We Christians are pretty good at justifying the bad rap we feel we get in society. What we see as being holy and pure is often perceived as egotistically separatist, elitist, and self-righteous; and, be it right or wrong, perception is everything. After thirty-four years in Christendom, I have acquired an increasing scent of cynicism which calls into question much of what I believe and challenges those of us who believe it—look not too closely and you’ll find a fair amount of ego here also.
Recently, while reading Tom Davis’ Red Letters: Living a Faith That Bleeds, I was called to the carpet. Tom references first and second century Christians who gave to all who asked and they never asked why. I immediately justified my position of being gracious to those in need if I could guarantee they wouldn’t spend it on drugs or alcohol. There are many things wrong with that logic, however. First, it usually kept me from giving instead of causing me to give. It also puts me in charge…as if? And, it is a condition. I understand that we don’t want to support a lifestyle of which we don’t approve, but again, it’s not about me. God clearly commands us to give and give freely. So here was my challenge.
I told God that I wanted to give to someone in need without any judgment. I went looking. It was Sunday morning, and I figured I should be able to find someone in need before I got home from church. As I dropped some stuff off at Goodwill, I gave the cash to a worker who must have needed it—and I hope he did, but I was restless. There was still a lot of judgment in me and in that gift. I had found a guy whose circumstances told me he could use the help—I judged that he needed it, and he didn’t even ask for help.
Two days later I turned 41. I planned a fun evening of Chinese take-out and movies with my family. My son and I were rushing home for the big event, and it was raining. As we rushed to the car, a tall, thin man came up to me and literally asked, “Hey man, can you help me out? I’m trying to get home to my family in Chicago, and my car ran out of gas.”
Uh, oh.
“I’m forty-nine, and I lost my job, and my wife is waiting for me. If I could just get home tonight, I can send you a check in the mail,” he quickly and somewhat convincingly speaks. I’ve heard this before, I thought. I tell him I have no cash, and I turn to leave (my son is now in the car—watching). But, as I do I remember—give to anyone who asks without judgment. I pause. I ask him to wait five minutes. We rush to the ATM and rush back. I pull up, and the man is still waiting, and he jumps at the sight of my truck. I hop out of the truck with the door still open to give him the cash. “Thank you so much. You’re an angel,” he says as his smile breaks through the dark rain. I tell him I’m surely not and that I hope things work out for him. He asks me if there is anything he can do for me, and I tell him there isn’t. He says it’s a wonderful day and that I really helped him a lot. I tell him it was indeed—my 41st birthday. He congratulates me and gave me a hug. I can smell the alcohol still on his breath, and I again resist judgment and the urge to fill his stomach with food rather than his hand with money. Carl tells me that life has been hard, but that I made his day and that he would like to pray for me if I would also pray for him. We agreed; we embraced; and we departed—Carl with a damp twenty and a lighter step, and me with some thoughts to reconcile.
I don’t know what Carl did with the money, but that isn’t my concern. God asked me to give and give freely; I asked God to provide that opportunity, and He did. I’ve been praying for Carl. Whatever his need was that night, it was met just a little through me. My need was also met. Interestingly, it was easier to give the cash than it was to resist running from Carl or living up to our aforementioned Christian stereotype. Yet, as I continue to ponder that moment and look forward to more, I am struck with this: Carl found a person who would meet his need; I opened my heart, my wallet, and my mind; and my son witnessed a moment that he will not forget.
On the second day of my trip to Swaziland, we visited a total of four carepoints. This is a lot considering it takes several hours just to say ‘Hi’ to the many many kids at one carepoint. Below are four kids I met that had a personal impact on me from two carepoints visited that day, Thembini and Mpholi.
This little girl from Thembini in the white sweater was shy for about 15 seconds. She warmed up to me very quickly, and was sitting in my lap in no time. When I got up to move around, she wanted me to hold her. So I did. My arms were in shape since I am often carrying one (or two) of my own children. And when it was time for me to leave she did NOT want me to put her down. So she would fully pull her legs up such that I had to place her on the ground. Her tactic worked a few times, because it was difficult to put her down knowing that the holding time she received that day is some of the few moments of holding she would receive in her life. Plus I enjoy holding the kids. I am glad this carepoint is fully supported by a church in the United States, and has visitors come a couple times a year to spend time with the children and people at this carepoint.
The next child is an older girl who was hanging out at the carepoint. I was able to say hello to her, and she responded with a shy reply. There were a few other kids her age at the carepoint, but this girl was isolated. She seemed lonely and sad. Maybe on a warmer, brighter day with more kids around she has some others to interact with. But my heart went out to her because she seemed like one of those kids who gets isolated because they are different in some way. I am glad she has access to a really good carepoint.
The picture below is the first child I met at our carepoint, Ludlati. Evidence of his adventurous spirit is marked in scars and dirt on his face and legs. He loved to climb the dirt hill and run down. He was happy to shake hands and give a smile. You can see him in the Ludlati video showing more expressive clapping and stomping while the kids where singing. He was a fun little boy.
