We pray that Challenges for the Heart helped do just that...challenge your heart. Though this blog is being put to slumber, I am hopeful that you will not be. I am hoping that God is just waking us up to seeing the world with His eyes and with His heart. That we are just coming alive to being fully on mission with Christ who is committed to restoring us as individuals and to restoring this broken world to its intended design.
Let us not love in word or tongue, but with actions and truth. 1 John 3:18
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love. Galatians 5:6
Blessings, and thanks for traveling this blog journey with me over the past 6 weeks!
Laura Hoy
Friday, November 14, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Feedback Here
The Challenges for the Heart blog will continue through Friday to allow for anyone to comment about how any of the challenges over the past six weeks has impacted your heart and life. We'd love to hear how God may have spoken into your life during this time.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Note from Millie
My name is Millie Vanderpool and I am part of the World Vision staff that came to Orchard Hill Church to speak on behalf of the AIDS crisis in Africa and around the world. I thank you for welcoming us into your church and community as this was truly a community effort as many churches came and participated and volunteered. I'm here at the hotel right now reading the "blog" and hoping that I shared enough and spoke enough on behalf of the orphans and families in need in Africa. After traveling to Africa three times this year and meeting more orphans that anyone should ever meet and crying many tears over the children I left behind knowing they are alone and frightened and many very hungry.............................I asked God...................why God??? Why am I here? Why must I see so many orphans and children living alone with no parents, or grandparents taking care of many grandchildren with no support or food as their gardens dried up from the droughts? Why, Lord, are there hardly any dads at home or anyone around the age of 25-45? Why am I going home to a home with electricity and running water and healthy children and the luxuries of living in the US? Then He told me.............. and I knew then as I know today .....................that He took me to Africa to show me what was happening and to come back and speak on behalf of the 15 million orphans.
To share with others that 6000 children every day will lose a parent in Africa!!!!!! 29,000 children die every day from hunger or illnesses that can be prevented like drinking dirty water...............or no water................ I'm thankful for the Experience AIDS Exhibit because
it is a way for us to bring part of Africa to you. As we can't bring you
all to Africa we can try to bring stories and part of Africa to you and help you understand what is happening through the stories of these 4 precious children. They are our true heroes of the world and true survivors that represent millions of children.
I say this in order to thank you for volunteering and coming to our African exhibit at Orchard Hill Church, and I hope that you all share what you learned with others and spread the word as we are making a difference and we can save lives and help orphans in need....one child at a time. There is hope and we are part of making it happen!!
Blessings to each and everyone one of you and may our Lord continue to bless you.
Millie Vanderpool
To share with others that 6000 children every day will lose a parent in Africa!!!!!! 29,000 children die every day from hunger or illnesses that can be prevented like drinking dirty water...............or no water................ I'm thankful for the Experience AIDS Exhibit because
it is a way for us to bring part of Africa to you. As we can't bring you
all to Africa we can try to bring stories and part of Africa to you and help you understand what is happening through the stories of these 4 precious children. They are our true heroes of the world and true survivors that represent millions of children.
I say this in order to thank you for volunteering and coming to our African exhibit at Orchard Hill Church, and I hope that you all share what you learned with others and spread the word as we are making a difference and we can save lives and help orphans in need....one child at a time. There is hope and we are part of making it happen!!
Blessings to each and everyone one of you and may our Lord continue to bless you.
Millie Vanderpool
New little friends
Your feedback regarding your experience through the World Vision AIDS Village is encouraged. Please offer a comment below!
Yesterday was the busiest day yet...I've heard there were close to 800 visitors and there were 80 commitments to sponsorships! That's 80 children who have a new friend who will impact children's lives in significant ways...food, education, health care.....major needs being met through sponsorship. Hurray! And even a greater hurray is the friendship and spiritual connection being birthed through sponsorship. We pray that all sponsors keep their sponsored child close in prayer, in heart, in thought. And letters to the child will help that relationship form even more deeply. You all should meet Millie VanderPool, from World Vision. She carries around a binder with the pictures of her 6 six sponsored children and all of the letters and correspondence included. Just listening to her talk about "her kids" reminds me of being with a grandmother doting on her grandchildren. She's a great example of keeping our sponsored children close to us as we go about our lives in America.
