Can You Imagine?

            CAN YOU IMAGINE?

I attended my first Beth More bible study this past week.  It was nice to meet all the ladies and share our hearts with one another.  I was touched by many of the things that the ladies shared as we dug our heels in and began to take a look at the life of Esther. 

We were moving right along when suddenly and profoundly the words of Beth Moore, as she spoke on her video, pierced my heart.  Esther was an orphan.  I knew that but I never really focused on that part of the story as I was so enamored by her life once she had been taken from her cousin Mordecai and dropped in the palace of the king. 

Beth began sharing a story of her family members, a young man and woman with two small girls, who were taken suddenly in a car accident.  The two small girls, also in the car, survived.  She began to expound on the fact that without notice, without warning these two girls lives were changed forever.  The following morning mommy would not be coming in the room to wake her girls with a kiss, coach them to the kitchen where she had made breakfast for them.  No longer would she be packing their lunches for school with precious little notes in it saying I love you or you are special.  They would not be sitting with an adorning mother brushing their hair discussing everything that was important to them.  They would miss the big strong hugs from dad as he arrived home from work, bedtime stories from the deep calming voice that made them feel safe every night as he tucked them in bed.  Things would never be the same for these two girls or any child who has ever lost a mother or father.  Can you imagine losing both?

I have said so many times that nothing could be worse than losing a child, nothing.  This made me think, and Beth pointed it out in the video, that yes, something could be.  If we are old enough to have a child we at least can process death, we still have the stabling factors present in our lives and know how to take care of ourselves.  I am positive the heartache on either end is devastating but a small child finding themselves alone, without the two people in your lives that are supposed to be there for you and love you like no one else can... well, I don’t think any of us can imagine unless we've been there.

I left there feeling more responsible, feeling more compassion and more drive to work with orphans than before even before.  I could not imagine that the words I would hear after I entered the bible study

would cause my heart, which is already broken for orphans, to be broken more.

 Listen! The orphaned children in this world, here at home and in other countries, are our responsibility.  Whether like me you go and minister or  you sponsor a child through an organization like Feeding the Orphans, it is our responsibility.  Just try, and I mean really try, to put yourself in a child’s place who has lost everything. They are not old enough, educated enough, wise enough or anything else enough to care for themselves. Everything that happens to them is at the mercy of others. Try to imagine your little ones or your grandchildren being faced with the kind of tragedy shared above.  We all need to join hands and take care of the kids that are suffering in this world!  What can you do?

Hot Lunch Program for Orphans

Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interest but for the interest of others.

It is such a privilege when we have an opportunity to  honor God in our giving.  So many of you have been so faithful to do just that and it has been such an encouragement to so many. Feeding The Orphans has reached out again and we need your help.

 

FAITH ROOTS INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY
Faith Roots International Academy currently has 185 students in City of Refuge. For those of you who are not familiar with City of Refuge, it is a safe haven for rescued slave children. 18 children will reside in a house with a mother and father (house parents) and receive three square meals a day. There are two completed functioning homes right now with more in the works. Currently about 36 children reside at City of Refuge and attend the school. The remaining students are from the neighboring villages. 

 DADDY JOE AND MOMMY TERESA

City of Refuge’s first house parents.     

 

If three churches would partner with us we could provide lunches for all 135 children for a donation of $266.00 per month by each church.  This will ensure that these kids will receive a healthy hot meal and for some of these children it will be the only meal they receive that day.  Will you help us feed these children.  If you think your church would be willing to help us please speak with them and be an advocate for these kids. 

LUNCH TIME

 

Written in ink on our hearts...

2 Corinthians 3

Christ’s Epistle

3 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? ² You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; ³ clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

The Spirit, Not the Letter

⁴ And we have such trust through Christ toward God. ⁵ Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, ⁶ who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit;^[a] for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Glory of the New Covenant

⁷ But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, ⁸ how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? ⁹ For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. ¹⁰ For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. ¹¹ For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
¹² Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— ¹³ unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. ¹⁵ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. ¹⁶ Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

I ask God to help me as I read His beautiful Word to understand the depth of it, for it to give life  to my spirit so that I  live for Him.  As I read scripture I feel such a weight lift off my shoulders.  To know that I am guided by the Spirit of God and that He wrote the most beuatiful love story ever, Jesus crucified for me, giving life to me. I am so thankful for His love and that He does not dispise my weakness.  It is only through Him that I have or do anything that is worthwhile.  I can do nothing on my own, apart from Him, nothing. But I can do anything that He calls me to do through Christ Jesus that lives in me. Sit and meditate on just that... Christ Jesus lives in me! It is so hard sometimes to just be still, but when I am He is able to work in me and to show me how He works out those things that I can not and do not have control over. While sitting still many times means just being quiet before him and meditating on His word, sometimes it has meant walking away from something that I want very much to deal with and do what He puts on my heart to do instead, be busy about my Father's business. When I put my trust and my hope in Him there is liberty, freedom from the weights of this life that can seem unbearable at times and He works all things out for good to us who love Him. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord...   I pray that in every circumstance for myself and for my family and friends we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us and to comfort us in those times and as He does we spend our lives, considering each moment as valuable to the Lord, living sacrifices to the Most High God.  There is so much to do.

