Friday, October 31, 2008
One person's reason for entering into suffering
"Heightened sensitivity plays an important role for Christ followers. Like pain that draws our hand out of a fire or propels us to seek life-saving medical care, a global-sized conscience is a great gift. Being bothered is the alarm the soul sends out to keep a potential world-engager tender. It calls us to learn to be other-absorbed instead of self-absorbed, self-sacrificing instead of hedonistic. There is something of the Holy Spirit's presence that is bothering, troubling, and painfully sensitizing. He is the soul's best friend- the truthful one who gives it to us straight. Without attention to that disturbing pull, I fear what I might become. Not only for others but for my own sake, I am learning to seek increased sensitivity; to file down the distancing, deadening callous that buffers me from others whom God loves; to welcome the pain that comes while listening to the voice of discomfort. " - Kathryn Bell
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Why enter into suffering?
Kathyrn Bell writes, "When your heart is troubled by an injustice in the world, engage the pain, linger there, lean into it, and allow suffering to enter your soul. Don't quickly dismiss it and move on. Follow that trail: read more about it, go on the internet, cut out articles, do some research, expose yourself to the truth, live in angst, allow yourself to become disturbed. God may be speaking to you. Don't short-cut the process."
It struck me yesterday that through all of this promoting of the AIDS Village, we're actually inviting people into an experience of heartbreak and suffering. What will compel 3,200 people to enter into the painful story that the World Vision AIDS Village will tell? I was tempted to begin answering that question in another paragraph, but I think it's best answered by you instead...what compels you to come through the World Vision AIDS Village?
It struck me yesterday that through all of this promoting of the AIDS Village, we're actually inviting people into an experience of heartbreak and suffering. What will compel 3,200 people to enter into the painful story that the World Vision AIDS Village will tell? I was tempted to begin answering that question in another paragraph, but I think it's best answered by you instead...what compels you to come through the World Vision AIDS Village?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
HIV and AIDS
It's important to know what the abbreviations HIV and AIDS represent:
Human (people like us)
Immuno (ability to shake off infectious disease) deficiency (lack of)
Virus (parasites that reproduce within a body)
and
Acquired (a condition a person is not born with)
Immune (ability to shake off infectious disease)
Deficiency (lack of)
Syndrome (collective symptoms that characterize a disease)
The HIV virus attacks the immune system leaving the body vulnerable to chronic infections and opportunistic diseases. People become sick when the HIV virus compromises their immune system, but they die from other diseases that attack the body when its immune system is weak.
Human (people like us)
Immuno (ability to shake off infectious disease) deficiency (lack of)
Virus (parasites that reproduce within a body)
and
Acquired (a condition a person is not born with)
Immune (ability to shake off infectious disease)
Deficiency (lack of)
Syndrome (collective symptoms that characterize a disease)
The HIV virus attacks the immune system leaving the body vulnerable to chronic infections and opportunistic diseases. People become sick when the HIV virus compromises their immune system, but they die from other diseases that attack the body when its immune system is weak.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Keep on praying!
Yesterday's prayer request asked us to pray for Dan Keegan. Dan went to UNI and was a part of the college ministry at Orchard Hill Church. He is currently serving for a year in Durham, North Carolina, with a ministry called Urban Hope. Check it out at www.urbanhope.us It's great to read about God's work there. Dan was also at the conference last week in Miami, so we got to hang out with him some, and that was a joy!
Pray for Dan, for Urban Hope, for the work that's being done to help young people in the urban community find their identities in Christ and then offer their gifts to the world through Jesus.
If you'd like to encourage Dan, his email is dgkeegan@gmail.com
Pray for Dan, for Urban Hope, for the work that's being done to help young people in the urban community find their identities in Christ and then offer their gifts to the world through Jesus.
If you'd like to encourage Dan, his email is dgkeegan@gmail.com
Sunday, October 26, 2008
The Changing Face of Christianity
Well, we're heading home from Miami this morning, and as always, it's difficult to put into concise words all that God has shown and done in our lives while we've been here. Fifteen of us sat in a room talking and praying last night and are beginning to work out the communication that will help us to share the content and the heart of this time together.
Last night, we listened to a man named Soong Chan Rah. He talked about the shift that has been and will continue happening in the Evangelical world. In 1950, the typical Christian would have been described as a white American male, age 50. Not anymore. The Christian center of the world has shifted to Africa, Asia, and South America. In 1900, 83% of Christians were from North America or Europe and were predominately white. In 2005, 61% of Christians were non-white from these three growing centers. It's predicted that by 2050, 80% of Christians will be non-white. Rah went on to describe the 21st century Church as a new global, multi-ethnic Christianity.
Speaking of multi-ethnic Christianity, that is one of my favorite things about being together at CCDA conferences. The conference attendance was near 2,300 people...white, black, Latino, Asian. We sang in English, Spanish, and Swahili this week. You looked around the room in worship, and it was such a glimpse of Heaven. This coming together is SO necessary for our souls and our world. Jesus said, "I have come to preach the good news to the poor...to set captives free." He didn't just mean economic poor and prisoners in literal jails. His good news is reconciliation to God and one another, and we all will remain poor, incomplete, and enslaved until we begin to move toward one another, break down the walls that divide us, and experience the blessings of being reconciled to one another in Christ's love across cultural, racial, and economic lines.
Peace,
Laura
Last night, we listened to a man named Soong Chan Rah. He talked about the shift that has been and will continue happening in the Evangelical world. In 1950, the typical Christian would have been described as a white American male, age 50. Not anymore. The Christian center of the world has shifted to Africa, Asia, and South America. In 1900, 83% of Christians were from North America or Europe and were predominately white. In 2005, 61% of Christians were non-white from these three growing centers. It's predicted that by 2050, 80% of Christians will be non-white. Rah went on to describe the 21st century Church as a new global, multi-ethnic Christianity.
Speaking of multi-ethnic Christianity, that is one of my favorite things about being together at CCDA conferences. The conference attendance was near 2,300 people...white, black, Latino, Asian. We sang in English, Spanish, and Swahili this week. You looked around the room in worship, and it was such a glimpse of Heaven. This coming together is SO necessary for our souls and our world. Jesus said, "I have come to preach the good news to the poor...to set captives free." He didn't just mean economic poor and prisoners in literal jails. His good news is reconciliation to God and one another, and we all will remain poor, incomplete, and enslaved until we begin to move toward one another, break down the walls that divide us, and experience the blessings of being reconciled to one another in Christ's love across cultural, racial, and economic lines.
