In less than two days I will have read through the ENTIRE BIBLE in a year!

Wow, I only have two more "reading plan days" of the Radical Experiment. I can't believe it's almost over. This truly is a big accomplishment for me to read the entire Bible in a year. As mentioned before I've set out to do it more than once and failed miserably by February each time. Looking back on when we first started this I was a little nervous about how I would "fit" reading the Bible into my life but thankfully I never fell more than a week behind. Even with traveling and tax season I kept up!

 

Reading through the Bible in chronological order has been great. I've learned so much in the process but I can't wait for us to start focusing on certain passages. It's hard to "meditate" and let God's words really soak in when you are reading like 5 chapters a day. I felt like I was breezing through some days but this has definitely been an amazing year! I hope to read the Bible in a year again but I'm not thinking it will happen in 2011.

 

God's Word is good. You should read it, too!

 

 

 

 

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New Years Resolutions

It's been about two years since David Platt ruined my life. As I think about "new years resolutions" (out of habit this time of year) I wish I could come up with some selfish things like work out, eat right, take up a new hobby, make more time for myself or something like that. But no, thanks to David Platt this is what I come up with -

 

*Commit to praying for the nations daily using Operation World

*Tackle debt with a vengeance so that I can be free to give BIG starting in 2012

*Pray daily for Ruth and Jefferson

*"Schedule" a concentrated quiet time daily for prayer and reading God's Word

*Commit to the "New Normal" plan (not totally sure what that is yet)

 

That may not be a complete list but those are some goals I have.

 

While the "official" Radical Experiment is winding down in just a few days I will keep this blog up and going. Once you've "gone radical" I don't think you can really go back. I am reminded constantly of the lifestyle I lived before and although I joke that Platt ruined it, God really used Him to give me my life back, or more accurately stated, to give my life back to Christ. I am completely surrendered to Him. He has given me a purpose. He has given me His eyes. He's broken my heart for what breaks His. He has allowed me to be His hands in feet. He's forgiven me. He's guarded my heart. He has given me a heart for His children. He's provided for my every need. He has protected me. He has given me eternal life. 

 

Surrendering to Him may seem radical to some but I think it's just plain smart. I'm so thankful for my church for coming up with this "experiment" as it has really taught me a lot about how life should look on a daily balance as a Christ follower.

 

PS - I also have a new blog that I will be starting soon, too, but I'm not ready to publicize it just yet.

 

Bookworm

I love to read. Before my 10 day vacation I asked a friend for some book recommendations because I wanted to "get lost in a story" while I was on the cruise. Based on her recommendations, I decided to read "Same Kind of Different As Me" by Ron Hall. I highly recommend this book to anyone that loved the movie or book "The Blind Side" as it is a somewhat similar TRUE story about a family welcoming a homeless man into their family. It will touch your heart. This was just the kind of book I wanted to read while on vacation.

Another book she recommended was "Little Bee" by Christ Cleave. I read reviews on the book and was very intrigued by it even though it didn't give hardly any detail about what the story was about but everyone spoke very highly of the book so I decided to read it. Amazing book! I can't really share any more than that except it's about a little African girl. That's all I'm saying. I thought of my sweet Ruth the whole time I read it.

 

Yesterday I started reading "Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches" by CJ Mahaney. It's a book that has been on my Amazon wish list for a long time. I am so excited about reading this book. I think this is probably a must read for ANY Christian. One line that stands out to me so far was this, "It struck me that this question betrayed what most of us tend to view as really important when it comes to sonship: traceable genetic makeup." This was in regard to people asking his family if the boys they adopted from Russia were "really" brothers? I think David Platt got a lot of his inspiration for his adoption messages from this book so I'm looking forward to reading it.

 

Anyone have any books they would like to recommend to me, recommend away!

 

 

No More HIV?? Really?

I got a text from my mom this morning that said, "did you see Rebecca's post? Ruth tested negative for HIV! Awesome God!" Somehow I had missed her post so I immediately went on Facebook and went to her page and sure enough Ruth AND her sisters Faith and Mercy tested negative for HIV. I literally started crying when I read it. I was so overwhelmed with joy I couldn't help it. 

 

I don't know much about science but I had always thought that once you had HIV you had it for life but it could be "managed" by treatment but with God ANYTHING is possible. HE is the only explanation for their testing negative.

 

Just to remind you, Ruth is my "new niece" in Uganda. She and her sisters were raped and infected with HIV when she was only 4 years old. I am SOO thankful to get up to date information about this sweet little girl. Never did I dream that I would witness the miracle of healing when I became her sponsor. Praise God for her precious life that is HIV free!

 

Consider sponsoring a child today! Go to http://www.myfathershouseintl.org/ for more information about other children in Rebecca's ministry.

 

"Her China Symbolizes Everything That is Family"

For as long as I can remember I have wanted my grandmother's china. I would just stare at the dishes in her china cabinet when I would visit and would, of course, joke that it was "my china." I've always been a pink "girly-girl" and thought her china pattern was just so pretty and dainty.

I'm pretty sure if I had gotten married while she were still alive that I wouldn't have even registered for china because I believe hers were worth waiting for. When my grandmother passed away she left everything to my dad and aunt but I think it was a given that the china was to go directly to me. So last week they became "my" china (although I think I will always refer to them as hers). I transported them from Florida with great caution and couldn't wait to place them in my other's grandmother's china cabinet (although it's not a glass front cabinet so I'm sad I can't admire them all the time).

As a child I just thought her china was pretty and that was why I wanted them. It wasn't until after she passed that I realized how truly special her china is. The other day a friend on Facebook posted this comment, "Her china symbolizes everything that is family." After I read that I realized there is a great deal of truth to that. Every year our family had Thanksgiving and Christmas meals on that china so basically my holiday memories revolve around eating on this china. Then at the funeral I learned that my grandmother used to host a lot of pastors, evangelists and singers for dinner and they ate off her china.

I am so thankful for this precious reminder of my grandmother and the servant she was. She truly loved to cook and host people for dinner. In fact, as she got older it was very hard for her to give up her cooking responsibilities at the holidays. Her dishes are used to being utilized for serving family, friends, and ministry leaders, not to collect dust in a china cabinet. So being their new owner requires me step it up. Unfortunately I did not inherit her love for cooking but I think I have not only inherited her china but also the task of becoming a better servant.

GPS Finale

The GPS finale was really good. We had a "panel" discussion which really just consisted of foster parents and this amazing 40 year old lady that was raised in one of the Alabama Baptist Children's Home group homes. While listening to her testimony I was fighting back the tears BIG TIME. I've attached links to her story below, one is a short video, the other is a short article.

