Light trumps dark in one small African community

I swallowed hard to choke back the tears of what I had just witnessed.  The place was Section 19, Swaziland, Africa.  The year was 2011, my first mission trip to Africa, and God was revealing many things to me in every stop, and at every work of our hands.  We saw many pains, hurts, smiles, joys and tears on that trip.  My view of God exploded within my heart to a measure that I had never seen before.

The love of Christ, when expressed in the sense of true compassion, always goes further than you think and leaves a lasting imprint on all those His power touches.  What I didn't realize then was the endurance of His love that transforms a community after you come back home.

God's power remains when sown and planted.

This particular CarePoint that had just been established in the middle of the sugar cane plantations in Swaziland.  The dark culture in that small two block wide community was palatable.  The heaviness of oppression was felt within every fiber of my being.  It was a squatter camp with abject poverty oozing from each mud hut threshold and every dirt doorway.  Poverty showed no mercy except in a corner of the lot.  A new feeding program established there.

This faith project had been activated by the prayers of many.

The team walked slowly to greet the down trodden with all the smiles we could muster.  My mind raced with questions.  "How do you raise children in the middle of this?  How can kids play in mud huts and broken spirits?"  How could a mother wrap her love around all the animosity that was felt there?"  "Where do they see hope?"

My strong questions demanded answers but my weak, broken heart had none.

The team stopped and I looked down to see a naked little girl sitting in dirt, staring wide-eyed and hungry, as if she was in a trance.  All of time stood still.  I couldn't move. I was paralyzed by fear, and as I looked deep into her big brown eyes, hers locked on mine.  I saw a reflection of the emptiness of my soul.  I swallowed hard and wanted to bolt.  Frozen in time, I couldn't even raise my arm to capture the moment on my camera.  I just stared as if staring would deliver her from that place of squalor.  

As if I could do something, anything, to love her like she needed to be loved in that moment.  My momma heart broke further.  I saw the face of my grandson, Avery, and then everything went blurry.

God was counting my tears in that moment.

A holy spotlight shone down and God quieted my spirit and my raging questions.  He whispered, "These are my children too, love them as I love you."  My heart, by what was strung together by a thread, snapped.  Anytime you hear His voice is changes you.  That's when I knew that Africa would always call my name.  This place was desperately hungry for God.

Teams bring the love and light as they show God's mercy and kindness to those who need love and care so desperately.  We are carriers of God's light and love to all we meet, there are so many love-hungry people in need.  I was one among them who needed God's love and care to put my perspective back together.  I heard Him loud and clear, "This is my family too."

I was overwhelmed by the light and power of His voice but remained fearless when I saw God's light emanating from the new CarePoint there.  I saw it glowing, gleaming in the sun with it's new coat of paint, absolutely stunning, shiny and most definitely a bright spot in a dark, dim corner of Swaziland.

I was encouraged by the Light that the psalmist David wrote about dark places once I returned home.  Psalm 132:15-16  "I will bless this city and make it prosperous; I will satisfy its poor with food.  I will clothe it's priests with godliness; its faithful servants will sing for joy.  Here I will increase the power of David; my anointed be will be a light for my people."  I thought back to the moment I crouched before that small child and received the annointing from God to pray for an increase of God's power and light from that day forward.

This small plot of a African community has such a big presence of God.  I was always stirred that it didn't have a name like the rest of the CarePoints that we had visited.  So I prayed over a new name for the Light we carried there.  "God give it your blessing of peace and love to those little ones that look to you to for hope, for food, for the love that they are needing.  Give this place your name, Lord, your blessing of favor and mercy."

From that first Africa trip,I have continued to carry God's light everywhere I go by the name I was given by our team translator.  She spoke a SiSwati name over us as evidenced in the teams strengths in us throughout the week.  My given SiSwati name was prophetic.  You may have noticed my different "middle" name on my Facebook profile is "Khanyasile" which means "bringer of light" or "has light shining".

Jesus teaches about being the light wherever we are.  Matthew 5:14-16  "You are the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket.  Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."

