Lord, what can I do?

On the eve of celebrating Christ I find myself with mixed emotions. I love that we set aside a special time to celebrate His birth, yet I long to always be in awe of the humble way He came to serve and give His life as a ransom for many...



I am so grateful to be with family... that we'll enjoy giving gifts to each other and that yummy meals will fill the day in this warm, comfortable home. And at the same time my heart is breaking for the countless people around the world who are not even safe and cared for on this day...preparing to celebrate is about the farthest thing from their mind.

The ever-present tension of enjoying and being grateful for what I have while wanting to extend the love and care I have been shown to others...



While the story that follows is not a traditional Christmas thought...it's very Christ-honoring so I think appropriate to share.



A friend of mine, Christina*, lives in France and is part of a group of believers who are reaching out to women who have been trafficked and forced into prostitution.

Last weekend they went out at night to give Christmas chocolates to the women working in a particular district as a way to break the ice and get to know them. By going out regularly to the same area, they hope to build relationships and trust with these women to then help them as needed.

In two hours they met 19 prostituted people - they were from Brazil, Romania, Nigeria, Croatia, Chile, Bulgaria, Ghana and one from France...the women were thankful for the Christmas chocolates.

There was one girl in particular that Christina feels burdened for, I'd like to introduce you to her now. She is about 18 years old, short and has a wonderful smile. The language barrier made communication between she and Christina a challenge, but the girl had a genuine smile the whole time. In 40° weather, her bare legs were covered in goosebumps and she fidgeted, shifting her weight from one leg to another, as she shivered - and yet she smiled. She gave the standard line many of them are told to say: she'd been in France just under three months (the max time you can stay without legal paperwork) and said she'd be going home in 15 days. However, as she said it, her eyes teared up. She smiled and said, "Life here is good for me." But that time, her beautiful smile was forced and broken.

My heart aches for this young woman and the men, women and children who are being mis-treated, have no family, or don't get to be with them. And at the same time I am thrilled that Christina and many others are reaching out.

Lord, what can I do? Who can I give Christmas chocolates to? I know there are people all around me, please give me your eyes to see...


*Christina is not her real name

Celebrating Adoption...

November is National Adoption Month, with National Adoption Day coming up this Saturday, 11/21/09....setting aside time to celebrate adoption.

Here are some questions to get you thinking about how you can celebrate adoption - not just this Saturday or this month, but all the time.

• Do I consider myself a follower of Christ? Praise God that I can be His child because He has adopted me into His family because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!
  
• Do I know anyone who has adopted a child? How can I look for ways to encourage them in their journey of parenting adopted children?
• Do I know anyone who is adopted? When can I make time to spend with them and ask about what it's been like?
• Do I know anyone who is planning to adopt? How can I support them emotionally, spiritually, and/or financially?
• In what ways can I generally be more encouraging and supportive of adoption on a daily basis?

As you think through these things, I would very highly recommend this book, Adopted for Life, by Russell Moore. He does an amazing job of describing the theology of adoption in a very personal way through his personal story - it's amazing. And...while my thoughts are not as good as his, I certainly have some and would love to chat with you if you want :)

Always reason to celebrate this...

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace ⁸that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." - Ephesians 1:3-8

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." - John 1:12-12

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. ¹⁷Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." - Romans 8:16-18

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" - 1 John 3:1

Praise the Lord!

World Orphans in Iraq

Are you interested in what God is doing in Iraq? Know someone who is? Please CLICK HERE to read a letter and invitation from the President of World Orphans.



"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." - Matthew 9

Faith like a child...

Dear Kate,

Today our class learned about "telling and giving." Our story told us about Paul and Barnabas going to Antioch to tell the people there about Jesus. Many people in Antioch became Christians because of Barnabas and Paul telling them of Jesus' love for them. Then, Agabus visited this new church in Antioch and he told them there was not enough food for the people in Jerusalem and throughout the Roman world. The Christians in Antioch wanted to help, so they gave their money to the church in Jerusalem.

The children in our class also heard about your work with World Orphans. They decided they wanted to give money to you so you and other missionaries can continue to go and tell the orphans about Jesus, and buy them things they need.