 

Basically when she was 5 her father was shot in front of her and her 9 year old brother. Her mother didn't take care of her and her brother and they were moved to a group home in Troy, AL. Back then they didn't have foster homes and adoption wasn't as "popular" so they basically just lived in the home until college and ABCH paid for her college. She tried to maintain a relationship with her mother while in the group home but her mother didn't always show up for their meetings and sometimes she would spend the weekend with her and her mom would be on drugs, partying, etc. She was teased a lot at school for "not having parents" and living in a group home, etc. She struggled a lot growing up.

 

After college she married, got divorced, and re-married and her husband committed suicide a few years ago. Their son was 2. She is now taking care of her mother who has dementia and her 6 year old son. She is a school bus driver and has a lot of compassion for the children she drives to school.

 

Can you imagine your mother abandoning you your whole life and then humbling yourself to care for her in her old age? Susan was so positive and upbeat about everything. She said, "no matter what, everyone wants attention and love from their parents." Her mother and her have a better relationship now and she is getting a lot of healing having her around now. Her mother appears to be very apologetic for not taking care of her.  

Susan's Story:

http://www.alabamachild.org/videos/ 

http://www.alabamachild.org/article/susans-homecoming/?r=/news/008/Features/

 

After our panel discussion ended I talked to the Social Worker regarding the next step. In about 3 weeks she will come to my house for my "interview" and she will give me tips on where I might need to make some adjustments for my "home check" (child proof stuff). From there it will just be a matter of waiting for the background checks to come in.

 

We talked some about what the needs are and there are apparently quite a few "siblings" in foster care and she wanted to know if I would be open to taking in siblings for respite and I said yes. Another need is at the holidays. I guess sometimes foster parents don't want the foster children with them at the holidays or maybe they are traveling and it's too complicated to take them, etc. so if I'm in town I can help with that or get the courts approval to take the child with me to Florida if I'm planning on traveling at the holidays. There's just no telling how God wants to use me as a foster parent but I really do want to be completely open to whatever needs arise.

When Beauty and Brokenness Converge

This breaks my heart because the THREE times I went to Mexico on vacation I never cared about the brokenness that surrounded me while I relaxed by the pool at my all-inclusive resort. I was annoyed when little children tried to sell necklaces and blankets to me while I basked in the sun. Never once did I think that those children might not eat that day if they didn't sell those necklaces. Praise God He has broken my heart for what breaks His now, though!


Repost from Lifeline:

WHEN BEAUTY AND BROKENNESS CONVERGEfrom
Lifeline Children's Services, Inc. by Krisha Yanko


Turquoise ocean waters rolling in perfect synchronization up to sunny, pristine looking beaches from 12,000 feet. I’m on final approach to Porta Plata, flying across the Dominican Republic, a majestic tropical island that could easily be mistaken for one belonging in the Hawaiians. I have had opportunities to travel all over the globe, but I am thinking to myself that I have perhaps never taken in so much beauty for such an extended period of time, literally in every direction I am awed by what my eyes are taking in.. WOW!

In twenty minutes we are on the ground at a really cool looking semi-outdoor airport. What an interesting place. Neat and exotic designs, people, and stuff.. yeah, I’m absolutely falling in love with this place! For safety and a good night’s sleep the team is staying at an all inclusive resort just minutes from airport(my first such experience and only $43 a night). Our little piece of heaven for the next three days is down a beautifully landscaped boulevard. As we pull up I am immediately taken by how everything is so open, maximizing the pure delight of perfect temperatures in this Caribbean paradise. The outdoor restaurant is my favorite place on the complex.. continual coastal breezes dancing lightly on me, enjoying delicious tasting foods and juices, perfectly manicured golf course and pool in the background, and like minded teammates conversing at our table.. don’t pinch me I might wake up.. WOW!

The next morning less than two miles from my comfortable all-inclusive resort beauty converged with brokenness. Trash and despair everywhere I looked and moved.. repulsive smells, crying, disease, and hopelessness.. death is viewed as relief. The team tours a village stepping in ankle high trash and open sewage. I bend down and tie a few more knots in my shoestrings to lessen the likelihood they will be exposed to this filth. A few steps latter it doesn’t matter as one of my feet sink six inches into a combination of things not fit to describe here. An entire town of dilapidated dwellings and not one of the homes is the size of my son’s bedroom. We hear the villagers stories, pray over a man dying of cancer and a lady whose 12 month old child has been taken to the hospital (a place where you go to die).. its not the first child she’s had that has taken this sad journey. We meet four girls 13 and 14 years old. All but one of them have been sold into prostitution by their parents. The other girl is parentless.. an orphan prostitute and in her arms is an 18 month old child.. who will no doubt grow up as an orphan as well. I have an ache inside of me that is hard to describe. It’s physical, emotional, and spiritual. How can these things be.. as the days quickly click by this feeling only grows as town after town we are confronted with the same unforgettable reality.. total brokenness! And for almost everyone in these towns over the age of eight or nine hope has already died.. WOW!

The world takes broken things and broken people and discards them. Few even know these people exist. I had not given these creations of God much thought before I pulled up to their towns a couple of weeks ago.. that’s all changed now.. I am aware that these Haitians and Dominicans are on the island of despair right now. It’s not getting better.. the Weather Channel is highlighting a tropical storm is beating hard on the people.. WOW!

I read in the Holy Scriptures a question from the book of Isaiah, “What more could have been done?” It’s a penetrating question isn’t it.. what more could be done? ..To look back on the measure of our life and truly evaluate our contribution for His Kingdom. I am growing convinced that our greatest fear in life shouldn’t be the fear of failure, but rather of fear of succeeding at the wrong things. To invest our entire lives climbing the ladder of success only to realize at the end that our ladder was leaning on the wrong things.. WOW!

You and I are called to a Great Cause.. to love “the least of these”.. to care for orphans in distress. Well friends, the distressed are in the Dominican tonight existing in unimaginable conditions. Hope is coming.. We can do more! We must do more! We will do more! We are going to plant churches and schools in these communities. We are going to be the hands and feet of Jesus! We are going to let these precious souls taste the richness of God’s love and glory! Do you want to partner with us.. we could really use someone like you. Yep, I already know you are the perfect fit because you are still reading and these children of God are still waiting. Give me a call and let’s get to work. Lets make a difference.. lets replace brokenness with beauty!

Dave Wood
International Director
lifelineadoption.org
(205)967.0811

Body of Christ

Friday night I went to my fourth Secret Church at Brook Hills. Three years ago if you had asked me if I wanted to go to church for 6-7 hours on a FRIDAY night I would have laughed in your face. Now I LOVE it! The topic was "The Body of Christ."