We really like this second picture of him taken by Hannah Leman. To us this picture is an artistic expression of hope for children climbing out of the dirt reaching for a brighter future. I look forward to seeing him again on our next trip to visit our carepoint. I hope some of you will make plans to come along on the next trip to meet him as well.
If you have followed our blog entries about the trip, you have seen this young lady carrying her baby sister on her back. She is actually one of the older children watching a younger sibling. I heard and read about these circumstances, and felt sad, and wanted to do something to help. When I meet this circumstance face to face, yes I felt sad, but I was impacted in my mind, heart and gut. This girl and her baby sister’s cry are permanently marked in my soul. Now these kids are my neighbors. Now I really really want to do the right things to help, and I am thankful you are along since I can not do what is needed by myself. It’s one thing for a child to learn to care for a younger sibling, but it’s too much for a child to be the provider and protector of their siblings. This young girl does what she has to do (I hope it is not the worst of things) to take care of her sister. Thankfully she has Mpholi carepoint as a life saving resource and support for her. I look forward to seeing our collective support, letters, visits and actions of love sent to Ludlati in the near future.
There are many more children I want to share in future posts…
“Because God has already laid the only foundation of our fellowship, because God has bound us together in one body with other Christians in Jesus Christ, long before we entered into common life with them, we enter into that common life not as demanders but as thankful recipients. We thank God for what He has done for us. We thank God for giving us brethren who live by His call, by His forgiveness, and His promise. We do not complain of what God does not give us; we rather thank God for what He does give us daily… In the Christian community thankfulness is just what it is anywhere else in the Christian life. Only he who gives thanks for little things receives big things. We prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts He has in store for us, because we do not give thanks for daily gifts.”
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer
I am thankful for the deep blue evening sky, laughter, the noise of the wind in the trees or rustling the corn around our house, the peace and quiet of solitude (OK, little of that these days, but even so…), a furnace and a warm house, the smell of pies in the oven, a warm meal, work I can do to provide for my family, health, life, friends, family – especially my wife, freedom, Jesus’ sacrifice and God’s grace, God’s inclusion of a role for me in His plan for this world. I could go on, but I would start to bore you…
I am thankful for this holiday. I am thankful. Sometimes that is a statement of faith for me rather than a statement of emotional feeing. But I’ve found that God honors that statement of faith and provides the emotion when I make the statement and act consistent with that statement.
I believe there is a deep spiritual mystery in thankfulness, and the blessings and freedom an attitude of thankfulness opens up to us. And it just feels so good…
First, before I start - this is not an appeal for giving to our carepoint. I am completely comfortable that Ludlati is in God’s hands and that we have no need to badger anyone for support. Having said that, I do think that we all need to seriously consider how important it is to give generously to support the poor. Where?.. How?... I can’t tell you that. Seek God with that question, He won’t leave you without an answer if you desire to give deeply of what you have. Why do I think it is so important to support those in need… to an extent that demonstrates real compassion? (Remember that definition again – the Greek root words mean “to suffer with”). I’ll start with 48 reasons – 48 reasons among hundreds in God’s Word. No need to look all these up, they are listed on this site under “About > Perspective” on the menu bar above, or at this link: “About > Perspective”
Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 19:16-21; Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12: 28-34; Luke 10:25-28; Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:13-14; James 2:8-9; Leviticus 25:35; Deuteronomy 15:7-8; Deuteronomy 15:10-12; Zechariah 7:8-10; Matthew 9:21; Luke3:10-11; James 2:14-19; 2 Corinthians 8:12-15; Exodus 22:21-23; Deuteronomy 10:18; Deuteronomy 14:28-30; Job 24:1-4; Psalm 10:14; Psalm 68:5; Jeremiah 49:11; Isaiah 1:17; Isaiah 1:23; Matthew 18:5; John 14:18; James 1:22-27; Exodus 23:10-12; Leviticus 19:9-10; Leviticus 23:21-23; Exodus 23:4-6; Deuteronomy 24:17-18; Deuteronomy 27:19; 1 Kings 3:10-12; 2 Samuel 12:1-5; Job 29:16; Job 31:17-23; Psalm 112:4-6; Psalm 140:11-13; Luke 18:7-8; James 2:1-7;
Isaiah 10:1-3; Amos 5:6-7; Ezekiel 16:49; Matthew 23:23-24; Matthew 25:34-26; Luke 16:19-26
When you read these, note how many say “you must support a Ludlati orphan”. That’s right, precisely zero. I make no pretense to tell you where or how God has told you to have compassion for those in severe need. However, I will be bold in this assertion: God HAS told you to have true compassion for those in need. To love them as you love yourself. To love them as if they are Jesus… because Jesus said that in some very real way they ARE Him. To give until there is equality. He’s told you to do that. How do I know that? He made those instructions universally to all of us in His Word.