In Jesus' Love,
The River Oaks Community Church Pre-K and Kindergarten Sunday School Class



Matthew 18:1-5
¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

²He called a little child and had him stand among them. ³And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

⁵"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.

Food for Thought...

October 16th was World Food Day and October 17th was World Poverty Day.



I would ask you to take a minute and look at these slide shows...think about how we as Americans eat in relation to how people around the world eat:

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519,00.html

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1645016,00.html



It's a hard thing for me. I love to cook. I love to eat good, healthy food. I like to make special meals to celebrate people. I think sharing a meal is a God-ordained, powerful way to build relationships. However...I also realize that most people in the world have so much less food than I do.



I want to (and learn more to) enjoy the food I have been given, praise God for how He provides for me, my life to be about sharing with those who don't have as much as I do, and pray that I will continue to trust His goodness if a day comes when I don't have enough...



Thoughts?

Too much...not enough...

Water is so...unique. That's not really the word I'm looking for, but can't think of another one.

It can be so calm and beautiful, and it can be raging and ravaging.

Right now there are parts of the world that are too dry and in desperate need of water. And simultaneously there are places where the volume of water is destroying homes and lives.

So as you sip water today, be reminded to pray.



Pray for those in need that they will have clean water to drink and rain to cause the crops to grow. And pray for those who are flooded - that God would rescue them and help them trust in His goodness in the midst of unexplainable devastation. And pray for all of us, everywhere - whether thirsting for water, drowning from the excess, or have what we need and don't really think about it. May we all thirst after the Living Water that never runs dry...

Close to home

We all need to know that trafficking is going on all around us.

Lord Jesus, have mercy and show us who is around us that we can speak up for.

My husband drives through Newark everyday and goes to school one town away from East Orange.

Woman describes journey from Africa into human bondage

Wednesday, September 16, 2009- The Star Ledger

Joe Ryan - Star Ledger Staff

Vida Anagblah said she was a teenager when a prosperous merchant came to her West African village and offered to take her away to a nearby city and teach her a trade.

With nine other children, Anagblah's parents had no money for school. So they sent the girl away with the woman, Akouavi Kpade Afolabi, hoping she, too, would find prosperity.

"She said she was going to buy me a sewing machine," said Anagblah, who was the first alleged victim to testify yesterday on the opening day of a trial in federal court in Newark where Afolabi is accused of running a human trafficking ring.

Authorities say she smuggled girls from Togo and Ghana to New Jersey and forced them to work without pay in hair braiding salons in Newark and East Orange.

Most of the alleged victims were uneducated and spoke no English. To control them, prosecutors say Afolabi used fierce beatings, threats of voodoo curses and draconian rules, which included forbidding dating or telephoning Africa without permission.

"You work every day. You don't make friends. You don't call home "¦ and if you disobey you get beaten," Nancy Hoppock, deputy chief of the U.S. attorney's office's criminal division, said during her opening argument yesterday.

But Afolabi's lawyer, Olubukola O. Adetula, urged jurors to listen skeptically to prosecutors.

The lawyer has argued the girls were, in fact, paid. They were not forbidden from making friends -- they worked in public salons, Adetula said. As for calling Africa, the lawyer said it is complicated to reach a village where the nearest telephone is miles away.

The attorney described Afolabi as a benevolent mother figure, who once adopted an infant abandoned outside her home in Togo. The girls, he said, she treated like daughters. "She took them in. She took care of them. Clothed them. Housed them," Adetula said.

Afolabi sat quietly during the arguments, wearing a yellow floral print shirt and black slacks, which concealed the shackles binding her legs.

She was arrested in 2007 along with her former husband and son. They have already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit forced labor. Both told a federal judge that Afolabi, who has been in custody since her arrest, was the group's ringleader.

Prosecutors say the group manipulated a visa program to slip up to 20 girls and women into the country, ranging in age from 10 to 19. If convicted of forced labor, Afolabi faces up to 20 years in prison, said Shana W. Chen, an assistant U.S. attorney.

During her testimony yesterday, Anagblah, now 24, recalled Afolabi's large, two story house in Lome, Togo's capital city. There were about seven other girls living them when Anagblah arrived in 2000. They worked six days a week selling jewelry in the market, and they were forbidden from talking to men, Anagblah said.

