The Domino Effect

Earlier this week I posted about organizations and ministries serving the "least of these" around the world. I was hoping that my readers would share comments about organizations they know of so that I could broaden my third-world ministry knowledge, but you guys are a little shy on the commenting side! (HINT, HINT: COMMENT MORE PLEASE) 

But I received the COOLEST Facebook message from my sister-in-law about how the Lord moved her heart after reading about Christians heeding the Biblical call to minister to orphans and widows. I was so moved by her honesty about knowing that the Lord was specifically directing her and then realizing that to remain inactive would be blatant disobedience. Even cooler, I love how she is overwhelmed by the blessing of knowing that in her obedience, God is glorified and a little boy will see Jesus. She says it better than me though, so read her story below. I hope you will be inspired to sponsor a child, too! 

Visit World Vision or Compassion International to sponsor a child. You can even choose the location, gender, and age of your child! 

"Hey Erika, 

I have a really neat story about how the Lord used your most recent blog post in my life. 

Growing up we sponsored a child through Compassion International. I LOVED writing and receiving letters with the child we sponsored. Your post got my "wheels turning." I looked on Compassion's website and instantly felt pulled towards the Dominican people since I have participated in a missions trip in this country and also since we spent our honeymoon there. I browsed through some children and soon fell in love with one sweet little 8-year old boy with a visual impairment. I promised myself I would pray about if and who to sponsor and that I would discuss what the Lord had laid on my heart with Jason. I talked with him on Monday night and he was open to the idea. Yesterday, I spent some time once again looking through the possible kids we could sponsor. A part of me wanted to get a very young child so that we could see him/her grow from a toddler to a teenager. However, I was pulled once again to Jarlin (the child I mentioned earlier.) Last night I was reading my devotions and the Lord lead me to Luke 12:33-34, "Sell 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. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Next to this verse I wrote, "6/7 Decision to sponsor a child through Compassion." I shared with Jason later that night that I had found the child I thought we were called to sponsor. 

Today I pulled up Compassion's website and started a search for Jarlin. I had conceded to wait until the 25th (payday) before I started my sponsorship. I was worried, though, that little Jarlin might be snatched up before I could request him. When I pulled up his profile I read "Jarlin Yadiel Ferreira, age 9." I was a little confused because just yesterday he was 8! Then I went on to read, "Birthday - June 8, 2002". Today was his 9th birthday!! Tell me that is not the Lord speaking LOUD AND CLEAR! I immediately knew that I could make this child's birthday his best ever by choosing to sponsor him and providing him with a hope and a future. The Lord used your blog on Monday, reaffirmed my thoughts through scripture on Tuesday then re-reaffirmed my decision by choosing TODAY as his birthday. If I had not chosen Jarlin today, I would have been in deliberate disobedience to the Lord. Thank you for writing what the Lord prompted you to write on Monday morning. I'm sure this sweet child will change our life. I don't know how it is possible to love someone thousands of miles away, but I already do!" 

What an awesome story. Thanks to Whitney for letting me share. Here's hoping for a domino effect among my readers! On average, I have about 110 readers per posting (that I know of), so just think if we could sponsor that many children! I pray that you'll consider sponsorship, and, like Whitney and Jason, joyfully and excitedly choose to change a child's life in the name of Jesus. 

PS - I don't know why the font decided to change, but I can't do anything to make it normal! Sorry for the need to squint!

Be inspired

Ever want to learn more about what's going on around the world? Well, let me introduce you to my favorite blogs. Some make me laugh, others make me cry, and some give me chills after every read as I see how people are globally movin' and shakin' in the name of Jesus. So, feel free to tune into the following blogs and be inspired.