I just listed three things God told you to do. He told me the same thing. My grades: FAIL, FAIL, and FAIL. Thank God for grace. But I will tell you that I believe I may be getting close to a D-minus for effort. And God has met my weak and feeble effort with a peace and joy, a security in my life and purpose that I have longed for all my life but always failed to find. God’s goal is not judgment. It is for us to share in His joy and His heart’s desire. He loves us… just as much as he loves the poor. By giving we connect with His heart, the poor see and feel His love through us, and He is pleased.
Go-go is the Siswati word in Swaziland for Grandma. We love the Go-gos who feed and teach our Ludlati children, but we are not talking about them right now. It is finally time to START! Many of you have communicated your desire to give one or more child contributions to our Ludlati Carepoint children. Pick the following button link to learn how to apply after you read the rest of this post of course
You will see three options for completing the two step application process. Please feel free to contact us by phone, email or forum posts with questions or comments.
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Or call or write Childrens HopeChest directly with questions: Teresa Hansen - Accounts Receivable Manager
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We are EXCITED to get started with support for our Ludlati neighbor kids. Over the next couple of months, Childrens HopeChest staff will collect detailed profile information on each orphan or at-risk child that consistently comes to Ludlati Carepoint. The current estimate is about 100 children come to Ludlati each day. Once profiles are completed, members of our community will be given a profile for your child (or children) to correspond with through letters [click here for a sample profile]. The contributions we make are based on a per child cost, and the finances benefits all our Ludlati Carepoint children. In order to provide two meals per day, schooling and discipleship, we need to reach 80-100% funding level. Operating at a lower funding level cuts into the budget for these basic things. In addition to the profiles, Childrens HopeChest will write a three year development plan specific to Ludlati Carepoint. We will share this information with the community as soon as it is available. This may take several months to complete, but will include infrastructure items needed such as a fence, kitchen and well. A more detailed description of our vision and relationship with our Ludlati Carepoint are described at the following link:
Community > Swaziland > Connect Community
With regard to your giving, multiple forms of payment are accepted to assist you as the payee. Please select the method you prefer. But please note automatic debit payments from checking accounts (i.e. Electronic Funds Transfer or EFT) reduces overhead costs for Childrens HopeChest which means more funds go to benefit our Ludlati children. Quarterly or yearly payments also help to save payment processing costs.
Thank you for your love and commitment to our Ludlati Carepoint children. I look forward to working and relating together with you and our carepoint children. Spread the word!
At the various carepoints visited during the Swaziland trip we saw over 700 children. If it had not been for one day of rainy weather and another day of school exams, the number would have been over 1000. I have a handful of children I met that made a distinct impression on me, or that I found myself overcome with compassion.
This first little man has a very bright smile. I remember him, because this is the first little face that I saw when I came out of the van.
In fact, I could hardly get out of the van because this little guy was standing right in front of the door with his head tilted back and smiling face beaming up at me. As I gently worked myself into a space next to him on the ground, this little guy reached for my hand, and walked with me toward the community building at Balekane. I will never forget the warm welcome he gave to me.
The next child is a little girl who you may see in many pictures of the members of our team. I wish I could remember her name, because she walked up to me and said in English, “My name is ____, I am six years old, I am a girl.” as she gracefully placed her hand on her chest while she spoke.
She is a precious little girl. She loved to be held, or sit next to us. She was one of the last children to leave Balekane carepoint. The kids have to get to their homes before dark. As she walked away on her bare feet, it was hard to imagine if she had a parent or no one waiting for her at home.
The last child I interacted with at Balekane is this nine year old boy. His name had a Siswati click sound in it. He really impressed me with his ability to communicate in English. His mother is one of the people who helps at Balekane carepoint. At first he asked me to help him find his backpack. I pointed him to one laying near the soccer field. He came back to talk some more, and it was time for me to leave or be left. I was impressed by his last two remarks. He did not ask me if we could be friends or if I would like to be his friend. He simply said, “I want you to be my friend.”
He was quite sure about it. No reservations or insecurity of thought. Frankly, it made me feel good like I was in second grade again, and had someone make me his friend as soon as I walked in the room as the new kid. I said I was glad to be friends with him. Then he asked, “When are you coming back?” I could not give him a definite answer, but I told him I would be back sometime in the next several months. As I mentioned, I had to jump into the van or be left, and I felt a drag on my heart as we drove away, and I waved goodbye to my new friend. The desire to stay and visit longer was strong.
Meeting the children made me understand how important just being there is. It gives great hope and communicates that they are valued. I did not go to receive anything in return, but I did. I felt honored and humbled to be known by them for a little while. By their desire to just be with me and relate. I hope everyone gets a chance to go. Being there allows you to know what may be difficult to fully describe. I really can’t I guess because each person is effected in a personal way.
I look forward to getting our letters started with the children of our Ludlati Carepoint. And I can hardly wait to meet them face to face. I also look forward to sharing more kids and stories from my trip over the next few posts.
Jumbo Gerber posted this information about a storm that hit Nsoko where I had visited just two weeks before. This is the location where we visited Grandma Frola and her grandchildren. I hope she and her kids are okay, and her place is in tact.