She testified that when Afolabi suspected her of breaking that rule, the defendant tied five mango switches together and ordered the girl onto her knees.

"She beat me all over my body," Anagblah said.

Browsing...for children?

Being that we just moved to New Jersey, I was online looking for volunteer opportunities in our area. Somehow I ended up on the Department of Child and Family Services website.

While we're not in a position to adopt at the moment (Chris is in school full-time, I'm working full-time, we're living with my grandmother and there's not much extra space) we are excited about adopting in the future. So...just for kicks I decided to click around some of the adoption links on the website.

It was devastating and I haven't been able to stop thinking about them. There they were, posted online like items to be shopped for. Pictures, names, birthdays and "a brief description".

Almost all of the children were older teenagers, almost all of them had extreme challenges, and many of them had severe physical disabilities and/or medical conditions. And almost all of the descriptions said something along the lines of, "...what he really wants is to find his forever family where he will be loved and cared for."

Aside from the fact that pictures, names and birthdays on the internet seems like a security issue...it is heartbreaking and I have no idea what to do. Will we ever be in a position to adopt an older child with severe medical conditions?

I don't know what to do, I don't know what to suggest, and it makes me so, so sad...

But I do know this. Along with the children on the NJ DCS website, there are countless opportunities for all of us to care for people around us who are hurting.

At World Orphans we are working on a resource to help families and their young children care and advocate for the orphaned and abandoned in their community and around the world.

So I hope to soon be able to point you to a specific resource. But in the meantime it starts with just looking around, asking the Lord to give us eyes to see those who are hurting. The children in foster care, the elderly person who lives alone, the kid at school who no one talks to, the lady at church who always sits by herself.

Matthew 25:40 "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Lord please, help us hold our schedules and agendas loosely so we can be available to show your love to those around us...please.

Forgiveness...

As we seek to engage the orphaned and abandoned around the world who have been sinned against in horrifying ways I cannot really grasp, I long to keep this biblical view before me. For myself and for those who have been hurt that I have the honor of knowing and caring for...

From Ken Sande:

To understand what forgiveness is, we must first see what it is not. Forgiveness is not a feeling. It is an act of the will. Forgiveness involves a series of decisions, the first of which is to call on God to change our hearts. As he gives us grace, we must then decide (with our will) not to think or talk about what someone has done to hurt us. God calls us to make these decisions regardless of our feelings--but these decisions can lead to remarkable changes in our feelings.

Second, forgiveness is not forgetting. Forgetting is a passive process in which a matter fades from memory merely with the passing of time. Forgiving is an active process; it involves a conscious choice and a deliberate course of action. To put it another way, when God says that he "remembers your sins no more" (Isa. 43:25), he is not saying that he cannot remember our sins. Rather, he is promising that he will not remember them. When he forgives us, he chooses not to mention, recount, or think about our sins ever again. Similarly, when we forgive, we must draw on God's grace and consciously decide not to think or talk about what others have done to hurt us. This may require a lot of effort, especially when an offense is still fresh in mind. Fortunately, when we decide to forgive someone and stop dwelling on an offense, painful memories usually begin to fade.

Finally, forgiveness is not excusing. Excusing says, "That's okay," and implies, "What you did wasn't really wrong," or "You couldn't help it." Forgiveness is the opposite of excusing. The very fact that forgiveness is needed and granted indicates that what someone did was wrong and inexcusable. Forgiveness says, "We both know that what you did was wrong and without excuse. But since God has forgiven me, I forgive you." Because forgiveness deals honestly with sin, it brings a freedom that no amount of excusing could ever hope to provide.

Food for Thought

Praise God for his gracious gift of forgiveness to us! The Scripture says "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (Eph. 4:32, emphasis added) You will probably have an opportunity to extend forgiveness this week. When you do, try to remember what forgiveness is not, and fix your eyes on the full and gracious forgiveness that God has given you in Jesus Christ.

Lovingly challening thoughts...

An email from a friend...