• Sixty Feet - This is my dream ministry. A woman wandering through Uganda saw an old sign for a "Children's home" only to find the "home" full of malnourished children chained to windows, sitting in their excrements, etc. There weren't enough adults to supervise these kids, so the government had to imprison them rather than let them roam. From the sixty feet website "The power of that moment could not be denied. The statistics and figures that Nathalie knew all too well now had a name and a face. The suffering was real and her first hand experience would change the course of her life and the lives of these children. A glorious story of redemption for these little ones began that day when Nathalie followed an inkling and wandered into “M”. These are normal folks bringing Jesus to the poor and suffering kids in Uganda. Awesome. 
• Kisses from Katie - This blog chronicles the work of Jesus through a young girl named Katie, an early 20-something who answered the call of the orphan crisis, adopted 14 orphaned girls in Uganda, and runs a school for them. She also ministers to the community. Whenever I think my life is complicated or difficult, I just read one of her blog postings and feel foolish for ever worrying about the simplicity of my life. This young lady will blow you away. 
• All Things Hendricks - This family packed up, moved to Haiti, and started serving mothers and orphans there. There is some TOUGH stuff on this site, especially because the orphan crisis in Haiti, like elsewhere, is so overwhelming that sometimes orphanages must turn away kids and then wonder what happened to them. I can't imagine that pain. BUT it's great to see that in spite of this suffering, God is working in the Haitian's lives. Read away. 
• Heartline Haiti - A blog about the ministry to pregnant women and to mothers seeking resources, training on how to nourish their children, and microfinance opportunities to provide for their families. 
• Mercy House - An organization in Kenya that ministers to women, girls, and children who are vulnerable to human trafficking, health risks with pregnancy, and just overall need to hear and see the gospel. 
• World Vision - A christian humanitarian organization that blogs about their work around the globe, from Asia to South America and everything in between. 
• Compassion International -  A Christian humanitarian organization that blogs about their work for the gospel worldwide, revealing tough realities on poverty, how it affects kids, and how we can help eradicate it. 

So, these are my favorites. I'd LOVE to hear in the comments what you read to be inspired and to learn how we can support the efforts of those carrying the gospel to the ends of the earth. 

When we isolate ourselves from the intense suffering of the world, we sink into the insulation of consumerism, materialism, family, work, and even church. But God wants the church to be more than just four walls that minister to each other within. He wants us to bust out of there and proclaim his restoring peace, grace and mercy. Sometimes we can go and literally do this to the nations, but other times we need to remain steadfast in prayerfully and financially supporting those who are out there at the front lines. So even though it's tough to read about babies dying of malnutrition, mothers whose children are starving, the squalor of poverty, and the pain of so many, we MUST read on, we MUST remember them, and we MUST lift them up to Jesus. Please share the sites you love to read to raise awareness of the world's pain and suffering and how Jesus is sending his emissaries to be his hands and feet. 

What would you say?

If you could say anything to Christians, what would it be? I think this is a healthy exercise for both Christians and non-Christians to engage in, because as Christians we either:

• Become so immersed in our view that scripture is true and Jesus is real that we have a difficult time speaking to people who don't believe either. 
• Judge non-Christians for not believing in God and alienate ourselves from sharing Christ in love. 
• Become so inward looking to our families, church, job, etc that we don't listen to the burdens God has placed on fellow believers' hearts, burdens that we can share and pro-actively tackle. 

So, THIS time I really do want you all to leave comments on what you would say to Christians, as long as you're nice about it. Really, don't be shy. Think how God can use what you say to open the eyes and hearts of fellow believers. Just remember that sticks and stones break bones, but words break spirits. Caveat: the reason I can write this list below is because I've realized my own need to answer God's call in all these areas! It doesn't mean that I've got it all covered. Let's be honest: I'm a total mess. 

So, here's my list of what I want to say to Christians. 