Peace,
Laura
Friday, October 24, 2008
Eyes Open
Kay Warren writes a prayer at the end of each of her chapters in the book Dangerous Surrender. One of her chapters speaks on the topic of evil and realities of injustice in our world. In order to begin to act and to be Kingdom bringers, we must be aware of the evil and the unjust scales all around us. Here's one of Kay's prayers that we can begin to pray as well:
Father, I confess to you that I have become very adept at "changing the channel." Instead of pushing back the darkness, I push it away from me so that I don't have to acknowledge or feel the pain of living in a broken world. I've been living in a bubble of unreality. Will you move me to become angry about evil? I ask you to open my eyes to see evil, my ears to hear the cries of those being crushed by evil, and then my mouth to start speaking out on behalf of those who have no voice. I'm choosing today to begin to overcome evil with good. Please show me where to start. Amen.
I'd also add a prayer for God to not only open my eyes, ears. and mouth, but to move my heart in love and move my feet toward people in need.
Father, I confess to you that I have become very adept at "changing the channel." Instead of pushing back the darkness, I push it away from me so that I don't have to acknowledge or feel the pain of living in a broken world. I've been living in a bubble of unreality. Will you move me to become angry about evil? I ask you to open my eyes to see evil, my ears to hear the cries of those being crushed by evil, and then my mouth to start speaking out on behalf of those who have no voice. I'm choosing today to begin to overcome evil with good. Please show me where to start. Amen.
I'd also add a prayer for God to not only open my eyes, ears. and mouth, but to move my heart in love and move my feet toward people in need.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Justice
"It is not that doing justice will help the church, it is that we are not the church until we do justice."
Someone asked me today how I would define justice. I tend to say that it is about "setting things right". Like the Justice League flying around saving and setting the world right.
Justice is at the heart of God. From the time in Genesis 3 when humankind fell, God has been in all out pursuit to set His world right....to set you and me right...restoring us to beauty, to Truth, to peace and life abundant just as He intended and designed it to be. When saved by Jesus, we are not only saved into eternal Kingdom life, but we become agents of that Kingdom life here on earth as well. We are a part of the Justice League!
What does justice mean to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Someone asked me today how I would define justice. I tend to say that it is about "setting things right". Like the Justice League flying around saving and setting the world right.
Justice is at the heart of God. From the time in Genesis 3 when humankind fell, God has been in all out pursuit to set His world right....to set you and me right...restoring us to beauty, to Truth, to peace and life abundant just as He intended and designed it to be. When saved by Jesus, we are not only saved into eternal Kingdom life, but we become agents of that Kingdom life here on earth as well. We are a part of the Justice League!
What does justice mean to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Missionaries
Missionaries. We're all called to be missionaries. On the mission of Christ in the context in which He's called us. I don't know if you've ever considered yourself a missionary, but if you are a follower of Jesus, you are called as a missionary to join Him in His redemptive work.
Karen and John Zilen have been faithfully serving Jesus overseas for many years now. Karen and John are Ida Frey's daughter and son-in-law (Ida is a charter member of Orchard Hill Church and is still an active member of our body). Karen and John travel about encouraging and strengthening missionaries on the field. They offer support and care to those in the trenches of ministry overseas. Today's prayer calendar asks that you please pray for the Zilen's....that they themselves will feel supported and cared for, refreshed and equipped to counsel, support, and encourage others in the Lord.
God, we your people, are the representation and incarnational presence of Jesus in your world. I pray for your followers in every city, every country. May the body of Christ bear witness to the character of Christ, the love of Christ, the passion of Christ so that the world may know your love and salvation and restoration.
Karen and John Zilen have been faithfully serving Jesus overseas for many years now. Karen and John are Ida Frey's daughter and son-in-law (Ida is a charter member of Orchard Hill Church and is still an active member of our body). Karen and John travel about encouraging and strengthening missionaries on the field. They offer support and care to those in the trenches of ministry overseas. Today's prayer calendar asks that you please pray for the Zilen's....that they themselves will feel supported and cared for, refreshed and equipped to counsel, support, and encourage others in the Lord.
God, we your people, are the representation and incarnational presence of Jesus in your world. I pray for your followers in every city, every country. May the body of Christ bear witness to the character of Christ, the love of Christ, the passion of Christ so that the world may know your love and salvation and restoration.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Sponsorship Wall
Here's a look at the sponsorship wall in the atrium. People have brought in pictures of the children they have been sponsoring through any organization, in any country. It's certainly a wall representing both pain in the world and hope for a better world. Thanks to all who are sponsoring children around the world. May God bring healing to the land through the prayers and resources and relationships of His people who are caring and sharing.
Shalom
Hello from Miami! I thought a good blog post for the day would be the welcome statement found in our CCDA conference manual. The theme of the conference is SHALOM.
When God created the Heavens and the Earth, He wove it all together like a million silk threads forming a dazzling garment never before seen-each thread passing over, under, and around millions of others to create a perfectly complementary, tightly-woven, interdependent, amazing whole. This wondrous webbing together of God and man and all of creation is what the Hebrew prophets called shalom.
Shalom is a word packed with hope for a broken, bruised and wounded world. It speaks of wholeness, right relationship, justice, salvation, and righteousness, all of which can be missed when we simply read the English word, 'peace'.
God's intention for every community is that His shalom would reign. Can you imagine neighborhoods with secure streets, healthy relationships, effective and affirming schools, clean air, and a thriving local economy? Can you picture neighbors sharing meals together, children laughing and playing freely, and the elderly being valued, honored and cared for as the norm in our communities? Can you fathom vibrant churches in every neighborhood being beacons of light and hompe because of their deep concern for the well being of all community residents, not just their members? Can you envision people being drawn to the love and power of God because of the clear witness of Christians fully committed to Jesus Christ?
We can! In fact, CCDA exists to see this kind of impact in the poorest communities in our nation and world. Our passion and commitment is to be a voice of challenge, equipping Christ-followers who are ready to step forward and see the shalom of God become a reality in under-resourced communities. To this end, we pray boldly and confidently, as Jesus prayed, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven." SHALOM!
When God created the Heavens and the Earth, He wove it all together like a million silk threads forming a dazzling garment never before seen-each thread passing over, under, and around millions of others to create a perfectly complementary, tightly-woven, interdependent, amazing whole. This wondrous webbing together of God and man and all of creation is what the Hebrew prophets called shalom.
Shalom is a word packed with hope for a broken, bruised and wounded world. It speaks of wholeness, right relationship, justice, salvation, and righteousness, all of which can be missed when we simply read the English word, 'peace'.
