Amazing Opportunity

Tonight at church, I had the privilege of meeting Syd.

Syd is a missionary to Muslims, a people I feel strangely drawn to or burdened for.

It all started when I was sitting in the pew my family selected (on the right side…as usual) when an older man in our church (who asked me questions about Islam earlier this morning) eagerly invited me to join in the conversation on Islam with a man near the back of the auditorium.

“Sure!” I replied and hopped up to join in. I try not to miss any chances to learn, talk about, or debate worldviews.

Syd, with a delightful British-y/Hebrew/Arabic accent told us of Muslims he’d encountered that have dreams of Christ; a person that stood up in the middle of the Jesus film and cried out “That is the man who healed my (relation)!”; and how, one average, it takes Muslims two years to come to Christ once a seed has been planted.  Though I’ve spent a couple years trying to learn all I can about Islam, hearing it firsthand from a seasoned missionary was amazing.

I wondered if there was any opportunity to help, when he mentioned a caroling group in Dearborn, where they bring literature, Christmas, and gifts into an outreach. Muslims don’t know what is going on when they hear singing outside, and become curious.

I’m planning on joining this group of carolers. It’s a start. It’s an amazing opportunity.

Guess What Came In The Mail!!

A tan manila envelope with “Soroti Uganda” and then our address. Hmm. It was thick, somewhat heavy and looked quite travelled. Perhaps many hands held it before it left the village, locals wondering who had business in Amerika? I ran up the driveway, anxious to open it.

Staring at the package, I wondered if it was one of my pen-pals from Uganda, dear Jethro, or Carol, or Aunie Lynette. But none of them live in Soroti.

Then it hit me.

Those children from the orphanage wrote thank you letters! I tore it open, excited (okay, I was jumping up and down and screaming “they wrote! they wrote back!!”)

On top was a small card sized envelope with a thank you note from the director:

Dear Friends, Thank you so much for your loving generosity towards the orphans at SOAP. The children will receive countless hours of fun from the items that were sent. Candy is always very much ENJOYED by the children. May the Lord bless you richly… as you have… so lovingly blessed us.”

Underneath it was a note from the missionary we sent the two big boxes to, explaining why it took so long to get the boxes to the children, and why the letters are just now coming. (Turns out, US is not taking much mail from Africa- maybe the Sudan conflict and Libya trouble?)

All of the letters mentioned  the candy (sweets)- and all of the kids thanked our church multiple times and a few asked a specific prayer request for them.

Click on the pictures to make them larger. 

PS~ How do you like the new background? I’m fiddling with it (a lot) so your input and suggestions would help. I discovered I could upload my own backgrounds, and I was getting sick of the aqua (though I love aqua).

It’s Good To Be Late!

Back in November, I posted about our family’s assignment to pack two boxes of gifts for an orphanage in Uganda. We just heard word from the missionary family who delivered the boxes! There were many delays in delivery- the kids were out visiting with extended family when the gifts came; the kids gots sick, and the missionary family had to fly back the States for a funeral. Finally, the “Christmas” presents were opened a few days ago, and I realized they came right at the right time- even if they were late!

The kids at the orphange like to play UNO, but the cards had begun to wear out durin the past month. Each child had a school pencil they received at the beginning of the year, but a little boy named James had lost his. Then, their soccer ball went missing, and nobody seemed to know how it got away.  The house parents told the kids to pray about it…

A day or two later, the missionaries came with thw boxes. According to the email, the kids saw the pencils, the soccer balls, and the UNO cards- and they “got huge smiles on their faces.”

If the boxes had been delivered “on time” God would not have been able to “answer” their prayers! The gifts meant more because they were late.  Even though I was annoyed at first that the gifts were being put off, I realized God had other ideas!

Some of the kids with one of the soccer balls. A person from our church donated three of his old ones.

Each orphan received their own zip-loc bag of goodies.

I’m thinking the soccer balls were the favorite!

Some girls and coloring books. Don’t you love their smiles?

Using the school supplies that were sent

To see the original post about packing the boxes, go here:

http://echoesinthewind.wordpress.com/2010/11/06/30-children-two-big-boxes-christmas-joy/

30 Children + Two Big Boxes + Christmas = Joy!

This past week, we’ve been finishing up on a special project: a project we’ve never attmepted before.