 

Highlights from Secret Church include: knowing there were people from age 7 to age 89 there studying God's word on a Friday night, knowing that people had traveled from Uganda, China, Afghanistan, Canada and several countries throughout the US to study God's word, hearing people during the break talk about how fast David was flying through the material, hearing people laugh at David's jokes and stories that I have heard before and hearing our guest from overseas say that being at Brook Hills is what he envisions heaven will be like (yep, I agree).

 

What I didn't expect at Secret Church, though, was for the material to be a "refresher" for me. I've been going to Brook Hills for two years and have listened to all of David's sermons since he's been at Brook Hills and Secret Church was really just a compilation of a couple of sermon series I've already heard. I still had a great time and it's ALWAYS good to hear things multiple times but I couldn't help but think that maybe I should have given up my seat for someone who has never heard David teach, like the guy in Michigan that bought a plane ticket but wasn't able to get a Secret Church ticket since they sold out too fast.

 

I thought Secret Church was supposed to be an intense time of Bible study for our faith family but now it's turned into a ministry for people outside of our church. I'm not saying I won't go back to Secret Church, but maybe I should make sure I'm bringing a visitor.

 

The biggest thing that hit me was the fact that I'm not reproducing what I've learned and am still learning. If I've already heard everything David taught why am I not teaching others? I think one of the "reasons" (excuses) is because I feel like everyone I'm surrounded by is already getting "fed" the Word from David, too, so what could I teach them that they don't already know?

 

......I'm getting the feeling that God is preparing me for something, though. I'm sensing that I shouldn't be complacent to Birmingham and Brook Hills because He may be filling me up so He can send me out. I love Birmingham and my church but if He wants me to be somewhere else I'll follow Him (preferably somewhere a bit warmer!)

 

GPS 8

Last night was my second to last GPS class. It's hard to believe that I'm almost done! Next week will actually just be a panel discussion with a foster parent, a child raised in a group foster home, a child who was raised in a home that foster children came in and out of, a Social Worker and who knows who else. Should be interesting, I suppose.

 

Last night we talked about how family dynamics change when you add people into a family. We talked about the roles people play in a family and how to incorporate a new member, etc. When a child comes into a home those first 24 hours can be quite scary for them and it's our job to make sure they feel comfortable.

 

It wasn't anything all that profound but definitely a reminder to be mindful of this and to help the child understand and learn the family roles, rules and where he/she fits into the family.

 

I don't know what I'm going to do with all my free time when GPS is over and my Teaching the Bible class ends this month, too. I'm so excited to have a little break!

Excited to see what God has in store for me with foster care!

GPS - Only Two More To Go!!!

Last week's GPS was a bit uneventful BUT Saturday I took care of two very crucial items for applying to foster....CPR certification and finger printing for the DHR and FBI background checks! Should give you a bit of piece of mind knowing that I'm now certified for CPR if you have dinner with me, right? lol.

 

I still have to have a "home study" done. Not sure when that will be. Plus I need to decide if I want to foster infants and if so I will have to do some more things at home before the home study can be completed.

 

The background checks are the longest "hurdle" in the process of being licensed, though, so getting the finger prints done was crucial. I had been putting it off for a long time then finally went one day only to have them say it would be an hour before he could do it. Saturday the guy was super nice and he did it right away. I'm not sure if my background check will go faster since it's a single background check versus married couple, but either way it will be awhile before I'm good to go. Unfortunately that means it will probably have to be AFTER April 15th before I will start fostering. People keep asking me when I will get my first child, and well, it's gonna be awhile people.

 

 

So if you happen to get a call from DHR or the FBI regarding my background please be nice! HA!!

Radical Healthcare

When the Radical Experiment started and I was thinking about ways I could save money and give more I was rather limited but did the best I thought I knew how. It's almost November but I'm still constantly trying to think of ways to save (and give).

 

A few weeks ago I was researching individual insurance plans for a client. The client is a doctor and it was cheaper for him to drop his wife off his group insurance and have her get an individual HSA policy through Blue Cross so I was assisting her with that. I discovered how "cheap" individual plans are versus what our group policy premiums. She is in her 50's and the premiums were still 1/2 of what my group premium is.

 

Fast forward to last week, October is the month our office completes our "Flexible Spending Plan" form. I tend to be more book smart then practical. I KNEW we had a cafeteria plan and I KNOW what a cafeteria plan is but I just never put the two together because, well, I'm not a client of mine. FYI - With a cafeteria plan you agree to have your salary reduced by a certain amount to cover insurance, HSA, or dependant care expenses (evaluated on an annual basis). It's pre-tax money. My employer increases our salary by the amount of insurance so they are paying for our insurance, IF we want it. There was a question as to whether or not the company would pay for the total health insurance premiums since premiums were going up significantly.

 

This brought back to mind the client I had just helped with insurance so I confirmed that yes, I can drop my group insurance and get an individual plan on my own and get that extra money in cash. I would, of course, have to pay taxes on the amount but I would still come out way ahead. The cool thing is I could still contribute to the pre-tax Health Savings Account. I did the number crunching (cause well I love to crunch numbers) and yes, mom, it did turn into an Excel spreadsheet, and determined that my after tax "savings" (after paying the new premium) was $300 a month!!

 

Next I had to compare the plans....well, that was the tough part because the plans are not 100% the same and yes I would be giving up coverage but for the most part it wasn't coverage I anticipated needing so it was a risk I felt somewhat comfortable taking.

 

Finally, when I went to apply for the individual policy there was a notice that said that coverage and rates would increase in January due to all the Obamacare stuff. Another hurdle. However, at that point I had fully accepted that this was a blessing from God and that He would provide for my health care needs and if the premiums went up a little, oh well.

 

Praise God for this blessing! Let me encourage you to review ALL areas in your life for possible savings, too. Who knew I could be radical with health insurance??!!

 

 

GPS

Nothing exciting to report from GPS last night but I like to be consistent so I will go ahead and post about it. Only 2 weeks left and then we will have a panel discussion for the final one (3 total). I can't believe it's almost over!!! I really need to get my act together and get the CPR certification and get my finger prints done!

 

Last night we discussed helping children connect with their birth parents. As the saying goes, "I can talk bad about the people I love but YOU can't," you really have to watch what you say about a foster child's parents. No matter how bad their home life is/was their parents are still a part of their identity and if you talk bad about their parents they feel like you are really talking bad about them personally. Also you need to be sensitive to their cultural differences and traditions and learn how to cook things they like, fix their hair if it's different than yours, etc. This helps them keep their identity versus you trying to mold them to be like you.