God's intention for every community is that His shalom would reign. Can you imagine neighborhoods with secure streets, healthy relationships, effective and affirming schools, clean air, and a thriving local economy? Can you picture neighbors sharing meals together, children laughing and playing freely, and the elderly being valued, honored and cared for as the norm in our communities? Can you fathom vibrant churches in every neighborhood being beacons of light and hompe because of their deep concern for the well being of all community residents, not just their members? Can you envision people being drawn to the love and power of God because of the clear witness of Christians fully committed to Jesus Christ?
We can! In fact, CCDA exists to see this kind of impact in the poorest communities in our nation and world. Our passion and commitment is to be a voice of challenge, equipping Christ-followers who are ready to step forward and see the shalom of God become a reality in under-resourced communities. To this end, we pray boldly and confidently, as Jesus prayed, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven." SHALOM!
Monday, October 20, 2008
CCDA
I'm heading off to Miami, Florida tomorrow morning for the Christian Community Development Association conference (www.ccda.org). There are 9 from Orchard Hill Church and 7 friends from Waterloo joining together on this adventure. We're excited about what God has to teach us and excited about worshiping and learning together for 5 days!
CCDA's mission is to inspire and train Christians who seek to bear witness to the Kingdom of God by reclaiming and restoring under-resourced communities.
Their vision: Wholistically restored communities with Christians fully engaged in the process of transformation.
Statement of Faith: The Lord Jesus Christ, God's son, redeems us through His death and resurrection and empowers us by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is God's Word and through it we are called to live out justice, reconciliation, and redemption. The church nurtures God's people gathering in a community to carry out God's Word.
Please pray that God would work through this conference to train up His people to be co-laborers in this mission!
CCDA's mission is to inspire and train Christians who seek to bear witness to the Kingdom of God by reclaiming and restoring under-resourced communities.
Their vision: Wholistically restored communities with Christians fully engaged in the process of transformation.
Statement of Faith: The Lord Jesus Christ, God's son, redeems us through His death and resurrection and empowers us by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is God's Word and through it we are called to live out justice, reconciliation, and redemption. The church nurtures God's people gathering in a community to carry out God's Word.
Please pray that God would work through this conference to train up His people to be co-laborers in this mission!
God's Heart for the oppressed
A few years back at Christmastime, I spent a day with Kit Danley, the president of Neighborhood Ministries (www.neighborhoodministries.org) in urban Phoenix. During our time together, she challenged me to read through the Bible and find all of the Scriptures related to justice and God's heart for the poor and oppressed. The timing was perfect, as our Orchard Hill congregation was about to begin the challenge of reading through the Bible in a year. I armed myself with a pink highlighter and began this assignment in an unmarked NIV one year Bible.
I am often engaged in many books at a time, so this assignment actually ended up taking me 1 year and 9 months to walk through the Bible this way. I am so thankful that I took this challenge, as it better opened my ears to what God had to say, opened my eyes to reality, and opened my heart to what God cares deeply about in our world. God's concern for the poor and oppressed is a theme woven throughout Scripture. And He speaks to the rich and powerful as well, challenging them to not let wealth lead them astray but to keep God and God's will central in their lives. God's heart is for justice and righteousness to prevail upon the earth. This means wholeness and goodness and joy for each person that He tenderly loves. Next time you read through the Bible, you might consider the challenge of searching God's Word on matters of compassion and justice!
I am often engaged in many books at a time, so this assignment actually ended up taking me 1 year and 9 months to walk through the Bible this way. I am so thankful that I took this challenge, as it better opened my ears to what God had to say, opened my eyes to reality, and opened my heart to what God cares deeply about in our world. God's concern for the poor and oppressed is a theme woven throughout Scripture. And He speaks to the rich and powerful as well, challenging them to not let wealth lead them astray but to keep God and God's will central in their lives. God's heart is for justice and righteousness to prevail upon the earth. This means wholeness and goodness and joy for each person that He tenderly loves. Next time you read through the Bible, you might consider the challenge of searching God's Word on matters of compassion and justice!
Friday, October 17, 2008
AIDS closer to home
Though Sub-Sahara Africa claims a large majority of the global AIDS-related deaths, AIDS affects people around the world...in Iowa...in Black Hawk County.
At then end of 2005, there were 1,656 total reported cases of AIDS in Iowa, 89 of them being in Black Hawk County.
CASS, Cedar AIDS Support System, is a branch of our local Cedar Valley Hospice. Every hospice worker I've ever come into contact with seems a most lovely, compassionate person. This continued to prove true as I met recently with a person who sat down with me to tell me more about CASS. And we're excited to have CASS come be a part of the marketplace during the World Vision AIDS Experience Nov. 7-10. Their table will be set up to help us become more aware of HIV/AIDS in our backyard....to help us understand what services are available in our area for people who have been diagnosed with HIV and AIDS....and to help us know how we might respond locally.
Sunday's prayer request asked us to pray for encouragement and strength for the families of AIDS patients, especially for Cedar Valley families personally impacted by HIV/AIDS. Let's also give thanks for the love and care shown by the caregivers and pray for Christ's love and compassion to be made known through their service.
At then end of 2005, there were 1,656 total reported cases of AIDS in Iowa, 89 of them being in Black Hawk County.
CASS, Cedar AIDS Support System, is a branch of our local Cedar Valley Hospice. Every hospice worker I've ever come into contact with seems a most lovely, compassionate person. This continued to prove true as I met recently with a person who sat down with me to tell me more about CASS. And we're excited to have CASS come be a part of the marketplace during the World Vision AIDS Experience Nov. 7-10. Their table will be set up to help us become more aware of HIV/AIDS in our backyard....to help us understand what services are available in our area for people who have been diagnosed with HIV and AIDS....and to help us know how we might respond locally.
Sunday's prayer request asked us to pray for encouragement and strength for the families of AIDS patients, especially for Cedar Valley families personally impacted by HIV/AIDS. Let's also give thanks for the love and care shown by the caregivers and pray for Christ's love and compassion to be made known through their service.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Blessed are the persecuted
Saturday's prayer request: Pray for Christians around the world who are suffering persecution because of their faith.
You can learn more at http://www.persecution.com/ which is the site of the organization called Voice of the Martyrs.
Also, I read a book a few years back called The Heavenly Man. It was written by Brother Yun, a house church leader in China who is now living in exile in Germany. It is a crazy, amazing story of faith and courage in the face of persecution, and of God's miraculous signs and wonders in China as Christ-followers are exploding on the scene in a country that prohibits anything but state-approved churches.
I take our freedom of worship and religion in the U.S. for granted. These stories of persecuted Christians around the world make me ask some tough questions. Questions like how much faith and courage do I have? How much am I risking for Jesus these days? What's my level of sacrifice and service as a follower of Christ? What does it say to me that Christianity is spreading the fastest in regions of persecution?