1. I wish we could be more open about our struggles and try less to look like we're perfect. When someone asks how we're doing, I wish we would say "We're really struggling, but we know God is good." I wish we would actively live as if we believe that we're sinful and messy and that's why we need Jesus.
2. I wish we would tithe, and not just whenever we have left-over money at the end of the month, but that we would really tithe, 10%, upfront, after every pay-check, birthday money, Christmas money, etc. Statistics show that only about 20% of Christians tithe, which means that the Church is limited in carrying out biblical mandates because we Christians aren't trusting in God's faithfulness to provide for us, even when money is tight. What little we do tithe, God uses in mighty ways. Think how the Kingdom would grow if we loosened our purse strings and opened our hearts!
3. I wish we would sponsor children living in third world countries. Child sponsorship costs about the same as eating out once a month, yet it provides education, healthcare, food, and a tangible example of Christ's love to children living in insufferable conditions worldwide. I wish Christians, whose hearts have been hardened by a world of consumerism and materialism, would soften to the burden of poverty and the biblical call to alleviate this suffering in the name of Jesus. If every Christian sponsored a child, God could use our sacrifice to end much of the world's suffering. Wow. 
4. I wish we would embrace the biblical call to adoption. We as Christians have been adopted by God and are heirs to his kingdom. How can we then not live that out on earth, adopting the orphaned and welcoming them into our families? This doesn't mean every Christian must adopt a child, but I do think that all Christians should support adoption through financial giving, prayers, or supporting families who have adopted. 
5. I wish Christians would stop majoring in the minors. Churches spend so much time raging against very specific sins (like homosexuality). These are sins, no doubt, and they have very real consequences. But the heart of the matter is that people need Jesus. The same people who struggle with homosexuality are sinful like the people who look at pornography, lust, commit adultery, fail to tithe, who gossip, who are mean to their husbands, who verbally abuse their families, who deal unethically in business, who are gluttonous, etc. While the church is called, and therefore must, broach these sins, I wish the Church wouldn't become ensnared in the web of legalism at the cost of losing the beauty of Christ's gracious work on the cross. That's the major issue. That's why we're called to love EVERYONE, our neighbor as ourself. Would you listen to someone who judges you and tells you you're sinful if that person first didn't love you and show you the love of the savior they claim to represent? There's a difference between loving others and being tolerant of others' sin. Let's not conflate the two but let's not abandon one for fear of doing both.
6. I wish Christians weren't ignorant. Jesus was the greatest thinker of all time. Was he afraid to express his knowledge of heretical philosophies, pagan cultural practices, or sinful lifestyles? No, because to engage the unbelieving world, we need to look at their world view. This doesn't mean we must have all the answers, because that's impossible and that negates the need for faith. Jesus uses the foolishishness of this world to shame the wise, so we shouldn't get caught up in wisdom. But we shouldn't avoid anything that contradicts Christianity either. Questioning allows learning, which reveals God's character.  In other words, you can still be a Christian and listen to NPR. 
7. I wish Christians weren't racist. Even when we don't realize it, if you look around, the church is split. How many churches reflect the diversity of God's creation? Not many. Of course, this is the product of the Church's former sins stemming from slavery and the civil rights movement wherein white churches barred blacks, so blacks often started their own churches. The WASP trend needs to end. This means getting out of our comfort zones and engaging diverse communities that we don't understand and maybe are even fearful of. But here in Athens, Downtown Ministries is off to a great start in healing the wounds of racism and bridging the gap between diverse communities. God is way bigger than racism. 
8. I wish Christians didn't think that being patriotic meant being pro-war. Jesus was a peace-maker.  War, especially in the middle east, increases oppression for those already in the most vulnerable state, namely women and children. War also deflects resources from providing monetary aid for sustainable change through education, healthcare, infrastructure, etc. Not to mention that war adds to our domestic budget crisis and siphons funds from social care here at home. There's a difference between supporting our troops and supporting our nation's belligerence.  
9. I wish that Christians didn't link politics with religion so heavily. I do understand that a biblical worldview should impact our political stances, but I don't think that all Christians must be Republicans or that voting democrat means you're a heathen. I'm not sure how faith and politics should coalesce (I'm still working through it), but let's be honest: both sides of the political aisle are corrupt, dishonest, and support issues that are un-Biblical. 
10. I wish Christians didn't hate (or seem to hate) immigrants. The Bible tells us to defend the fatherless and the foreigner, and while they came illegally and are a financial burden in some ways, we are still to love them and seek just reform for them. But this might be conflating politics with religion... see it's tricky! 

That's all that I've got for now.  Of course, these ideas don't relate to all Christians. And I'm CERTAIN that not all of my readers will agree with me.

BUT, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, share how you envision meaningful change the church and christians can implement to better share the gospel and be more like Jesus. Share those burdens God has placed on your heart! He's placed them there for a reason, and you never know how he can use what you share to enlighten another person about the gospel.