 

Another interesting discussion was about a child's "fantasy" birth parents. An example was a 10 year old in a foster home with a 13 year old boy. The 10 year old tells the 13 year old that his real dad plays for the Titans and they can get tickets to go to a game sometime even though his dad is really in jail. When the 13 year old excitedly tells his dad this news, how should the dad respond? The dad knows the foster child's dad is in jail and the boy is lying. Some might think the kid needs to be disciplined for lying. Some might correct the child in front of their son causing the boy to argue that his dad really is a football player. The best way to handle it is to take the boy aside and remind him that his dad is in jail. He doesn't have to have a famous dad to be accepted. They loved him regardless of who his dad is.

 

Anyway, that was just an interesting analogy to me. Every time we talk about different scenarios I think, wow, what would I do in this situation had I not been in training. I hope I wouldn't discipline that child or correct him in front of the other boy but sometimes you act without thinking, ya know.

 

That's about it for this week's GPS update.

 

 

Ministering to Your Neighbors

I am the first to admit that I'm not currently involved in any official local mission iniatives. Having young dogs that need lots of exercise and attention is a lot more responsibility than having a 15 year old, 5 lb. dog! Side note: If you aren't prepared to give a pet the exercise and attention it deserves than do it a favor and resist the temptation to adopt a puppy just because it's cute. I spend a lot of my "free" time walking my dogs in my neighborhood and visiting with various neighbors and I really enjoy it. It's relaxing.

 

I usually stop and let the kids in my neighborhood play with Roscoe and Peaches. I want my dogs to be good around kids so this time is great for the kids and for the dogs. Peaches LOVES these kids which is amazing because Shrimp hated people...especially kids! Peaches chases them, licks them to death, and jumps all over them. She (and the kids) are in heaven. There is a single mom with two sweet kids that have really taken to Peaches. They liked Roscoe when he was a puppy but they were a little intimidated when he got bigger (they are fine with him now). I've gotten to know them better in the last month or two. Her son even told her this weekend that he didn't want to move because he didn't want to be far away from Peaches. He literally RUNS to her when we are out walking screaming, "Peaches" at the top of his lungs.

 

There is also a family with 3 kids. One of the kids is from a previous marriage. His mom lives in Kentucky so he is living with his dad and step mom and I believe the other two kids are the husband and wives' shared kids. I sense this little guy (maybe age 9) is really lacking attention and is feeling a little displaced living with dad and step mom.

 

Over the past 5-6 weeks that I've had Peaches he has been warming up to me. This week he asked his dad or step mom if he can walk Peaches (with me and Roscoe) a few times. At first I was like, "really, why can't I just quietly walk at my own pace without this tagalong who I am constantly having to tell to get out of the road when a car is coming!" But the things he's been sharing with me is letting me know that he just really needs someone to talk to. He was held back from whatever grade he's in. He made horrible grades last year but now is doing good (since it's a repeated year I would hope so). He needs to be praised for doing a good job. He wants to work at a pet store when he grows up but doesn't want to own it or manage it because "he doesn't think he could do it." Poor guy has such a low self esteem.

 

I just couldn't imagine being 9 years old living with my dad, his new wife and THEIR kids while my mom is 2 states away. So I've decided that I've got to be there for this kid. I've got to ask him about his school and encourage him and build up his self esteem. Kids always let their guard down when animals are around and he clearly feels comfortable around me. One night this week his step brother wanted to walk with us so of course I had to tell them that they had to take turns walking Peaches and I could tell that he did NOT like having to share that time with him. (I won't let them walk Roscoe since he's so big and pulls on the leash so they can only walk Peaches).

 

I don't know if or when I will ask his dad if I can bring him to church with me but I do feel like he was placed in my life at this time for a reason and I pray I am open to whatever God calls me to do even if it means I can't enjoy a peaceful walk with my dogs or spend a Friday night taking him for ice cream or something. It's funny because I have never liked boys (kids) except John Jr. the boy I babysat for several years but God keeps placing little boys in my life lately that have stolen my heart.

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Stranger

Stranger by Mandi Mapes

just another day in a beautiful town where money makes the world go round caught in a place where no matter what I do I feel let down 'cause I keep chasing all these funny things that don't even matter in the end  this world is not my home I am a stranger in this country Jesus in me won't You pour me out I'm ready to abandon all my shiny things my family, and this American dream, Lord come take it all from me until there's nothing left but You  Lord, open my eyes that I may see the brevity of my life may Your Word tear down my sinful heart and fill me with new desires by Your Spirit I will live for You and love You with all my soul so have Your way in me and let Your kingdom come

© 2009 Mandi Mapes

GPS

Just in case you were wondering what all is required for fostering, here's a breakdown of the items I have completed and what is pending:

 

Copy of birth certificate

Copy of homeowner's insurance

Copy of SS card

Copy of Drivers license

Copy of car insurance

Monthly budget

Physical/TB test

Copy of home emergency plan

Application

Questionnaire

 

My pending items:

Finger printing

FBI background check

CPR certification

Water safety class (if you plan to take the child swimming, which I will)

Completed GPS class (I'm 1/2 way there!)

Homestudy (with a list of things they will look at at your house)

 

I may be missing something but that's the gist of it. There are a lot of steps.

 

Last night at GPS we talked about how to handle a child's behavior. You can't spank a foster child so they talked about 15 ways to handle a child's bad behavior, such as time out, grounding, reinforce good behavior, etc. The main reason you can't spank a foster child is because many of them come from abusive homes and they can't distinguish abuse versus punishment. It wasn't the most exciting class, but I am still enjoying the class each week. Most parents never take a class on parenting so I sort of feel this is a good preparation for me not just with fostering but if and when I have children and in the way I interact with my nieces and friend's children.

 

One of leaders talked about two twin teenage girls that were in her home whose mother always told one of the twins she was the prettiest and the smartest and of course she got a big head and rubbed it in the other sister's face. The other sister had a very low self esteem and even though she was attractive, too, she did terrible in school because she never felt good enough. The lady who fostered them tried so hard to work with her and build her self esteem. I'm praying about whether or not I would take a teenager into my home. I don't think I can handle a teenager that needed a lot of discipline but one that just needed to hear she was beautiful and smart would be fine. I'm trying to be as open as possible, yet knowing my limits. The Lord only knows what children is going to be best suited for my home. We'll see.

 

After GPS I was watching Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice and on Private Practice one of the guys died last season and then his daughter's mother died too. A family member was keeping the daughter but then she didn't want the responsibility anymore so she dumped her off at the practice. Everyone knew they should take care of his daughter but no one was willing to step up to the plate to adopt her so then the "people mover" (from a child's perspective this is who the Social Worker is) came to take her. I have had a heard time grasping how children get in foster care because if you have family and friends surely someone is going to take your children. I know I would adopt my nieces in a heart beat if needed and I would go so far as to say that I would take my closest girl friend's children in, as well, if needed. So it's just really hard for me to comprehend that there are people out there that don't have that kind of support. Heartbreaking.