You can also watch the 2 1/2 minute video below:
You can learn more at http://www.persecution.com/ which is the site of the organization called Voice of the Martyrs.
Also, I read a book a few years back called The Heavenly Man. It was written by Brother Yun, a house church leader in China who is now living in exile in Germany. It is a crazy, amazing story of faith and courage in the face of persecution, and of God's miraculous signs and wonders in China as Christ-followers are exploding on the scene in a country that prohibits anything but state-approved churches.
I take our freedom of worship and religion in the U.S. for granted. These stories of persecuted Christians around the world make me ask some tough questions. Questions like how much faith and courage do I have? How much am I risking for Jesus these days? What's my level of sacrifice and service as a follower of Christ? What does it say to me that Christianity is spreading the fastest in regions of persecution?
You can also watch the 2 1/2 minute video below:
Dangerous Surrender
Kay Warren, wife of Saddleback pastor Rick Warren, recently published a book called Dangerous Surrender. I read through it twice and highly recommend it...it's a compelling book about fully surrendering our lives to God and an important book to read and reflect on the hope of Christ in the midst of suffering and evil. Kay was called by God into HIV/AIDS advocacy. You can check out more at www.kaywarren.com and read an article written by her in the June edition of Christianity Today below.
http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2008/juneweb-only/125-12.0.html
We plan to have about 30 copies of her book for sale at the World Vision AIDS Village.
http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2008/juneweb-only/125-12.0.html
We plan to have about 30 copies of her book for sale at the World Vision AIDS Village.
Taking the challenge
One of our staff members at OHC is keeping a spread sheet of challenges that our staff are engaged in during this six week period of Challenges for the Heart. From praying to a spending fast to rice and beans to sponsoring children, staff members are engaged and are seeking more of God's heart for the under-resourced. We hope that you and your families are also experiencing what God may want to reveal to you during this time. Are you participating? If so, how? What are you learning? How is it impacting you? You can comment below, and comments can be anonymous if you prefer (you just have to click on "anonymous" before publishing comment.)
World Food Day, October 16
Today is World Food Day. Below is just one of literally millions of people's stories who are facing hunger today and everyday.
http://www.worldvision.org/news.nsf/news/world-food-day-200810?Open&campaign=12653844&cmp=EMC-12653844&ppi=21877296&wvport=sg&wvsrc=enews
On this World Food Day, please join in prayer and support for children and families across the globe who face poverty, hunger, malnutrition, disease, and even starvation simply because they don't have access to proper nutrition.
http://www.worldvision.org/news.nsf/news/world-food-day-200810?Open&campaign=12653844&cmp=EMC-12653844&ppi=21877296&wvport=sg&wvsrc=enews
On this World Food Day, please join in prayer and support for children and families across the globe who face poverty, hunger, malnutrition, disease, and even starvation simply because they don't have access to proper nutrition.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Cleope family in the Philippines
We pray today for the Cleope family. Malcolm and Mary Cleope, along with their four children, followed a call to ministry in the Philippines nearly five years ago. They are serving through Pacific Missionary Aviation (www.pmapacific.org). Malcolm is a pilot and supervisor of the ministry in the Philippines. He flies medical missions to remote islands and seeks to strengthen churches that have been planted on some of these islands. Please pray for their family today, for the Filipino people to hear and receive the Gospel message, for God to change lives through their ministry. You might consider dropping a quick encouragement by email to them today! malcolm@surfshop.net.ph
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
A "trip" to Haiti and Africa for our kids!
The Cedar Valley has a couple of great opportunities to help teach our kids about African and Haitian culture this month. Details below!
Large Haitian Art Display at the Center of the Arts in Waterloo (across from Young Arena on Commercial and First St.)
Also, at the adjoining Phelps Youth Pavilion, there is a hands-on Haiti play area with a market, tap-tap bus, fishing pond, etc.
To view the art is free to the public, and on the 3rd Thurday of each month (This Thursday, Oct. 16), admission is only $1 to the Phelps Youth Pavilion. Great for 3-6 year olds! (amendment: great for ages up through 10, actually. And adults like it, too!)
"A Visit to Africa" Family Fun Day at the UNI Museum (3219 Hudson Rd.)
Saturday, October 25 from 9 a.m. to noon
$5 a family
enjoy African music, make African masks, encounter African animals on a safari scavenger hunt, learn African dances, locate African cultures on a giant map, design Adinkra bookmarks!
Call 273-2188 by Oct. 22 to register.
Large Haitian Art Display at the Center of the Arts in Waterloo (across from Young Arena on Commercial and First St.)
Also, at the adjoining Phelps Youth Pavilion, there is a hands-on Haiti play area with a market, tap-tap bus, fishing pond, etc.
To view the art is free to the public, and on the 3rd Thurday of each month (This Thursday, Oct. 16), admission is only $1 to the Phelps Youth Pavilion. Great for 3-6 year olds! (amendment: great for ages up through 10, actually. And adults like it, too!)
"A Visit to Africa" Family Fun Day at the UNI Museum (3219 Hudson Rd.)
Saturday, October 25 from 9 a.m. to noon
$5 a family
enjoy African music, make African masks, encounter African animals on a safari scavenger hunt, learn African dances, locate African cultures on a giant map, design Adinkra bookmarks!
Call 273-2188 by Oct. 22 to register.
Freedom and chains
I went this afternoon to the Black Hawk County Jail to visit a friend who just got sentenced today to prison for a spell. Alcohol has been her master and demon, to the extent that she's lost her children and has now been sentenced to prison time at Mitchellville. In the 30 minutes that we had together, she spoke of how though she may be physically locked up in jail, she is experiencing incredible freedom from some of the chains that have held her. She's away from the temptations that trip her up, she has the time to focus on exercise for her body, reading for her mind, and Bible study for her soul. She meets with other believers during the day, and she told me that they all have this in common: They are currently desperately dependent on God, as many have hit bottom, lost almost everything, and recognize their own brokenness and powerlessness to change. The Bible is their daily lifeline, and Jesus alone is their freedom, portion, and hope.
I don't know if I'll express this very well, but this visit got me thinking about how I can so easily confuse chains and freedom. So often, if I'm not allowed to indulge in something my flesh wants, I consider myself chained or lacking freedom. Yet, it's so often in discipline, dying, and surrender that I discover real freedom and an awareness that what I had thought to be freedom was actually chaining my heart.
Rice and beans, fasting, withholding from spending, all good to help me take a look at my heart and consider what chains I may have that keep me from freely and fully devoting my all to Jesus and His redeeming mission.