The Light of the Gospel shines bright wherever it goes.  It floods the dark places and powers the weak, feeds the hungry, and reaches the least, the last, and the forgotten.  God's light trumped the dark parts of Section 19, now there are many communities glimmering with Hope.

Fast forward to December 2014, God answered my prayer for a name for the feeding site.  My dear missionary friend, Mitch Hildebrant, messaged me with the most exciting news.  Section 19 had a name, and is now known as "Khanyasile".  This news came right before I was due to leave for Africa to celebrate Christmas with kids in Swaziland.  On that Tuesday,  Mitch and his crew were singing and dancing in celebration of the new name "Khanyasile" with the kids at Section 19.

Also on Tuesday of my week in Africa, just several miles away while in Swaziland, my team was singing and dancing with kids in celebration of the Light of the World has come down for Christmas at the Christmas at the CarePoint parties.  I am amazed how Light births light and multiplies it in a powerful way.  What a beautiful partnership of so many bright futures for many kids this year!  Only God knew the timing of these two celebrations evidenced by His brilliant provisions!

The light of God's love is a big topic to tell but it's easy when our hearts swell with His Love that brings Light!  Such a good word to speak everyone!

Thanks to the churches of Beach, North Dakota who have truly sent and supported God's light in the Khanyasile community. Their support have also birthed two well run preschool programs to seed more light with bringing the gospel to so many children and enhancing their education, as well as feeding hundreds of kids. Truly God's light and favor has rested on this once dim and gloomy place.

Mitch had this to say about the impact:   "We watched as previously drunken men in the community who used to harass us and shout at us now stopped, took their hats off and said 'thank you for caring for our children'."

Evidence that God's Light and Love are definitely alive and active in a once hopeless and uncaring place.

God's arresting Light trumps darkness every time.

There's a peace that God comforts your heart with after being wrecked by poverty.  I am always changed by God's genuine disclosure of truth when I see my own poverty through the lens of someone else's.  It is true today, no matter where you are in life when you encounter the Light of Christ, as it meets with your dark parts of your story, "Remember this is where the healing begins, where the light meets dark, when you come to where you’re broken within." ~ Tenth Avenue North.

Let God enlighten your world, lighten your load and be the Light for all the world to see.  His Light and Hope changes lives!

Saying yes to the wonder of Christmas

If fabric could speak, it would be chanting right now..."Jesus loves me....this I know..."

Of course this was happening in my wild imagination at the start of a dreamy dress idea for my Africa mission trip, but wouldn't you like to know what a new piece of clothing would say if it could sing?

Recently, while in Africa...I saw love speak life into so many little girls with a simple dress sown with love.  Yes, love.  God reached through the language barrier and His love spoke in so many ways.

And it's still speaking....Almost a month later, the language of love is still singing into those little girl hearts that received some of God's love with a little dress that made them feel oh so pretty.  This is the kind of Love, a love so simple and profound that lasts a lifetime.

This all started with a dreamy idea of taking something pretty for the little girls to wear.  Something to make them feel special.  I had no idea all the details it would involve or the depths in which God would grow my faith.  I certainly wasn't thinking about Christmas at the time.  

I had no idea that God would restore my wonder of the manager while in Africa too.

Each dress was stitched with love from devoted ladies hands and hearts.  The stitches harvested a gathering of dresses from all over the United States...Oklahoma, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas, and Kansas.  We had a goal of 500 dresses.  

That number alone was so big in my mind.

My next prayer was to get all the dresses there.  I prayed and trusted God for a miracle gift.  That same day a large donation came in to pay for the extra shipping expenses.  More than enough to pay for extra baggage.

God you are so big in this little dreamy idea.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (I love the Message version of one of my favorite verses) God can do anything, you know--far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!  He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us."

The faith harvest resulted in 485 total brand-new dresses especially crafted for girls of all sizes, with all the loving care that hands and hearts could make and take.  Each dress lovingly stitched with "You.Are.Special." in each seam, sealed with prayers of faith and blessings.

Nothing can rip out away our love prayers, the cries of our hearts to God for hurting hearts in need.  ....Nothing.

Wow...God did that!  Not only did God bring so many pieces of His heart together to send but then He got them there for free?  (We were able to fit all the garments into our allowed luggage and didn't have to pay one extra red cent.)