 

It's kind of exciting to go through this process and not having a clue what will come of it. I'm just being obedient to God's call to care for children in need but I have no clue what that is going to look like in my life.

 

 

GPS #4

Last night in GPS we learned about attachments. We learned that when a child comes into your home and misses their families, etc that is a good thing. It means they have learned to attach to people (ie, trust) and it means they can also attach to you (this is not the case for all children). When children don't form healthy attachments early on they have a hard time ever learning to attach so it's really a good thing if they come into your home and they miss home. You have to encourage them and let them know what they are feeling is ok. They will eventually form new attachments (if they aren't going back to their birth parents, that is).

 

Basically to help a child "attach" to you you just need to spend time with them, play games, bake cookies, go for walks, brush their hair, etc. But it of course takes time. Our awesome social worker recently learned some techniques to work with children that have not formed healthy attachments that can even be used on mission trips and she might be going on the same trip to Guatemala with me. I'm praying that she does. I would love to help her do these exercises with some of the children there that I could tell have not been nurtured and have not formed healthy attachments. This could be some of  God's "something bigger" plans for my Guatemala trip being postponed?!?!

 

I am so thankful that I am taking the GPS class with the Alabama Baptist Children's Home because they are really giving us the good, bad and ugly of foster care. Apparently not all GPS classes tell you about all the problems you will encounter. They sugar coat it. If you envision a happy, issue-free child eagerly coming into your home that just can't wait to be a part of your family you are not getting the full story, that is for sure!

 

Some thoughts on fostering that have been crossing my mind over the past week -

 

1. How often do I want the child to come stay with me? (every other weekend, one weekend a month, etc)

2. If the child and I have bonded well would I be open to having him or her stay full time if ABCH or DHR provided after school care?

3. If the child wasn't reunited with their birth parents (which is the goal in foster care) would I be open to adopting them?

 

I really have no clue what will come of this foster training. I'm pretty much giving God a blank check on it, though. I'm entertaining different scenarios simply to prepare myself for what He may have planned but the truth is I'm clueless. I know I want to adopt but I've always been opposed to adopting a child whose birth parents are alive (especially in the US) BUT what God wants and what I want are not always the same. So that third question is key, would I be willing to step up to the plate for a child in need if their parents were unable to care for them....not for a weekend, but for the rest of their lives? If foster children don't have immediate relatives to care for them then their foster parents truly are the best candidates, in my opinion, to care for them. The answer has to be yes. If God places that child in my life with those circumstances I have to remind myself that I am giving Him a blank check.

 

Ok, so that's my foster care update for the week....

 

 

Goodbye Old, Hello New!

I don't have anything particularly profound to say but I'm just really excited we have finally arrived at the New Testament in the Bible Reading Plan. For years I have attempted to read the Bible in a year and never make it past Exodus so to be in Matthew is quite a personal accomplishment. I have learned SOO much this year. I have to admit it was a struggle to get through some of the Old Testament reading. Then on Sundays David has always found a way to make it interesting and ALWAYS point to Christ which has been very fascinating.

 

I love reading as a faith family and hearing and reading the wonderful story of redemption unfold. We are so fortunate to be able to walk through this together this year. What on earth can we do in 2011 that can "top" this? No telling!

 

Goodbye Exodus. Goodbye Leviticus. Goodbye Job. Goodbye Lamentations.

Hello Matthew. Hello Mark. Hello Luke. Hello John.

 

HELLO JESUS!!!!

 

The God We Praise

I LOVE being in TCABH's choir. I sometimes complain about rehearsal on Wednesdays and the Sundays we sing having to be there for all 3 services BUT I really do love it. I'm just a home body so I'm always going to complain when I'm not at home with my babies. Side note: If I'm this bad with my fur babies, just think how bad I will be with kids. Maybe I will be blessed and can stay at home full time!?!?!

 

Anywho, our worship team is so talented and they write a lot of the music we sing. I rushed back from the Southern Baptist Convention back in June so I could be a part of our first original music CD project, "The God We Praise." The songs are recorded to sound "congregational." From the samples it really does sound like they recorded us singing on a Sunday morning but really what we did was we sang the songs in "parts" and then sang melody and they overlapped the two recordings. Sneaky, huh! We are launching the CD tomorrow night at church and it will be available on itunes starting at midnight tonight. Check it out at www.thegodwepraise.com. Be sure to read the lyrics and listen to the song bios! My favorite is our church's "anthem" "We Are the Body of Chirst." But there are 11 runner ups cause they are all good!

 

 

Guatemale Has Been Postponed

Just in case you don't know already my Guatemala trip in December has been canceled. The pastor we work with down there said it wasn't a good week (between Christmas and New Years) because they do a lot of celebrating and Tabitha House will be closed too. Dad and I will plan to go in May or June of next year.

 

I'm sad that I won't be going back this calendar year and have to wait even longer to see sweet Jefferson and James but I know that God has a better plan in store. The good news is I have the money for the trip so I won't have to do any fundraising for it! The bad news is I REALLY want to go to Africa next summer and I'm not sure I will be able to take that much time off (1 week for GUA and 2 for Africa).

 

Since I have some extra vacation days this year (since I'm not going to GUA) I will be taking some time off at Thanksgiving to spend with family. My mom and I are going on a 3 night cruise and then I will be in Jacksonville for 6 days!!! I can't wait to be a bum on the boat for 3 days and then come back and bundle up and take Roscoe to the beach to play!!! My sweet dad will be taking care of Roscoe and Peaches while we set sail. I am so thankful for these past several years of being single and being able to travel with my parents. Not everyone is fortunate enough to do that so I am counting my blessings. If I had (human) children I'm sure I would not have the time or money to do that. 
Can't wait to go to Guatemala with my dad next year, too! We may be there for his birthday, too!!!

 

GPS #3

Went to my second GPS class last night (but it was the 3rd class). We talked about losses and the different stages of grieving. An analogy that was given about what a foster child experiences when they are taken from their family is a divorce when one of the spouses did not want the divorce. The former spouse is still alive, they just aren't a part of their life anymore but there's still hope that they will be reunited. Unlike death where one gets complete closure, foster kids generally have birth parents that are alive. They are just in rehab, jail, or somewhere else. Another analogy was hurricane Katrina victims who lost everything in a days time. When children go into foster care they immediately lose their parents, siblings, homes, toys, clothes, neighbors, school, friends; everything. Most of them are fearful, many want to sleep with a night light on.