As we spent time in I Corinthians 3 and 4 this morning, we were reminded to build with gold, silver and precious jewels; not hay and straw. It's possible for big events and splashy programs to be nothing but straw. How do we keep Jesus out in front of all we do?

I'd like to hear how you do this in your own lives. How have you managed to keep Jesus at the center instead of on the side?

A blog from a World Orphans colleague:

I wept this morning as I sat in the London airport surrounded by the trappings of this world – the duty free liquor shops, the endless rows of high priced jewelry & chocolate shops, realizing that my 1 much desired latte would have paid 1/2 a month’s rent for people I visited in Muthare slums this week.

I continue to pray that God would let my heart be broken for the things that break His heart, and that He would change me to be more like His son Jesus Christ – a compassionate, self-sacrificing servant, who considers others as more important than himself (philippians 2:1-8), and who loves his neighbor as himself, to be able to say as Paul did that to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

A message from a pastor...

"No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light." Luke 11:33-36

“Be careful!” This is the only imperative in the text. Be careful what you see! Be careful what you regard as bright and attractive and compelling. If it is not Christ, you will be filled with darkness—no matter how bright it seems for a season. Candles seem bright until the sun comes out. Then they are useless and put away.

Christ is the glory we were made to see. His light alone will fill us and give the light of life and meaning to every part of our lives. And when that happens, we ourselves will shine and give off the rays of Christ. “If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”

Lord, open the eyes of our hearts to see the supreme greatness of your wisdom and power. Make our eyes good. Heal our blindness. Fill us with the all-pervading, all-exposing, all-purifying, all-pleasing light of your presence.

Why World Orphans?

If you are reading this you are probably interested in caring for orphans in one way or another. You may be thinking that there are a lot of organizations out there and wondering what sets World Orphans apart.

Some may say I'm biased about World Orphans as an organization because I work for them, but I'm not so sure. I am beyond grateful to work for them, but that is because I'm passionate about seeing orphans rescued. Not only is that what World Orphans is about, but they are about rescuing orphans while building up the local church so that each child, each church, and each community (both here in the west and internationally) is impacted by the Gospel of Christ. As an organization we work hard to do that with compassion and integrity in a way that maximizes each moment, each dollar and each ounce of energy

In a nutshell, World Orphans exists to partner churches in the West with indigenous churches around the world (mostly in 3rd world countries) who are caring for orphans.

Why is getting involved with churches around the world important? Because...there are over 143 million orphans. And in the past hour…

• 1,625 children were forced to live on the streets by the death or abuse of an adult
• 1,667 children under the age of five died from malnutrition and vaccine-preventable diseases
• 115 children became prostitutes
• 66 children under 15 were infected with HIV
• 257 children were orphaned because of HIV/AIDS

There are lots of ways you can get involved - here are some of your options to stay current with what World Orphans is doing, know how to pray, and know how to take action (donate and tell others how to donate, see options for travel, etc.):

• Join the World Orphans facebook page by clicking HERE
  
• Read the World Orphan blogs - this link will tell you when people update
• Sign up to be on World Orphans mailing list by clicking HERE

Side note: If you're interested in what's going on with me personally, Chris and I made it to New Jersey safe and sound. I got my office setup and we are working on getting settled and seeing what life will be like here. We miss our community in Maryville, but we feel peaceful about being here and are excited to see what the Lord has in store.

Personal Update

Sorry for the lack of blogging in the past few months. My husband Chris and I are moving to New Jersey. Literally...we're leaving in a few hours. Chris is going to Seton Hall University to get a masters degree as a physician's assistant. And the big bonus, I'm from New Jersey so we're going to live with my grandmother and be near all of my family. We are very excited, but also very sad about leaving the community we have here in Tennessee. I hope/plan to blog more in depth about this transition, but at the moment I'll just say I am so very thankful for the de-centralized model of World Orphans that allows me to continue the work I do for them from New Jersey. I packed up my office here and I'll settle into my grandmother's attic and continue plugging away. I am so, so thankful. So until we're there and settled...may the peace of the Lord be with you.

Dead or Alive?

I have had two conversations just in the last 72 hours that both involved friends saying something along these lines...