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." Galatians 5:1
"I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free." Psalm 119:32
I don't know if I'll express this very well, but this visit got me thinking about how I can so easily confuse chains and freedom. So often, if I'm not allowed to indulge in something my flesh wants, I consider myself chained or lacking freedom. Yet, it's so often in discipline, dying, and surrender that I discover real freedom and an awareness that what I had thought to be freedom was actually chaining my heart.
Rice and beans, fasting, withholding from spending, all good to help me take a look at my heart and consider what chains I may have that keep me from freely and fully devoting my all to Jesus and His redeeming mission.
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." Galatians 5:1
"I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free." Psalm 119:32
God loves His children
I hadn’t really looked into their eyes before. The eyes of the two oldest were filled with hope. The eyes of the youngest filled with doubt and fear.
We have sponsored children since our kids were very little. Now we sponsor kids and our kids and their families sponsor under-resourced children. But, I never really knew much about our current three. So, I held their pictures, looked into their eyes, read their letters, and prayed for them individually. Nizeyimana is 11 and lives in Uganda, Musset Noel is 19 and lives in Pignon, Haiti, and Ana Mateus is 8 and lives in Mozambique.
The very strong thought came to me that they are in God’s family. He loves them just like He loves the children in our family. His heart breaks when they are hungry or don’t have clean water to drink or their parents die of AIDS. He really is using Linda and I to be His hands and feet and checkbook to let them know that their Heavenly Father loves them and He does care.
I think maybe God is growing my heart for the under-resourced this week. I hope you are finding ways to participate in Challenges For the Heart these days.
Dave Bartlett
We have sponsored children since our kids were very little. Now we sponsor kids and our kids and their families sponsor under-resourced children. But, I never really knew much about our current three. So, I held their pictures, looked into their eyes, read their letters, and prayed for them individually. Nizeyimana is 11 and lives in Uganda, Musset Noel is 19 and lives in Pignon, Haiti, and Ana Mateus is 8 and lives in Mozambique.
The very strong thought came to me that they are in God’s family. He loves them just like He loves the children in our family. His heart breaks when they are hungry or don’t have clean water to drink or their parents die of AIDS. He really is using Linda and I to be His hands and feet and checkbook to let them know that their Heavenly Father loves them and He does care.
I think maybe God is growing my heart for the under-resourced this week. I hope you are finding ways to participate in Challenges For the Heart these days.
Dave Bartlett
Monday, October 13, 2008
A message from Kristie in Haiti
Kristie Mompremier, our friend in Haiti, has been reading the blog and sent this to share with us today:
"We had a testimony in church yesterday from a man that is from Gonaives, the area in Haiti that suffered the most devastation. He told us that it had started to rain during the day but the real flooding didn't begin until everyone was asleep. Amazing. He woke up in his house to water a foot deep. He had been in the hurricane 5 years ago and knew to get out right away. He ran out looking for a house that had 3 stories to it and a flat cement roof instead of a tin roof. By the time he got to one he was walking in water up to his chest. He stayed on top of that roof for over 3 days with hardly any food. He was able to take only 1 bag of personal items with him. He saw so many people perish in front of his eyes. Children ripped from their parents arms. He said those 3 days on top of the roof was a time of ultimate suffering and times when people's brains just couldn't understand what was happening right in front of their eyes. He also said that in the end, incomprehensively, it was also a time of awesome fear of the Lord and His supremacy.
JeanJean asked if the church could help him out financially. He refused saying, he had his aunt that he was staying with, but he asked for the church to PRAY and help those still in Gonaives. It really touched the whole church.
JeanJean and I have had to 'suffer' the inconvenience of gas being $8/gallon and having limited food available since the roads have been washed out from the hurricane. We have had rice and beans as a treat and have had corn gruel and boiled maniok as a staple these past few weeks since the hurricane. But, this man's story puts our inconveniences in a proper perspective. God is in control of all things. He is awesome and will provide for all our needs.
Please continue to pray for the people of Gonaives (Go-nah--eevs) and other places that are still recovering from the hurricane.
Thank you for those taking the challenge of fasting with rice and beans. God will bless you for any sacrifices."
Kristie Mompremier, United Christians International missionary in Haiti
"We had a testimony in church yesterday from a man that is from Gonaives, the area in Haiti that suffered the most devastation. He told us that it had started to rain during the day but the real flooding didn't begin until everyone was asleep. Amazing. He woke up in his house to water a foot deep. He had been in the hurricane 5 years ago and knew to get out right away. He ran out looking for a house that had 3 stories to it and a flat cement roof instead of a tin roof. By the time he got to one he was walking in water up to his chest. He stayed on top of that roof for over 3 days with hardly any food. He was able to take only 1 bag of personal items with him. He saw so many people perish in front of his eyes. Children ripped from their parents arms. He said those 3 days on top of the roof was a time of ultimate suffering and times when people's brains just couldn't understand what was happening right in front of their eyes. He also said that in the end, incomprehensively, it was also a time of awesome fear of the Lord and His supremacy.
JeanJean asked if the church could help him out financially. He refused saying, he had his aunt that he was staying with, but he asked for the church to PRAY and help those still in Gonaives. It really touched the whole church.
JeanJean and I have had to 'suffer' the inconvenience of gas being $8/gallon and having limited food available since the roads have been washed out from the hurricane. We have had rice and beans as a treat and have had corn gruel and boiled maniok as a staple these past few weeks since the hurricane. But, this man's story puts our inconveniences in a proper perspective. God is in control of all things. He is awesome and will provide for all our needs.
Please continue to pray for the people of Gonaives (Go-nah--eevs) and other places that are still recovering from the hurricane.
Thank you for those taking the challenge of fasting with rice and beans. God will bless you for any sacrifices."
Kristie Mompremier, United Christians International missionary in Haiti
What are you discovering?
Here's a post inviting all who are participating in identifying with the poor in some small way this week to share your experiences in fasting, eating rice and beans, or refraining from excess spending. Just click on "comments" below and follow the directions on the side that give directions for posting a comment.
I pasted one comment below from Allison Mussig. Please consider joining the conversation!
"Interesting how God is shaping my heart through my stomach. Quentin and I are living on a rice and beans diet this week and I am finding this more mentally challenging than I expected. I am not hungry, but I am terribly unsatisfied. I am seeing that my search for satisfaction will not be quenched through food. I know in my heart that reaching the 1 week goal is possible, but at every turn I find myself weak. If you too are living on rice and beans this week know that Quentin and I are praying for you and are struggling along with you."
October 13, 2008 9:34 AM
I pasted one comment below from Allison Mussig. Please consider joining the conversation!