 

A couple of people that I admire told me I should go through the foster training even if I didn't ever foster a child if I was considering adoption, which I of course am. I understand now why they said that. Sometimes I wish I had been a psychology major and even wish I had been a social worker because I really enjoy learning and trying to understand behavior. It's a lot easier to be compassionate to a child when you understand where they are coming from. Sort of like in Guatemala when I was holding and loving on dirty smelly babies. If I did not understand the reason they were dirty and smelly (they live in a dump) it would be harder for me to accept them that way. Same with foster children.

Last night during class my mom's friend who is a travel agent called me while I was in class because I was booking a mini vacay for my mom and I. I sent her an email letting her know I was in a foster training class and couldn't talk. Come to find out her mother fostered 92 children. WOW! I imagine she had foster siblings growing up and I'm anxious to hear her stories. I know I want to foster while I'm single but if I ever get married and have kids I am not 100% sure whether or not I will foster so it will be good to hear some stories from her perspective. If I hadn't been booking a vacation with her and if she hadn't called then I might not have ever made the connection. Only God can orchestrate that kind of thing!

 

I have a mountain of paperwork to complete for fostering but I'm excited to have the process underway!

 

Unworthy and Ashamed

I don’t have wounds from an abusive home. My parents weren’t alcoholics or druggies. They weren’t in jail. I wasn’t raped by an uncle. I didn’t lose a parent at a young age from death or divorce. I never lost a sibling to cancer or a car accident. But I have scars.

I “accepted” Christ at the age of 7. I grew up in a Christian home with two parents, a sister and a dog. I was literally at church every time the doors were open. I pretty much lived my life the way I wanted to and rarely sought God’s guidance. I knew He was always there and thankfully He protected me from getting myself into too much trouble. I pretty much only sought his help in emergency/desperate times. My dad is a pastor and when I was younger I thought that HIS good works would outset my rebellion. I guess I thought God looked at the family unit instead of us being held accountable for our own sins.

I never learned HOW to have a relationship with Christ. I never learned WHY reading the Bible was so important. I never understood WHO God is and WHAT that means to me. Somehow I only picked up on “Do this, this and this and Christians don’t do this, this or this.” But I never knew why. My view of being a Christian was basically this: You believe in Jesus. You get to go to Heaven instead of Hell when you die. You TRY to be a good person and when you aren’t you ask God to forgive you.

Over the past couple of years that has changed. I have been learning how to have a relationship with Christ, what it means to be a Christ follower, why reading the Bible is important and as a result my view of “being a Christian” has drastically changed. Although I have always believed in Christ as my Savior I never picked up on how that changes the way I live my life. I am now completely dependent on Him. I have given Him a blank check on my life. But I have wounds.

I am ashamed at the way I disobeyed Christ for so many years. I’m ashamed that I thought all I had to do was say a prayer, walk an aisle, get dunked in water and that’s all it took to be a Christian. I’m ashamed that I wasn’t a good example of being a child of God. I’m ashamed that I zoned out in Sunday school and church for many years. I’m ashamed I thought I had to be entertained at church and got bored when I wasn’t. I’m ashamed that I didn’t take my faith in Christ seriously. I’m ashamed that I ignored the poor, orphans and widows for years. I’m ashamed that I chased the American dream. I’m ashamed of so much. I know I shouldn’t let Satan get the best of me, but these feelings sometimes come to the surface. These are my wounds. I bared a false witness to my Creator. Religion was my biggest cover up for my sin. It breaks my heart to think that there are millions of people out there that are also covering their sins with their religion.

I have been given the opportunity to share my story on how “Radical” has impacted and changed my life to many people. As I started thinking about how God has been working in my life Satan keeps telling me things like: “You didn’t quit your job and sell everything and move to Africa, what makes your story so “radical?” or “You hardly sacrificed anything this year, you didn’t give up this or this….” or “You can barely quote scripture.”

The truth is I really don’t know why God chose me to tell my “Radical” story. Although my life has definitely changed and has impacted others over the past few years I still live in the 280 culture. Compared to so many people in my faith family my life isn’t all that radical. So although I am humbly grateful for this opportunity I feel completely unworthy.

I pray that God will communicate through me in a way that others will see His work in my life and their lives will be impacted for His glory.

GPS #2

Where’s GPS #1? There isn’t a GPS #1 post because I did not make it to the first GPS class.

What is GPS? It’s a group training class for people that want to be foster parents in Birmingham. It’s a total of 30 hours of training. My GPS class is being held at the Alabama Baptist Children’s Home. I want to share a little history on how I wound up in a GPS class and what we did in class. It is my goal that anyone that is considering fostering can get a little insight as to what is involved in the process and for people to learn why I decided to be a foster parent and how that looks for me.

About a year ago David asked the church to ask God if He wanted them to consider foster parenting or adoption. There is a big need in Birmingham for foster homes and we need to be caring for the children in need right here in our community. I felt God calling me to do this but I knew with a full time job there was no way I could be a foster parent so I simply signed up as a foster care support person. In this role I was supposed to be paired with a foster family to serve as support whenever they needed a babysitter or something. I was very excited about this opportunity but unfortunately time passed and I was never matched with a family. I’m sure it was just a matter of time before I would be matched.

I still felt God calling me to serve in some sort of fostering capacity so I talked to a few people that had fostered and someone who was single that had gone through the GPS classes as well. I found out that there was a great need for “Respite Care” fostering. Respite Care fostering is temporary fostering. Basically if a foster family needs to travel out of state (they aren’t allowed to take a foster child out of Alabama), wants to spend some time with just their family, or whatever the need is you take their foster child in temporarily. My friend who went through the first GPS class is doing this. She has the same foster child about one weekend a month.

One Sunday after church a group of singles went to the park and I took Roscoe and one of my foster pups with me. My friend had her foster child with us at the park and she LOVES dogs. She had so much fun playing with Roscoe and my foster puppy, Shelby. I could see so much joy in her eyes playing with them and she even talked about her family to me while we were playing with the dogs. Animals really have a way of getting people to let their guard down. It made me so happy to know that while she was going through the stress of being separated from her family I (well, Roscoe and Shelby actually) was able to make her smile that afternoon. After that I knew that this was a great ministry opportunity for me. Obviously not all children love dogs the way this girl did, but I believe that if I am faithful and obedient that He will bring the right child into my home for however long as He desires and He will be able to touch him or her through me in a way that they wouldn’t get in any other home.