Here is an update on the Storm that went thru Nsoko last night. I heard about it and then decided to go down to Nsoko and just see what the damage was.
The church structure got some damage on the roof, Gift’s Car port blew over, Pastor Gift’s House got some minor damage and the Centre was without electricity. As I was driving to the centre I noticed that a significant number of the electric poles were either broken or leaning to the ground. It must have been quite a wind.
Pastor Gift and I then did a few quick home visits to see what has happened in the Community. In short one of the Gogo’s , that cook at Nsoko, house is in tatters. The roof was blown totally off and the whole family was wet to the bone after the storm. They had to hang out everything they owned to try to get it dry. The family tries to look brave, but I could sense that this was really a huge disaster for them.
Then also the house that 2 orphans were living in was also flattened to the ground. Pastor Gift says that this touched him the most, because not only do they have no extended family, they also do not have a place to stay anymore.
If anyone wants to respond to the cry for help from down here at Nsoko please contact either Adventures in Missions or Childrens HopeChest.
I know, I know… you were all terribly disappointed when I did not post a pensee last week, and you’ve been eagerly waiting for another. I won’t let you down again. This one is near the end of Pascal’s pensees, when he is putting the finishing touches on his defense of the Christian faith and theology. How about that final concluding sentence in this one? That is SOOOO on point for what has been on my heart and mind lately, trying to figure out how God intended faith and works to work together, our role, Gods’ role… I really think Pascal has the answer here. So insightful… so simple… and yet so challenging
This religion [Christianity]… strives equally to establish these two facts: that God has appointed visible signs so that He shall be recognized by those who genuinely seek him, and that he has hidden these signs in such a way that He will only be perceived by those who seek him with all their heart. Then, what advantage can critics derive when, unconcerned to seek the truth as they profess to be, they protest that nothing shows it to them?
We know well enough how people in this frame of mind behave. They think they have made great efforts to learn when they have spent a few hours reading some book of the Bible, and have questioned some ecclesiastic about the truths of the faith. After that they boast that they have sought without success among books and men. But, in fact, I should say to them what I have often said: “such negligence is intolerable. It is not a question here of the trifling interest of some stranger: it is a question of ourselves, and our all.
Something was always missing from my life. Not that I didn’t have a good family, good education, even good Biblically-based instruction. But I always knew something was missing, and I felt a compelling emptiness and lack of purpose that I did not know how to fill.
I knew enough about the Bible to know that my peace and joy are promised as gifts from God. I knew that true purpose and meaning could only be found in serving God. So I tried. I truly expected that my faith would ultimately bring about the full promises of peace, joy, completeness in God. But it never came… until the past year.
What changed? I began living my life differently. I started to realize how consistently God calls us to act as if we really love others like we love ourselves. I began trying to do that out of obedience. Read John 14 and 15. Depending how you count, there are 4 to 8 times in just two chapters where Jesus stresses that we must follow his commandments. But there are so many… which ones? How? Is it the Law again? God is good, and He knows that we aren’t too bright (at least I’m not). So He does not leave us in doubt. After stressing over and over that we must follow His commandments, He gives us a direct answer to the questions He knew we’d have.
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” - John 15:12
Sounds a lot like loving our neighbor as ourselves, like living a life that gives tirelessly of our time, our energy, our all – to serve those who are broken, needy, the outcasts of society. Isn’t that what Jesus’ love looked like?
John 15:12 is preceded in verse 11 by: “These things I have spoken to you that that My joy may remain in you, that your joy may be full.” It is so clear to me now. I do have to rely on God and His grace to provide for me through faith. But as we’re told in the book of James, faith without works is dead. He provides what I was missing by grace – my works can never do that. But my faith was dead, and began bearing fruit in my life only when I first followed His commands.
PS. Did I say “read John 14 and 15”? Please do. Really, really good stuff in there.
Posted by Jim at 08:54 PM.
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Scripture •
On the second day of the carepoint visits we went more rural and off-road outside of Manzini, Swaziland. The prior day we traveled mostly good roads to visit Bhalekane which is the most developed carepoint just outside Manzini. After three years of support and capital projects, they have a fence, kitchen, community building, school, a water well, a freshly plowed field for planting rose geraniums, and lots of children with hope. On our way to Ludlati, we bumped through some rough roads and a dry water way up to the top of a hill. It was described as “The Tree Carepoint” because a nice shade tree was the cooking and gathering place. In a bit of perfect timing by our hosts, we arrived seconds before the women who cook the food for the children. We saw the ladies walking down a dirt path carrying large iron kettles, containers of water, a box of food on one’s head, cooking utensils and some bowls. I am guessing these women walked a fair distance, but even a short distance becomes an event when it is done everyday. They chopped some wood from the brush with a machete, started a fire and began cooking. Our entire team was impacted by the conditions at Ludlati.