Yesterday was the busiest day yet...I've heard there were close to 800 visitors and there were 80 commitments to sponsorships! That's 80 children who have a new friend who will impact children's lives in significant ways...food, education, health care.....major needs being met through sponsorship. Hurray! And even a greater hurray is the friendship and spiritual connection being birthed through sponsorship. We pray that all sponsors keep their sponsored child close in prayer, in heart, in thought. And letters to the child will help that relationship form even more deeply. You all should meet Millie VanderPool, from World Vision. She carries around a binder with the pictures of her 6 six sponsored children and all of the letters and correspondence included. Just listening to her talk about "her kids" reminds me of being with a grandmother doting on her grandchildren. She's a great example of keeping our sponsored children close to us as we go about our lives in America.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
HIV and AIDS in Iowa
Cedar AIDS Support System has a table at the World Vision Experience. Here are just a few of the facts about HIV/AIDS in Iowa:
- There were 127 HIV diagnoses in 2007, the most since HIV reporting began in 1998. These diagnoses represent a 12% increase over 2006 and exceed the previous high of 117 diagnoses in 2005.
- HIV diagnoses among persons 45 years of age and older have more than doubled since 2003. In 2007, there were 41 diagnoses among those 45 yrs. and older compared to 18 in 2003.
- There were 1,910 persons thought to be living with HIV/AIDS in Iowa on December 31, 2007.
- There were 127 HIV diagnoses in 2007, the most since HIV reporting began in 1998. These diagnoses represent a 12% increase over 2006 and exceed the previous high of 117 diagnoses in 2005.
- HIV diagnoses among persons 45 years of age and older have more than doubled since 2003. In 2007, there were 41 diagnoses among those 45 yrs. and older compared to 18 in 2003.
- There were 1,910 persons thought to be living with HIV/AIDS in Iowa on December 31, 2007.
The Big Disease
I sat on Kombo's bed yesterday. He is one of the four children featured in the AIDS Village. As I sat on his stained mattress with an old sheet and little pillow, I considered his few, meager possessions compared to my mountains of stuff. While sitting there, Kombo was speaking into my earphones asking, "Do I have the big disease?" (meaning HIV/AIDS). I suddenly found myself asking, "Do I have the big disease?" ....in American terms- materialism/greed.
Guilt isn't a great motivator, I know. And I know that we can and should celebrate and be very grateful for all that we have. But, I also heard what Brian McLaren said in his message at the CCDA conference...he named materialism/greed as the number one issue that is tripping us up as a nation. I think we at least need to name it...talk about the cause and effect....challenge one another to a different way...and paint the vision of what could happen in the world if we lived in a simpler way that helped us to be more available, more able to contribute to Christ's redeeming ways in the world.
After going through the AIDS Village, I can't help but think of the end of Schindler's List when Schindler is wanting to give every last everything in order to save more Jews from death. I hear him crying, "I could have saved more..."
Please give your feedback as you journey into the life of an African child this weekend....
Guilt isn't a great motivator, I know. And I know that we can and should celebrate and be very grateful for all that we have. But, I also heard what Brian McLaren said in his message at the CCDA conference...he named materialism/greed as the number one issue that is tripping us up as a nation. I think we at least need to name it...talk about the cause and effect....challenge one another to a different way...and paint the vision of what could happen in the world if we lived in a simpler way that helped us to be more available, more able to contribute to Christ's redeeming ways in the world.
After going through the AIDS Village, I can't help but think of the end of Schindler's List when Schindler is wanting to give every last everything in order to save more Jews from death. I hear him crying, "I could have saved more..."
Please give your feedback as you journey into the life of an African child this weekend....
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wow!
I just left the community center, and it's an incredible sight. A great team of about 16 people working around one another to put this mammoth exhibit together. I first came in this morning when the tour tech director, Jennifer, was talking about how we would never see our worship area the same again. It will be forever altered in our minds due to this experience. I am praying that is true also for our lives.
Over the next several days, please post comments letting us know how the World Vision Experience:AIDS impacts you. We'd love your feedback!
Peace,
Laura
Over the next several days, please post comments letting us know how the World Vision Experience:AIDS impacts you. We'd love your feedback!
Peace,
Laura
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