A miracle indeed.

Can you hear the angel chorus now?  What a wonder!  God is and always has been the One who works wondrous things in our lives!

BUT ....another wonder that happened...on that hot day a month ago.  As as I watched from the middle of a dirt road, I watched three little beauties walking away dressed in God's love.  I could only stare in wonder and worship at the works of God's mighty hand.

(Whispered....Wow!  God did that!)  I'm still humming the great work of the Holy Father.  Seeing this miracle right before my eyes spoke a new wonder of God into my heart once again.

What a gift of faith to see God grow dreams with His wonder, with His wonderful miracles.  As we focus our attention now on the Christ child.  As we look for the wonder of Christmas, we see a tiny miracle wrapped in the biggest Love known to man.  He was dressed in his best and gave us the greatest Gift of all.  

The gift of Christmas is your renewed wonder of the Christ child.  The wondrous gift, a gift that keeps on singing a Love chorus and verse.  Can't you hear Heaven singing?  O Come....

"O Come Let Us Adore Him, O Come Let us Adore Him..."  Say yes to the wonder of Christmas again, like a child receiving something new to wear.  Let your heart see the wonderful miracle of the Christ child.  

My prayer:  O Come, O Come Emmanuel...let us say yes to giving your Love gift today to whomever we meet to with Your compassion and with Your eyes of love.  Take what's in our hands God, and it make much.  Take us outside our trust borders to reach those who need to know what the wonder of Christmas is all about.  Stir our hearts with your compassionate gift of salvation.  Sow your seeds of faith, cultivate, churn and burn our souls with your Presence today and forever more.  May we never forget that you are the God of miracles, Christmas miracles and forever more wonder.  Renew our wonder of You, prepare our hearts in this waiting time.  Comfort, oh comfort us for we are your people.  May our hearts adore your wondrous gift.

(You can be a part of helping the hurting in Africa right now.  A gift of any amount impacts and spreads the Love of Christ in so many ways.  Please consider a gift of Love this Christmas.)  Thank you for giving to the Lord.

My favorite time of the day

I've thinking about my favorites.

God.
Family.
Africa.

Yes, In that order.

You are wondering where writing is on this list?  It's my unspoken favorite.

The favorite part of me.  I can't really explain it except that when I do this, when I tell you what's on my heart, it's my favorite time of the day.

When does this happen?

When I spend time with my Favorite.  Do you know there are days I wake up at 2:30 am?

You would think it was because of my coffee addiction or some other reason like insomnia.  But honestly, it's my favorite time.

My favorite time of the day is when God prompts me to write.  Right now I could have ten conversations with you.  God stimulates, rejuvenates and favorites this time.

God prompts me to write thoughts to you just about any hour of the day.  My brain is on overload, my heart is overflowing most days.

I carry pen and paper with me at all times.  I never know when I am going to get inspired or have a thought that I need to share.  But I have to be prepared to spend it my favorite way.

You've just glimpsed into my freaky favorite time.

When you see a tweet you like you favorite it.  When you see a picture on Instagram you heart it.  When you see someone else's life in a Facebook status update you like it.  You mark your favorites, you have them too.

So I challenge you to look at what your favorites are.

I'm inspired but then I pray to be inspired.  You may think that thinking about favorites is a waste of time, but I disagree.  My number one favorite starts with spending time my favorite way.

In this order:
God
Family
Africa

Writing in-between the favorite verses, things, people, places, favorites under the sun.

Be inspired to do something to tweet about, something that isn't just complaining on Facebook, something that would inspire someone else.  Do what you consider your favorite.

That is your favorite time of the day.

Some minors from Africa

Every time I see God at work on international soil it changes me.  If nothing else it seems to deepen my perspective of who God is.

Want to see God at work?  Look up and go global.

What's different about this trip to Africa?  For me the answer was found in many minor things, that add up to a major shift in how I see God, as if He wasn't huge enough already.

Hope was spoken to two young African wanna-be-pilots as I described the 18+hour airplane journey.  Their response was:  "Was it dangerous?"  Their eyes gleamed with hope as I encouraged them to stay in school and God would accomplish their dreams.