"Interesting how God is shaping my heart through my stomach. Quentin and I are living on a rice and beans diet this week and I am finding this more mentally challenging than I expected. I am not hungry, but I am terribly unsatisfied. I am seeing that my search for satisfaction will not be quenched through food. I know in my heart that reaching the 1 week goal is possible, but at every turn I find myself weak. If you too are living on rice and beans this week know that Quentin and I are praying for you and are struggling along with you."
October 13, 2008 9:34 AM
Teddy bears for AIDS orphans
"Pray for comfort, grace, and healing for those whose lives have been torn apart by HIV/AIDS." That's today's prayer request on our prayer calendar. And there is a beautiful picture of a group of people at Orchard Hill Church who have been praying for and acting in such a way that provides comfort, grace, and healing to children who are impacted by AIDS.
Two years ago, Kara VanderWiel, began to knit and discovered a way that her knitting could bless AIDS orphans. She came across http://www.motherbearproject.org/, a movement that has provided hand-knit teddy bears to over 32,000 AIDS orphans. Kara shared this vision with a group of people at church who have now been knitting teddy bears over the past two years on Sunday mornings during the 9:45 a.m. community group time. It's a beautiful, God-blessed, intergenerational community that has become friends in their hours of knitting...they even trekked to Minneapolis to the Mother Bear Project headquarters to help box up some teddy bears to be sent.
I'm hoping Kara will provide a comment below to let us know how many teddy bears they've made and how God has grown the hearts of the givers. And if anyone wants more information on how to join in this effort, contact Kara at karav@cfu.net.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Choices
I went to the grocery store the other night to purchase next week's supply of rice and beans. Rice and beans, simple right? I wish I would have counted the number of choices I had for rice alone. Brown rice, white rice, long grain, short grain, organic, instant, sticky. Rice-a-roni came in at least ten different flavors...Spanish rice to chicken fajita flavored to fried rice. And on and on. Then came the beans: pinto, kidney, lima, black beans, chili beans, and more.
Barry Schwartz wrote a book called The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less. He writes of being in a grocery store where he counted 230 soup choices, 275 cereal choices, 64 options for barbecue sauce, 285 cookie choices, and 175 types of salad dressings. He also writes about how so many choices tend to cause anxiety, stress, buyers' regret, paralysis. His book offers some practical steps to help a person limit their choices, get disciplined to focus, and become more satisfied due to fewer choices.
I've been listening to stories of starvation in Haiti...how 1 cup of rice is selling for a week's salary. Millie, from World Vision, also told me that rice is really a luxury rather than a staple in the African country she recently visited. When I hear that, and then I look around at our abundance, my brain just doesn't even quite know what to do with such unequal distribution in our world.
My daughter, Sara, often sees such a simple solution to this unfair distribution in our world. "Just send crates of fruits and vegetables over, Mom. Maybe send some refrigerators too." I wish it was such an easy fix, Sara. For now, maybe I'll start with praying more for redistribution that leads to justice. And eating rice and beans for a week which will, I pray, impact my mind and heart. And rather than concentrating on the many choices we have in retail, maybe I'll consider more the lifestyle choices I make that have more of an impact on our world than I am often willing to admit.
Barry Schwartz wrote a book called The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less. He writes of being in a grocery store where he counted 230 soup choices, 275 cereal choices, 64 options for barbecue sauce, 285 cookie choices, and 175 types of salad dressings. He also writes about how so many choices tend to cause anxiety, stress, buyers' regret, paralysis. His book offers some practical steps to help a person limit their choices, get disciplined to focus, and become more satisfied due to fewer choices.
I've been listening to stories of starvation in Haiti...how 1 cup of rice is selling for a week's salary. Millie, from World Vision, also told me that rice is really a luxury rather than a staple in the African country she recently visited. When I hear that, and then I look around at our abundance, my brain just doesn't even quite know what to do with such unequal distribution in our world.
My daughter, Sara, often sees such a simple solution to this unfair distribution in our world. "Just send crates of fruits and vegetables over, Mom. Maybe send some refrigerators too." I wish it was such an easy fix, Sara. For now, maybe I'll start with praying more for redistribution that leads to justice. And eating rice and beans for a week which will, I pray, impact my mind and heart. And rather than concentrating on the many choices we have in retail, maybe I'll consider more the lifestyle choices I make that have more of an impact on our world than I am often willing to admit.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Haiti flooding
Please pray today for the Haitian hurricane victims- that they have food, shelter, and immunity from water-born diseases. Check out the video above, posted by The Hands and Feet Project, which is an orphanage in Haiti. Insane footage. How can they ever get those rocks out of there?!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
The AIDS reality
According to the 2005 joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS:
* 65 million people suffer from HIV and AIDS
* 40 million people are currently living with HIV
* 25 million have died from AIDS
* 15 million children are orphaned due to AIDS. The number is projected to be 25 million by 2010.
AIDS is listed among the 7 worst plagues in history. See http://www.scribd.com/doc/415518/Worst-Plagues-in-History
Valerie Bell, in her book An African Awakening, writes,
"Do we understand the lifetime scope of the battle we are facing? Something of commitment, something more holistic than just an occasional random donation, seems necessary. Something of our lifestyles, something more like a portion of our lives may be the only way to tame the beast. ...I'm joining a movement of others who are redefining character by exploring new ways to commit to global spirituality. AIDS will take us places we haven't been before, either as individuals or as a world. AIDS is the spiritually defining issue for our generation..."
AIDS is described as the world's greatest humanitarian crisis. Honestly, I'm just waking up to the reality and scope of this pandemic. How about you? Any thoughts about this?
* 65 million people suffer from HIV and AIDS
* 40 million people are currently living with HIV
* 25 million have died from AIDS
* 15 million children are orphaned due to AIDS. The number is projected to be 25 million by 2010.
AIDS is listed among the 7 worst plagues in history. See http://www.scribd.com/doc/415518/Worst-Plagues-in-History
Valerie Bell, in her book An African Awakening, writes,
"Do we understand the lifetime scope of the battle we are facing? Something of commitment, something more holistic than just an occasional random donation, seems necessary. Something of our lifestyles, something more like a portion of our lives may be the only way to tame the beast. ...I'm joining a movement of others who are redefining character by exploring new ways to commit to global spirituality. AIDS will take us places we haven't been before, either as individuals or as a world. AIDS is the spiritually defining issue for our generation..."
AIDS is described as the world's greatest humanitarian crisis. Honestly, I'm just waking up to the reality and scope of this pandemic. How about you? Any thoughts about this?
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Prayer Calendar
If you haven't picked up a prayer calendar, you can download the Prayer Calendar. Right click on the link and select "save link as".