Some homes could be seen in the valley in the distance, but nothing was close. There were three young children waiting near the tree when we arrived. After the women started cooking, more kids began wandering out of the brush on worn trails. Many are bare foot, and most had tattered clothes. Watching the children slowly walking in spread out lines had significant impact on the team. Everyone was filled with compassion, and some even angered that children have to live and survive such conditions. We wondered which ones live in child lead households, which ones had a parent dieing of AIDS. Maybe they have extended family, but no food and nurturing. Without one meal per day provided at this carepoint, these kids would be starving.
This carepoint was started by a woman who lives in the area. Because of the AIDS pandemic, children are orphaned at an alarming rate. Children began wandering around looking for food, and she began about one year ago by feeding them at her home. Keep in mind her limited resources and living conditions. She would go around to neighbors in her community asking for help with food. The number quickly grew to around 100 kids, and they would not even fit on her property. So she talked to the Chief and said “We have to do something for these children, there are so many”. He gave her a sizable piece of land on top of the hill she could use as a carepoint. I also later learned that she makes school uniforms for some of the children so they can go to school.
There are several ladies who help cook food. Our support will flow to these ladies working on the ground too. They are provided with food for their families, and they can work on a purse and bag making project that gives them an opportunity to earn money from the sales. While we were there one lady provided some preschool activities for the kids while they wait. In addition to providing two meals per day, education will be more formalized with our support as preschool, school, health care education and discipleship training. You can hear some examples of preschool songs, counting, and English training in the video. She also began standing them in front of me one at a time asking them to say their name and age in English. Most of the kids were still pretty shy. But now that our community is starting to provide support, we will get to be part of an awesome transformation. Maybe it will take three years to be like Bhalekane, or maybe we will be able to develop this carepoint faster. It starts with God’s desire for these orphans planted in us. But action and support flows from Him through us. Over the next six to eight weeks, Children’s Hopechest will collect profile information on each child consistently coming to the carepoint. Since I have already met some of our Ludlati children, it makes me feel like we have added 100 children to our families. I look forward to letter correspondence from our community members to build relationships with each child. And I am eager to go on return trips to our Connect Community Carepoint together where we can meet face to face and hug, laugh, cry, and play with these children and their carepoint care takers.
…in many ways I hope the whole world never looks like this. In other ways, my heart cries out for the whole world to look like this. The post below is from Katie Davis’ blog. If you don’t know Katie, you should read her story… amazing. But something in me screams that it should not be amazing. It should be common among those who truly follow Jesus. Her blog is at:
I don’t even know where to start to tell about all that God has been doing in our lives since I last wrote. I know that my words aren’t even close to adequate to describe His goodness and love.
A week ago today, I turned twenty one. I sat in awe as I celebrated with 14 beautiful girls who call me Mommy. (Ok one actually calls me “Maamaaaamammaaa”) I wondered why God chose me, little ole twenty one year old me, to be entrusted with so much. There is nothing greater than the responsibility of raising a child to love Jesus. Except maybe raising 14. Words are escaping me. Two years ago today, two we moved into this home. In the last years I have learned more about Jesus, about myself, and about life than I ever could have imagined. I am so thankful. So, so very thankful for the life you have given me Jesus, for entrusting me with so much when I deserve so little…
Last Thursday as I was meeting with some women in the village of Masese, one of them got a call from her brother that there was a child dying near the local steel mill and did she know anyone who could help… So it was off to the steel mill where I met the sickest little boy I have ever seen (I know, I know, I say that every time, but I am serious…. God just gears me up for it a little at a time…) David looked merely dead, breathing shallowly as I took his naked, 15 pound, 4 year old body into my lap. His mom was “scrapping”, or digging around the steel mill for nickel-sized pieces of scrap metal that she may be able to sell for 2 cents. As we waited for her to come back, I felt sure that this child was going to breathe his last at any moment. When she got back to their closet-sized home, she explained that her husband had left her for another woman last year when she miscarried (often viewed as a curse in rural villages). Since he has been the only one providing an income for her, David and her other 3 children, and since she had never been to school, she began the practice of picking scrap metal. In just 30 minutes in her yard, WITH shoes on, I cut my feet twice… It broke my hear to think of all the physical pain she was having to endure every day as she cut her hands and feet trying to find this metal that may sell for enough to buy them a small sack of corn flour. She cried as she explained that they had not eaten in three days because no one had wanted to buy her metal. I felt certain that David would not make it through the night, and I am guessing I do not have to tell you what happened next. I scooped him up, put him in the car and took him home where my sweet, loving girls welcomed him with open arms, and we gave him all the ORS and Pediasure he wanted
The next day at the hospital, we found that David had sickle cell anemia, which was worsened severely by his chronic malnourishment. While they gave him his blood transfusion, I was very thankful for a doctor that, though he may not know it all, knew more than me. I watched David like a hawk all weekend, making sure he had lots to eat and drink and all his medicines and vitamins at the right time, but he continued to weaken after the initial improvement following his transfusion. He cried all the time as it hurt his little body to sit, to stand, to lay… just to be. He finally gained the strength to stand, but shook the whole time. This morning, when his feet began to swell, I took him to the hospital where I asked that he be admitted. Though they won’t do anything different, I imagine, I want his mom to be able to sleep with him and I will feel better with someone who knows more than me about sickle cell supervising. Please pray for sweet David tonight…
At the same time all this was going on, three of my children have had very high fever’s and Patricia has had severe pneumonia (they are all doing so much better now, thank you Jesus.) Sleep was infrequent for this Momma and I had a lot of time to just ponder the fragility of life. We are but a vapor. I think we know that we could die tomorrow, or worse that our children could, but do we really KNOW it? You know, LIVE as if we know in our hearts that we are just a breath, that we will wither and fade like the grass and the flowers… I know there are days when I don’t. I am not meaning to be morbid, simply realistic. Because I know that if I lived like I really KNEW this truth, if I treated everyone as if they were David and might be taken tomorrow, I would love better. I would hug my children tighter and hold them longer. I would tell people thank you more often and I would tell God thank you more often. I am thankful that as I care for sick children often, this is something I am reminded of often, and I pray that it would change the way I life my life.