With VBS, some African children experienced the story of a lost sheep for the first time.  They all heard about the Good Shepherd that would never leave them or forsake them.  Some of the girls received a new love-in-every-stitch dress.  That was amazing to see so many brightly colored smiles shouting "I'm precious in the sight of God".  A inflatable bounce cost only $25 for a day's rent.  To see one of the volunteer cooks take it for a test run and to hear her giggling like a school girl, well that was priceless.  Laughter in any language fosters fun.

God shows up in the little things.

I saw children's eyes light up when they were handed a "sweetie" letting them know that they were thought of and not forgotten.

I saw appreciation for steaming, hot meals knowing not where their next meal would come.

I saw emptiness and pain from the children's wing in a hospital ward.  God's loving touch reached down and gave comfort through prayers to worried faces.

I saw hospitality through the kids who run up the road to meet you and then chase you when you leave.

The days were packed with tender moments in holding lots of children as they slept, filling our hearts with reminders that God is a personal God who bends and holds, comforts us in our dirtiness.

So many relationships that we now cherish because we sat and listened to their story.  We stilled our activities and just listened to their dreams.

We met our sponsored children and gave them gifts and they knew that someone cared.  I saw the difference that sponsorship makes.  Lives transformed for a small dollar amount with huge results.

One team member commented about when he was chopping wood the good-old-fashioned way, that "God is everywhere."  God is good to remind us of His Presence no matter where in the world that He finds us.

I saw the flag of Christ held high when a new church plant tent top was lifted higher than another anti-Christian flag right next door.  Gospel wins every time.

I saw God build compassion every time we picked up trash, or held a child that needed a bath, or bathed them in prayer over their school exams.

In sharing groceries with a single dad, raising two young girls alone, he only wanted prayer for his wife who had left the family.  Reminding him that Jesus would provide in his need, reminded me that God is always faithful and that I needed His faithfulness in my daily life as well.

Seeing a child walking alone miles and miles from home in a dark culture reminded me that I am never alone with God by my side.

So many memories are deeply imprinted on my heart from this trip.

It was on chicken day I saw the glory of God as the new church tent was unfolded to house the preached word of God while yards away blood was being spilled.  I am reminded that Christ's redemption is available for one and for all.

It was in a moment I saw a pair of shoes at the edge of the CarePoint fence, I was reminded to stop and pray for those who would encounter God's holy ground.

When God's people pray and worship and praise, you don't have to understand their words to know Who they love the most.  It glows from their hearts, and their faces, from young to old. There is something about seeing young brown heads bow in prayer, pleading for hope, that gives me chills.

It was in the sour porridge eaten by preschoolers that reminded me that we have a Great Provider.

It was in the simple sweet melodies of the cooks chorus singing, "Don't give up" as they persevered in hot days over hot pots.  Life is tough but God doesn't give up on us.

It was in the wise words of a daughter's soft spoken reminder.  She belongs to the second largest tribe in Swaziland in the royal family, and she simply said that "Fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom".

It was in the persistence of the Children's Cup medical team that encouraged a young teen-age girl to choose life for a baby that she wanted to abort, mentoring with God's hope and giving her godly advice.

God taught us patience from a culture that can't hurry and gave us the strength needed as we looked to the hills, beautiful reminders that God is our portion and always what we need.

It's from the stories of the healing and personal testimony from the facilitators and teachers that inspire me to an overcomer in Christ.

I saw the body of Christ embrace the broken and hurting hearts in Africa, like they were a part of their community, like neighbors should.

I saw lovely hands fill in dirty trenches so children could forget being an adult for a little time, and leave their heavy burdens of life rest at the gate with a new place to play.

It was in these minors, the small things that God revealed His relentless love.  I saw the breath of God breathe new life into the hearts of those were touched with a chicken dinner, a new dress, a knitted hat, a simple painted face, a hug, a band-aid, a bowl of food.

The breathe of God hovering over God's people with undefined borders...unbound and unlimited, and I again understand God has the same relentless love pursuit for us.