Kids Caring for Kids
Take a lesson from a kid! Youth are world changers! Check out how Kendall, a kid, has raised $680,000 toward her million dollar goal to care for AIDS orphans. www.Kidscaring4Kids.org
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Bread for the World
You can check out the link for Bread for the World to learn more about the current state of hunger in our world. Visit www.bread.org
Experiencing a little hunger
It's Tuesday, and we're five days out from asking people to eat rice and beans for a week/partial week or to fast from food for a given time next week. In my experience, when I've made a decision along these lines, it takes some prep time in my mind. I have to gear up for it, think about it, pray about it, examine my motives in it, and determine what I might do that will help me keep my focus on Jesus during that time. What are you thinking about as you look to next week's challenge?
What are some of your past experiences related to this? I know for me, God has deeply blessed my times of going hungry for a spell when my motivations are fixed on Him growing my heart. I think of others who are going without. I can more clearily recognize wants vs. needs. I have more gratitude for the blessings I live with and more of a burden for those in need. I get a better sense of what God pursues and what His heart beats for, and what I spend my time pursuing and what my heart beats for. Some of my greatest times of experiencing God's presence have come during these times. Going hungry reminds me to pray. Praying reminds me to act. And finally, being hungry reminds me to be a dependent person in the hands of our God. How about you?
What are some of your past experiences related to this? I know for me, God has deeply blessed my times of going hungry for a spell when my motivations are fixed on Him growing my heart. I think of others who are going without. I can more clearily recognize wants vs. needs. I have more gratitude for the blessings I live with and more of a burden for those in need. I get a better sense of what God pursues and what His heart beats for, and what I spend my time pursuing and what my heart beats for. Some of my greatest times of experiencing God's presence have come during these times. Going hungry reminds me to pray. Praying reminds me to act. And finally, being hungry reminds me to be a dependent person in the hands of our God. How about you?
Monday, October 6, 2008
Mud cakes in Haiti
When JeanJean and Kristie were here from Haiti this summer and shared about life in Haiti, the image that most stuck with my nine year old, Sara, was the scene that Kristie described of seeing children making mud cakes to eat because there was no other food to eat.
You can check out an article about this practice that is increasingly occuring in a country that is desperately under-resourced and facing even greater starvation due to flooding there from four hurricanes. Check out http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22902512/
You can check out an article about this practice that is increasingly occuring in a country that is desperately under-resourced and facing even greater starvation due to flooding there from four hurricanes. Check out http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22902512/
Glorify the name of God
"Prayer is given and ordained for the purpose of glorifying God. Prayer is the appointed way of giving Jesus an opportunity to exercise His supernatural powers of salvation. And in so doing he desires to make use of us. We should through prayer give Jesus the opportunity of gaining access to our souls, our bodies, our homes, our neighborhoods, our countries, to the whole world, to the fellowship of believers and to the unsaved."
O. Hallesby Prayer
Wow, yesterday in the atrium was a testimony to the quote above. People lined up to get prayer bracelets and calendars. People lined up to sponsor children in Mozambique and Haiti. At this time around 80 children received sponsorship yesterday. It's so beautiful to watch God move through His people like that!
It was equally, if not more exciting, to see as many people committing to prayer. If you're like me, I can far too easily brush prayer aside, looking instead for something more "substantial" to do. Prayer, in my past experience, can too easily lose its place of importance, of value, of power. But then, Jesus reminds me that in order for me to lay down my self-sufficiency and to see the power of God displayed, prayer is essential. It's in praying that we open the door to Christ's knocking and allow Him entrance. It's in prayer that we recognize that we can expect much of God and little of ourselves. In praying, we are asking God to show up to do what we cannot do ourselves.
So, today, in prayer may we call down upon ourselves and others those things which will glorify the name of God!
O. Hallesby Prayer
Wow, yesterday in the atrium was a testimony to the quote above. People lined up to get prayer bracelets and calendars. People lined up to sponsor children in Mozambique and Haiti. At this time around 80 children received sponsorship yesterday. It's so beautiful to watch God move through His people like that!
It was equally, if not more exciting, to see as many people committing to prayer. If you're like me, I can far too easily brush prayer aside, looking instead for something more "substantial" to do. Prayer, in my past experience, can too easily lose its place of importance, of value, of power. But then, Jesus reminds me that in order for me to lay down my self-sufficiency and to see the power of God displayed, prayer is essential. It's in praying that we open the door to Christ's knocking and allow Him entrance. It's in prayer that we recognize that we can expect much of God and little of ourselves. In praying, we are asking God to show up to do what we cannot do ourselves.
So, today, in prayer may we call down upon ourselves and others those things which will glorify the name of God!
Friday, October 3, 2008
God at work around the world
I'm looking at a beautiful picture that hangs in my office cubicle of Molly Hagen laughing with a young Cambodian friend. I love Molly. For those of you who don't know her, she's in her early twenties, grew up at Orchard Hill Church, and has been serving as a missionary with Youth With a Mission (http://www.ywam.org/) in Cambodia for the past two years. Molly is on fire for Jesus, and I love to spend time with her. Her stories of God at work in Cambodia are inspiring and help me see how Jesus is setting things right all over the globe. Yesterday's prayer date asked us to pray for Molly. She'll be coming home for a few months this fall, and is inbetween God's assigments for her. I am confident Molly will share on a Sunday morning during the Community Group time in the Commons. I hope you'll watch for that and get the chance to hear how God is moving in Cambodia. Please pray for Molly. For a time of refreshing and rest with her family when she returns. Pray that God will use her to teach our body more about His heart and the mission of Jesus. And I think I'm safe to say that Molly would have us pray diligently for God's Kingdom to come throughout Cambodia. You can email Molly at mollyfromiowa@yahoo.com
Today's prayer asks us to pray that the Haitian government will act to meet the needs of the poor in Haiti. Haiti is considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Already reeling with a food crisis, the country has been severely impacted with the rains of four hurricanes in the past few months. Please pray for the Haitian people. For a just government, food for the people, for long term solutions, for people to know the hope found in Christ. We have some wonderful partners near the village of Pignon, Haiti, who are making Christ known in their area. Over the next three Sundays at church, you will also be given the opportunity to sponsor a child in Haiti as well as Mozambique. One by one by one...
Today's post reminds me of one of my favorite Scriptures. From the Message translation, Isaiah 42:1-4:
Take a good look at my servant. I'm backing him to the hilt. He's the one I chose, and I couldn't be more pleased with him. I've bathed him with my Spirit, my life. He'll set everything right among the nations. He won't call attention to what he does with loud speeches or gaudy parades. He won't brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won't disregard the small and insignificant, but he'll steadily and firmly set things right. He won't tire out and quit. He won't be stopped until he's finished his work- to set things right on earth. Far-flung ocean islands wait expectantly for his teaching.