We packed two good sized boxes (I could fit into one and I’m about 5’7″) full of goodies for 30 orphaned children in Soroti, Uganda, Africa. This past spring, the Manes Family came to our church and shared about their missions ministry, one of them being in an orphanage.  As we talked with them about the orphans, the subject of OCC and Christmas came up. “It would be great if you guys could do something like that for the kids in our orphanage,” they said. Well, my dad didn’t think it’d be possible, because of shipping costs and customs. However, we asked for ideas, just in case. “A plain number 2 pencil of their own would thrill them!” It was also discovered this orphanage was in need of toys, which were in very short supply. “They share everything!” Turns out, God provided for us to pack two boxes of toys for these kids, many of whom have not received much for Christmas before. How did He do this? Our church graciously donated the money needed to do this!

I thought I’d share these pictures of our family’s packing party!

Don’t worry, I wasn’t shipping my cat. Daisy was just being helpful! I’m sure the kids would love her, though.

We tried to include a variety of things, from footballs to hair clips to easy board games. Party City was a fun, inexpensive stop for little things. Noisemakers, bouncy balls, stickers, and pencil sharpeners are cheapest at Party City. You can find Fresh Metal cars for $4.50 for 5 (as shown).

We asked the Manes’ what was needed most. They said “socks and school supplies.” So, each kid got a pair of socks, a 100 page notpad, and 4 colorful pencils. These are some of the boy bags in the stuffing process. I think the boys are going to enjoy all those whoopee cushions! I wonder if they’ve ever played Football American?! Well, they all are getting a football, so they’ll have to learn!

This is what a good part of our living room floor looked like as we dumped out all the bags! The frisbees work well, and they are from Party City… (just a hint to all the OCC packers!) We made sure each kid got a pack of gum, and some hard candy. The puzzle is from Dollar Tree, and is very good quality! It’s also small enough to put in a shoebox! (Not to give out OCC hints or anything) We found a finger bowling game at WalMart, and a Jump The Peg Game at Dollar Tree in Ann Arbor.

The girl’s bags.  We found spyrographs at Dollar General for $1.50, and jump ropes for $1. We also found Lisa Frank coloring books at Dollar Tree. The Lord gave us many good deals on many great gifts. Cute notebooks can be found at Dollar General for a dollar.

We sent along I Spy Snap, a card game that can be played in a group, Uno, Memory Match, Go Fish, and Old Maid. A boy from church donated 4 of his old soccer balls to send along. Glue sticks and crayons also jumped into the boxes. We also found some Lego Car Kits that were $1.

It was fun… until we saw the shipping! (Which was funny to see, anyway!) It cost more to ship the boxes than to buy all the fillers! But it’ll be a blessing.

There ya go. More OCC ideas, or…

Ask your church if they’d like to do this for your missionaries who’re involved in orphanages!

Operation Christmas Child: Part Two

So, what is OCC? How do I participate?

Well, it’s easy!

Operation Christmas Child uses shoeboxes.

Yup.

Shoeboxes.

1. Find a standard sized shoebox. The ones at Big Lots stores are 95c and the size you will need. Go quickly, though, Big Lots runs out faster that you can say “hope”. You could wrap the box, if you wish. Our church buys hankies from Hobby Lobby each year when they go on sale about Labor Day. We line the boxes with these, making them more colorful while giving the kids some cool to put around their heads!

2. Next, label the lid. You can get labels off the Samaritan’s Purse Website Choose what category you want to send the box to: a Girl or a Boy, age 2-4; 5-9; 10-14. (Hint! I’ve heard many times there are a lot of 5-9 boy and 2-4 girl boxes. Consider trying another category, but it’s up to you!)

3. Fill your box with gifts. You do not have to spend a lot on gifts. Remember that some of these children in places like Haiti and Serbia would be thrilled to have a sheet of paper and a pencil for a day- much less a legal pad and a pack of pencils lasting for a year. They would even cherish bouncy balls! Party City has a lot of inexpensive favors that work well as gifts. We walked out with TONS of fun things like jump ropes, silly glasses (classic!), whistles, stickers, and balls for about 50 dollars, enough to fill 60 boxes. But the point is, don’t send elaborate things like iPods and fountain pens. They may not know what to do with them!

4. Before you start filling your box with the goodies you’ve bought, be sure to write a note in clear, plain English to the child. Include your address, they may write to you! My family has received dozens of emails and letters from kids around the world who’ve received the boxes we’ve packed. (One of them even reads my blog… Hi Jethro! ).

5. Include 7 dollars for shipping out the box, and take it to your local relay center!

Operation Christmas Child Packing Ideas:

Silly glasses are my favorite, especially the cardboard ones with the goofy hologram eyes!

Toys that make noise like whistles, flutes, tambourines, and clappers

Stickers! Stickers! Stickers!

Small box puzzles

Triangle crayons

Deflated inflatable soccer balls and basketballs or beach balls. We found little inflatable turtles. So cute!

