there is something that is happening, so beyond what i deserve to be a part of, that i have to constantly remind myself that i am.
a very sweet, dear man named dr. charlick heads a medical mission agency whose focus is to reach the unreached, and he so beautifully states, "everyone deserves to hear at least once"...i heard him say this, and was moved, when in that southeast asian country last year, but now, now it moves my heart to break, tears to flow relentlessly down my cheeks.
my dear friend and lovely roommate is forming her own non-profit to support the children's ministry that one of the local/native pastors has formed...see, there is a financial embargo against this s.e. asian country right now for numerous human rights reasons/violations/etc, so while there is a local church here in the states that wants to support his (children's) ministry monthly, there is no way to get it to him. seeing the problem, and having the resources, my sweet friend who was also there with me last january is forming a non-profit as a way for money to be raised to support his children's ministry.
there are many layers to this story, hopefully i'll type most of them tonight....
for lack of a better description, evangelism is "illegal" (t)here...but, in this case, since the ministry is for children, and the government doesn't really care about them (children), they go relatively unharrassed (there children are considered to be without worth..less than the stray animals that roam the streets). this is good for us, the government's lack of care about the children, because it leaves the door pretty open for us to work with this children's "club", which tells them all about the love of Jesus, and is seeing many of the children, and their families come to have a personal relationship with Him.
the children are the future of any country, and beginning here, where hundreds of children are coming each week to learn of Jesus, the spiritual climate of this s.e. asian country can be completely changed in the next 30 years!
this local pastor, let's call him stephen (he was a great Jesus-loving man in the bible), has taught the children how to share the gospel with their peers...they do so through a set of index style picture/word cards (kind of like those "bead bracelets" we used to wear as children)...anyhow, the number of children that attend increases each week, because they are all evangelizing each other.
here's another problem, since evangelism is "illegal" there, so are bibles...now, there are bibles there, they've been snuck in, etc, but, there are definitely no children's bibles. when my dear friend asked me to be on the board of her non-profit as "child outreach specialist and consultant" i eagerly agreed....actually, i think i probably "eeeeked!"...but she now knows what my "eeeks" mean. ;)
i immediately went back to dr. charlick's words "everyone deserves to hear, at least once"...and i thought about these children; i thought about the stacks and stacks of children's bibles in people's garages, thrift stores, used book stores, etc. and the ease of resource we have to give our children children's bibles here...and how there are NO children's bibles in this country's language. i then thought, well, let's fix that. it just so happens the church i started attended newly this year has a service offered in the evening on sunday's for our city's population of people from that area. we were invited to go up front and speak to them, so, we of course, jumped up to it like giddy little girls, and told of the wonderful things the Lord is doing there, and our plans. i asked for volunteers to help translate a children's bible, and after the service was approached by 3 very excited enthusiastic young ladies to do so.
this is where we are, the paper work is filed, she's awaiting some sort of identification number for it then she can proceed...we're hoping to have it established by summer, i'm hoping to have a children's bible translated (story style) by august and at least generically bound book style in time to take about 100 for the next team that goes there in january of 2013.
these people are so beautiful, they are so eager to hear. i know it is so hard for some to fathom that there can be people who have not at least heart of Jesus, the story of creation, etc. but, last year, i met many, and they were all so eager to call Him their Savior. the harvest is ripe!
i think over my life, the last few years, and drop my head. i shake it, and i often fall to my knees in humble praise. He can use anyone, and that He would use me, i still cannot wrap my head around. to quote st. francis: "i have been all things unholy, if God can use me, He can use anyone". people that know me may ask "what's been that bad", and i sadly can state that they can't even begin to imagine. if there's ever been a reason for God to throw up His hands and say, "I can't/won't use you again"...i have provided it, i've been it, i've
this isn't the same type of country where i've been that mothers come to me crying, shoving their babies in my arms, begging me to take them with me so they won't starve, but the desperation and eminent need is a whole different measure. full belly, empty belly, this concern is what's filling the heart. i fall to my knees and plea with Him, please, Lord! give them time, give them time to hear! let their hearts be filled! if i cannot make it soon enough, You are mighty and able to appear to them in dreams, You are so much bigger than I can wrap my mind around, provide a way! do not let their hearts perish! i cry this over, and over, and over, and over, and over.