Francis Chan wrote, “How we live our days, is how we live our lives.” I had to read it several times as I let it soak in. Because it is true. So often we find ourselves waiting for a specific moment, a specific call, something special. For what? How we spend our days… that will be our LIFE. Because today could be it. If Jesus came back today and said, “Let’s go!” would we be ready? Would we be doing what we want to be doing when we meet Jesus? People say to me often, “You are so lucky that you found your calling, that you know your purpose in life.” This statement boggles my mind. I AM so blessed to live the life that I do. But it isn’t rocket science. God did NOT part the sky and shout out to me, “Katie! Serve my people.” I read it in His word. You can too. We can all see as plain as day that Jesus says the number one commandment is to love the Lord and love your neighbor. I happened to move to Uganda and love those neighbors, but that is not the point. As believers, we should already KNOW our calling; it is to love the Lord and love our neighbors by caring for them in whatever broken state they are in. When He said that “the poor will always be among us” I don’t think he meant that as an excuse not to worry about it but as a reminder that there is ALWAYS a neighbor, no matter where we are, in a worse condition than we are. I can only believe that God created us to make this world a little better. That he designed us in love to show that love to others. I just don’t know what everyone is waiting for.
I am so thankful for my sweet children and their beautiful example of loving their neighbors and welcoming them into our home without blinking an eye. When my head is thinking (don’t judge me ) “Oh my goodness. God? Do you really think I can handle one more? I was just starting to get used to Josephine being here and the meds schedule she is on… are you really giving me another one?” My girls do not question. They see a baby who needs love and carry him off to feed, bathe and dote on him as if it is the most normal thing in the world. Shouldn’t it be? While I am starting to feel overwhelmed, they are feeling overjoyed at the prospect of helping someone else. Oh, what I learn from their beautiful hearts… As I remember the brevity of my life, I pray that I can live more like them. I pray that this whisper that is my time on earth would change the whispers’ of my neighbors, would strengthen and enrich them.
So hug your children a little tighter and hold them a little longer. Say thank you to people more often and say thank you to God more often. Love your neighbor well today. We will be trying our best to do the same over on our side of the globe.
The Christmas season is upon us. What could be more appropriate for the season than buying beautiful gifts for your family and friends that provide jobs to at-risk women and directly support orphans in Swaziland and Uganda? Specifically, we will be selling hand rolled bead jewelry from Beads for Life (Uganda), handmade purses from Timbali Crafts (Swaziland), and Just Love coffee that supports Known To Me’s efforts at the Ludlati carepoint, as well as coffee that supports church planting happening currently in Kenya and beyond.
You can shop on Sunday, November 29 from 2:00-4:30 at Westside Church in Champaign (1501 W Park Ave. Champaign – 1 block west of Eisner Park between University Ave. and Church St.). This sale will be an open house style complete with Christmas music, coffee and cookies. Come and enjoy the beautiful selection of bags, jewelry and great coffee without the crowds and parking troubles of the mall. You can also shop from 8:00-2:00 on Saturday, December 5 at the Christian Homeschool Connection garage sale at Windsor Road Christian Church (2501 Windsor Road, Champaign). We hope to add more dates and locations in the next few days.
All of the proceeds go toward the programs that change the lives of widows, orphans and communities in Africa. We look forward to seeing you at the sale.
First, a round of applause for Don and Barbra. Sometimes I worry that I’ll be perceived as putting the most into KTM because I do so much of the writing. But that’s just because I’m a loudmouth (at least when I write) and I like to do it. Don and Barbra have made this happen – the website would not even exist without many late nights from Don, and that doesn’t even begin to address the Swaziland trip and everything else they do. Thanks guys.
We’ve given answers on WHAT and WHERE in previous posts, although we will be continually expanding on those topics. Also, if you’re new or if you still have questions on WHAT and WHERE, comment on this post or contact us. Please… we want you to know what we’re all about and get to know you. We can do both if you ask questions.
HOW?