Hats and scarves, especially colorful ones. South American kids are nuts about American sports teams. Putting in hats with a logo is a definite good idea! (Go Buckeyes! teehee)

Etch a Sketch- I remember a little kid on a promo video several years ago who giggled uncontrollably every time Franklin Graham etched something. The kid would roll over laughing every time Mr. Graham erased it! That is why I love giving those out!

Bumble balls! Dollar General has key chain sized!

Hot Wheels!

Punch balls and balloons

Hygiene items, toothbrush and toothpaste, wash cloth, bar soaps, deodorant, comb, hair ties

School supplies ( hard to come by in some countries )

Small coloring books with crayons

Sudoku, and other number puzzles; send to the older kids.

Flip flops and sneakers for the smaller kids. Watch the video below and see how the Lord met a need perfectly! This clip will give you chills. Oh! God is SOOOO GOOD!

Don’t include:

Nail polish or bubbles, or anything liquid-y. (Including markers, these have exploded en route for some reason)

Aerosol cans

Glass items

Used things (sorry, Goodwill lovers!)

Anything that has a scary face or war related objects on it. This includes knives and guns in the hands of action figures. Transformers, Hulk, and Iron Man aren’t really a good idea. Superman and Batman are more universal and therefore, kids won’t be frightened. Try them if you must include action figures!

Knives

Vitamins

Food

Broken items

Razors

Chocolate and gooey candy. Candy that will melt.

 Go pack a shoebox!

Waiting For His Perfect Will

Before the earthquake in January, I never thought about Haiti:

                                not once in a year,

                                        much less in a day.

Now, all I can think about is Haiti.

I didn’t hear about the earthquake until a week after it happened. I didn’t see any newscasts.  I heard stories of how the Haitian people made pacts with the devil, and began to feel sorry for them- wondering why they would do such a thing. The earthquake was God’s judgment. It must be. They would have to get out of the mess by themselves. That’s how I felt at the time.

In April, I began to think about them more, all those orphans, the homeless, the hungry. I would lie in bed at night and stare at the ceiling, praying that God would take care of the girl on the streets who felt near death. I prayed for the boys I knew who were picking through a dump for something to eat. I began to dream that I was there: I heard babies cry, dreamed that I was walking down the street with people tugging on me, asking for food.

At first, I didn’t want to consider these people. These people who made a pact with the devil. They would have to rescue themselves. God meant it to be that way, right? I wrestleed with that question. Is their problem theirs, or is it my resposibilty to help them? I wondered.

In June, I began to hear the word missionary, and my brain would make it synonymous with Haiti. I felt I must do something-

- and I’m still not sure what exactly the Holy Spirit is telling me.

For some reason, Haiti has been laid on my heart- and I don’t know what to do next. Recently, I remembered the annual Operation Christmas Child ministry of Samaritan’s Purse. My family and I do OCC every year, along with our church, and I wondered if the shoeboxes would go to Haiti this year. Sure enough! They are sending the shoeboxes to Haiti this year, and for now, that seems to be the way to help Haiti.

But I feel I could do more…

…that the Lord has something else for me to do…

…but what?

Sometimes, God’s leading isn’t as clear as we’d like it to be. I’ve known Him to be very clear in times past, such as when we found $200 on the ground, and it was the exact amount we needed at the time, or when the IRS sent us a check for close to the amount of Summit camp. But, God often likes to show His power in mysterious ways: ways that astound us and make us wonder how He thought of putting the blessing out that way. If you’re like me, wondering what God has in store for you, whether it be marriage, missions work, singleness, a local job, or choosing a college; I’d encourage you to pray. Don’t take major risks: you don’t want to be outside of God’s will. Wait for His leading: rushing ahead of God is like not looking both ways to cross a state highway! It’s not safe.

The words of Ecclesiastes 3:11 are pinned up beside my bed: (ESV) He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Think about that verse! It will all be be beautiful in His time! He is wiser, juster, and greater than we can ever plan out for our futures- Romans 11:33 ~ Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

So, if you are searching for God’s will right now in the smallest area of your life, know that He will work in your life, for good. Trust Him, He is not going to disappoint.

That’s a guarantee.

In The Right Direction: Apathy

I Don’t Care

Apathy.

n.

1. Lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal; indifference.
2. Lack of emotion or feeling; impassiveness.

[Latin apathīa, from Greek apatheia, from apathēs, without feeling : a-, without; + pathos, feeling.]

That would exactly describe the modern Christian feeling towards the least. Yes, there are people who do reach out and adopt an orphan. There are a few who take widows under their wing and support them in the most difficult time of life. A mere handful will seek out the abused mothers and counsel them. But usually, most of us don’t even think about how these people feel- or even consider where they might be and if they exist. We’ve been conditioned to think WE are the most worthy of attention. WE need to be numero uno.  Oh really?