"I am starting to see the reality of what life is like for people in most of the world and I don't know what to do....it feels like I could just lose it at any minute....what do I do with the fact that there are children dying of hunger and I throw away leftovers...what do I do with the fact that there is so much suffering and I watch people spend so much money on clothes???"

To both of these dear women I encouraged them to keep struggling, and to be willing to share the struggles so that more people are aware of the realities.

Be honest about the fact that you can't just sit back - can't ignore the war, the hunger, the sickness, the abuse, the injustice...

I think that as our children, families, friends, co-workers and neighbors watch us wrestle with how to live our lives in light of the realities around the world - I believe we can help each other to be alive.



In scripture God has strong words for the church. He says: "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!" - Revelation 3:15

We have GOT to wrestle through this together and not let each other be lukewarm. There is such joy in living the hot, alive, joyful life that Christ calls us to. But...it's not easy and it's not comfortable. That's why He created us to function as a body - we need each other to walk to challenging, messy, fantastic adventure that He has called us to.



There are no easy answers or solutions - I think the only "answer" is to wake up each day and ask God what He has for today. What does the abundant life Christ calls us to look like for today? What does is look like to lavishly reflect God's love to the people in your life? What does it look like to give sacrificially to help meet the needs that exist around you and around the world?

"There is a sort of dead-alive...people about, who are scarcely conscious of living except in the exercise of some conventional occupation...They have dwarfed and narrowed their soul by a life of all work, until here they are at forty, with a listless attention, a mind vacant of all material for amusement, and not one thought to rub against another while waiting for the train." -From 'An Apology for Idlers' by Robert Louis Stevenson

Will you choose to be alive? Awake to the sin and the hurt and the pain and the suffering...and in being awake and responding to that, there is such great joy, glory and delight because Christ is Redeemer!

30 Hours...

Millions of people around the world go for 30 hours in between each meal...30 hours.

Over 26,000 children die each day - most from preventable causes like disease and hunger.

This weekend people all across America are fasting for 30 hours to raise awareness as well as to raise funds.



I am very, very thankful to be a part of World Orphans where the goal is to fight for those 26,000 children by strengthening churches all over the world so future generations can see those children cared for and those numbers lowered.

I would ask you to remind yourself and the people you come in contact with about these numbers. But don't let them be just numbers, let them be real people...and ask God to give you an excitement about what you can do to fight for these children.

There are lots of ways to get involved - please let me know if you're interested.

Pray for Rain

The Kenyan government has declared the country in a state of famine - there is a drought and therefore staple crops are not able to grow.

We have told our friends there, our brothers and sisters in Christ, that we will join them in praying that the Lord will send rain. Will you please join us in praying that the Lord would send rain...

James 5
13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.


Farmland in Kenya that is ready and waiting for the rain

Excerpt from an email from a Kenyan pastor:
We are praying for rains to start before we plant corn and beans though we have already bought seeds. Pray with us because we don't see any sign of rains, farmers are now wondering what next. With the famine we are experiencing in Kenya, unless God does a miracle many will suffer.

Stories from Ethiopia and Kenya

To be honest, I'm feeling a bit at a loss for words, or maybe more a loss for writing. As I think about what to share with my friends, there are thoughts formulating in my mind but they don't feel like they are going to transfer to the blog very well.

As I transition back into the swing of daily life I keep coming back to these words of Jesus from Luke 12:48 "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

Not in a burdensome way but in a joyful "Oh Lord, you created me how you did and allowed me to be born where I was born, allowed me to have education and food and health....please, please, please, let me reflect you with all that I am and all that I have..."



I wish I could introduce you to my friends who I learned so much from in such a short amount of time. But since I can't introduce you to them, I'd like to tell you their stories...

Meet Fred and Alice. They have 3 children, help lead a network of churches in the Nairobi area, help run a school for 300 children and a home for 30. There are children who have a roof, food, education, and hear the love of Christ, because Fred and Alice know that the joy of the Lord is their strength....Proverbs 19:17 "He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done"

Derek, Cindy (with Fred and Alice's youngest daughter River), me, Alice and Fred


One of the classes at Candlelight School that Fred and Alice help run

Meet Rosemary. She is 8 months pregnant, works 40 hours a week and spends her Saturdays and Sunday afternoons walking with her husband to tell people about the love of Christ. When she gets tired, she prays that the Lord will give her strength. Oh Lord, give me that kind of fervor...