This was confirmed in my GPS class last night. We went through a typical detailed scenario of how a child winds up in a foster home. It was very eye opening and shocking. We talked about how each of the “parties” of the story feel as they are going through the process. This post is already pretty long so I won’t go into detail but basically I saw how beneficial it would be for a child to be in a single person’s home. Some children desperately need one on one attention. Little girls, especially ones that have been abused, need to feel like the princesses they are. They need to watch Disney princess movies and eat popcorn. They need to have tea parties and play dress up. Sometimes that isn’t always possible in homes with other children or a child may feel like the third wheel in a home with two foster parents and no children.

There were three couples in my class and then me so it’s a pretty small group. I think there is a fourth couple that wasn’t there this week. Please pray for each of us as we go through this training and for the children we will minister to in the future. Please also ask God if He wants you to consider fostering or adopting a child in need.

I Have a New Niece!

I have a new niece in Africa. Her name is Ruth. She is such a beautiful little girl. She is 5 years old and she and her sisters were raped and infected with HIV. Read their stories here and then read about how God led me to Ruth…


http://rebeccakristen.blogspot.com/2010/07/pretty-princesses.html

http://rebeccakristen.blogspot.com/2010/07/only-jesus-can.html

Recently I was sponsoring a little girl in Congo with World Vision but her family had to relocate and she was no longer in the child sponsorship program. I was so sad. I really wanted to build a relationship with her and one day even visit her. I spent a lot of time “choosing” her out of the countless children posted on World Vision and Compassion’s websites and I was only able to sponsor her for a few months. :( After that experience I put child sponsorship on “hold” and focused my attention on my trip to Guatemala. I knew that God would lead me to the right child to sponsor when He wanted me to sponsor again.

I have been reading several blogs lately on adoption. I am so thankful for the countless families out there that are so transparent in sharing their adoption stories. One lady posted a link to Rebecca’s blog (listed above) so I added it to my Reader but hadn’t really read any posts yet. Yesterday I started reading her blog and was immediately drawn to Ruth and her sisters. She posted in July that she wanted two sponsors for each of the girls. I thought for sure they would all have sponsors by now given that it’s September. I mean surely I wasn’t the only one that read their story and wanted to help, right? Well I contacted Rebecca anyways and she still needed one more sponsor for Ruth and a sponsor for the oldest sister Joyce. I was glad that I was going to be able to sponsor Ruth but saddened by the fact that so much time had passed and no one had stepped up!

Ruth, the youngest, was the one that gripped my heart the most. I mean, really, who rapes a 4 year old? What about a 4 year old’s body can possibly be attractive to a grown man? GROSS! Did this man know he had AIDS and he was infecting these precious innocent girls? What could have possibly gone through his mind? What was going on in their minds when he was doing this to them?

When someone gets AIDS from sharing needles while doing drugs or participates in gay sex I sort of feel like, “well what do you expect?” Not that I don’t care about them, but they did bring that on themselves, ya know. But these three young girls were sent out to get food so they wouldn’t starve to death only to be raped and contracted with HIV. That’s just horrible.

The past couple of weeks I haven’t been as close to God as I would like to be. Dealing with the loss of my little Shrimpie who has been a part of my life for over ½ my life and then welcoming a new puppy into my home (while still loving my sweet Roscoe), I’ve been busy and temporarily distracted. God has a way of bringing his children back to Him, though. He used this little girl to do just that. Ruth reminded me that God loves children all over the whole world, not just the ones in the U.S. and Guatemala. His children are in villages in Uganda, India, Haiti, and everywhere else in between and therefore I needed to, as well. My prayer is to let God love little Ruthie through me. Period. I can’t wait to start shopping for things to send her through Rebecca in November. I pray that one day I can meet this precious child of God this side of heaven!

So what is distracting you from sponsoring a child such as Ruth and her sisters? New dress? New car? Paying off debt? Vacation? PLEASE consider sponsoring a child today! Ruth’s oldest sister Joyce still needs a sponsor. Visit http://www.amazima.org/, http://www.irememberthepoor.org/ or http://www.myfathershouseintl.org/ to find your own little Ruthie to support. There are 147 million orphans in the world and 26,000 children die each day from starvation or preventable diseases. Feed One. Help One. Love One. Sponsor One.



Tribute to Shrimp

Shrimp came into my life when I turned 15. I had just moved to Jacksonville, FL 6 months before I got him after having lived in Gainesville for 14 years. My parents and I left my sister, my dog, Luckey, our house and our furniture in Gainesville. Stacey got a rottweiller around the same time I got Shrimp. Shrimp and Penut were good buds. The only problem is Penut grew to almost 100 lbs and Shrimp didn't. I think this had a lot to do with his issues throughout the years. Here's a picture of Penut and Shrimp (well and a younger version of Dan, my brother-in-law, too).....

About a year later here's Shrimp and Penut (along with my first dog, Luckey).....

For those of you that didn't know Shrimp when he was younger, here's a few baby pictures....

Shrimp wasn't the dog you would say is the best dog in the world. The boy had issues. He never and I mean never potty trained, he barked at windshield wipers and when you opened and closed doors. He growled and bit you if he didn't want you to pet him. But he was my dog. Shrimp was there for me when I went through my first breakup. He was there when I got my drivers license. He was there when I went to prom. He was there when I graduated high school and college. He was there when I bought my first house. He has been by my side for almost 16 years so I took care of him. He wasn't an easy dog and I'm convinced I am the only person the planet that actually likes him, but he was my dog. The thought never crossed my mind to get rid of him.

Shrimp's health started to deteriorate before I got Roscoe. Sure it's not a good idea to bring a male dog into the home when you have one that is already 14+ years old but I couldn't resist Roscoe. They learned over time how to co-exist and I think Shrimp secretly liked Roscoe. He wagged his tail around him quite a bit. I know Roscoe loved him. I've never lost a dog before or had to put one to sleep so as his health got worse I kept saying that I didn't want to be nieve, when it was time I wanted to do the right thing and take him out of his misery.

You can't really prepare yourself for when it's "time" though. He hasn't had a good week but I've seen him have bad days so I was going to wait it out a few days. I thought he was too active this weekend and maybe he threw his back out or something. When I put him in his crate this morning he lost his balance and stepped in his food and it didn't even register to him. I thought that was sad, but went on to work. When I came home at lunch he was lying in his food bowl instead of his bed. I knew something had to be wrong then. I took him outside and he pottied but when I took him to the sink to clean him up he just went limp. He wouldn't stand on his own. I wrapped him in a blanket after I cleaned the food off him and put him on the floor in the living room while I made my lunch and just cried while I looked at him.