It's in the glimpses of God in such personal ways that encourage me to comfort color-blinded hearts for the sake of the gospel.  To experience God in ways that impact more than our small minds can comprehend, resting our trust in God's major work as He advances the Kingdom of Christ.

Sometimes your spirit feels like this...

Photo credit:  Kate Fugate

dry.

parched.

empty.

wrecked.

stirred.

bare.

barren.

wanting.

longing.

hollow.

voided.

I would guess this is the right time for my heart to go Africa.

Lord do your work in me.

I leave today for a couple of weeks to Africa and each time I set foot on foreign

soil, I go with God.

And God goes with me.

There's no other place I rather be than in His right place at His right time.  Every time and 

with every trip, I come back with more than I thought I could.  

To be honest, I am still processing thoughts from my Africa trip two years ago.  

So many poignant moments with God.  

Memories to cherish and memories that change me.  Moments that have impassioned my 

heart towards the tender things of God.

So when the opportunities come to be changed I want to be as empty as possible so that I 

can embrace the One who does the changing.

Let heart your feel like the picture above, let God inspire you.

Lord quicken your work in me.  

Smiles come with caring

Smiles...a result of caring and helping children achieve their dreams.   

This story comes from a Children's Cup Nurse who has been working one-on-one with the children in one of the African CarePoints... 

Echos of laughing children is heard from children playing outside around the clinic, while inside, children sit quietly lined up against the classroom walls waiting to be seen.  Muffled coughs and quiet whispers filled the air as one by one they are seen by the nurses. Full of anticipation  they wait for their turn to cuddle up with the nurse to share their sickness, and hopeful, get some medicine to feel better. 

Children's Cup medical team has the privilege of providing mobile clinic on a regular basis directly to the kids at the Carepoints in Swaziland. It is one of the greatest joys to see the continued improvement in the health of the kids over the years.  Bongiwe, a beautiful 12 year old girl, came with symptoms of a runny tummy. An all to common problem when clean water and good sanitation are only dreamed of, and rarely a reality. This young girl talked with such sweetness, her next statement caught my attention. 

"When I read my Bible at night the white pages make my eyes cry".

She continued to explain that her eye strain was from reading the pages of the Bible at night with her mom. Night blindness is caused by a simple vitamin A deficiency, commonly affecting the children's vision in Swaziland.  Every child seen in the clinic is equipped with multivitamin tablets.

Bongiwe, who dropped out of fourth grade last year after her dad died, loves to read. It has become very hard for her and her four siblings to survive with a mom who hasn't been able to find work and cannot pay rent for their one room house. Her mom takes them all to a good Bible teaching church and often reads the Bible with them. 

With no hope for school fees Bongiwe now stays at home washing dirty dishes, cleaning the house, and helping wash the family clothes by hand.  You can see the longing in her eyes to learn.  She earnestly seeks opportunities to improve her skills of reading. Like a sponge she soaks in the words eager to absorb all she can. If only she had the money for school she might one day fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor. 

She then quoted... Proverbs 1:10 "My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them."

Bongiwe said she now resists the temptation to steal sugar for the kitchen and try's not to insult other people. What a tender heart!  The nurse embraced Bongiwe with a bear hug whispering in her ear how much she was loved and encouraged her to continue reading the Bible and allowing it to speak into her life. With a new spring in her step she left clinic with a small bag of medicine for her stomach, a smile on her face, and joy in her heart.  

There are many more children that need help like Bongiwe, children who want to learn but don't have the funds or support to pay for school.  Their future is as stake.  Education is the path to escaping poverty.

In this country, some girls sell their bodies to get an education.  As a mom, when I think about having to make a choice between my child having to sell her body for the opportunity to go to school, it shuts me down.  I can't comprehend that.  I won't accept that.

You can make a difference with make a contribution to the future of an African generation.   

Children's Cup is making a difference in the lives of children like Bongiwe, who have a safe haven even when life at home is hard. At the Carepoint, Bongiwe gets a warm nutritious meal, medical care, Bible teaching and tutoring, and with your on going help, an opportunity to attend school next year. 

Will you invest in a generation of kids so that they can attend school?  You never know you may be you may be investing in the future Dr. Bongiwe!