Imagine you are a Christian in Nazi Germany. The Nazis, for the most part, leave you alone. The most they have done to you is tease, and you don’t expect anymore than that. The poor Jews, however, have much more to fear. Just as long as it isn’t you.

One Sunday, you decide to meet in the church: which is now, by the way, decorated with the red flags of the Third Reich. A small amount of people show up, and the preaching begins. The pastor begins a watered-down version of the gospel, so not to annoy any spies that may be among you, and you settle down to listen.

Faintly, in the distance, you hear trucks coming. This has happened before: everyone knows the routine by now.

“Take your song-books and sing number 46!” shouts the pastor. Scrambling, you reach for the book and begin to sing.

“I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene…”

You hear the screams and shouts from the trucks passing by: filled with Jews on their way to concentration camp. You want to shut out their screams- so you begin to yell out the lyrics louder.

“Louder!” The pastor yells. “Louder!”

Finally, a few minutes later, the trucks have rumbled by, and the singing is over.

That is exactly what happens in churches today.

Maybe we don’t have Nazis bearing down on our Jewish neighbors. Perhaps we don’t have to sing a song really loud to drown out someone’s screams. But we are, in a sense, drowning out the cries for help around us.

How am I doing that?

We are too self-centered. We ignore the homeless guy sitting in front of Wal Mart and head to the ice cream stand. We look away when we see a mother struggling to help her family survive after the death of her husband. We judge others by their appearances. We act like we don’t care, then we get so used to acting, it just becomes normal. We really don’t care anymore. We don’t care about not caring.

The Problem of Missions Trips

The church is often littered with the trash of modern psychology. It’s all about you, and you have to do good things. Honestly, I think that mission trips are not really missions work. Pastors label these “ministry.” It’s a chance for people to see the world and ease their conscience at the same time. The poorest people in America would be rich in other parts of the world! When Americans arrive with their fancy blow-dryers, expensize luggage, and Bible-zines, how do you think the nationals feel? If you really cared about these people: take out your comforts and replace them with Bibles in the country’s language. (Do you really think that people in the heart of Mexico will care whether or not you have mascara on?) If you share the gospel, that’s awesome, just be sensitive! But mission trips to non-English speaking countries bug me! Of course, we need to help out our fellow man: that much is clear: but spiritual should come before physical needs. Painting a church isn’t exactly what I would call “spiritual.” The church is a building to meet in, and is simply a shell that holds believers: like a person’s body houses the Holy Spirit. If you can’t really share the gospel face to face- or with a translator: don’t go. Don’t go to meet only the physical. That’s not missions.

True missions is sacrifice. I believe there are two ways to do missions: a wrong way and a right way (whoa, that took a rocket scientist)! Missions trips will be very effective for you if you do it the right way! I’m not condemning missions trips altogether, there are some types that are very effective. I would like to go on one myself sometime. I’m just warning you to check your motives.

The wrong way~

Are you going to see more of the world?

Are going so that you can say you’ve been to “such and such” a place?

Are you going with all of your comforts in tow? (Ipods, video games, and excessive beauty supplies?)

If you said yes to any of these: you are apathetic towards others and need to work on changing your heart before you go.

The right way:

Are going out of true love for others?

Are you praying for these people before you head out?

Do you feel like you could be called into full time missions eventually?

If you answered yes to one or more questions, you seem to have the right motives.

Christian missions is in a sad state. It’s all about us in America- and to my international readers, maybe you can relate- perhaps you have seen apathetic Christians, too! The only way to change that is by doing something different. Overcoming apathy. I believe the real root of apathy is self-centeredness.

Be sure to read the previous “In The Right Direction” posts so you can get the full effect.

Egypt File VBS: A Great Week in Review

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We had an amazing week with 60 kids in attendance.  The theme was Egypt File: Decoding the Mystery of Life. We talked about how life is precious to God, and how whatever’s precious to God should be precious to us.

The penny wars that happen every year were in full swing again! The boys and the girls are challenged to bring in as many pennies as possible; and they are weighed every day. Whoever’s bucketful weighs the most on Friday, wins. The final score: 70 lbs for the girls, 71 pounds for the boys. (Thanks to Ryan [my brother] and Jay M. , who brought in 12 and 25 pounds, respectively). The pennies will be exchanged for paper money and given to a local crisis pregnancy center. (The same one I visited earlier)

During the closing each day, the teens put on a drama relating to the Egypt theme. That was a lot of fun to be a part of: I LOVE ACTING! There were some goofy and cheesy parts, which made it enjoyable for the kids and for us! My mom took movies, and I saved some frames: if these are little grainy, sorry

 

This scene was the best! Since we were opening a museum, there were plenty of boxes to unload. This one had fossilized dinosaur … uh… you-know-what in it. One of us had to say “This looks like chocolate. I wonder if it tastes like chocolate…” and lick it! I bet you can imagine what the kids thought of that! (It was actually a dog biscuit painted brown).