We will support our Ludlati carepoint in several ways:
Monthly financial support – We are seeking commitments of $34 or more per month to provide food, school fees for education, and regular visits from a team of Swazis who teach about God and his love.
Personal relationships – We will build one-on-one relationships with our kids at Ludlati - many of whom have no one to go home to (and no home for that matter) – through regular correspondence.
Capital projects – Delivery of meals, education, and training can be done without shelter and facilities… but not nearly as well as it can be done with them. A complete development plan is being prepared for Ludlati, but we already know that a well, kitchen, and fence are the first priorities. That will require $15,000 - $20,000, and we already have $10,000 pledged toward this effort. Additional capital projects in future years will probably require another $20,000. No problem. God is big enough. He will do His part. Which, in this case, is to multiply our loaves and fishes. Remember the widow’s mite. Her gift was the most significant to Jesus. Our first priority is to gather monthly commitments. However, if God puts it on your heart to do more, this is the next priority. If you can’t make an ongoing commitment, this is another option – no amount is too small (I’m going to digress on this point at the end).
Travel – We will travel to Ludlati 2-3 times every year. “We” does not mean Jim, Jen, Don, and/or Barbra. It means anyone and everyone from our group who feels led to go. If that’s you… now or any time in the future, contact us. God will make the way.
Ok, but HOW will we do the HOW?
Our financial support will go through Children’s Hope Chest (CHC), a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (tax term there, can’t help myself). Delivery of food, discipleship, and coordination of travel will be a joint effort of CHC and Adventures in Missions (AIM), another nonprofit organization. Daily cooking and food distribution will be a volunteer effort of a handful of local Swazi women who are already giving of their own scarce resources to do what they can for these kids. Combined, our monthly support, capital projects, travel, and the efforts of compassionate volunteers and CHC/AIM staff will turn an undeveloped piece of land into a source of life and hope for kids who currently have, at best, a tenuous grasp on both.
Details regarding the actual execution of donations to our carepoint are currently being arranged with CHC. But we need to begin gathering our support now. If you want to help in any of the ways listed above, comment on this post or contact us. If not us, who? If not now, when?
I promised to digress (of course you know by now that I’ll do that even without a promise to do so). The widow’s mite. Consider that for a moment. Let me tell you a story. A true story about a family that does not have much money. A family with a lot of kids (I lost count a while ago). When we invited our KTM group to participate in the cost of Don’s trip, they had nothing to give. So these kids painted rocks, took them around their neighborhood, and sold them as paperweights. They gave all of that money for Don’s trip. Here’s the point: I don’t give a flying rip about the accounting measurement of what I have given compared to what they have given. Their gift is immeasurably greater than mine. From this day on, I will strive to live up to their example. They gave all they had – their time, their effort, and when they generated money, they considered $0 of it to be theirs and gave it all. I have given from my abundance, they gave their all. Seems like Jesus had something to say about that widow’s mite.
Now here’s the really good part. This is all joy. None of this is a guilt trip, none of this is arm-twisting. I spent 39 years searching, praying, fighting for the peace and joy that I knew should be part of my walk with God. Never got it. Maybe glimpses, but certainly not in full. It was always there, but I was standing to the side while the river flowed by. He will do His part. He was always yearning to do His part for me. All I had to do is step into the river to be washed over. Stepping into the river is only accomplished by doing our part. Not by standing outside His will and demanding that the river move to us. Perhaps my experience cannot be generalized to all of us. But read His Word critically, read the scriptures under “About” / “Perspectives” on the menu bar above. Maybe I’m right… maybe.
Look, I’m not going to pretend to have it all together. I don’t. That’s the beauty of this. You don’t have to do anything great, just take one significant step into the river, the joy you receive will draw you in as deep as you are supposed to go. He will do His part. In this case, part of that is our joy and part is multplying our loaves and fishes. If he is God, what is the difficulty?
Today I’m going to borrow from two forum posts by one of our members, Christine. I think both are moving and relevant to the message we are trying to convey. Before I dive into that, an update on our carepoint: We have chosen a carepoint – Ludlati – which you can see starting at 4:10 through 8:50 in the “Part 1” video from Monday’s post. Opportunities to connect with our community there – financially and personally will follow shortly. More pictures and video from Ludlati will be posted by this weekend.
The first borrowed content is an excerpt from a devotional by Oswald Chambers (I especially like the last two sentences of the first paragraph – very Pascal-ish, so this will substitute for the weekly Pensee):
Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. James 4:8
It is essential to give people a chance of acting on the truth of God. The responsibility must be left with the individual, you cannot
act for him, it must be his own deliberate act, but the evangelical message ought always to lead a man to act. The paralysis of refusing
to act leaves a man exactly where he was before; when once he acts, he is never the same. It is the foolishness of it that stands in the way of hundreds who have been convicted by the Spirit of God. Immediately I precipitate myself over into an act, that second I live; all the rest is existence. The moments when I truly live are the moments when I act with my whole will.