Please consider their future like you consider the future of your own children. These children are God's too.  Be a part of what God is changing in Africa with Children's Cup.  Give and make a difference.   Please click this.

You will notice your heart smiling once you do.

Monday Mania 2.0

Nerds will be nerds

We had some super-technological geniuses come to work last week and install some radio computer equipment that apparently had so much tera-byte-gigs and mega-super-duper chips of Internet power that one of them said "It could launch a missile to the moon and back."  Wow...when they were explaining how all of it would work in our studio...my eyes started to glaze over.  I think I lost some brain cells that day as they imploded upon hearing all that techno-talk.  I'll never be the same.
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Kari

I went to see Kari Jobe in concert in Oklahoma City with some great friends and it was an incredible night of worship.  Not because she sings awesomely sweet melodies but because God is awesomely sweet at the way only He can speak love through notes played by instruments strummed and hummed by humans.  Best part though was a close encounter with my Savior.  I'll never be the same.
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This is probably photo shopped Africa

I went to Africa once and plan to go back.   Still to this day..I go back there everyday in my mind.  I think about the kids and the joy and happiness we received from them.  Their smiles make me smile.  International missions has really penetrated me to the point that I hear their voices cry out in my heart.  When I hear them...I am never the same.
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When I see this I come unglued.

There are few things I face almost on a daily basis because I live with boys.  And more and more frequently, I get to experience the life altering empty toilet paper roll.  Please...whoever you are, if you are reading this Monday Mania post today...please I implore you...to pay-it-forward when it comes to bathroom tissue.  It's just a nice and thoughtful thing to do.  You could be in the same situation someday.  I'll never be the same because I just told you that.

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Boo-Boo-Fever-Family

I tried to watch another reality-yet-scripted show on The Learning Channel the other day that should also be called a train wreck for your eyes.  I had kind started to like it (almost) until they dropped some inappropriate language in the script to "enhance" the already rehearsed conversations.  If you don't know me, well just know this, I have zero tolerance for cussing.  I immediately turned it off, and  launched into a mini-sermon-ette on Facebook.  Here goes...

"Well this is just my opinion, but the language that they put into the show to get people to watch was a real turn off for me. It's not been that bad up to this week's show. But I also have a TV Guardian. So I didn't hear it anyway. But when the producers blur the word as it is coming out of the mouths, and you still know what they are saying, that is a deal breaker for me. I rather go look at a post. I don't need all that junk in my brain. Seriously TLC???  That doesn't add to the content of the show. It turns a semi-odd but funny family into a sad display. Frankly, I will pass."

I am different again since I shut that show off. 
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A friend of mine, let's call her Haylee Frazier, says that I use math everyday.  I said, "Nuh...uh...not me...I hate math everyday."  She said, "Did you solve any problems today?"  "No, pretty sure I caused problems, now you solve that."  She wants to be a math teacher someday.  She didn't look at me the same after hearing that.  Looks like we both have a lot to learn.

I like this bow of many colors.

Ok, so let's wrap up this little Monday post in a pink little bow, shall we?  Thanks for reading today.

Guess What Happened Next?

It was a normal Sunday afternoon as my husband and I walked through the store.  I had been praying this idea through for months but I didn't know how to broach the subject.  So in my outside-only-voice, cranked to 11, I just blurted it out.  

"One day, I would like to sponsor a child with Mission of Mercy!"

Terry's response?  "I have wanted to do that too!"

Guess what happened next?

We hurried through the store, drove home, popped up our laptop and chose a child at the Mission of Mercy website.  It was that easy.  God had prepared both of our hearts to offer compassion to little Eskarlin, who lives in the Dominican Republic.  

Me & Eskarlin

Guess what happened next? 

God blessed me with an opportunity to go on a mission trip with Mission of Mercy to travel to the DR and and I had the pleasure of meeting Eskarlin.  You will not believe it when I tell you that this chic with the "outside" voice got real silent and overwhelmed with emotion.  With Mission of Mercy mission trips, you get to meet your sponsored.  It's one of the most incredible experiences ever.  

Guess what happened next?

