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.