And He keeps on keeping on through you and me! So, as we go about our weekend, I pray that we might join Christ in his mission to set things right by loving and serving those close at home and those far away.
Blessings,
Laura Hoy
Today's prayer asks us to pray that the Haitian government will act to meet the needs of the poor in Haiti. Haiti is considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Already reeling with a food crisis, the country has been severely impacted with the rains of four hurricanes in the past few months. Please pray for the Haitian people. For a just government, food for the people, for long term solutions, for people to know the hope found in Christ. We have some wonderful partners near the village of Pignon, Haiti, who are making Christ known in their area. Over the next three Sundays at church, you will also be given the opportunity to sponsor a child in Haiti as well as Mozambique. One by one by one...
Today's post reminds me of one of my favorite Scriptures. From the Message translation, Isaiah 42:1-4:
Take a good look at my servant. I'm backing him to the hilt. He's the one I chose, and I couldn't be more pleased with him. I've bathed him with my Spirit, my life. He'll set everything right among the nations. He won't call attention to what he does with loud speeches or gaudy parades. He won't brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won't disregard the small and insignificant, but he'll steadily and firmly set things right. He won't tire out and quit. He won't be stopped until he's finished his work- to set things right on earth. Far-flung ocean islands wait expectantly for his teaching.
And He keeps on keeping on through you and me! So, as we go about our weekend, I pray that we might join Christ in his mission to set things right by loving and serving those close at home and those far away.
Blessings,
Laura Hoy
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Message from Dave Bartlett
This is the 9th day I've worn my Challenges for the Heart prayer string bracelet. I'm very busy and the days fly by; however, several times each day I become aware of my string bracelet and remember to whisper a prayer for the children we sponsor, my own kids and grandkids, AIDS victims, and this Challenges for the Heart campaign.
I hope that you will consider wearing a string bracelet to remind you to pray. I hope that this campaign will grow my heart and your heart for those suffering and under-resourced in the Cedar Valley and around the world. I hope that you will give consideration to each challenge and respond as you are led by God.
Dave Bartlett
I hope that you will consider wearing a string bracelet to remind you to pray. I hope that this campaign will grow my heart and your heart for those suffering and under-resourced in the Cedar Valley and around the world. I hope that you will give consideration to each challenge and respond as you are led by God.
Dave Bartlett
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
One at a time
I spent this morning listening to guests here at Orchard Hill who are with Food for the Hungry, the Christian community development organization we are partnering with in Mozambique, Africa. (http://www.fh.org/) I was inspired by their vision and by the strategies they have in place to help walk with a community into sustainable change.
Currently, twenty-some thousand people die daily due to hunger-related causes in our world. That number can seem overwhelming to us, yet when Food for the Hungry was founded back in 1971, the leader heard God's call in this phrase, "They die one by one, and they can be saved one by one." Part of Food for the Hungry's development strategy lies in child sponsorship in a region. This sponsorship allows for Food for the Hungry to reach out wholistically to children in the region. Orchard Hill has the privilege to partner with Food for the Hungry and with the children of Mucodza, a village in the region of Gorongoza, Mozambique. One by one our families can impact children there, one by one by one. Over the next three Sundays, we'll be offering the opportunity for you and your family to sponsor a child. This child will value your prayers, your letters, your assistance, and as I heard today, it's common for the child and his/her family to pray for your family as well. Prayerfully consider if this is something God would place on your heart to do.
On another note, today's prayer request asks us to pray for the thousands of children in Africa and around the world who have lost their parents to AIDS. In actuality, more than 15 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS. By 2010, that number is expected to reach 25 million. OVC stands for orphans and vulnerable children. It's an abbreviation used frequently in literature about AIDS. The historic strategy for caring for OVC was to place children in orphanages. Because of the expense and the enormous numbers of OVC, the strategy has changed in recent years to training community members in a program called Community Care Coalitions (CCC). Community members commit to visiting regularly and monitoring the well-being of children who are heading households. This program of community-based care allows for children to stay rooted in their communities and has been identified as the best strategy to date to care for orphans and vulnerable children. Today, as you pray for the children who are orphaned due to AIDS, also pray for the Community Care Coalition programs and the caregivers within every community who are shouldering enormous burdens.
As we commit to praying, let us remember that talking to God is only half of the communication. I pray that we will be listening as well throughout this time. And if you get a hankering, please feel free to post a comment by clicking on "comments" at the bottom of any post.
Follow the way of love (1 Corinthians 14:1a),
Laura Hoy
Currently, twenty-some thousand people die daily due to hunger-related causes in our world. That number can seem overwhelming to us, yet when Food for the Hungry was founded back in 1971, the leader heard God's call in this phrase, "They die one by one, and they can be saved one by one." Part of Food for the Hungry's development strategy lies in child sponsorship in a region. This sponsorship allows for Food for the Hungry to reach out wholistically to children in the region. Orchard Hill has the privilege to partner with Food for the Hungry and with the children of Mucodza, a village in the region of Gorongoza, Mozambique. One by one our families can impact children there, one by one by one. Over the next three Sundays, we'll be offering the opportunity for you and your family to sponsor a child. This child will value your prayers, your letters, your assistance, and as I heard today, it's common for the child and his/her family to pray for your family as well. Prayerfully consider if this is something God would place on your heart to do.
On another note, today's prayer request asks us to pray for the thousands of children in Africa and around the world who have lost their parents to AIDS. In actuality, more than 15 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS. By 2010, that number is expected to reach 25 million. OVC stands for orphans and vulnerable children. It's an abbreviation used frequently in literature about AIDS. The historic strategy for caring for OVC was to place children in orphanages. Because of the expense and the enormous numbers of OVC, the strategy has changed in recent years to training community members in a program called Community Care Coalitions (CCC). Community members commit to visiting regularly and monitoring the well-being of children who are heading households. This program of community-based care allows for children to stay rooted in their communities and has been identified as the best strategy to date to care for orphans and vulnerable children. Today, as you pray for the children who are orphaned due to AIDS, also pray for the Community Care Coalition programs and the caregivers within every community who are shouldering enormous burdens.
As we commit to praying, let us remember that talking to God is only half of the communication. I pray that we will be listening as well throughout this time. And if you get a hankering, please feel free to post a comment by clicking on "comments" at the bottom of any post.
Follow the way of love (1 Corinthians 14:1a),
Laura Hoy
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