Nhondudozo, me, and Nomphilo

God lead me to sponsor two more little precious girls in Swaziland, Nomphilo and Nhondudozo.  And then God opened the door for me to travel to Swaziland and feed them.  Again I got to meet them both and I got to share lunch with them.  One of the most humbling experiences ever.  God melted our hearts together and I pray for all my girls daily.  

Guess what happened next?  

This loud talker is praying for more opportunities to give the Mission of Mercy kids a voice.  You can make an eternal investment right now with your sponsorship and you can be a voice for a child too.  Your sponsorship speaks so loud into their lives, your support of $34 a month, spans the miles that separate.  But mostly God will increase your heart to make them a part of your loving family. 

Guess what happens next?  

Pray about how you can be involved with sponsorship with Mission of Mercy, and then act on what God has shown you.  I am praying for you and hope you will choose a child of your own!   

It's one way to live compassion.  It is that easy.  One.Child.Matters.

I Just Got Back From Africa

Sometimes I find myself still unpacking from my trip to Africa

If you find me in a distracted state of mind, then you may have caught me in the middle of it.  Don't blame me.....I just got back from Africa.  It's a place that I travel back to every day.  If you have ever been there you know what I am talking about.  If you have seen God's people hurting and want to help, you go back to the emotional connection you had while there and replay the scenario over and over again.  Scanning your brain's horizon, it's easy to go back in your mind, and think about bringing hope again.    


Sometimes, like the the other day, God nudged me and mentioned that it was ok to recover my dreams.  His soothing voice was like a waterfall of grace.  "I gave them to you, why would I abandon you in them?  Dream a little....it's okay".


Do you have those those wishful and whimsical wishes that you are afraid to write down for fear that they will never come true?   Those thoughts about a life you have been carrying around since you were a little girl, wishfully thinking someday it must might come true?  


It was hard to see those little African kids who didn't have dreams.  Their whole existence is moderated by the question..where and when will they eat?  They have lost their dreams somewhere in the middle of their little messy lives, in their poverty and in being alone. One child was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up....he said "old".  What a heart-wrenching answer to a harsh reality.    


When I trust God for my hopes and dreams, it doesn't make me weak, no...it makes me depend more on God.  From my prayer journal.."The dreams I give you require Me to help you.  You have no idea how they will work out but I do.  Rest in the fact that I have your dreams, your hopes, and the desires of your heart close.  I will not laugh at you or toss them in the wind.  They are important to me too.  And the more you trust the more you will see Me.  The more you see Me the more you see how I can work them in you, to make your dreams come true.  No matter what...I am the Dream-maker, and that's all you need to know."  


Oh...I hear Africa calling my name again.....and I unpack a little more.

As I Share Africa

You can help rescue this child.

God continues to break my heart.  


Read about my journey here.


With a pledge of $30 a month or more, some generous contributors will add to your pledge to help feed a child in Swaziland Africa for a month.  


Make your pledge here....


Read the story of God at work.


Tell a friend with kids to make a pledge.  We need your help.  

Kids in Swaziland need your help.  


Be a part of God's rescue.

Five Minute Friday - Change

I write about change a lot because I have the desire to.  I feel like I need a lot of it.  I tend to constantly evaluate everything.  My goal is to I want to honor God with my words, deeds and thoughts.  It's the least I can do in my response to His grace that has been given to me.


So where do I need to change?  Well maybe you should tell me.  I tend to be too hard on myself actually.  I have a friend who says "Don't change".  But I don't want to stay where I am...I want to be a better person, I want to lose another 30 lbs., I want to know God more, I want to serve more, I want to write a book, I want to run a half-marathon, I want to go back to Africa!   Their has to be changes to make all this happen.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever‑increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:11

God likes to change too.  This verse reminds me that He is in indeed changing me....from one phase of me to another.  He wants more for me, in His holy transformation, to become like Jesus.  There has to be some "me" changes to make that ever increasing glory change happen.  Those changes are hard.  There are times when change feels like you have an open wound that won't heal.  God comes along and uses His rough sanding stone of change to make the painful wound a little more clean.  That refining process is for His glory as He does His work in me.  The results?  His ever-increasing glory...and that makes change worth it.  


So what do you want to change?  How are you letting God change you?