 

Percy, one of the characters, was always pulling pranks and slacking off. Here he is terrorizing the maid, who ran off the stage with the shriek “The museum is closed right now!”

There was a little sand rat who was mentioned all in the play all during the week. Claire, another character, wasn’t to thrilled about it; so she jumped on the table.

The play escalated to a mystery- trying to find who stole the money box. There was also mention of hidden treasure. But, my character, Mackenzie, was afraid to talk about it out loud- the man who last searched for it disappeared. So, Mackenzie whispered about it…

Of course, the week had it’s down moments, but all in all, it went smoothly as possible. Praise the Lord for His goodness!

Great Strides Walk

This is very,very,very,very, VERY late, but I’ve been meaning to post about the fundraiser walk I went to about a month ago.

My aunt, Julie, has Cystic Fibrosis, a disease that affects the lungs, and inhibits the digestive system. Patients with CF have an excessive amount of mucus that builds up in the lungs. Patients cough and cough, but the mucus never completely goes away. This mucus causes some major problems throughout life. Most patients live to about 40 years old- and my aunt is “getting up there.” So, my dad decided that he and I would walk with her at the annual fundraiser for the CF Foundation.

Here are some pictures!

Before the walk began, it seemed like it was going to be an absolutely miserable, wet day. There had been storms earlier in the morning, and it was still sprinkling and damp when we arrived at the park. There were actually about 1,000 people there.

A local news channel came and did interviews. No, I wasn’t on TV ! My dad stood in line next to the meterologist, though! (My dad loves weather…)

This was on the trail while we walked. We met an older man named Jack, who had an interesting story to tell about how he found he had CF. He was a character He was quite old for being a CF patient, and my aunt was so surprised to hear he had CF- and is still alive and kickin’! There were so many interesting people with interesting stories, and overall it was a very encouraging day.

For more information about Cystic Fibrosis, go to:

http://www.cff.org/

A Can of Formula

A few days ago, a company decided my mother needed to give her new baby a sample of Enfamil formula. The company even sent us coupons for us to buy more formula for Baby. Their intentions were good, but there’s one problem: my mom doesn’t have a new baby. The ‘baby’ in our family is Ryan. (He’s 12).

So, after seeing the box with formula sitting on our counter for several days, my dad suggested randomly that we call the care pregnancy center in the area to see if they needed a can of formula. The woman on the other end said ‘sure bring it on in.’ So my dad and I made an unexpected trip to the pregnancy center today.

We were able to see the baby boutique- where mothers could pick out clothes for the baby, as well as other practical items like formula, diapers, stuffed animals, and toys. It’s amazing to see how the Lord works through people: “Just the other day, we had to turn people away because we didn’t have enough formula!” The lady told my dad and I. “This cupboard was empty.” But she opened it- and the cans of formula inside were largely the same Enfamil samples! Not a coincidence- why would this company send out samples at just the right time?

We moved to the ultrasound room, and I thought as we walked in: “Wow, this is where mothers get to realize there’s a baby inside them- not a clump of useless cells.” The woman leading us through the building told us that nearly all the women who saw their baby and heard its heartbeat decided to keep it. A vivid picture of a young pregnant woman crying floated through my mind. I imagined her realizing that there was a life inside of her! What powerful moments have taken place in there- and what powerful moments to come! I prayed for the moms who had been through that room and those who will come soon.

We went through a little hall, past the men’s counseling room, which we didn’t get to see because there was a session taking place right then. The next stop was the pregnancy testing room. It was a cute little room- with  pink walls and wicker chairs with pretty curtains… and a large box of Kleenex. Again, I prayed for the mothers who would come through there in the future.

There were racks with literature about abortion (not pro), adoption, and other issues regarding pregnancy. The woman said the slow economy was a blessing to the center, because the court was out of money- the judges have been ruling parenting classes and other cases to the center- because the classes and counseling are free. How neat is that?

It was an amazing, unexpected opportunity to see how the center, and others like it, operate. I’d like to volunteer at this center sometime this summer- it would be amazing to just help greet young women as they walk in, or sort the donations. After seeing how the Lord has blessed the center during tough times, I went away with a new zeal for serving the Lord- something we all need near the end of the school year burnout.