Rosemary, me, her daughter and husband

People want to be known. I was amazed when one of the boys I had seen last October walked up to me and said "Hi Kate". He remembered my name. His name is Martin. Martin reminded me that I want to spend my life knowing people and showing them the love of Christ.


Me and Martin

There is a group of beautiful, young girls at Fountain of Life who spend their days ministering with the church on a volunteer basis and then they go to class in the evenings - for hours, every evening. Those women remind me that life is not about being comfortable, being organized or being scheduled...it's about living abundantly and trusting that God will provide.


The Fountain of Life team with our group

I come back reminded that this is the truth I want to live by. Luke chapter 12...

²²Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. ²³Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! ²⁵Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ²⁶Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

²⁷"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! ²⁹And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

³²"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

And at the end of that chapter...From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Will you join me in spending yourself on behalf of the hungry out of the riches God has given you? Let's remind each other that we want to provide purses for ourselves that will not wear out...we want to store up treasure in heaven, not here on earth.

Here are a few more pictures, and there's an album on my facebook page.


Me and Brian, he also lives at the Fountain of Life home



One of the church plants from a church we visited in Woliso Ethiopia


A real live dust storm...amazing


Matthew 4:19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."


The Mathare slums


This flower was right outside the door where we stayed in Kenya


Fountain of Hope ministry team


(Left) Victoria and her siblings. Victoria is a smart little girl. Pray that her grandmother will have the money for Victoria to see an eye doctor and to send her and her siblings to school


Revelation 21 ^"3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

⁵He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

⁶He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. ⁷He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

PS - More pictures HERE

Battle...

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. - Ephesians 6

There are good things happening, all over the world, but specifically at World Orphans. I would ask you to pray for the staff and their families, for God's protection. For more details and more ways to pray click HERE.

And pray for the team I'll be traveling with to Ethiopia and Kenya from March 10-March 21. Pray that it would be a mutually encouraging time as we visit with our brothers and sisters who are caring for orphans. Pray also that our eyes would be opened, that we would have a better picture of the Kingdom of God and the church of Jesus Christ. Pray that we'll be honoring to Christ in how we handle ourselves.

We have the opportunity to participate in three HisKids Sports outreach events, pray that we'll learn from those and that it will be good for the team and for the communities we'll be spending time with.

Many, many thanks...look for pictures and thoughts from the trip when I get back!

A secret...

John Chapter 2 verses 1-11:
"On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."

"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him."

I taught about this story for two and three year-old children this past Sunday and I am captivated by it. This is the first miracle Jesus does, it says He revealed His glory and his disciples put their faith in him. But...other than the disciples and the servants, no one knew what he had done!! The master thought the bridegroom had saved the best wine for last and the bridegroom probably had no idea where it came from!

But...the servants were the ones who got to participate. They were the ones who filled the jars with water and then brought the wine to the master of the banquet. What does that say about on whom and where Jesus places value!!

Okay, so I don't have servants. But, I desperately desire to reflect the heart of Jesus...and I just love how he secretly shared his miracle with the servants...

A challenge

Blood: Water Mission is putting out a challenge - if you'd like to participate, here are the details:

"Make water your ONLY beverage for 40 DAYS starting MARCH 1 and ending APRIL 9. Gather your friends and join in solidarity with our African brothers and sisters in an effort to provide clean water for communities in need. As you do so, we ask that you keep track of what money you would have typically spent on other drinks throughout the day and save that money. At the end of 40 days donate what you saved to Blood:Water. Imagine, if you saved $5 a day just by cutting out a visit to your local bar or barista, then you’d save $200 in 40 days. That’s enough to provide clean water for 200 people for an entire year!"

Compelled...

