!
I'm a stay at home mom to my three littles (Brayden, 5, Davis 4 and Gracie 3). . I am on a sweet journey with my Jesus and believe He has great things in store for me this year...I'm just holding on to the Promise