HALELUJAH

 

Today marks one year ago that I stepped off that plane into Ghana, an experience that has forever changed my life.  During my nine months God revealed to me what it is that I really want from this life.  God opens doors and He has opened the door to full time ministry, something I cherish. I have thought that I need a part time job to be able to meet basic needs and continue to serve.  I have been running on empty for two months.  I have been down to .52 in my bank account.  It is not easy for my flesh to be comfortable with how I am living.  But, and I mean but, God has stepped in and miraculously provided for me every step of the way.  What I know right now is that my God owns the universe and everything in it.  He can speak what I need and it is mine.  Sometimes I remind myself of the children of Israel, complaining and forgetting to look and remember what God had done for me.   As I look back  have shouts of hallelujah during my prayer time, driving in my car and just different times as the reality of what He has and is doing settles in. These are just some of the reasons for my shout: 

I was let go from a job in the middle of a sell out and given the money I needed in the form of severance to pay off every debt and purchase airline tickets to go to Ghana.

I saw children delivered from scabies.  I could not get the people at the home to understand that it was necessary for us to wash everything and treat the home.  They refused.  I asked for prayer and cried out to my God that I could not stand the itching anymore and needed Him to do a miracle.  By the end of the week the runners on my arms caused by the crawling bugs were gone and so was the scabies without treatment.

 

I saw children healed of ring worm, fungus, and other horrible skin conditions (especially on their feet caused by red ant bites that had become infected).

            I was afflicted with ring worm, fungus, infected fungus and malaria at the same time.  I cried out in anger to God not understanding why.  He spoke to my heart that I had asked for compassion for these children and now I fully understood how they were feeling.  It was a moment of falling on my face, asking for forgiveness and then getting busy making sure they were treated aggressively to see an end to these attacks on their little bodies.

I saw children who were thin, had extended bellies and looked through emptied eyes begin to gain weight, begin to  laugh,  to share and shine.

I prayed for one boy to get an education sponsor and the very next day… he had a sponsor.

I prayed for God to provide a little boy with surgery for his eyes.  God made the provision.  Unfortunately the family that controls this little boy’s future would not cooperate fully so that this could be accomplished.  I am still praying that God will make a way.

 

I saw a little boy rescued from slavery.  Thin, sunken face, huge questioning eyes not understanding what was happening to him and speaking a language that no one understood he was taken from his master and ended up at his new home.  Once there, he saw another little boy from his village.  He ran and fell into his arms wrapping his arms around this little boy.  As they began to talk a smile emerged that was so touching.  Tears began to fall as you knew this little boy was being told about how wonderful his life was going to be.  He would have a mom and dad, a home, 3 meals a day and school and most of all he would be shown what the love of God is all about. 14 more were brought home shortly after I left Ghana.

I was able to share Jesus with a man who was drunk and following us.  He would not leave so I told him I knew he was drunk and that he could only follow us if he would stop his behavior.  He first denied he was drunk and as I told him that I knew he was drunk and was drinking everyday of his life he began to cry, he opened up and began to confess the truth about his life.  He had a wife and 3 little girls who were suffering because of his drinking. We prayed and he invited me to his home to meet his family.  They were precious and I talked with his wife and then we all prayed. 

In the middle of the night feeling so alone and lonely, totally miserable I in a whisper said God I need you.  Do you hear me, I need you so bad.  For the next several minutes (I don’t really know how long) Jesus sat next to me on my bed and we talked.  It wish I had the words to describe what it was like.  All I know is that I felt peace and all of my suffering subsided.  I was refreshed and looked at things in a different light the next morning.

I became friends with about 40 or 50 little children in the village of Chorkor that would follow me as soon as I arrived and walk with me the entire way to the house we were delivering food.  I would tell them about Jesus and give them candy and only wish I had more food so that they could all eat.  I know some people get frustrated at how rude they can seem grabbing things from your hand and sometimes even taking a portion that was meant for another child and because they crammed it into their mouth that child went without but it just speaks to how hungry they are. 

 I  had a small girl write notes to God about how much she wanted a mom and dad.  God told me that she would have a mom and dad before I left.  I spoke this to her and from that day she wrote letters to God and to her new mom and dad.  One week before I left the orphanage the family that was adopting her allowed the privilege of telling her.  I wasn’t able to tell her best friend that she was also being adopted but they found out soon after.  Answered prayer.

I could go on and on and on but the point is I want to remember, we all need to remember what God has done for us.  We need to remember the goodness of our Lord and Savior.  Remember! No matter how different we all have God Moments that are worthy of remembering.

 I am so excited about returning to Ghana under the umbrella of the most High God.  I am excited to have opportunities to share the gospel with believers and experience God’s grace and anointing on our time together, changing us, making us more like Him.  I am excited to hug some beautiful little children, pray over them, speak life into their lives and just be there for them.  I am excited to see friends left behind and hear about the amazing things God has been doing through them.

We say , “All I need is You Lord”. We proclaim Him to be so many things in our life but nothing causes our words to stand like being in the middle of something terrible. Someone asked me if I would be willing to lay my life down in a certain situation. I quickly responded yes because no would have meant that the task before me wasn’t worthy of that. The truth is that it is not my life to lay down, it is not my choice to make, it is His. He is the maker of Heaven and Earth. the giver of life and the one who decides the appointed time.

Only He can satisfy. It is imperative that I crucify my flesh every single day and seek Him. I need to be living this life from my spirit which bears witness with His spirit and gives me the right to cry out Abba in the midst of the storm (Romans 8) and to rest in His loving arms when He is leading me beside still waters. He knows what I need and when I need it better than I do.

 Since I have been home God has met my needs faithfully.  I have tried to get a job but it just hasn’t happened yet.  But what has happened is God has used you to meet my needs.  I want everyone to know that I am sold out to Jesus.  I am happy to live from God moment to God moment.  All I need to do is worship my God by living each day for Him.  I need your support and I promise you that I will continue to live each day walking in obedience to what He calls me to do.  It is very humbling to have people pour into your life the way  you have poured into mine the past year.  I promise you I will pour back out in the ways that I am able as God leads.