If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. - 2 Corinthians 5:13-21

I just read this, "70% of girls in Vietnam are sold into the sex industry" and my stomach is turning. 70% - that is staggering. And I am once again beyond grateful to be part of a team that says this:

"We are determined to get involved. Education and skills training are essential to prevention. Our goal is to help children become valuable to their families, able to earn money…. rather than be sold for it. Through our in-country ministry partner, we are beginning the process of identifying churches where vocational training programs can be started. We pray that sewing classes, beauty salon training, leatherworking and more, located on church property and run by the local church, will begin quickly.

Please look at the faces below. These are some of the children who need your help. They need the church, both here and there. Please join World Orphans in equipping churches to impact and change their communities, their culture, and the future for these children."

Tension...

I love how pretty flowers look in my yard, but I also like how they look in a vase on my window sill. Do I leave them in the yard where they might last longer and announce "spring" to all who see them? Or, do I cut them and put them in the house where I'll think of the glory of God's creation each time I walk in the room? I have that minor debate in my mind often during the spring and summer months. Thankfully this weekend I went for bringing them inside. The warm-sunny weather that brought the flowers out of the ground on Saturday didn't stay. If I had not brought them inside, they would not have lasted very long....



The snow certainly looks pretty, but I don't think my delicate daffodils would have survived...



I find myself often having many, more significant, debates in my mind and my heart. What does it look like to live as an American following Christ? What does it look like to honor and serve my brothers and sisters in other countries and around the corner who's realities are so different from mine?

Things I have a little clarity about:
- I like look nice and presentable - I will do most of my shopping at thrift stores and buy jewelry that supports justice (like this or this, for example).
- Extravagance has a place. I hate the thought of being showy or giving gifts for no reason. But to intentionally honor someone, I think gift-giving and celebration is very pleasing to the Father.
- My home. While this certainly has places of tension - I am so, so grateful for a warm, safe place to sleep and I like the idea of having a comfortable and place to invite people to.

Things I struggle with:
- Water. I always have water - to brush my teeth, do the dishes, even flush the toilet. It feels selfish, wasteful...something - that it is always there and always clean, even to flush the toilet - when so many people don't even have one cup of clean water to drink.
- My home. While I am thankful for the opportunities we have to share our home, there are plenty of nights when our guest room is empty. And I know there are people who don't have a place to sleep - so why are they not in the empty bed in my house?
- Time. I am thankful for a healthy body with which to work hard. I know we are commanded in scripture to rest. I enjoy resting. But do I have the right balance? What does it look like to take the rest God commands and then to spend myself all the other moments?
- Food. I love to serve people. I love the idea of making a nice meal or a special dessert for a person or a family - I think there is much potential for real, healing relationship to be developed over sharing a meal. But...then there's the fact that I know there are hungry people not far from me and there is extra on my shelves...

There are certainly other tensions floating in my heart and my mind, but these are what come to the forefront as I prepare for the trip to Ethiopia and Kenya I'll take with a World Orphans team in a few weeks. I am humbled by the opportunity to visit and spend time with our Ethiopian and Kenyan brothers and sisters who are serving Christ by caring for orphans and I pray that my heart will be soft and obedient as I wrestle with the ever present tensions...

Welcome to my World Orphans blog...

Hello, welcome to my World Orphans blog! I am Kate Borders and I am the....um, I'm not sure what my title is!

I came to World Orphans through HisKids Sports. HisKids Sports is a ministry dedicated to equipping people to use sports and games as a means to share the Gospel of Christ! Over the course of a a few years, HisKids Sports formed a relationship with World Orphans and we all came to the conclusion that we could better serve Chirst and His church and the orphans that we long to care for, working together. So...now we are HisKids Sports, a ministry of World Oraphans.

My blog is called "...and if you spend yoursleves..." That is a portion of Isaiah 58 (below). I am absolutely taken by the fact that Christ has made a way for us to know Him and adopts us into His family...and I long to spend myself so that others can know that.

I am humbled by my brothers and sisters that I see spending themselves to care for widows and orphans. And I am humbled that I get to be a part of World Orphans, an organization full of people spending themselves. I am so thankful to be working for people who weep over the children around the world who are hurting and not cared for.

Isaiah 58

¹ "Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.

² For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.

³ 'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

⁴ Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.

⁵ Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

⁶ "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness ^a]">[a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

⁹ Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

¹¹ The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

¹² Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

¹³ "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

¹⁴ then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.