Pray for Little Girls

Today was very eventful.  I headed back to Chorkor, a place that helped deliver food every month for nine months.  Today was a school day so there were not as many children running around as when I went on Saturdays.  As I got out of the car today and headed for the bathroom I caught a glimpse of Mary and she caught a glimpse of me and she came running.  It was so sweet to see her again.  Things have changed for her and she is needing our prayers as she struggles with the challenges of being a single mother of four children.  

We also visited Grandma Agnus, whom I had not met before.  She has just lost her husband and it was heart breaking to see the pain on her face.  As Robin reached out to her she began to sob and I could not hold back the tears.  Life is hard here and now it is even harder for her.  She is a precious mother and grandmother and I am so thankful for the people who are helping her through this difficult time.

We left Chorkor and headed for Toodoo  Market (not sure if that is spelled right) to pick up a sewing machine for Etronam.  She is a beautiful, joyful single mother living with the Beebe family temporarily until she can take care of herself and her beautiful son Elyon.  We ladies, five of us, were set loose in the fabric store and we were ooing and aahing at each other's selections for an hour or sew (get it... sew).  The idea is to have Etronam teach other single mothers how to sew to earn a sewing maching.  It is a beautiful program that I am sure we will hear more about from Feeding The Orphans.  

Later at the market, Reid and the other girls had gone to get the sewing machine, Robin and I stayed to watch the car and met these beautiful little girls.

Robin used the word "helpless" today when we were talking about how much we wanted to help them, which is the perfect word.  I just wanted desperately to pull them in the car and rescue them from this life. These girls will spend their entire day carrying food and other items for the shoppers in the market making very little money which they will turn over to the person in charge of them, better known as their master.  I spent quite a bit of time trying to help two young girls out of this situation last year when I was here, but their older sister who was also a carrier could not afford to let them go.  It's a viscous cycle that steals opportunity away from these young children to break away, go to school and make a better life for themselves.  Please pray for these girls that God will make a way for them.  I couldn't help but think, except for the grace of God this could be me, my children, my grandchildren.  Please pray.

Time for Gardening

I was really blessed in church yesterday and how relevant the sermon is today. The sermon was “Are you prepared”. I wanted to reflect on my life and consider, am I prepared? We live in a world where the influence of Satan is allowed to go about seeking whom he might destroy.

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy

Jesus was tempted as we are tempted. His victory was in denying Himself and honoring His Father. Satan tempted Him with a kingdom. He was not living in the Ritz Carleton and Satan wanted to offer Him something enticing. He was not offering Him something that was sinful in itself.

Satan does not offer us things that are offensive (or not at first anyways), he is strategic in his plotting. I believe we have come to the place where gradual deception has been surpassed. You cannot look at a magazine rack in a store, watch television or go shopping without the effects of a sinful world touching you. We have all seen too much and heard too much and it has taken its toll.

We have made the statement loud and clear that we will entertain evil to have what we want. Why haven’t we turned off our televisions in disgust and said to the people in tv world, enough!. Why haven’t we said to the store owner who puts filth in front of our children, enough! We have become complacent, and perhaps a little more worried about what people think of us rather than what God thinks of us. You don’t have to barge into the store angry in a cloud of moral disgust. You can simply let the store owner know that you will not shop there until the magazine rack has been cleaned up. What if 100 people walked into Wal-mart every day for a week and did this? What do you think would happen? I think they would start cleaning the shelf up. What if we Christians turned the television off for one month. We would definitely become closer as a family and Hollywood might consider they are not that attractive anymore.

PS Have you noticed how you can watch a television show and it is really good for a few episodes and then BAM, here comes the immoral behavior so idolized by Hollywood. This is the part where denying the flesh comes in and you turn the show off and stop watching it. I will be honest, sometimes I just want to watch the show because I like it and I am an adult, I know how to process this stuff. Hogwash or as God says:

Job 14:14 Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one!

Besides the obvious, I can become so busy with the day to day task at hand that I am not having in the front of my mind people are dying and going to hell! Who have I led to the Lord lately? Who have I fed, clothed or gave a drink of water in His name?

Mathew 25: 34 - 40 Then the righteous will answer him Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The king will reply Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

I am so guilty of trying to justify allowing a little sin into my life, excusing being a little too busy and forgetting to read the bible "one day" and there is no justification and I have no righteous excuse when I read what God’s Word says:

Phillippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.

The tool of Satan is to gradually seep into our lives things that will destroy our relationship with the Heavenly Father. He is trying every day to use things that will desensitize us and separate us from God. I know that I need to take inventory and do some gardening, how about you?

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Well, tomorrow at noon I will be boarding my first flight of three on my way to Africa.  I was asked yesterday how I am feeling.  Frantic, happy, sad, excited, nervous, etc.. My mind is racing; have I unplugged everything in the house, is the temp set, have I forgotten anything, yes bug spray, do I have my visa, shot records, other paperwork.  I am excited to see my friends and the kiddos in Africa and so so sad at leaving my kids and grandchildren here.  It is only six weeks this time and I am sure it is going to fly by with all that I have to do. 

A quick praise.  While in Ghana I visited Togo, a neighboring country.  I met 224 beautiful children that attended a school in the mountains of Togo.  I learned from their school master  that the children go to school all day and do not have food or water.  They do not send them home in the afternoon because there is no food or water for them at home and they would have to walk in the mid-day heat. My heart was breaking as I looked at these mal-nourished children dressed in tattered and dirty clothing and I promised them help. I have prayed about it many times and God is so faithful.  A lady, whom I haven't had the privilege of meeting yet,   messaged me from France.  I will be meeting with her team in Togo and their heart is to sponsor this school with clothing, shoes, school books and teachers to train them to use the curriculum.  Togo is a French province so it makes perfect sense.  They have had a cargo plane donated once a month to carry donations to Togo and bordering country of Benim. I can't wait to introduce them.  Please pray that this is a match made in Heaven!

I want to say thank you to my friends who have sponsored me for this trip and my trip in 2011.  This has been life changing and I am asking God for clarity on what He wants from me when I return home.  There is an opportunity to work at an orphanage in  India, stopping in Africa on the way  which would more than likely be a six month commitment. For me it is more than a commitment since I promised God in month 5 of my last trip that I would never say no to Him again. To date I have 150.00 pledged monthly.  I also have the unbelievable gift of a home for which I do not pay rent. It has been hard financially, especially with the price of food and gas, vehicle breakdown, new brakes, etc. I know that this is a struggle for all. What I have learned though, is priceless. God is faithful at my time of need!  I have not gone without food and I have been able to go visit with family and friends.  

I am asking you to  consider partnering with me so that I can continue to do what God has asked me to do.  Not only do I love what I am doing, I consider it a privilege as I know that there are others who are much more qualified to do this, but God has chosen me!  Sometimes I can barely get my mind around that. You have to just be so grateful for the way He puts each of us just where He wants us and we are all working for the Kingdom.  I need your financial support and I cherish your prayers!  I know that your prayers have kept me safe, met my needs, kept divine appointments such as the school in Togo and helped me everyday to remain faithful to this calling.  I need your prayers for four very specific unspoken request and am saying thank you in advance.

Please remember my friend Kathy, who is fighting breast cancer.  She is a young wife and mother with two precious boys and needs your prayers. 

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.