more to come, less rambly i hope. :)
EVERYONE DESERVES TO HEAR, AT LEAST ONCE. <3
a very sweet, dear man named dr. charlick heads a medical mission agency whose focus is to reach the unreached, and he so beautifully states, "everyone deserves to hear at least once"...i heard him say this, and was moved, when in that southeast asian country last year, but now, now it moves my heart to break, tears to flow relentlessly down my cheeks.
my dear friend and lovely roommate is forming her own non-profit to support the children's ministry that one of the local/native pastors has formed...see, there is a financial embargo against this s.e. asian country right now for numerous human rights reasons/violations/etc, so while there is a local church here in the states that wants to support his (children's) ministry monthly, there is no way to get it to him. seeing the problem, and having the resources, my sweet friend who was also there with me last january is forming a non-profit as a way for money to be raised to support his children's ministry.
there are many layers to this story, hopefully i'll type most of them tonight....
for lack of a better description, evangelism is "illegal" (t)here...but, in this case, since the ministry is for children, and the government doesn't really care about them (children), they go relatively unharrassed (there children are considered to be without worth..less than the stray animals that roam the streets). this is good for us, the government's lack of care about the children, because it leaves the door pretty open for us to work with this children's "club", which tells them all about the love of Jesus, and is seeing many of the children, and their families come to have a personal relationship with Him.
the children are the future of any country, and beginning here, where hundreds of children are coming each week to learn of Jesus, the spiritual climate of this s.e. asian country can be completely changed in the next 30 years!
this local pastor, let's call him stephen (he was a great Jesus-loving man in the bible), has taught the children how to share the gospel with their peers...they do so through a set of index style picture/word cards (kind of like those "bead bracelets" we used to wear as children)...anyhow, the number of children that attend increases each week, because they are all evangelizing each other.
here's another problem, since evangelism is "illegal" there, so are bibles...now, there are bibles there, they've been snuck in, etc, but, there are definitely no children's bibles. when my dear friend asked me to be on the board of her non-profit as "child outreach specialist and consultant" i eagerly agreed....actually, i think i probably "eeeeked!"...but she now knows what my "eeeks" mean. ;)
i immediately went back to dr. charlick's words "everyone deserves to hear, at least once"...and i thought about these children; i thought about the stacks and stacks of children's bibles in people's garages, thrift stores, used book stores, etc. and the ease of resource we have to give our children children's bibles here...and how there are NO children's bibles in this country's language. i then thought, well, let's fix that. it just so happens the church i started attended newly this year has a service offered in the evening on sunday's for our city's population of people from that area. we were invited to go up front and speak to them, so, we of course, jumped up to it like giddy little girls, and told of the wonderful things the Lord is doing there, and our plans. i asked for volunteers to help translate a children's bible, and after the service was approached by 3 very excited enthusiastic young ladies to do so.
this is where we are, the paper work is filed, she's awaiting some sort of identification number for it then she can proceed...we're hoping to have it established by summer, i'm hoping to have a children's bible translated (story style) by august and at least generically bound book style in time to take about 100 for the next team that goes there in january of 2013.
these people are so beautiful, they are so eager to hear. i know it is so hard for some to fathom that there can be people who have not at least heart of Jesus, the story of creation, etc. but, last year, i met many, and they were all so eager to call Him their Savior. the harvest is ripe!
i think over my life, the last few years, and drop my head. i shake it, and i often fall to my knees in humble praise. He can use anyone, and that He would use me, i still cannot wrap my head around. to quote st. francis: "i have been all things unholy, if God can use me, He can use anyone". people that know me may ask "what's been that bad", and i sadly can state that they can't even begin to imagine. if there's ever been a reason for God to throw up His hands and say, "I can't/won't use you again"...i have provided it, i've been it, i've
this isn't the same type of country where i've been that mothers come to me crying, shoving their babies in my arms, begging me to take them with me so they won't starve, but the desperation and eminent need is a whole different measure. full belly, empty belly, this concern is what's filling the heart. i fall to my knees and plea with Him, please, Lord! give them time, give them time to hear! let their hearts be filled! if i cannot make it soon enough, You are mighty and able to appear to them in dreams, You are so much bigger than I can wrap my mind around, provide a way! do not let their hearts perish! i cry this over, and over, and over, and over, and over.
more to come, less rambly i hope. :)
EVERYONE DESERVES TO HEAR, AT LEAST ONCE. <3