Never allow a truth of God that is brought home to your soul to pass without acting on it… The feeblest saint who transacts business
with Jesus Christ is emancipated the second he acts; all the almighty power of God is on his behalf…
The second post I’m borrowing from describes a short-term mission trip:
My daughter and I traveled to the DR in the summer of 2008 with Windsor Road Christian Church and GO Ministries. Here is the letter we wrote upon our return. The trip didn’t turn out exactly as planned…
Our bus ride from the airport in Santiago to our dorm in Hato del Yaque revealed that the DR is full of interesting smells, erratic driving and a lively nightlife. There were people, even small children, outside everywhere. It was the children that really captured our hearts. They were so eager to connect with us and we treasured the opportunities we had to do that.
Our trip was to include three days of construction on two churches/feeding centers followed by Vacation Bible School at two churches in the mountains. However, on the morning of our second day of construction I became ill. A doctor was called in and I ended up receiving intravenous fluids for dehydration. Needless to say, I hadn’t planned on spending most of our trip down, but I’m resting in God’s absolute sovereignty, His infinite wisdom and His perfect love. I’m clinging to His promises that He will use trials for good (Romans 8:28-29, Hebrews 12:7,11, 1 Peter 1:6-7, James 1:2-4) to mature us and make us more like His Son.
In Deuteronomy 8:2 God reveals that He led the Israelites in the desert for forty years to humble them and to test them in order to know what was in their hearts. God has definitely used this experience in the DR to reveal some things in my heart. I still feel as though I’m trying to get my mind around all He is teaching me through this.
My first thoughts upon getting sick were, “I just want to go home (NOW!)” and “I’m never coming back (EVER!)” However, I see now that my suffering does not mean I was not right where God wanted me to be. Nor does my suffering mean that I’m just not cut out for this sort of thing and I shouldn’t go back. I started thinking about Paul and all He suffered (2 Corinthians 11:23-29). He didn’t see these trials as a call out of ministry. He embraced them as an opportunity to share in the sufferings of our Savior (Philippians 3:10-11). He endured hardship as discipline (Hebrews 12:7) and trusted in the sufficiency of God’s grace to carry him in his weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). I am humbled by such meekness.
God used my illness to mature Madeline as well. She was pushed way out of her comfort zones. She had to trust God and our team to take care of us. I think her statement on our last night in the DR is a fitting conclusion. She told me that she would like to return to the DR. This was a shock to me. I thought she would want to distance herself from the unpleasant experiences of the week. She said that when she works on a Bible study or devotional at home, she often feels like she’s not really growing. But this experience really showed her a lot of things about herself and God. This experience really pushed her and hard as it was…she liked that
It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. Psalm 119:71
For me, Psalm 119 polishes off this post perfectly. What I take from this is that we spend too much time fighting, praying, and believing for our comfort, peace, prosperity… All good things… all things that are ours through God’s promises… but just not where I see God telling us to focus in most of His Word. Those things are His job. The emphasis for us is on taking action. Taking action in ways that are uncomfortable and that require sacrifice, discomfort, and risk. Accepting that we have a cross to bear, that the world will hate us because it hated Him first. And knowing that somehow, in His plan, we will grow and benefit from that. Refusing affliction denies us the ability to learn from Him (I know you may not like that but don’t blame me – I didn’t say it – He did (see Psalm 119 above)). I believe that there are incredible, wonderful promises of what we receive as God’s kids. But we somtimes become so focused on “what’s in it for me” that we spend our time and effort pursuing benefits for us rather than DOING what we are told to do.
He’ll do His part. I don’t have to (and I can’t) make him do His part, and that’s not my job anyway. I just need to do my part (which means DO what His Word tells us to DO) and rest in the comfort that He is Omnipotent God of the Universe, and He loves me with a love that I cannot comprehend. Maybe I’m nuts, but given those parameters, somehow I think He’ll uphold His end of the bargain.
Ludlati Carepoint Support Level 41 Kids Funded; 42 Kids To Go
About - KnownToMe
We have begun to ask ourselves...What would we do if our neighbor was starving right before our eyes? Would we not help? Today, their plight is not hidden from us. It is known. We believe there is a clear mandate that we must care for societies most vulnerable members, the widow, the orphan, those in extreme poverty. If you are stirred to a similar belief, if you know there is more that you must do, Known To Me will make you aware of specific needs and opportunities to help.
She is actually one of the older children watching a younger sibling. I heard and read about these circumstances, and felt sad, and wanted to do something to help. When I meet this circumstance face to face, yes I felt sad, but I was impacted in my mind, heart and gut. This girl and her baby sister’s cry are permanently marked in my soul. Now these kids are my neighbors. Now I really really want to do the right things to help, and I am thankful you are along since I can not do what is needed by myself. It’s one thing for a child to learn to care for a younger sibling, but it’s too much for a child to be the provider and protector of their siblings. This young girl does what she has to do (I hope it is not the worst of things) to take care of her sister. Thankfully she has Mpholi carepoint as a life saving resource and support for her. I look forward to seeing our collective support, letters, visits and actions of love sent to Ludlati in the near future.