I called my sweet, precious, friend and vet who is on maternity leave and as I told her what he was doing she said I needed to take him in to get blood work done and possibly put him down. She prayed with me and then she called the clinic to give the vet on duty a head's up. When I got there they rushed me in and she did a physical exam. He was dehydrated, was still limp, was turning yellowish and had a heart murmur. She didn't think the blood work was going to prove anything more than the exam was already proving. We called Edith (my vet) and all three agreed that he needed to be put out of his misery because he was seriously suffering. Dr. Wentworth was great. I held Shrimp and she got on her knees and administered the drugs while she pet his head and told him he was a good boy. She prayed with me after he stopped breathing. He died right there in my lap very peacefully. It was one of the hardest things I ever did but I knew I needed to be there with him till the end. How could I have walked away from him when he needed me the most?

God has been so good to me. I am so thankful I did not have to come home to an empty house today. Roscoe was right there waiting for me. I'm so thankful I switched vets a year ago because Edith has been such a blessing and Dr. Wentworth was wonderful today. I am almost positive I would not have gotten the kind of love and attention from my previous vet's office. I'm so thankful that I did not come home one day to find Shrimp not breathing and wonder how it happened and how I was going to find the strength to take my dead dog to the vet. As a planner, I am so thankful that I was able to make the call when and where it was time for him to go. I'm so thankful that I had two vets opinions as well as Shrimp visibly telling me it was ok to put him to sleep. And I am so thankful to have great friends and family that have been there for me.

I love you Shrimp! I know you and our favorite rottweiller, Penut are reunited in heaven!

                     Shrimp the night before he passed.

Eat. Pray. Love

I reluctantly just finished reading, "Eat, Pray, Love" because my co-worker loaned it to me and wanted me to read it so we could go to see the movie together. The book bothered and bored me with all the yoga, karma, little g gods, selfish pursuits, etc but tonight I read something and took it entirely out of context and made it fit into my life.

It said, "...something else inside me has put in a serious request that I donated the entirety of this year of traveling all to myself. That some vital transformation is happening in my life, and this transformation needs time and room in order to finish its process undisturbed. That basically, I'm the cake that just came out of the oven, and it still needs some more time to cool before it can be frosted. I don't want to cheat myself out of this precious time. I don't want to lose control of my life again."

I had to read that a second time. That is exactly the way I feel about this year of my life. I have completely given this year to God and there has been some major transforming going on that I don't want to disrupt. I don't think its over. I don't want to go back to MY ways and don't want to cheat myself of this precious time alone with God. I may not see it now but I, too, am a cake in the oven that needs some time to cool before I can be frosted! I truly believe He is drawing me closer to Him and has some great big things (frosting) in store for me if I'm obedient.

I asked Him for two things over the past year that I am thankful He delivered on:

1. No distractions (ie, men)
2. To give me His eyes

So, thankfully I got something out of that weird book that I could take away. I know its only August but already I am so thankful for this year and giving my time, energy, money, thoughts, eyes, heart, just about everything to Him. It has been a good year thus far.
~Manda

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Weeping For the Poor

It's been about three weeks since I got back from Guatemala. I anticipated that as time went on I would become more "comfortable" with my life in Birmigham, AL and will think about the people in Guatemala a little less. Out of sight, out of mind. I guess that is why I am so anxious to go back. I really don't want to lose that passion for loving and helping them. Yesterday Katie Davis posted on her blog Just In Case You Were Getting Too Comfortable. Reading the story about this 23 year old who weighed only 37 lbs. that was barely alive reminded me that there is real poverty everywhere, not just in Guatemala City. Therefore I must not get too comfortable in America.

I've heard David say in his messages things like, "When's the last time you wept for the poor and lost?" I'd wonder if I was the only person listening that had never done this and wondered if something might be wrong with me. I really have to have a connection to someone or something to weep over it so it's hard to phathom weeping over people I've never met. Well, that has changed, my friend. I know the lost and I know the poor. I can't get their faces out of my mind.

By the grace of God I was able to keep my emotions in check while in Guatemala but since my return, well, not so much. Last night I cried like I cry when I watch Marley and Me (yes, that is the only thing I can think of to compare it to). I mean SOBBED uncontrollably. I don't know what it was about last night in particular, maybe having Katie Davis reminding me not to get too comfortable did it, who knows. All I know is I grabbed the few pictures of the kids I had printed and I prayed for each of them and just wept for them.

I was laying in my big comfy bed with the fan on with my two dogs while they were sleeping directly on the dirt or on filthy mattresses, some with no roofs over their heads, some with stomach tumors, some without parents, some maybe being sexually abused, and some fighting off rats and other creatures that also reside in the dump. These are my babies. I have an emotional connection to them now. Some of their mothers are my sisters in Christ. The worst part is that this is going on EVERYWHERE. God has given me a heart for this particular people group but it's really going on all over the world.

 

So if you've never wept for the poor and lost maybe you should ask God which people group He wants you to reach out to. Remember the great commission isn't an option. It's a command.

The Dump

Words really can’t describe the dump. I don't even think pictures do the job. But just think about the word before you look at the pictures. Dump; A place where unwanted things end up. Toxic waste. Paper. Plastic Cardboard. Snotty Kleenex. Dirty diapers. Broken glass. Dust. Dirt.

Hardly a place any of us could ever imagine LIVING and WORKING yet thousands of people do. Why did God have mercy on you and me and allow us to live in middle class America while thousands live in a dump earning $7 a week going through trash? I think some might look at these pictures and think to themselves, “well, I’m glad that’s not me” Or “they aren’t my problem” or “well you can’t feel guilty just because you have money and they don’t. That's just the way it is” But all over the Bible God tell us to care for those in need. Seriously ALL OVER THE BIBLE. How can we claim to be believers of the Word and not also be doers?

In “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger” Ronald J. Sider says “Instead of fostering more compassion toward the poor, riches often harden the hearts of the wealthy.” Luther said, “Religion that gives nothing, costs nothing and suffers nothing is ultimately worth nothing.” James confirms this in James 2:17 when he says, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accomplished by action, is dead.” Then my favorite verse in James (1:27) says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself pure from being polluted by the world.”

Read that last verse again. Are we really keeping ourselves pure from being polluted by the world when we are consumed with Hollywood, TV and the internet? Do we genuinely care about orphans and widows?

Why are some Christians wealthy and some aren't? Why do you think God gave us money? So we can hoard it, buy more "stuff," or maybe, just maybe the whole "tis better to give than to receive is actually true? Maybe God blesses some of us with more wealth than others so that we can be a blessing to others and therefore be blessed. Sounds crazy, I know. Personally, ministering to the people in the dump brought me so much more joy than "shopping" has EVER brought me.

The dump is said to be about 40 acres in size and houses 1/3 of the country’s trash. People have been living and working there for 20 to 40 years reducing the country’s waste by 1 million pounds a day.

“For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Luke 18:25